They landed hard, their knees buckling. The air was thick with the scent of rot. Trees loomed overhead, twisted and gnarled, their branches clawing at the gray sky. The ground squelched beneath their boots.
"Ugh," Jax muttered, rolling his neck. "Hate that."
Ashen steadied himself, his catfolk eyes adjusting quickly to the gloom. Shadows twitched in the distance, and the smell of blood lingered in the air.
"This doesn't look like F-rank monsters," Lyra muttered, her hand on her bow.
"No," Ashen said, his jaw clenched. "It doesn't."
They moved deeper into the forest, and the scent of blood grew stronger. The fog thickened, muffling every sound.
Then they saw it — a clearing littered with bodies.
Ashen's heart pounded. These weren't monsters. They were villagers. Their skin was gray, eyes clouded, jaws hanging open in silent screams. Some had bones jutting at unnatural angles, others had mouths stretched open too wide, teeth filed to points.
Nina dropped to her knees, her hands covering her mouth. "Oh god..."
Before anyone could react, a corpse twitched. Its eyes snapped open, and a low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat.
"Get back!" Jax bellowed, shoving Nina behind him as the corpse lunged.
Ashen drew his blade, but the creature was fast. It leaped at him, teeth snapping. Ashen ducked, his blood blade slashing upward, slicing through its throat.
The creature fell, twitching, black blood oozing from its neck.
But more of them rose.
Lyra fired a Spirit Arrow, the glowing projectile slicing through a creature's skull. It crumpled to the ground, but the others kept coming.
"These aren't monsters," Lyra said, voice trembling. "They're people."
Ashen's hands shook as he stared down at the corpse he'd just killed. A wedding ring still hung from its finger.
The guild master knew. He had to have known.
But they sent them anyway.
Ashen's breaths came in short, ragged gasps. The stench of death hung heavy in the air, a sickening mix of blood and rotting flesh. The villagers — or what was left of them — shambled forward, eyes hollow, mouths gaping.
"These were people," Lyra said, her voice breaking. "What happened to them?"
"They happened to them," Ashen muttered, jaw clenched. "Someone did this."
Jax swung his steel arms like wrecking balls, each blow shattering bones and splattering blackened blood. "They're not people anymore. Stay focused!"
Ashen sliced through another creature, his blood blade tearing through its neck. The corpse dropped, twitching violently, its mouth still moving as if trying to speak.
Lyra notched a Spirit Arrow, her hands shaking. "I don't... I don't want to do this..."
"You have to!" Jax shouted, blocking a clawed hand with his metal arm. "If we don't, they'll tear us apart!"
Lyra swallowed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She released the arrow, and it pierced through two of the villagers' skulls, their bodies collapsing like puppets with their strings cut.
Nina whimpered, her back pressed against the wall of a crumbling shack. Her Echo Sense was in overdrive, and she clutched her head, eyes wide and unfocused.
"They're screaming..." she whispered. "All of them... they're screaming..."
Ashen rushed to her side, grabbing her shoulders. "Nina, snap out of it! We need you here!"
"They're still in there..." Nina sobbed, her fingers digging into Ashen's arms. "They're trapped! They're still human!"
A monstrous roar echoed through the square. Ashen's ears twitched, and he spun around just in time to see a hulking figure charging at them. The creature was massive, its flesh bloated and split, black veins pulsating beneath its skin.
Jax lunged forward, metal fists raised. "I got this!"
The creature slammed into Jax, sending him flying into a wall. The impact cracked the brick, and Jax crumpled to the ground, groaning.
"Jax!" Lyra screamed, sprinting toward him.
Ashen stepped in front of Nina, blood blades raised. The hulking creature charged again, jaws snapping. Ashen swung his blade, slicing through its arm, but the creature didn't slow. It crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.
Ashen gasped, blood pouring from his mouth. The creature loomed over him, its jaw unhinged, blackened teeth dripping with foul-smelling saliva.
"Ashen!" Lyra shouted, notching another Spirit Arrow. But her legs were trembling, her vision blurring.
The creature lunged.
Lyra fired a Spirit Arrow, and it struck the creature in the eye. It reared back, howling in pain, and Ashen scrambled to his feet, his blood blade reforming.
Jax staggered to his feet, blood running down his face. "You're dead, you bastard!" he roared, charging forward.
He tackled the creature, driving his steel fist through its chest. Bones snapped and black blood spurted, but the creature clawed at Jax, its talons tearing through his side.
"Jax, get back!" Lyra cried, rushing forward.
But another creature lunged at her, slamming her to the ground. Her head cracked against the stone, and her bow slipped from her grasp.
Ashen slashed through the creature on top of Jax, his blood blade severing its head. Jax shoved the corpse aside, gasping for breath.
"They're... they're everywhere," Jax said, his eyes wild.
Ashen's vision blurred. He was running on fumes now, his blood loss catching up to him. His arms trembled, and the blood blades flickered.
"Nina!" he shouted, his eyes scanning the chaos. "Nina!"
Nina was nowhere to be seen.
A scream echoed from deeper in the village — a scream that cut through Ashen like a knife. Nina.
Ashen sprinted toward the sound, his legs heavy, each step a battle against the pain. He rounded a corner and skidded to a stop.
Nina lay crumpled against the wall of a shack, her small body pinned beneath a towering creature. The mutated villager was massive, its muscles swollen and pulsing, its hands wrapped around Nina's neck.
"No!" Ashen shouted, lunging forward.
But before he could reach her, the creature twisted Nina's head with a sickening snap. Her body fell limp, eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Ashen's heart plummeted. The world seemed to tilt, the edges blurring.
"Nina..." he whispered, collapsing to his knees.
The creature turned, blood dripping from its mouth, and lunged.
Ashen's blood blade shot forward, impaling the monster through the eye. It fell, convulsing, as black blood pooled around Nina's lifeless body.
Ashen crawled forward, his hands trembling as he cradled her head. "Nina... I'm sorry..."
But Nina was gone.