Miro leapt atop the trunk and stood with his legs apart, his face grim as he stared down into the dark sunken eyes. He held up his zenblade and activated the new sequence Ella had built into it.

The blade flamed like a burning torch. There was no enhancement of its strength, or its lightness, or its sharpness; this was simply pure heat.

Miro looked at the burning blade and touched it to the thick trunk, between the creature's eyes. He held the weapon to the bark long enough to set it afire before continuing further, slowly moving down the nightshade's body, running the searing blade along its length to the base of its torso. As the creature blazed the runes on its surface turned black.

The nightshade writhed and twitched, hissing and screaming, and then the creature was still.

Miro turned away from the burning hulk. Over the crackle of the flames he heard screams and the sound of breaking branches.

Layla! The thought of her fighting one of these creatures sent chills through Miro's bruised and battered body. He began to run.

Miro followed a trail of dead hunters, their small bodies torn limb from limb or crushed into unrecognisable lumps of red flesh. Miro's rage grew. What chance did the hunters' arrows have against a nightshade? Miro's anger was directed at his own people. They had neglected to give the Dunfolk any help, and this massacre was the direct result.

Miro's legs stretched as he jumped over logs and bushes, starting his song as he reached the scene of the battle.

Ahead, the nightshade faced hundreds of the Dunfolk. Arrows stuck out from it in all directions; it was enraged, but far from crippled. Even as Miro watched, it picked one of the young hunters up and dashed her against a tree.

Another young hunter climbed up the vines on the nightshade's body, hacking at the limb underneath. A heartbeat later the creature plucked him off and threw him against the ground with a terrible force before hitting him with its hand again and again.

Near breathless from running, Miro's song almost faltered when he saw Layla step forward, a look of determination on her face and a bow in her hands. The Dunfolk healer took careful aim, heedless to the danger. She released her feathered arrow and true to her aim it flew through the air to lodge in the nightshade's right eye.

The creature roared and reared back, before dashing forward and picking Layla up in its right hand. It started to squeeze. In a moment blood would gush forth from the healer's mouth.

Miro jumped atop a log and leaped high as he could, launching off a branch to fly through the air. With his zenblade held at full extension he swung down.

Miro took the nightshade's arm off at the shoulder, falling heavily to the earth.