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The other beastie steps closer, into le against the twin pairs of arainst the chest of theto grab at one of the ar me in place

"No," the beast in front ofdistance and sink h flesh

I don’t expect the creature to vanish right away--there’re pretty low odds that this forearm is the pulse point on this particular beastie--but I expect it to go eventually What I don’t expect is for the four ar me to suddenly slacken

I stumble forward at reen-glinting eyes aren’t focused onto see the thing angry that I’ve sent--

But wait, how can I send it horound I can see now that it’s a laestrygon, norht as it is to hunt

The laestrygon looks piteous Clutching at one ar in pain, groaning and growling and howling into the echoing abyss

"What’s going on?"

The other monster, still behind me, roars, "You’ve killed him"

"What?"

Killed him? No, that can’t be My venom doesn’t kill monsters, it just sends them home But he is home And maybe that restriction only applies in the human realm, where monsters are virtually immortal Here, in the home of the beasts, there is nowhere else to send theht round gradually fade Moans turn into whih, everything stops

Everything

It’s like a stab to my chest

I’ve hunted monsters for four years without hesitation I’ve taken them down hard and fast and withthe

But this? This is different

This is final