Behind them, the ground erupted. A sharp thorn, glistening with dark, pulsating energy, buried itself where she had been standing moments before.
The earth around it sizzled and cracked, the demonic energy eating away at the soil like acid. Richard tightened his grip on her hand as he glanced back. "Move faster."
They darted between the trees, the air thick with tension. The oppressive weight of a sinister aura loomed behind them, growing heavier with each passing second.
A guttural growl echoed through the forest, low and menacing, vibrating in their chests. The sound sent a chill down Ahcehera's spine.
Then they saw it. Was that hiding earlier?
The creature emerged from the shadows, towering and grotesque. Its horns curled wickedly, jagged and sharp like shards of obsidian.
Thorns jutted from its grotesque body, oozing with a thick, black substance that dripped onto the ground, hissing on contact.
