Chapter 79: Hollow-Tongue
The moment he parted the tall grass, Kael caught sight of a creature crouched by the river, its body hunched sideways as it drank. The river flowed lazily just a few meters away from where Kael was seated, the monster's form was clear enough to send a chill down his spine.
The thing had a human-shaped torso, lean but carved with hard muscles that looked more unnatural than impressive, its back bent forward in a strange posture. From its shoulders hung two long, heavy arms, thick and cracked with marks that spread like spiderwebs across the skin. The arms were so large they seemed twice the size of Kael's arms, and every movement of its joints looked as if they carried a dreadful weight.
Its fingers were human-like but twisted, and the nails were long and sharp. At the back of its wrists, strange blades of flesh jutted out, hard and jagged like short knives pointing backwards. Its legs were human-like as well, though shorter than its arms, with knife-like protrusions jutting backward from where the leg joints connected. They bore the same strange growths, making the creature's entire body appear twisted and unbalanced.
Its eyes glowed yellow inside deep hollows, unblinking and cold. The creature sat crouched by the river, and that alone allowed Kael to see it clearly, through its reflection in the water, of course. But what unsettled him the most wasn't its grotesque teeth, blackened and thick... nor the knife-like ridges around its neck, nor even its long, upward-jutting black ears. What made his stomach turn was its tongue... long, heavy, and snake-like, sliding wetly in and out with every slow breath.
Kael recognized it instantly. This was no unknown beast. This was the Hollow-Tongue, a monster infamous enough to be whispered about in guild reports. Most of the time, it was mistaken for a goblin and rightly so. Typically, goblins evolve in a set pattern: first Goblin, then Hobgoblin, Goblin King, Elder Goblin, and finally Warlord.
However, there are always some exceptions to this rule. Sometimes, due to strange circumstances or situations, a goblin evolves into a completely new kind of monster... and the Hollow-Tongue was one of these. And that wasn't all: this monster was terrifying enough to deserve a name of its own. That name came from the very thing it wielded best, its monstrous tongue, a weapon in its own right.
The instant the monster's head snapped toward him, Kael's body moved on its own. He pressed himself against the bark of a nearby tree, his chest tightening as he fought the urge to curse aloud.
Of course he was cursing himself inside. Anyone would. The Hollow-Tongue wasn't some low-ranked nuisance, it was an A-Rank monster, far beyond the things he had faced so far. Kael had never even defeated one before. Had he?
However, he wanted to believe he could. He wanted to tell himself that somehow this time would be different. But luck had never been his ally, and today proved no exception. Of all the days to take on a quest, he had chosen the one where he forgot to bring his sword. The only thing he had now was the damn orb. But what could a mere orb possibly do?
Leaning against the tree, Kael let out a short, bitter laugh at his own reckless confidence. He had thought the forest would be quiet enough, that there would be no real danger waiting. And now here he was, face to face with an A-Rank monster, unarmed.
But still, one strange question remained... why was he so terrified of this monster? Why did his breath caught, chest tightened, body tremble the instant he laid eyes on it? Was it fear? Could it really be fear? But how could someone like him, an experienced fighter, feel fear so suddenly? And not just ordinary fear, but a paralyzing, bone-deep terror. He hadn't even hesitated to kill a human before, so why would a mindless beast shake him to his core? It didn't make sense… not to him, at least.
Did he have some kind of history with this particular monster? He had no idea. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. Then why was he so unsettled? If it had been any other monster, would he have reacted the same way? No. Of course not. So what made this one different? What made it so special? Did he… did he have some buried trauma tied to this creature?
His head suddenly grew unbearably heavy, as though an elephant had been dropped on his head. For a moment, he felt as if he hadn't learned of this monster from the guild at all. Then where? Where had he first heard of it? He had no answer. The more he tried to dig deeper, the more his thoughts swirled in confusion.
Finally, he forced himself to stop, to shut it out, and steadied his breath, calming himself before the madness inside his head swallowed him whole.
"Better keep my mouth shut." Covering his mouth with his hand, Kael gasped. He had to stay quiet so the monster wouldn't hear him.
"It's probably here to drink water. So, I just have to wait until it's done drinking and goes away."
There wasn't anything else he could do. All he could manage was wait... wait and pray the monster didn't notice him… or hope that someone, by some miracle, might show up and save his ass. But who would come at a time like this?
Wait… someone had come once before.
It was about a year ago, when he had found himself in almost the same situation. That time, however, he had suddenly faced an orc but unlike now, he had been ready to fight, sword already in hand, resolve firm. Yet before he could even swing it, a strange woman appeared… and saved him from the monster.
He remembered her clearly. She had unusually long, soft, sky-blue hair that flowed down from her neck, a glimpse he had caught from behind. She moved with a strange elegance, one that didn't quite belong on a battlefield, and with a single strike she had slashed down the monster, though he hadn't been able to see it clearly at the time. Her armor, too, was striking: navy blue with polished grey tracings, similar to the Knight Order's, yet not quite the same. Different, somehow.
Her face… hidden beneath a gleaming helmet, its surface a deep navy blue. The only openings were a few curved slits around the eyes and nose, just enough to see and breathe. He never discovered what kind of eyes lay behind them. But her lips were visible, dark brown, soft, steady, sweet and unshaken even in battle... while her skin was pale.
However, she never spoke her name, nor revealed who she was. Yet he was certain she belonged to the Knight Order, perhaps a branch unknown to him. And in the end… he hadn't cared to know more.
"Strange. Why has she come to my mind now, of all times?"
He was supposed to be worried about the monster and the situation in front of him, yet here he was, thinking about a woman he had met so long ago. How lazy had he become, to think someone would eventually come and save his ass, huh? Wasn't that wrong? It wasn't like him at all. And besides the monster, there was something else he should be thinking about now: the river from which the monster was drinking.
That damn river… what exactly was it? At first, he had thought it was just some random stream, but the way the water flowed… he should have heard something, right?
The river's water was indeed coming from a waterfall… one he had never seen before. The waterfall was big, strange, and beautiful, its sides laced with veins of stone, with patches of pink moss clinging along the edges. Strange vines and plants hung down its sides, and the water didn't fall like a usual waterfall... it cascaded straight down, almost like a fountain.
And since it was a waterfall… didn't it always make a sound? A sound that made you feel the beauty of nature and softened your heart. So why couldn't he hear it? He should have, right?
Now that he thought about it more deeply, he realized he had never even known there was a river here before, even though he had been to this place several times already. That wasn't the only strange thing about it. When he first saw the river, he noticed it had waves and was flowing toward him… but beside him, there wasn't any river or flowing water. So where was it going? He had no idea. Maybe it curved off to another side, like any other river might. Or maybe the water was returning to the earth… who knew?
"I'm really stupid."
Well, that wasn't the end of its strangeness, because the most astonishing part about the river wasn't its silence, nor where it flowed, but rather the reflection on its surface. Indeed, he hadn't seen the monster with his eyes directly, but through the reflection in the river's water. He knew water could reflect like a mirror if the surface stayed completely still... no ripples, no waves, nothing at all. But this was a fucking river. There should have been countless ripples and waves. So how could it reflect so perfectly?
"Damn... what a perfection."
Truly, the water's surface almost looked like a mirror of its own. It was as though someone had put countless mirrors into the water.
"In this forest, there's only one river that has all of these things… silent waves, flawless reflection... The Silent River. Damn it."
Just like its name suggested, the river never made a single sound. It never stayed in one place either, always moving and it had neither a beginning nor an end. No one had ever figured out why. It was first discovered about thirty years ago or so, when a group of travelers stumbled upon it during their journey. Naturally, they reported the strange river to the Guild. When the Guild sent investigators, they found it as well. Yet by the time the researchers arrived, the river had vanished, as if it had never existed at all.
Well, Kael didn't care about that much. He'd heard the stories in the Guild, of course. The only thing he ever did in the Guild was sip a cup of tea and listen to other adventurers bullshit tales.
"Who knew that listening to those tales would come in handy someday? I guess they are useful in some ways."
After a few long moments had passed, Kael once again dared to move, his body pressing low to the ground as he slowly crawled forward, every muscle stiff with tension, trying his very best to avoid even the faintest sound, for in the silence of the river a single misplaced noise could very well mark the end of his life.
Step by step, or rather crawl by crawl, he reached the same spot where he had last seen that monstrous figure, and with painstaking care he parted the grass before him once again, this time even more cautiously, as though the very act of moving the blades could betray his presence.
When his eyes finally fell upon the river, he let out a deep breath that he had been holding without even realizing, exhaling softly, as relief washed over him, for the monster was no longer there. The river lay empty. His lips curved slightly, a small smile breaking through his dark expression.
"I'm glad it's gone. If it had seen me, I'd be finished for sure. But… which way did it go?"
As the thought lingered, Kael pushed the grass aside a little further to steal a broader glance at the surroundings, making sure the creature was truly gone, and much to his relief his suspicions were correct.
He leaned back slowly, pressing against the rough bark of the tree behind him, yet he did not dare to let the relief settle in completely, for celebration would be foolish when the monster still loomed. After all, he did not know which direction the monster had taken, what if it had gone the same way he had come from? If that were the case, then their paths would cross eventually, and he would have no choice but to face it head-on. The thought alone made his chest tighten.
"I should probably wait a few more minutes before leaving… or…"
His gaze drifted toward the endless stretch of grass fields where only moments ago he had been plucking those herb plants. The grass rose up nearly to his thigh, tall and thick, swaying lightly with the faintest breeze, and in that moment a plan began to form in his mind. If he simply lay flat and crawled through the grass, moving slowly and carefully, then perhaps he could slip away unnoticed. It seemed like a good plan, or at least the best he had in this cursed situation.
"Even if the monster is still around, as long as I don't make any noise I should be fine… but should I head through the middle, or perhaps the left side, or the right side? Which path would be safer?" he murmured, debating with himself as his eyes scanned the meadow.
The middle felt far too risky, for even if he managed to remain silent the movement of the grass would betray him instantly to the creature's sharp eyes. That left him with two choices - the left or the right - and both sides seemed shrouded by the same line of trees, promising at least some cover. Crawling alongside the trees would be a far wiser choice, he reasoned, as they would shield him somewhat, giving him something to press against, to vanish behind if needed.
"Which way should I go…?"
But before his thoughts could settle, a finger appeared, pointing him toward the middle as if answering to his question. He blinked, his head tilting slightly, and gave the smallest nod in acknowledgment, only for his heart to seize in his chest a moment later, for a dreadful realization struck him like thunder. He had not raised his hand. He had not moved his fingers. Then whose hand was it? His gaze snapped to the side, and there, few steps away, a pair of bright yellow eyes gleamed back at him with a look that could only be described as confused curiosity.
The monster he had been so desperately trying to avoid was already sitting right beside him.
"When… when did it come here? Why didn't I hear anything? Damn it… I was so lost in thought, of course it would sneak up on me like this…"
The words tumbled silently through his mind as his breath caught in his throat. He gasped aloud, his body jolting into action, and he hurled himself backward with all the strength he could muster. His reaction was so fast, so frantic, that in the next instant he found himself sprawled on the ground, supporting his weight clumsily with his arms as his wide eyes locked onto the creature only a metre away.
"Crap… I'm screwed," he muttered under his breath.
The Hollow-Tongue tilted its head to the side, its movements strangely humanlike, yet it did not advance. Kael too remained frozen in place, neither daring to move, both of them caught in a tense, suffocating silence as they stared at each other.
His thoughts spiraled, "What do I do now? Run? Fight? Stop thinking, you idiot... move or you'll die."
His eyes darted around the ground, his hand brushing desperately through the grass for anything, anything at all he could use, until his fingers finally closed around a small stick. It was pitiful, barely more than a branch, but it was all he had.
Forcing himself to stand, Kael rose shakily, his legs trembling as if they might give way at any moment. Up close, the monster was infinitely more terrifying and slightly taller than the perfect reflection he had glimpsed on the Silent River's surface. He grit his teeth, brandishing the stick before him as though it were a sword.
"Come on then… you ugly bastard," he spat aloud, his voice betraying more courage than he felt.
The Hollow-Tongue tilted its head once more, then lunged. Kael's body moved in kind, thrusting the stick forward as if it were sword, refusing to believe he could fall so easily. Even if fear gnawed at him, trembling through his limbs, he refused to let it consume him, fear was the last thing he could allow himself. But reality was cruel.
The creature's long human-like hand crashed against the fragile stick, and in the blink of an eye the wood snapped clean in two, the sound echoing sharply. Of course it would break, it was nothing but a stick after all and the Hollow-Tongue was no ordinary beast, but an A-Rank monster.
Before Kael could even process the shattered weapon in his hand, the monster's clawed fingers shot forward, its long, jagged nails reaching for his chest with the clear intent of tearing it open. In a desperate burst, Kael threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth. He wasn't even sure how he managed it... whether it was instinct, or the remnants of past battles, or simple dumb luck but somehow he had dodged. Yet his relief was short-lived.
The creature's other hand came slicing forward, faster, sharper, while Kael was still off-balance from his dodge, his stance broken, his body unprepared. Its speed was relentless, its attacks merciless. His eyes widened as the second strike came screaming toward him, far too swift to evade.
"Fu—"
The curse barely escaped his lips before the monster's claws slammed into his shoulder with crushing force.
Pain exploded through him, his entire body jolting violently as though struck by a hammer, his bones creaking as if they might snap, and in the very next moment he was airborne, hurled sideways by the sheer impact. The world spun around him as he flew through the tall grass, rolling and tumbling until he finally crashed to the ground near the riverbank. However, as he tried to stand, stones and slick moss betrayed his footing, and he fell again, the cold water lapping beside him.
"Ouch."
He forced himself upright, though his posture was broken, awkward, his breathing ragged, his right hand clutched tightly over his wounded shoulder. The pain was unbearable, throbbing and burning all at once, and when his fingers brushed the wound they came away wet. Raising his trembling hand before his eyes, he saw the crimson smear of blood coating his skin. The monster had not merely struck him... it had driven its claws deep into his flesh, tearing him open.
"That… hurts…" he hissed between clenched teeth, his body swaying as the agony surged through him.
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(Chapter Ended)