The mist was heavy in the air, swirling silently around the group of strangers as they pushed into the forest. Striding purposefully forward, their steps hacked through overgrown paths and twisted trees in cold, unwavering determination. There was no other sound but the faint rustling of leaves beneath their feet and the occasional screech of unseen creatures in the distance.
At its head, their leader sat atop a monstrous beast, unnatural to any in the world. Its body was long and sleek, it body resembling that of a snake, having eight limbs with six legs and two short hands at the front. It also had the head of a crow with six wings on its back, the wings. becoming smaller than the one at the front like it was in a descending order. The leader was tall, gaunt, and shrouded in a dark, tattered cloak. His face, half-hidden by a cracked bone mask, revealed one glowing, pale-blue eye. His presence was chilling, exuding ancient malevolence, with clawed hands and an eerie calm as he commanded his serpentine, crow-headed beast.
At his right, stood another nightmare conqorer, she seemed to be a grotesque fusion of human and decaying rat. Her upper body was skeletal, with loose, decaying skin hanging from sharp, protruding bones. Jagged claws extended from her bony fingers, while her head had patches of missing scalp, exposing a cracked skull and glowing red eyes. Below, a massive, rotting rat's body carried her, its fur matted and bones piercing through decaying flesh. Its snarling, skeletal face dripped with black ichor. Where their bodies fused, thick sinewy cords pulsed dark energy.
The head of the group stopped and let her sniff the stone in his hand before letting her move in front of him with eerie speed, a nightmarish predator of rot and terror. The mist thickened and stuck to the ground as if the forest itself was being smothered under its weight. And out there ahead of it, cutting her way through the dense undergrowth with unnatural glides, was the monstrous female conqueror. She was steering by the scent from the stone, her red glowing eyes fixed on something just beyond the thick layers of fog.
As she moved they stumbled across more and more similar stones, it became more clear that this could not be this easy.
"This has to be some sort of trap... No way things can go this smoothly, the fact that these stones are laid around is already suspicious enough but they are also arranged consistently" He inwardly inspected, knowing this method probably didn't have any result and might lead them to a disadvantage position later on, but what other choice he had? the central forest was more than 50 million km² wide, and even though the journey would be considered a short trip, the number of paths that could be taken would be nearly endless.
"If this is a trap we might be in a little bit of a troublesome situation if we encounter any rank 2 nightmare conquerers but that is highly unlikely, Lumoria is in a difficult position as it is in the middle of the sovereign court contest, and it can't afford to expend any major power even if it is for an outsider, that what our information source told us that the mysterious force that captured this rare good has to go to Lumoria itself", The head of the group thought to himself try to find the actual story that might be taking place, behind everyone back, but his train of thought suddenly ended.
The female nightmare conqueror froze, and the group halted immediately. The leader scanned their surroundings, his sharp eyes taking in the situation. They had been surrounded by hundreds of grotesque, horrific beasts, each uglier than the last. Despite masking their presence and covering their tracks, they had still been caught.
Annoyed, the leader sighed and glanced at the rat-like conqueror. She returned his gaze and understood his command instantly. She turned toward the surrounding beasts, and before they could attack, she unleashed her rank 2 aura. The effect was immediate, the beasts froze, then fled in terror.
The leader scoffed "Mindless beasts, how idiotic to even think about trying to attack, even if 200 rank 1 peak nightmare conquerers decided to attack at the same time, they wouldn't even stand a chance"
Despite their mindlessness, the beasts had a strong survival instinct. They recognized their vastly superior opponent and fled to avoid certain death. As the horde scattered, suddenly the female conqueror began to transform. Her grotesque form faded slowly, revealing smooth, radiant skin where decay once ruled. Her skeletal limbs filled out gracefully, and her once cracked, bloodless lips softened into a full, delicate smile. Hazel's eyes replaced the eerie red glow, and her hair, now a cascade of black silk, framed a gentle, beautiful face. Slender hands replaced monstrous claws as she stood tall, elegant, and human once more. In the early light, she was a vision of serene, natural beauty, her nightmare form completely gone.
"Captain, I apologize. If I continue to use my desolate rat form, it might cause irreversible changes," the woman said respectfully.
"That's fine," the leader replied in a flat tone. "We know the general direction of the stones. Your role is done."
As her transformation was completed, the air lightened, though tension still lingered. The rest of the group stood silently, their eyes filled with a mixture of awe and wariness. The leader turned his cold, pale-blue eye toward the misty horizon. "No more distractions," he muttered to himself.
The path ahead was now clear, the grotesque beasts that had surrounded them scattered. But the oppressive weight of the unknown still pressed down on them. They marched forward, their movements sharp and precise, no longer relying on the scattered stones. The leader sensed that this was far from over.
The female conqueror, now fully human in appearance, fell into step beside him. Her beauty was ethereal, but beneath it, the monstrous power still lurked, barely contained. "I'll conserve my strength from here," she said quietly, scanning the fog for any further threats.
"Do so," the leader replied, his voice as cold as the mist. "We'll need it."
The forest thickened around them, its towering trees casting long, twisting shadows in the dim light. The silence was broken only by the soft crunch of footsteps on the damp earth. Meanwhile, the stones on the pathway became less and less frequent, as if resonating with something far ahead.
Suddenly, the leader froze. His gaze narrowed, locking onto something just beyond the mist. "There someone nearby," he whispered, barely containing his excitement.