A roar echoed, vibrating the air.
The sound was stronger, and a haunting aura of intimidation surrounded it, causing Gorgonor, the giant creature that had been focused on hunting Ethan's group, to immediately sense a greater threat.
His instincts urged him to flee from the source of the roar, and in an instant, he ran in the opposite direction, leaving deep footprints in the damp ground.
After Gorgonor disappeared into the darkness, the tension among Ethan's group gradually eased. However, they all knew that the threat in the Death Forest was not over.
Even though Gorgonor was gone, other dangers could follow them at any moment.
Draven took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through his body.
"I don't know what made that creature run, but it seems we were lucky this time," he said, relaxing his bow, still aimed into the darkness of the forest, ready to face the worst.
Nyssa, ever vigilant, squinted towards the place where Gorgonor had vanished. "That's not luck. We must stay alert for that sound. Something capable of making Gorgonor flee might be more dangerous than anything we can imagine," she asserted, her voice filled with anxiety.
Ethan, still contemplating the remnants of energy he absorbed from Gorgonor, felt something strange in this forest.
The energy in this place felt wild, unpredictable, and vibrated with instability.
On the other hand, Valdraxx, who usually provided guidance in critical moments, seemed uncharacteristically silent, as if he too sensed the same threat.
As tension enveloped the group, Lina moved quickly. She took a deep breath, and a small swirling wind began to form in her hand, as if gathering strength from the surrounding nature.
"Everyone, gather around me," she commanded firmly, though there was a slight tremor in her voice.
Ethan, Draven, and Nyssa quickly formed a circle around Lina.
"We don't have much time. If something bigger than Gorgonor approaches, we need to get out of this area fast," Lina continued, her voice now more resolute, filled with determination to protect the group.
The wind spell began to be recited, her soft voice blending with the rustling leaves. "Velocitas Venti," she whispered, lifting her hands. The wind began to swirl around them, enveloping their feet in a gentle yet powerful flow of energy.
The ground beneath them felt lighter, and every movement they made seemed infused with newfound strength, making their steps faster and more agile.
Ethan felt how the spell began to affect him.
The weight on his legs disappeared, and each step he took became lighter, as if he barely touched the ground.
However, at the same time, the dark pull of Valdraxx's power began to touch every cell of his body, buzzing like a deadly whisper demanding more energy to digest.
"Good," Nyssa said, adjusting her movements to the new speed given by Lina. "Now we can run faster, but we still need to be careful.
This is the Death Forest, a place filled with traps and dangerous creatures like Dark Goblins."
They began to run through the trees, the wind pushing them forward. Each step was accompanied by the whisper of the wind guiding their path.
However, soon an odd rustling sound emerged from the trees around them. Dry leaves began to fall, and a subtle vibration was felt in the ground, as if large creatures were moving closer.
"Lina, increase our speed!" Nyssa shouted, her instincts telling her that something terrible was approaching rapidly.
"I'm trying!" Lina replied, her voice starting to sound tense. The wind spell had reached its limits, and even though their speed had increased, it might not be enough to face the approaching threat.
Suddenly, in front of them, from behind the shadows of the large trees, a herd of pitch-black creatures emerged, their muscular bodies covered in sharp spines.
Their eyes glowed red, and their fangs hissed like snakes. They were Razorbacks, fierce creatures with sharp teeth and claws that could penetrate steel.
They were known as relentless hunters, always hunting in packs, and nearly impossible to defeat due to their well-coordinated hunting tactics.
"Ethan!" Nyssa called quickly, her voice firm. "We have to fight!"
Ethan nodded, drawing his weapon quickly, but at the same time feeling the call of dark power within him.
He knew this was another opportunity to use the power of the Devourer, but he had to be careful. "Valdraxx, are you ready?" Ethan muttered inwardly.
"Always, Ethan. Let the power flow. But don't hold back too much; we can eliminate them quickly," Valdraxx replied, his voice filled with confidence.
Lina released another wind spell, creating a small storm around her to block some approaching Razorbacks.
Draven began to shoot arrows quickly, targeting the creatures' eyes with extraordinary precision, while Nyssa drew a sword from her ring, advancing with courage, slashing at every claw that tried to reach her.
However, the number of Razorbacks was too great.
Ethan felt time running out.
Quickly, he felt the flow of dark energy from his abdomen spreading throughout his body, and as he unleashed that power, dark red shadows began to emerge from his left hand.
"Devourer Strike!" Ethan shouted, releasing a concentrated energy attack toward the herd of Razorbacks.
The attack struck several creatures at once, leaving gaping wounds in their abdomens and toppling them over.
The remaining Razorbacks witnessing Ethan's power began to retreat, but some of them still attacked with the same ferocity.
Ethan moved quickly, using every strength he had to dodge and counterattack.
Each time he used the Devourer Power, his stomach grew hungrier, and he knew that if this fight dragged on, it could become dangerous.
Nyssa, witnessing Ethan wielding that power, couldn't hide her astonishment. Though she had suspected Ethan had something different, what she had just seen was more than mere power.
"Ethan, are you...?" Nyssa murmured, her eyes sharply fixed on Ethan, who now stood with his body filled with dark red energy.
"There's no time for that now," Ethan replied tersely, his voice sounding deeper than before. "We must survive."
The remaining Razorbacks finally decided to retreat, leaving Ethan and his group in an eerie silence after the brutal battle.
They stood, panting, realizing how close they had come to destruction.
Lina, looking exhausted after expending so much energy for her spells, took a heavy breath. "That... was close," she said, her voice catching.
Nyssa, still panting after the fight, nodded. "Yes, but we must keep moving. We can't stay here any longer. This forest is becoming more dangerous."
Ethan, still feeling the draining power of the Devourer within him, grasped the horn of Gorgonor that he had hidden under his cloak.
"Let's go. We need to reach Trakan Village before this forest destroys us all."
With burning determination, the group continued their journey, striving to distance themselves from the ever-present threat lurking in the darkness of the Death Forest.
Every step they took was accompanied by the awareness that even though they had survived this battle, new dangers might be lurking around every corner.