Rama was left behind because he wanted to have some distance from the group of Hunters who made fun of him. That way he can have a little room to breathe.
All of this was normal for him. He was angry, of course he was. But then again, he was powerless against Donovan and Alexa so what else could he do but accept it all, for who knows how long?
Rama's hair stood up suddenly. The air that was already cold enough grew even colder as if it might freeze at any moment.
'They're coming!'
Rama turned his head around but with his poor senses, he could only see the trees towering high and covering the sun's shadow. The fog began to rise from the ground. Unlike usual fog which is created in the air, the fog in this place is created because it rises from the ground up and then fills the air with the rancid smell of death.
It was a harbinger of the coming of the Ghosts. The souls of the dead settle into the earth and the natural surroundings. Those who don't want - or can't - go to other worlds and become dangerous monsters.
Actually, most Ghosts are not too dangerous. They can be killed with swords or bullets covered in holy spells. But you need to be at least adept at wielding those weapons.
Rama pulled out his old dagger. The dagger has also been blessed with a holy spell so that it can be used to kill Ghosts.
However, Rama did not have enough ability to use the dagger, so he could only stand when one of the Ghosts lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. The large bag containing several weapons and spare ammunition fell to the ground, becoming a mess.
While on the other side of the forest, the sound of gunshots and fighting had also taken place. Those Hunters had already started their hunting.
'They didn't even turn to look at me.'
Rama clenched his teeth as a ghostly figure, mist coalescing into a human-like silhouette, glided toward him. These spectral forms were undeniably unsettling, once being human themselves. Nevertheless, Rama had grown accustomed to them, given that there were far more terrible entities in existence.
He dropped the large bag and gripped the dagger tightly. Rama saw the approaching Ghost grinning with its fog lips. He lunged and then swung his dagger.
*SRRSHHH!*
Rama felt his dagger hit a fairly solid surface even though he knew he was just slicing through the fog form. The Ghost let out a strange screaming sound then evaporated and became a hazy mist. Rama managed to kill one Ghost. There are still hundreds of them hanging around.
'I'll die if I stay here!'
Rama ran towards the other Hunters. They were also killing Ghosts which were not small in number and barely noticed Rama's presence in their midst. Except Donovan.
"What happened, Loser? Don't tell me you peed your pants?" said Donovan.
Rama restrained his anger and said. "There are more Ghosts there."
"Oh! I forgot that you can't fight. Can you help us by not running around? I don't want to tarnish my record of victimless missions with your death!" Donovan said angrily to Rama.
Donovan swiftly darted behind him. In the blink of an eye, he had already positioned himself several meters away, leaving Rama only to feel a passing gust of wind.
Donovan moved with his incredible agility and speed, swinging his sword with incredible precision to cut through the Ghosts. Rama could only stare at him with envy.
*PLAAKK!*
Suddenly a slap hit the back of his head. When Rama turned his head he saw Alexa was looking at him with eyes full of disdain.
"Retreat to the center!" Alexa screamed in his face.
Unconsciously, Rama's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He immediately released it, before Alexa noticed and further humiliated him in front of all the other Hunters.
"Tch! You're useless." Alexa clicked her tongue and then walked past him.
Rama could hear the other Hunters' scorn that matched Alexa's sneer.
Rama cursed himself while forcing his body to move again.
Donovan and Alexa moved in sync as if they could read each other's minds. With her gun, Alexa kills the Ghosts from a distance while Donovan darts to kill them with his sword from close range.
"Wow! Did you see that? They are amazing."
"As you can expect from the youngest child of the Cross and Nightshade families. They are not only skilled with weapons but also have magical powers."
"We can only watch them fight without getting close or else we'll just annoy them. We'd better take care of the Ghosts here."
Several Hunters were talking about Donovan and Alexa's skills. Rama was sure that the two of them were deliberately showing it off in front of ordinary Hunters like them.
Rama once again felt envy in his heart.
"Hey, porters! Where are our things?!" a Hunter holding a gun shouted when he saw Rama did not carry his bag.
'Shit!'
The bald hunter tugged at Rama's jacket sleeve. "Take the bag before-"
Suddenly the ground beneath them shook. The bald hunter didn't have time to finish what he wanted to say before he fell from the tremors.
'What's this? Earthquake?'
Rama looked around in confusion. Before he could get an answer the ground split in several parts causing several Hunters to fall into the fissure. Including Rama.
~~~
Rama opened his eyes slowly. He didn't know how much time had passed since he fell into that crack in the ground.
'What was that?'
There was a throbbing pain in his head. When he touches his head and then looks at his palm, Rama sees blood.
'Damn it. Should I use the money I got from this mission for treatment?'
The thought annoyed him. He often gets injured while doing missions but Rama always ignores it because it's not a serious wound that causes death. The guild wouldn't consider a punctured head as something life-threatening for him so they wouldn't cover the medical expenses.
Rama looked around and realized that they were in a cave, possibly under the forest. Which for no apparent reason was suddenly opened by a strange earthquake.
"Everyone's okay?"
It was Donovan's voice. Rama saw him standing straight without any injuries.
"I called for help. Said they'd be here in thirty minutes. Can you stand up?"
Several Hunters answered him and immediately stood up. No one approached Rama and asked how he was.
"Donovan! I found something!" Alexa shouted from one corner of the cave.
Donovan and the other Hunters immediately headed toward Alexa. Rama painstakingly followed while tying the cloth from the shirt he tore to his head.
"A door," said Alexa. "But I don't know what this is. We better stay out of here, Don."
"No. This could be a Holy Tomb," Donovan said with twinkling eyes. "I've been thinking that this is weird. Why did the activity of the Ghosts suddenly increase? This might be the reason."
"You want to come in?" Alexa asked, anxiety clear in her voice.
"Of course! My father would be proud if I found the Holy Tomb." Donovan gripped his sword and then pushed open the door.
Rama frowned. He had a bad feeling. What he wanted now was to wait for help to arrive and not disturb anything beyond that door. But of course, his opinion will not be considered.
So Rama came in with the other Hunters.
The room inside the walls was very dark but when Donovan stepped inside a light suddenly flooded the room from above. It turned out that there were five huge balls of light there.
"This must be a Holy Tomb! Find the graves and let me know as soon as you find anything!" Donovan instantly gave orders to all the Hunters there.
They immediately moved. But before they got far from where they stood, a voice sounded in all of their heads.
[ "Sacrifices are required! Give one soul to pave the way!" ]
Frightened whispers were heard. The voice rang out in their heads and they immediately knew that it was a harbinger of danger. But the message the voice gave was even more astonishing.
They all had their fear, but Donovan was different. He turned his head, there was a glint of ambition and desire in those eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark.
A moment later the eyes were fixed on Rama. The wind enveloped Donovan's body and he moved swiftly towards Rama; before Rama could react Donovan was already holding his hand.
"I found the sacrifice! Where should I give this child?" Donovan shouted to the air.
"What is-"
*BUAGH!*
A powerful fist landed on Rama's chest and sucked all the breath out of his lungs. Blood also flowed out of Rama's mouth. He couldn't fight back.
[ "Take that soul to the altar." ]
A circular stone altar with a diameter of two meters suddenly appeared from above the ground.
The other Hunters also heard the sound and saw Donovan drag Rama towards it. The boy looked around trying to find help, but they looked away instead.
Rama realized that his life would end there. Whatever it was, he didn't care. What was clear was that the owner of the voice wanted a sacrifice and Donovan gave him up by force.
With a groan, Donovan threw Rama down the altar. A moment later stone stakes came out from under Rama's hands, feet, and chest, stabbing him mercilessly.
"AAARRRGHH!"
Rama could only let out a scream before his whole body went limp helplessly.
'I will die now...'
A door opens to the left of the room.
"You all come with me. Hurry!" Donovan ordered.
They immediately followed him into the room, leaving Rama to die alone.
Tears came out of Rama's eyes realizing that he would die in a dark underground cave, alone. No friends, no one beside him. This is really a tragic death.
[ "Anomaly detected! Abort sacrifice!" ]
The voice appeared but Rama was not concerned.
[ "Anomaly... Anomaly... Cancel... right..." ]
Then everything went dark. Rama thinks he is dead now.
Little did he know that this was the beginning of his story.
~~~