"Alright, they're all gone — no one should have spotted us." After confirming the area was clear, C.C. stepped out from her hiding place. The monster's laughter still echoed through the forest, and Rulu and Kallen could see nothing but a thick blanket of yellow fog, unable to make out anything in their surroundings.
Rulu told C.C. to lead them immediately to the monster capable of affecting people's minds. C.C. promptly guided Rulu and Kallen eastward, away from the camp, moving swiftly through the forest toward the source of the eerie laughter.
Gradually, the three of them drew closer and closer to that strange laughter. Rulu and Kallen faintly made out a black, goat-like shadow taking shape within the dense fog. C.C. pointed at the figure and said, "It's right there."
"Good, let me take it down." Kallen tightened her grip on the spear in her hand and advanced toward the goat-like silhouette — but at that moment C.C. cried out, "Watch above!"
"Above?" Kallen looked up, seeing nothing but the thick yellow fog. Then came a sharp whoosh, as something hurtled toward her at high speed. Kallen hurriedly raised the wooden shield in her left hand. A dull *clang* rang out, and an arrow buried itself in the shield, quivering.
"How many enemies are there, and where are they?" Rulu quickly scanned his surroundings. He knew they were under attack, but with no visibility he had no choice but to turn to C.C. for help.
"Just one — the man with those large eyes who was always at Princess Meiyu's side. He's standing in a large tree near that human-faced, goat-bodied creature." C.C. looked up toward a tall tree ahead and said.
"That guy?" Rulu already knew who the enemy was. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Kallen, you handle that goat-like beast. I'll deal with the one in the tree."
"Got it — wait, where did the beast go?" Kallen said, realizing that the goat-like shadow had vanished entirely. All she could see was the dense yellow fog; the creature had left no trace.
"It must have fled. Kallen, give your shield to C.C., then go track that beast down. C.C., keep your eye on the man in the tree and tell me his every move." As Rulu spoke, he conjured several fireballs around himself. Kallen handed her shield to C.C. and dashed into the forest to search for the human-faced, goat-bodied creature.
"He's over there." C.C. pointed toward the upper left. Rulu immediately directed the fireballs toward the position she indicated. The Large-eyed man in the tree leapt nimbly from his perch, dodging the fireballs with sharp agility.
Following C.C.'s directions, Rulu launched wave after wave of fireballs at the Large-eyed man as he darted between the trees. The man moved fluidly through the forest, evading each attack. With his vision blocked by the yellow fog, Rulu had no idea of the enemy's exact position and could only rely on C.C.'s guidance — his accuracy suffered greatly, and not a single fireball found its mark.
The Large-eyed man leapt swiftly from tree to tree, firing arrows at Rulu all the while. Each time C.C. saw arrows coming their way, she raised the wooden shield to block them. Every arrow was deflected; neither Rulu nor C.C. was hit.
"That woman seems able to see me — I'll need to change my approach," the Large-eyed man muttered to himself, perched on a trunk deep in the forest, his hollow, wide eyes fixed on Rulu and C.C.
Without warning, the Large-eyed man tossed aside his bow and arrows, drew a jet-black wooden short sword from his waist, and leapt down from the tree, charging straight toward Rulu and C.C.
"He's rushing at us," C.C. said, pointing in his direction. Rulu, a Magic-type Ultra-capable who was ill-suited for close combat, immediately grabbed C.C. and ran in the opposite direction, hurling three fireballs toward the spot she had pointed out.
The Large-eyed man neither dodged nor slowed — he kept charging. All three fireballs struck him directly, yet instead of igniting his body, they were deflected away.
"You didn't hit him — he's getting closer," C.C. said anxiously. Her running pace was not particularly fast, and even with Rulu pulling her along as hard as he could, the Large-eyed man was steadily closing the gap.
"How is this possible? I aimed right at him." Rulu was baffled. He conjured five more fireballs and launched them in the man's direction. Again the Large-eyed man made no move to evade — but just as the five fireballs were about to connect, they veered off course and sailed away in other directions, missing him entirely.
"I see it now — there seems to be a whirlwind surrounding him, deflecting the fireballs!" C.C. exclaimed in astonishment at her discovery.
"Can this guy actually use Magic Psionic power to summon wind and deflect my attacks?" Rulu thought. The Large-eyed man was nearly upon them now; Rulu could already make out his silhouette through the fog. In a matter of seconds, he would catch up.
"This won't work — he'll overtake us. I need to think of something." With that thought in mind, Rulu quickly surveyed his surroundings. He pulled C.C. toward a large nearby tree and ran for it. The Large-eyed man gave chase without relenting, and by the time Rulu reached the tree, the man had nearly caught up.
"Get down!" Rulu yanked C.C. to the ground beside the tree. A soft *thud* sounded — something seemed to catch the Large-eyed man's foot — followed immediately by a loud *crash* as an enormous, thick branch came crashing down from the tree. Lashed to the branch with rope were several large stones that looked extremely heavy.