"Shit!" Marcus yelled out, recoiling from the body.
"You, get Massimo, you two follow me to the tent." Marcus acted quickly, handing out orders to the remaining three guards.
His quick glance at Garrett's body showed that he didn't put up a fight at all, there were no defensive wounds on his arms. Whatever had killed him did so quickly and quietly, not alerting anyone. He didn't know what was going on, the light from the torches were making it difficult to see. If he could put the torches out he'd be able to see much better, but then the guards would be blind, not being able to help at all.
Marcus stuck his head into Sylvia's tent, making sure that she was still safe. She was sitting up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Kelly was doing the same, looking a little bewildered about what was going on.
"Get dressed, now! You need to hurry." Marcus barked out, startling the two women.
He ducked back out before they could ask any questions, but from the look on his face they could tell something serious was happening. Marcus waited with the two guards, straining their eyes to see. Marcus thought that whatever was out there was no magical beast, it was playing with them, or else it wouldn't have thrown the mutilated body at the fire. He heard a noise to his right, he raised his hammer up high ready to strike. Massimo and Denise, the guard, came rounding the corner of the tent.
Seeing Marcus ready to strike a deadly blow, Massimo raised his hands up and backpedaled, almost falling on his butt.
"What in the hells is going on?" He protested.
"Denise here woke me up and said we're being attacked? I don't see nothing though."
"Shut up." Marcus snapped.
"Garrett and Eric are already dead, whatever did it is still out there. Do you know of anything that would decapitate a man without making a sound?" He asked pointedly to Massimo.
A grim look made its way onto Massimo's face, him just realizing the severity of the situation.
"Nothing that I can think of, but there has been tale of some hunters going missing. That's been deep into the wilds though, not this close to the city." Massimo said with a shaky voice.
"Marcus, remember what I'd overheard in the magic shop, about the missing villagers." Sylvia said timidly as she exited her tent.
Marcus thought hard, a sour look on his face. He did remember the conversation, at least now he did. With everything going on since then, he'd completely forgotten about it.
"Fuck." He couldn't help but curse.
"Get the horses, we need to try and get out of here." Marcus told two of the guards.
They didn't take two steps before stopping suddenly, everyone heard the noise, a heavy thumping, mixed with a wet tearing sound. It was a slow, methodical noise, approaching them from the darkness. Marcus grabbed a lit torch from the guard's hand and tossed it out into the dead of night. The torch flew, revolving in the air, before landing about fifty feet away.
The torch acted like a beacon in the night, lighting up a small area around it, allowing them to barely make out a figure standing there. It was a tall figure, maybe seven feet tall, emaciated arms and legs. The group couldn't make out the features very well, but they could see that it was holding something in its hands. Marcus had much better eyesight than the rest of them, he took a few steps forward to get away from the light coming from the torches behind him to get a better look. His eyes adjusted to the dim light coming from the torch that he threw, allowing his nightmare to materialize.
A pair of black eyes were staring at him, deep, hollow eyes. They were set in a thick ridged skull, elongated, making it look like the head bindings of ancient times. It had no lips, exposing its shark like teeth in a permanent smile. It was exhaling visible breath through two slits just above its never ending smile, it had no nose. Three claw-like fingers were grasping a leg of a horse, Marcus could see chunks bitten out of the flesh. It brought its meal up to its gaping maw, ripping a chunk out before tossing it to the side, then taking a single step forward.
Marcus's hair stood on end, it felt like what he had for dinner was threatening to come up. His breath caught in his throat, his chest felt tight, like an elephant was sitting on his sternum. When the creature took a step forward, he subconsciously took one back. A primal fear welled up inside of him, making it hard for him to think clearly.
Seeing Marcus's reaction to whatever he saw made everyone very nervous.
"Mark… Mark! What is it?" Sylvia had to shout to get Marcus to acknowledge her.
Hearing Sylvia's voice broke Marcus out of his horror-stricken state. He gripped his warhammer with both hands, taking a step forward, taking back his lost ground. He knew that the guards would never be a match for the creature, it was up to him to stop it.
"Protect Sylvia, no matter what happens don't come near it." Marcus commanded, not bothering to turn his head.
He took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out, preparing himself for the battle to come. The three remaining guards took up a V formation, keeping Sylvia in the middle. Sylvia even unsheathed her sword that she had bought not too long ago. The creature patiently waited for them, almost like it wanted them to put up the best fight they could. Marcus started to take steady steps towards it, focusing every fiber of his being on his opponents movement.
A deep grating noise came from the beast, sounding like laughter. It already looked as if it was smiling, but Marcus could see its lipless mouth grow wider. It started to move as well, matching his pace, closing the distance between them. The closer Marcus got to the creature the more detail he could see.
Its skin was waxy, reflecting the glow from the torches, making it appear to have a reddish orange glow. He could see the outline of its ribs, pushing up from underneath its flesh with every breath it took. Saliva was dripping from its mouth, running down its chin. The most notable characteristic was the smell, it smelled like rotten eggs, like burning sulfur from deep below.
He stopped ten feet from the beast, it mirrored his movements. Marcus prepared his stance, putting his feet wide. With a push from his sturdy legs, he bolted forward, swinging his hammer from right to left, parallel to the ground. The hammer made the wind whistle as it made its deadly arc, but the creature was fast. It moved out of the way, taking just half a step back.
As Marcus readjusted himself from missing, the creature swung its twisted arm down, aiming for his head. Its three clawed fingers wanting to rend flesh and puncture bone, plummeted towards Marcus.
He twisted his body, nearly losing his balance, but managed to narrowly avoid the worse. He put distance between himself and the monster, but the monster wouldn't allow it. It matched his movements, taking aim at his legs with a low swipe. He turned his hammer, blocking the blow with the neck. His body jolted from the impact, his hands temporarily going numb. The monster let out a shriek, a mix of pain and frustration.
From that blow, Marcus could tell that it was at least as strong as he was. He was already very cautious, now he knew he had to avoid getting hit at all costs. Marcus retaliated, sending a kick out, managing to catch the beast in the abdomen. It took a few steps back, Marcus took advantage, pressing the creature with another hammer swing.
It dodged to the left, the hammer's pointed end grazing its shoulder, drawing blood. The sudden stench of sulfur and iron permeated the air, turning his stomach even more. Now the creature's shriek was one of indignation, one of rage. It swung out, claws making contact with the steel of his armor. Sparks came into existence, disappearing just as quickly.
Marcus backed off, both of the combatants taking a moment to regroup. Marcus was ready to attack again, he felt as if he could win. He just had to keep up the pressure. It seemed that the monster was not too intelligent, only following its instincts in battle. Marcus shifted his weight to his right foot, ready to lunge forward, then he heard a scream.
He turned to look, it was Sylvia, she was behind two of the guards, the third guard was dead. Another monster had appeared, it was shorter than the first one, but looked mostly the same. It had used its claws to penetrate the guards body, impaling him. He lifted the guard up off the ground, his body still spasming, and threw him to the side. Marcus's distraction was enough for the monster to land a hit on his side.
His thick steel armor prevented the claws from skewering his flesh, but the blunt force only sent him tumbling back, head over heels, several feet. The pain almost caused him to black out, he had shattered several ribs, causing untold internal bleeding. While Marcus was injured, the remaining two guards, along with a reluctant Massimo, put up a fight against the second monster.
The two guards worked together, both slashing horizontally, trying to bisect the beast. It casually reached out and stopped one of the blades with its hand, not even bothering to dodge the second blade. The blade that struck it sunk a measly half an inch into its hide, not even enough to draw blood. Wrapping its long fingers around the other blade, it twisted its wrist and wrenched the sword out from the guard's hands.
Having been disarmed, the guard stood there, dumbstruck. The beast didn't wait for him to regain his senses, he backhanded the guards head. His neck bent at an odd angle, the place its hand struck shattered and sunk into his brain, instantly killing him. Seeing his comrade fall to the ground like an abandoned marionette, he charged into the monster using his shoulder. He was filled with fear and rage, not thinking that this act was useless. The monster struck down once again, caving the final guards skull in with its fists.
Massimo was terrified, he'd never witnessed a monster such as this. He failed to help the two guards in their attack, now it was just him that stood between the monster and the two women. The only difference was that he was not beholden to them, he had no reason to die. He instantly turned and ran, bumping into Kelly on his way into the forest. Kelly fell to the ground, sobbing, she was too scared to make sense of anything that was happening. Sylvia bent down to help her up, but Kelly was dragged across the ground before she could.
The monster had grabbed ahold of Kelly's ankle, ripping her away from her friend. It slung Kelly over its shoulder, Kelly seemed to finally realize what was going on, her blood curdling scream causing Sylvia to wince. Kelly started to struggle, uselessly flailing her limbs, hitting, kicking, and even biting at the monster. It ignored her feeble resistance, as it took long strides back into the darkness of the forest.
Marcus was on the ground, barely hanging on. He saw snippets of what had happened to the others, trying his best to fight through the pain and get to Sylvia. He didn't know why the monster hadn't gotten Sylvia as well, but he had to not let this chance go to waste. His hammer was fifteen feet from his position, the monster was slowly walking towards him. He was concentrating as much as he could, hoping to heal himself enough to move.
As the monster towered over him, lifting its clawed feet to finish him, he dove to the side and activated the enchanted ring that Sylvia had gifted him. The monster was momentarily confused, its prey had disappeared. Marcus didn't waste any time, he ran towards Sylvia and scooped her up in his arms and he started running. This sudden movement didn't escape the monster's detection. It started to chase Marcus into the woods, using its long legs to keep pace with him.
Marcus squeezed Sylvia tight, afraid that he might drop her due to the pain. He had only managed to stop his internal bleeding, his ribs still splintered and broken, stabbing into his organs with each step. Sylvia was shaking like a leaf, she could see over his shoulder as she was being carried, she wished she couldn't. She could see the monster tearing through the forest after them, branches and small trees proving to be no obstacle for it.
"Faster Mark! Run Faster!" She couldn't help but cry out.
Marcus obliged by pumping his legs even harder, his adrenaline helped greatly, fueling his body. He was bobbing and weaving, changing direction every chance he could get, trying anything to gain distance. It seemed to be working, the monster was slightly slower than he was, but was still almost matching him in speed. He could feel Sylvia squeezed his neck harder, sobbing into his ear, he continued to run.
He ran, and he ran, then he ran some more, he didn't know how much time had passed, but that's all his life was, running. He jumped across a lazy river, making any long jumper blush. His feet sank into the river bank as he landed, throwing him off balance, causing him to drop his precious cargo. He held out his hand, helping her back up, they were both covered in thick mud. He didn't hear anything behind him, but instead of looking, just took off running again into the forest.
............…
Massimo was panicked, he left that poor young woman by herself with those monsters. He felt guilty, but not so much as to want to go back and help her, he knew he couldn't. He ran as far as his old frame could carry him, eventually he collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. His lungs burned due to the cold air, there was frost on the ground, crunching beneath his weight. He settled his breath and listened to the deafening silence.
Satisfied that nothing was following him, he stood up, using a tree to steady himself. He would make his way back to Rosevalley, report what had happened, and have the city take care of it. He didn't hold out hope that they could recover the bodies, they could at least avenge their deaths.
He didn't quite know where he was, but knew the forest like it was his backyard. He was confident he could find his way. He gingerly made his way in the direction of Rosevalley, using the stars to orient himself. He didn't know if those things were still looking for him, so his caution slowed his progress greatly.
He was taking a break against an old oak tree, rubbing his hands together, trying to force some warmth back into his body. He'd been walking about an hour, he didn't know how far he was from the city, but knew he was going the right way. He continued on, watching each step carefully. He placed his left foot down, then shifted his weight to it. Suddenly he felt a falling sensation, followed by intense pain shooting up his leg. He'd stepped into a rabbits den, breaking his ankle.
"FUCK!" Massimo cursed, gritting his teeth.
He took in several sharp breaths, pushing down the pain. He was still ok, he's broken bones before. He tenderly pulled his leg out of the whole, being careful not to bump his foot on the walls. He sat on his but, ripped a few strips of cloth off his shirt, and made a field splint for his ankle. After some hopping around, he managed to find a suitable walking stick. His progress would now be even slower, but he was still confident in his abilities.
He hobbled through the forest, making more noise than he would have liked. Now with a broken ankle, he had to take much more frequent breaks. He was sitting on a stump, rubbing his leg, when he heard leaves rustling behind him. It was still very dark outside, the clouds covering the full moon, but they managed to clear just long enough for the moonlight to shine down.
Massimo held his breath, standing shakily, holding his walking stick out in front of him. A small deer poked its head out of the bushes, it was a juvenile fanged deer. Massimo let out his held breath, relaxing slightly. Fanged deer are loners, and this one was still young, not posing too much of a threat to him.
"Shoo, get out of here." He muttered in a hushed tone, waving his walking stick.
The deer flinched a little, but didn't retreat. It cocked its head, watching him. Massimo grumbled under his breath, keeping one eye on the deer as he went the opposite direction. He didn't take three steps before he heard the bushes rustle behind him some more. Turning his head, he saw a second fanged deer, this one slightly larger.
"Shit."
He started to hobble faster, looking into the darkness for a tree to climb. He knew that fanged deer only grouped up when drinking, or if there were bountiful prey nearby. He thought of the bodies that were left behind at camp, thinking that the smell of blood would draw in predators for miles. As he strained to get away, he could hear more rustling from behind him, paired with grunting and the sound of hooves.
He started to run, ignoring the pain of his broken ankle. He saw a low hanging branch not too far away in front of him. He dropped his stick and took a few forced steps, jumping up and grabbing the thick branch. He pulled himself up, straddling the limb. He pulled his feet up and out of the reach of the fanged deer now right below him. They were grunting and stomping the ground, looking up at a meal that got away.
Massimo sighed in relief, he just had to wait them out. He crossed his arms, conserving body heat, and prepared to wait until dawn. As he was scooting back, closer to the trunk, the branch dropped an inch. He could hear wood slowly cracking, the branch was about to break. He quickly shimmied to the trunk, but wasn't fast enough. The branch broke free from the trunk, falling to the ground, Massimo on top of it.
............….
Marcus couldn't run any longer, his legs wouldn't allow it. It was almost dawn, the darkness receding into light. Marcus slowed to a stop and gently let Sylvia down before falling to his hands and knees. He was in so much pain he could puke, his ribs were on fire and his legs numb. Sylvia tried to help him up, but he waved her off.
"We need to find someplace to hide." Marcus told her.
"Give me a minute to rest, then we'll find something."
"Ok." was her only reply.
She looked on helplessly, waiting for Marcus to stand. After a minute, just like he said, he got to his feet. Sylvia helped him steady his body, then they both shuffled off to find shelter. Luck was finally on their side, they managed to find a small cave not too far from where they stopped. After Marcus made sure it was empty, he beckoned Sylvia inside.
Marcus took off his upper armor, inspecting his ribs. A large, purple, almost black, bruise covered his entire side. He touched it, only causing himself to wince in pain. It would take him several hours to heal from this. He slid down the cave wall, sitting gently on his butt.
He was taking deep breaths, too tired to talk to Sylvia. Sylvia sat down next to him, hugging her knees, she began to cry. She was shaking, some from the cold, mostly from the after effects of adrenaline.
"It's.. all…. my fault. They're all dead…. because of me." She said in between sobs.
Marcus didn't say anything, he just reached over and pulled her into his lap. He ignored the pain it brought him, and caressed Sylvia against his chest, gently stroking her hair. He hugged her firmly, trying to comfort her. Her sobbing became less intense, she stopped shaking. After a few minutes, she was asleep, the exhaustion finally catching up to her. Marcus didn't stop stroking her hair, it brought him just as much comfort as it did her.
"We're alright, we made it." He whispered.