XXXV
We instinctively shifted into formation, standing back-to-back as the pack closed in. My heart thudded steadily, adrenaline sharpening my senses. I bent down, grabbed a rock, and crushed it in my hand, letting the fragments tumble into my palm. Channeling my aura, I imbued the pieces with the homing attribute. With a flick of my wrist, I hurled the fragments at the wolf-men. Each shard locked onto a target, streaking through the air like tiny, deadly missiles.
The snarling creatures faltered, some dodging, others taking hits that slowed their approach. I scanned the encroaching pack, calculating their positions. A quick count told me there were at least a dozen of them, maybe more.
"We're surrounded," I said quietly, my voice steady despite the tension. "About twelve of them. Could be worse."
The forest around us felt alive with menace, the wolf-men's glowing red eyes watching from every direction. We were in for a fight, no question about it.
I pocketed the pendant I'd been using as a guide and turned to Selena and Black, keeping my movements deliberate. "We've got two choices: punch through and avoid a direct fight, or stand our ground and take them head-on."
Selena didn't hesitate. "Honestly, I'd rather deal with them now than have these beasts breathing down our necks later." Her tone carried an edge of irritation, and I didn't blame her.
Black crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the circling creatures. "If we're punching through, how fast do you think we'd make it?"
"Slower," I admitted, weighing the risks. "But it'd save aura. We'd avoid most of the fighting and conserve our strength."
Black frowned slightly, shaking his head. "Too conservative, Reynard. Sometimes the best way out is straight through. Attack head-on, get it over with."
His tone carried a subtle edge, like he was challenging me. I felt a flicker of annoyance but pushed it down. There was no point in letting ego distract me now.
"Fine," I said evenly. "Slaughter them, then. Do as you like."
Black's grin turned sharp and predatory. "With pleasure."
He stepped forward, breaking formation as his shadow beast unfurled around him. The writhing darkness morphed into a chimera-like monstrosity, its snarling heads and elongated limbs giving it a grotesque, otherworldly appearance. It exuded raw malice, ready to tear into the wolf-men.
Selena and I stayed back, holding the line while Black waded into the fray.
The forest erupted into chaos. The wolf-men howled and snarled, their bloodlust palpable as they launched themselves at Black. His chimera met them head-on, tearing through their ranks with brutal efficiency. Each attack distorted its shadowy form, making it more nightmarish.
There was something unsettling about the way Black moved—too precise, too eager. It wasn't just a fight to him; it was entertainment.
I didn't have time to dwell on it. A sudden burst of aura filled the air as six wolf-men lunged at us from all sides. My instincts flared, and I reacted instantly. My aura surged outward, transforming into a web of Soul Chains. The chains snaked through the air like living tendrils, brushing against the creatures and coiling around them. Their movements froze as the chains embedded into their aura, locking them in place.
Selena didn't miss a beat. She dismissed her uzis with a flick of her wrists, summoning a heavy shotgun in their place.
"Time to clean up," she said with a smirk.
She fired off a brutal blast, the shotgun's recoil barely slowing her as she moved from one restrained wolf-man to the next. Each shot hit its mark, tearing through flesh and bone with ruthless precision. Blood spattered across my suit, and I clicked my tongue in irritation.
"Not my fault you're slow on your toes," Selena said with a shrug, her smirk widening as she racked the shotgun. "And another one bites the dust."
The last wolf-man fell with a heavy, graceless thud.
Selena lowered her weapon, scanning the area for any lingering threats. Black strode back to us, his shadow beast retreating into him as he rejoined the group.
"Efficient," he said, his grin still faintly predatory. "Told you it'd be faster this way."
I rolled my shoulders, trying to shake off the tension. The fight had gone our way, but the pack's sheer ferocity was a reminder of what this island could throw at us.
"We can't keep burning aura like this," I said, my tone firm. "We'll need to adjust if we're going to make it through."
Selena nodded, her smirk fading into a more serious expression. Black simply shrugged, as if conserving aura was a secondary concern to him.
We regrouped, the eerie silence of the forest settling around us once more. The fight was over, but the night was far from done.
Black strolled back toward us, his movements casual and unhurried, as if he hadn't just been in the middle of a blood-soaked frenzy. He dusted off his hands with a satisfied grin stretching across his face.
"I took care of seven of them," he announced, his tone nonchalant. "And their Alpha was among them, by the way."
I glanced over at the carnage surrounding us, counting the bodies. Sixteen wolf-men lay scattered across the forest floor.
"That makes twenty-three in total, then," I remarked, keeping my tone even. My gaze flicked to the faint glow of the stars overhead, distorted by the island's strange celestial phenomenon. "For the record, I'm not exactly a Seeker or a Reader."
Selena shot me a sly look, amusement tugging at the corners of her lips. "Funny. Most people assume you're a Reader."
Black raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "First I'm hearing that."
I turned to him, suppressing a flicker of frustration. We didn't have time for idle chatter, but I needed to make sure we were all on the same page.
"How good are your detection abilities?" I asked, keeping my tone measured. The island's warped landscape and disorienting aura were wreaking havoc on my senses, and I knew I'd need to lean on whatever strengths Black could bring.
He shrugged, his grin fading into something more thoughtful. "Good enough to sense an ambush before it happens, but not much more. I wouldn't count on it for precise intel in the middle of a fight."
I nodded, filing that information away. "Fair enough." My 'compass' was an excellent tool to reach the finish line, but the ambushes would be problematic.
Selena stepped behind me, taking her position as we fell back into formation. She restored our disguises with a subtle shift of her aura. My appearance morphed to match Black's, Black took on Selena's form, and Selena mirrored mine. It was a clever trick, though limited to confusing human hunters. The beasts we faced weren't likely to be fooled.
Once we were ready, I pulled out the pendant again and focused, channeling aura into it to reapply the homing attribute. The chain floated upward, trembling slightly before pointing forward, guiding us deeper into the forest.
The shadows pressed in around us as we moved, the forest alive with eerie noises—snaps of twigs, distant howls, and the rustle of unseen creatures. Occasionally, a stray wolf-man or beast-man would dart out from the darkness, lunging with feral aggression. But between my Soul Chains, Selena's rapid-fire precision, and Black's monstrous shadow beasts, we dispatched them swiftly.
Despite the sporadic attacks, we advanced steadily. The forest was dense, its paths winding and unpredictable, but the pendant's guidance and my scattered Soul Links kept us on track.
The links, spread over a fair distance, offered more than just direction. They gave me glimpses of what lay beyond our immediate surroundings. Through them, I sensed the other hunters—those who had taken a different route, hugging the edge of the beach.
At first, it seemed like a smart choice. The beach might have avoided the forest beasts, but the celestial phenomenon was working against them. I felt their movements through the links, caught in loops as if their perception had been twisted by the island's strange energy. It was a disorienting, endless cycle.
I exhaled quietly, grateful for our decision to stick to the forest. If we'd had a competent Seeker, we might've risked the beach route, but now it was clear that staying within the trees had been the better option.
Time passed in a blur of cautious steps and brief skirmishes. The days melted into one another, marked only by the steady pulse of danger around us and the unwavering pull of the pendant leading us forward.
The island didn't let up, its warped reality challenging us at every turn. Yet, as the hours stretched into days, we pressed on, determined to see this through. The endgame was approaching, and with every step, I felt the weight of what lay ahead.
By the fourth day, the monster attacks came more frequently. The forest seemed alive with agitation, the creatures prowling with a restless hunger that filled the night air with howls and growls. Each skirmish became a test of endurance, the monsters more aggressive and unpredictable than before.
Occasionally, through the thick canopy of trees, I caught glimpses of other teams. They moved like shadows, always distant, always wary. None of us dared approach one another. The stakes weren't about beating them to the destination—we still had until the ninth day to reach the end—but the unspoken tension between hunters was palpable. Trust was a rare commodity here.
The forest's layout grew more treacherous the further we advanced. My Soul Links gave me glimpses of those caught in loops near the end of the path. They didn't seem to realize it, their movements doubling back or veering off into dead ends. The celestial phenomenon on this island twisted perception, and every wrong turn they made reinforced our cautious approach. If we got lost now, it could mean the end.
Survival came naturally to me after two years spent in the mountains. That time hadn't been wasted. I'd learned to read the land, find food, and make do with whatever nature provided. Even in these strange conditions, I kept Selena and Black fed and hydrated.
"Are you sure those aren't poisonous?" Selena asked skeptically as I handed her a leaf.
"Positive," I replied, tossing her another. "That's mountain spinach. High in iron. Pretty common in forests like these."
She sniffed it cautiously before taking a tentative bite. "Hmm, not bad. So, you really survived out here, huh? Mountains and all?"
I nodded, scanning the underbrush for more edible plants. "Two years in the wild. You either pick up a lot, or you don't make it."
Black, who was keeping an eye on our surroundings while his shadow beast prowled ahead, chimed in. "Pretty handy. Wish I'd known some of that earlier; could've saved me a few… inconvenient meals."
Selena snorted. "Like what, bugs?"
"Maybe," he replied with a faint grin, waving her off. "But I'm more than comfortable in a jungle, with or without greens."
Selena wasn't as at home in the wilderness. She'd grown up navigating urban jungles, and I caught her muttering now and then about missing city lights and paved streets. Still, I noticed her watching me as I foraged or checked our heading, clearly trying to pick up tips. Black, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by the forest. He didn't need survival skills—his shadow beasts and aura manipulation were enough to handle most situations.
By the sixth day, we finally reached our destination.
Rising before us was an elevated platform. The structure was simple—a rectangular box with no embellishments—but the faint glow of aura surrounding it marked it as something significant. This was the teleportation box Chairman Bob had mentioned.
We climbed onto the platform, taking one last look at the dense forest we'd fought through. The air felt heavy with exhaustion, but there was also relief.
"Finally," Selena muttered, rolling her shoulders.
Black stretched, his shadow beast retreating into him as he grinned. "Not bad. Could've done with a bit more excitement, though."
I didn't respond, focusing instead on positioning myself in the center of the platform.
With a sudden, blinding flash of light, the world around us dissolved. The forest vanished in an instant, replaced by the unknown as we were transported to the next stage of this harrowing journey.
~035