While in a horrified state the captain needed to think quick, and think quick he did with all his 30 years of merc work experience fighting in all kind of situation he quickly came to the decision that they were no match for the monster before them, so taking that into account he instantly formatted a plan in his head, while he was formatting a plan back at the camp Leon walked up to Baysan and said: Sir the life marker we left on Nathan has gone out!! I see.. Was all Baysan said while his eagle shaped eyes stared at the tent walls as if he could see right through them and into the forest ahead.
Nicholas suddenly yelled: Jason make a run for it while Andrew, Brandon and I hold this thing off! Now hurry the camp must be warned!! [narrator] Nicholas' plan was, in fact, a very simple plan. He and two others were just going to use their live to by time for Jason to hopefully make it out alive, now why he chose Jason and not another, well the answer is easy for some but hard for others, for some would think he chose Jason for he had siblings to care for, while other would think did not the others have people to return to? Why didn't he choose himself to run and let the other stay? Unfortunately only the captain can answer those questions.
After giving out his orders, his shield began to glow white while his sword glowed a yellowish hue, while he was charging up a skill of some kind Brandon did not stay idle either, as he pulled on the bowstring the arrows glowed in a greenish hue, as his bow gave its tone, Andrew tossed aside his bow to swap to his buckler and sword.
As they were finishing their prep work, the monster didn't just sit their idle either he rushed at their leader claws out and slammed into the shield of Nicholas, but this action only favored Nicholas because the second his claw touched the shield a blinding light burst forth, this cause the monster to reel back in a daze state. Nicholas then said, ha how you like my {light burst} skill, monster! While the monster was in a dazed state, Brandon released his arrow right at the monster's face. As soon as the arrow hit his face a green gas burst forth. Sure the arrow itself couldn't pierce the monster skull for it was way too hard but that didn't matter for the true purpose of the arrow was to explode. As the monster breathed in the mist it felt like its lungs were on fire! Now it was blinded and couldn't breathe properly. The monster gave a fighting roar out of its frustration!
Not losing sight of the goal, Brandon said, Andrew you up! I hit it with my {poison mist} skill! While not losing a beat Andrew with Nicholas in toe swiped at the monster with glowing swords, one glowed yellow, while the other glowed red! Andrew came in from the back of the monster while Nicholas came in from the front and right when they sword touched the monster cursed flesh their swords light blended together to make a beautiful mixtures of yellow and red light in otherwise dark black forest night. When the lights deemed and the world returned to normal what was left was a monster still standing tall, but with light colored burns in the front and red burns on the back.
While the others were fighting Jason didn't think twice, he did exactly what he was told to do and that was to run! After all, sure they were comrade in arms but what strong relationship can form between people, who at their core are evil aw line, for they all were men who would gladly enslave others. Sure Jason was glad he was chosen to make the run not whether or not it was because he slightly opened up to the captain that one time or not did not matter, what mattered now was that he had the highest chance of escape.
As he ran he dropped his bow, his quiver, his shield and anything that would slow him down but his sword, for his sword skills were the only thing he truly trusted and he didn't know what else could be hiding in this forest. As he fled the sound of battle he found himself in a quiet place, a place in which he did not recognize! He was lost! But how could he be lost, he thought to himself! It should have been a straight path!
While questioning his sense of direction he heard low shuffling noises all around him! In the trees, the bushes, in the very forest floor! Scared, he pulled out his sword and swiped at one of the shaking bushes… then, Boom dozen of malformed rats and other critters burst forth! Knocking him back into a tree! Where a branch that had looked like it had no business to perturb that way out of the tree priced his right hand! Now screaming from the sudden pain Jason looked up just in time to see dozens of more rats pouring out from the tops of the tree, to land right on top of him! In his freak out he forcefully yanked his right hand free and unknowingly dropped his sword and made a blind run for it in a random direction! As he ran he yelled out, fuck! Why was a branch doing there and why was it so hard!
Little did he know that the second he pulled his hand out of the branch, the branch turned into dust, like some super rusted metal that was completely eaten through by time. Now the injured Jason made his way through the winding and twisting forest layout, until he was exhausted! Finally, having spent all of his energy, he took the time to notice that nothing was chasing him anymore. He was visibly glad to be finally out of that predicament! However that happiness didn't last long for when he looked at his right hand to his horror his right hand now looked like it was crumbling away!
Dammit that branch must have been poisonous or something! He yelled. What made the situation worse was that it looked like the affliction was spreading out! Knowing full well what can happen if it was left alone like this, he quickly reached for his sword only to find that it was missing! Saying to himself he said; shit I must have dropped back when I hit the tree now what, I don't know magic, and overloading my mana veins to blow up a body part can cause far worse affects then death! Then he thought; maybe someone at camp can help me if I make it fast enough! But just as he thought this he noticed that his thumb suddenly dethatched itself form his body, and the second it touch the forest floor it turned into dust! Panicking he began looking for anything that he could use to remove the rest of his hand, he searched and searched but unfortunately he could not find anything of use. Not surprising considering he is in the middle of the forest and even the hard tree that cause the problem in the first place would not help him. Then his index finger came the way of his thumb! Seeing this happen right before his eyes, Jason yelled in frustration Fuck!!! But just as he was about to lose all hope he saw something with the corner of his eye! It was something shiny protruding out from behind a tree he was facing. Curious and hoping that maybe it is a sharp object to at least help him remove his infected hand, after all this world one can easily restore missing limbs as this was a common occurrence when one fought monsters so it was one of the first thing mages developed in the world. With eyes full of hope he ran to the other side of the tree and right when he got their he paused.. for what he found was a body! But not just anybody! No It was the body of Jake, the other missing recruit! Armor splintered, helmet gone, eyes gouged out, black rotting organs hanging out his torso! It was a sight of pure disgust! However, what did it mean to find Jake's body here? A body they thought was further into the forest? Realizing that instead of running in the direction towards camp he must have gone in the opposite direction instead, one that led further into the forest!
With the all consuming fear that came with that revelation that was also accompanied with that fact that his hand was crumbly away! He panicked! And with panicking one throws caution into the wind, as such Jason did the most stupid thing he could have done, which was reach for the sword that was so obviously laying there next to Jake corpes. As he reached for the sword the sword found its way into Jason's stomach!! Shocked at what happened Jason looked to see that the "dead" person known as Jake was staring right into his eye and smiling! As Jason backed away holding the sword in his stomach in shock another sword found its way through his back! The sword was piercing the back of his chest right through his heart! While coughing out blood Jason slowly turned his head to the right to see a familiar face! And that face was that of Paul! Realization again dawned on him about just how screwed he was and not just him but all of the camp for now he knew that there must have been a necro lord or some other type of monster in this forest, it would also explain the sick looking rats that chased him earlier! while Falling to his knee's, the two "zombies" each grab their respected swords and one swipe left the other right! With their back now facing Jason they walked way to disappear in those misty woods! Blood now fleeing from his body, fading conscious, and having no skill to get out of this situation, he thought to himself; so this is how I die! alone in a dark forest with no one around! I guess.. but just as he was about to finish that sentence a final thought came to his mind and that was about his wife! For he lied to his captain before, for he never had any siblings he was in fact a war orphan after all! No but he had a wife, one he had to lie about for if it was known to the leaders nothing good would come of it, for one of the rules states if you have a wife she must sleep with one of the leaders if you wish to join the core! After all most of their work involved stealing, rap.., pillaging other races! They did not want any of their men to be too attached and start making waves in the inter politics of the core. In other words they didn't want their men to become "heroes" for the ladies they might capture.
As he laid there with his final thoughts being about the face of his beautiful wife his eyes slowly faded into darkness. As the darkness consumed his soul, the curse on his hand combined with the two sword swipes stuck in his body, accelerated the crumby of his body into it slowly disintegrated into dust in the wind. All that was left of a man named Jason was a pool of blood for the crow to drink and bathe!