The sun begins to sink below the horizon once more, casting the forest in long, golden shadows.
Valen and Eska, rest at the campfire. As they share a meal of dried rations, Valen breaks the silence.
He presses on. "Whatever happens, we can't let them through. If they pick up the trail to the city, it won't just be us—they'll tear through everything in their path."
Eska nods quickly, her yellow eyes locked on his.
Valen pokes at the fire with a stick, his gaze fixed on the sparks spiraling upward into the night. The fire crackles softly, the charred logs shifting and collapsing into glowing embers.
Then, without warning, the rhythmic crackling is broken by a distant, low hum that seems to vibrate through the stillness.
Without a word, the pair spring into action.
Valen grabs a small crate filled with dirt and quickly smothers the fire, extinguishing its glow in an instant. Moving in near silence, they crouch low and slip behind one of the tents, seeking cover as their eyes dart toward the source of the distant sound.
The hum echoes again, this time louder, closer. The forest ahead reveals nothing. The sound sends a chill down their spines.
Moments later, the hum comes again—twice in quick succession. As the rhythmic vibrations grow clearer, the pair realizes the truth. Two creatures are approaching, their hums carrying an eerie, almost deliberate cadence, like a call reaching out for something unseen.
A sudden, sharp snap cuts through the stillness, followed by a metallic clatter—the unmistakable sound of a trap triggering. Valen and Eska tense, their eyes darting toward the direction of the noise.
"One of Osvald's traps?" Valen whispers. Eska glances at him and offers a small shrug.
The hum that follows is different now, louder and strained, filled with an unnatural warble. One of the Thaxil has been caught, its serrated limbs thrashing against the trap's steel jaws.
It emits a high-pitched, rhythmic hum that pierces the night air. The sound seems to pulse, echoing like a distress signal.
Valen's heart pounds as the creature's call reverberates through the forest, its desperate tones unmistakably calling for the other one.
Suddenly, the sharp crunch of breaking metal echoes through the darkness, followed by the sound of thrashing and scattering debris.
The noise grows louder, more chaotic, as if the Thaxil is tearing apart the already shattered trap in a fit of irritation.
The rhythmic hum grows louder.
Emerging from the tree line, the creatures step into the camp, their glowing eyes scanning the area. Their angular heads tilt slightly, antennae twitching as if tasting the air.
One of them halts abruptly, its gaze locking onto the lifeless body of the dead Thaxil sprawled near the edge of the camp. A low, guttural vibration emanates from its chest, a sound both alien and menacing, as it crouches beside the corpse, inspecting what is left of it.
The second Thaxil approaches, its antennae twitching in short, erratic bursts as it hums in response, the vibrations sharp and questioning.
The two creatures exchange a series of high-pitched tones. Their movements grow more deliberate, their posture shifting from curious to hostile.
One of them rises slowly, its glowing eyes sweeping over the camp, as if searching for the source of the attack.
The Thaxil move slowly as they approach the remnants of the campfire. One of them pauses, its glowing eyes narrowing as it inspects the faintly smoldering embers.
The creature tilts its angular head, antennae twitching as it emits a low, inquisitive hum. A single, sharp claw reaches out, scraping the edges of the fire pit, scattering ash and revealing the heat still lingering beneath the surface.
The second Thaxil shifts its attention to the surrounding ground.
It pausing where faint footprints mar the earth. A soft, rhythmic hum pulses from the creature, the sound carrying a note of recognition. It crouches low, tracing the path with its serrated limb, its gaze following the trail leading into the forest.
Another hum, sharper and more insistent, cuts through the air, echoing toward its companion.
The two creatures stand motionless for a moment, their antennae twitching in synchronized communication. Then, as if reaching a decision, one rises and turns toward the trail, its glowing eyes fixed on the direction of the tracks.
The other lingers near the fire pit, its gaze sweeping over the surrounding camp as if ensuring no detail is overlooked. Their combined presence radiates a deliberate menace, their every movement a reminder of the intelligence lurking beneath their insectoid forms.
Valen tightens his grip on his weapon, his breathing steady as he locks eyes with Eska. She nods once, a silent agreement.
Without hesitation, they spring into action to intercept the first Thaxil before it can leave the camp. Valen charges straight toward it, his blade raised, the sound of his boots on the ground breaking the eerie stillness.
The Thaxil turns sharply, its antennae twitching as it emits a high-pitched hum, but it's too late. Valen's weapon arcs downward with immense force, slamming into the creature's bladed limb.
The impact sends a harsh metallic screech through the air, forcing the Thaxil to stagger back, its balance momentarily broken. Eska moves in from the side, her blood-formed claws glinting as she slashes at the creature's exposed flank, carving deep, jagged wounds into its carapace.
The Thaxil lets out a piercing screech, its body twisting in a fluid, almost unnatural motion as it retaliates with its other blade.
Valen sidesteps the strike, countering with a powerful upward swing that catches the creature under its chest, sending it stumbling further back.
Eska doesn't let up. She weaves around the Thaxil, striking at its legs to limit its mobility. The creature hums frantically, its sharp tones rising in intensity.
Just as Valen raises his blade for a finishing strike, the second Thaxil intervenes, its bladed limb slicing through the air with deadly precision. Valen barely manages to twist out of the way, the attack grazing his side as the creature positions itself between its companion and their assault.
The hums grow louder, the two Thaxil now communicating in sharp, rhythmic bursts as they prepare to counter the pair's attack.
The wounded beast stumbles back, its glowing eyes fixed on Eska.
It hums sharply, the sound grating and almost taunting as it lashes out weakly with one of its serrated limbs. Eska narrows her eyes, darting in to strike again, her blood-formed claws slicing across its carapace. The creature lets out a shrill, warbling cry as it recoils, showing desperation.
Her focus sharpens, her strikes relentless as she presses the advantage, unaware of the second Thaxil's calculated movements behind her.
Meanwhile, the uninjured Thaxil turns its attention to Valen, emitting a series of sharp, piercing hums as it lunges at him.
Valen braces, deflecting its strike with a forceful parry, his blade clashing against its serrated limb with a deafening screech.
The Thaxil presses forward, feinting another attack toward Valen's chest. He shifts to block but the creature suddenly pivots with inhuman speed, abandoning its assault on Valen entirely.
It instead springs toward Eska, its blade arcing toward her exposed side with deadly precision.
She notices too late, her focus still locked on the wounded Thaxil's erratic movements.
The other creature's blade slices across her already injured shoulder, leaving a fresh streak of blood. She takes a step back to regain her footing but recovers and shifts with surprising speed.
She extends her hand, shooting up to the unwounded Thaxil's face. Her blood claws melt back into liquid, splattering across its glowing eyes in a sudden, viscous spray.
The creature recoils with a sharp, shrill hum, stumbling back as it thrashes its head, blinded by the thick, clinging substance.
Valen moves swiftly from behind, his blade arcing in a powerful, wide swing toward the blinded Thaxil. The strike seems inevitable but a sharp, high-pitched hum from the wounded Thaxil snaps through the air.
In an instant, the blinded creature reacts, folding its bladed limbs together and catching Valen's weapon mid-swing with a screech of metal against carapace.
The sheer force of Valen's strike sends vibrations through the creature's arms, but it holds firm, its glowing eyes still covered in Eska's blood.
With a sharp twist of its limbs, the Thaxil wrenches the blade from Valen's hands, sending it clattering to the ground.
Valen stumbles back, momentarily disarmed and vulnerable, as the creature shifts its focus to him. Eska, seeing the opportunity, lunges at the wounded Thaxil, her blood claws reforming as she aims for its exposed chest.
But the wounded Thaxil moves with alarming speed, its previous sluggishness vanishing as it bats her aside with a single, effortless swipe of its blade.
The impact sends Eska sprawling, her breath knocked from her lungs as she crashes into the dirt. She scrambles to her knees, her eyes widening in realization—the creature's erratic movements and feigned weakness were nothing but a ruse.
The Thaxil straightens, showing no sign of pain as it advances, its sharp hum vibrating with a sinister tone.