The peoples of Haven have lived in fear of these creatures for over a thousand years. I was almost eaten in one bite by a Couatl, nearly lost my senses to the last surviving Mind Virus, and came very close to being burned alive with the Unquenchable Fire, all to try to discover the secrets of the Star Demons. Here’s what little I've learned…

…both the blade and handle will change length to make this weapon the equal of a long knife, swords of various sizes, or a 3 m (10 ft) pole arm, all the while remaining nearly weightless and perfectly balanced…

…Even those depicted in the artworks of other species have all been replaced by blank spaces on canvases, gaps in bas-reliefs, and empty lines in songs. Just about everyone on Haven is certain the Rakshasas went extinct during the same magical catastrophe that gave rise to the White Waste.

Instead of worrying about how to tell her parents that she wanted to be an artist instead of a veterinarian, she was worrying about how to survive the agents of the Sovereign-hunting Project Rancher.