Nora and Johan continued their cautious journey through the cursed town, every shadow
whispering threats of unseen horrors. Suddenly, a soft voice called out to them from the
shadows. They turned to see a woman gesturing urgently for them to follow her. Relieved to
find another human, they hurried towards her.
"Come, quickly, before the demons find you," she whispered.
She led them to a hidden entrance beneath a crumbling building, revealing a small, dimly lit
hideout where several survivors huddled in silence. The air was thick with fear and
desperation.
"My name is Cassidy," the woman said softly. "You're safe here, for now."
Nora introduced herself and Johan, explaining they had come from Spesland. She looked
around at the silent survivors. "What happened here? Do you know someone called Malek?"
Cassidy's eyes darkened. "Malek is a powerful tyrant, the one responsible for all of this. He
unleashed the demons from the underworld in an act of revenge."
Johan's face contorted with anger. "I am sick of hearing this. Malek would never do all this
blasphemy, It has to be Dracula."
Nora tried to calm Johan down. Cassidy shook her head. "Malek destroyed him, but a new
Dracula has risen, one far worse."
"This can't be. Malek would never let his wrath consume him like this." Johan interrupted
Cassidy.
Cassidy's voice was grim. "A day before, a group of 120 townspeople and 2,000 soldiers from
outside Nyxmoor tried to take him down. He killed them all single-handedly, one hand out and
the other hand behind his back."
Nora and Johan exchanged a look of disbelief. Cassidy continued, "Before this, he took down
five of the most powerful demon lords by himself and killed Dracula. Malek is not an average
vampire; he is a Nosferatu. Angels and demons once hunted Nosferatu out of fear, killing them
as children before they could evolve, but hey enough stories, you all must be hungry, I will be
back."
Cassidy left to fetch some food. Johan leaned close to Nora, his voice a whisper. "Something
is off about this place. Why is everyone so silent? I smell something not right—meat, but not
rotten, dried out."
Nora's heart pounded. "You might be imagining things."
Johan shook his head. "There are exactly 120 people here, the same number as those who died
in the battle."
Nora was stunned by Johan's perception despite his blindness. "But how can you be so sure?"
"I hear, and see things you don't, Nora. Something's wrong with Cassidy's voice too."
Nora, trembling, reached out to touch one of the survivors. The skin was cold, unnaturally
stiff. She focused harder, realizing the horrific truth: the bodies were dead, yet looked
disturbingly alive and very uncanny. Their eyes, empty and staring, seemed to penetrate her
very soul.
She remembered a story told by Mary, the orphanage owner, about skin walker—demons that
used the dead bodies of humans to hunt their prey. Cassidy returned with the food, and Nora
quickly resumed her position, trying to mask her terror.
Cassidy handed them the food. Nora was terrified to refuse, knowing it was poisoned. Johan
took the first bite, then thanked Cassidy. Nora noticed Cassidy's expression, a mix of shock
and frustration at Johan's survival.
"My wife isn't hungry, but you must be," Johan said, his voice deceptively calm.
Cassidy stammered, "I-I'm not hungry."
Johan's smile was predatory. "Not hungry? Very well, you must be hungry for something else."
In an instant, Johan transformed into his werewolf form, striking Cassidy with a powerful
blow that shattered her skull. The survivors revealed their true forms—grotesque skin
walkers.
Johan grabbed Nora, placing her on his back as they fled the hideout. Nora fired her bow, her
shots precise, taking down any threat that approached. She spotted something clinging to the
ceiling and shot it down, causing the structure to collapse on the skin walkers.
The couple escaped, panting and bloodied. Nora turned to Johan, gratitude and admiration in
her eyes. "Thank you, Johan. You are such a good boy." She kissed him on the forehead,
making the werewolf blush and smile.
They continued their way into the darkness, knowing they could trust no one in Nyxmoor, but
drawing strength from each other as they faced the horrors ahead.
As they walked, Nora heard the rumble of Johan's giant wolf stomach. The sound startled her, but
she quickly realized what it was. Johan, now blushing, seemed embarrassed by his hunger. Nora
smiled warmly.
"Yeah, me too," she said, her own stomach grumbling in response.
She looked into their bag and found it empty. "Damn skin walkers," she muttered angrily, "They
stole all the food while I wasn't looking."
They continued walking until they stumbled upon a dock. The water looked clean and inviting. Nora
had an idea and turned to Johan with a mischievous grin. "How about we do something you loved
doing as a kid?"
Johan immediately transformed back into his human form, his face lighting up. "Let me guess," he
said, anticipation in his voice.
Nora took out two fishing rods from her pack and handed one to him. Johan's face beamed with joy.
"I love you," he said, his voice filled with genuine happiness.
They sat by the dock, casting their lines into the water. After a long moment of silence, Johan broke
the quiet. "Nora, do you think we're really prepared for this?"
Nora, frustrated and frightened, shouted, "I should be asking you that! You're the strong one who's
supposed to protect his wife, I'm terrified!"
Johan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I was just trying to make conversation, nothing more."
Nora, still angry, retorted, "That's not how you start a conversation with a terrified woman who
depends on her husband! You start with something light, like 'Hey, how are you holding up?' or 'The
weather sure is gloomy in this cursed town.' You don't dive straight into 'Are we prepared for this?'
when I'm already scared out of my wits!"
Johan, grinning, replied, "Noted. Next time, I'll start with, 'Hey, how are you holding up in this lovely
apocalyptic nightmare?'"
Nora couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. "You're impossible, Johan."
"That's why you married me," Johan said with a wink.
Nora stood up, mockingly angry. "You know what? You stay here and fish. I'll go get some fruit
from those godforsaken trees."
Johan leaned back, smiling. "Ah, yes, being left alone fishing in a cursed city. Definitely not on my
to-do list."
As Nora disappeared into the trees, Johan was left alone with his thoughts. He pondered their
journey, the horrors they had faced, and the grim truth about his brother Malek. His mind wandered
to the days of his childhood, and how he used to fish with his mother warning him about the
dangers of the docks.
Suddenly, Johan felt a tremendous tug on his fishing line. He was shocked by the sheer force
pulling at his rod. It didn't take long for him to realize this was no ordinary fish. Instinctively, he
transformed into his werewolf form, his heightened senses and strength ready for the challenge.
The water erupted as Johan was pulled into the depths. He found himself facing a massive,
monstrous shark. Its eyes were cold and lifeless, and its jaws snapped ferociously. Johan's claws
tore into the shark's flesh as they wrestled beneath the waves. Blood clouded the water as the
struggle intensified.
Johan used his immense strength to latch onto the shark's gills, ripping them apart with brutal
precision. The shark thrashed wildly, but Johan's grip was unrelenting. He bit down on the
creature's neck, his fangs piercing through its tough hide. With a final, powerful jerk, Johan tore the
shark's head from its body, the water turning crimson with its blood.
Emerging from the water, Johan dragged the massive shark onto the dock. His fur was matted with
blood, and his chest heaved with exertion.
Nora returned just in time to witness the scene. Her eyes widened in shock. "Johan, what... what
happened?"
Johan, still in werewolf form, grinned. "You missed the party."
Nora was speechless for a moment. Then, Johan, now back in his human form, said "As a kid, my
mother used to warn me to stay away from the docks because of the megalodon."
Nora's face shifted to one of horror. "Excuse me, what? A megalodon?!"
Johan, smiled. "You thought it was a demon, didn't you?"
Before Nora could respond, a giant tentacle emerged from the water, wrapping around the
shark and dragging it back into the depths. Her voice trembled. "Johan, we need to leave this
dock. Now."
Johan noticed the shark was gone and shouted. "Jerk! That was my food!"
Nora, trying to shake off the terror, held up some fruit she had gathered. "I got some fruit.
Let's eat and get back to our mission."
They sat down and ate in silence, the tension between them easing slightly as they prepared to
continue their perilous journey. The darkness around them seemed to press in, but together,
they felt a glimmer of hope.
After the couple finished eating, Johan asked, "How are we going to cross the dock with that
demonic thing swimming out there?"
Nora, her face resolute, replied, "We'll cross it quietly. Not a single noise, Johan."
They began their careful crossing, every step measured. But as fate would have it, a piece of
wood creaked loudly under Johan's weight.
"God dammit," Johan muttered.
In an instant, the giant sea creature surged from the depths, its maw gaping wide, swallowing
both Nora and Johan. Enveloped in darkness, Nora's voice trembled. "I can't see anything."
Johan, trying to lighten the mood, responded, "Not being able to see is the norm for me."
Nora managed a small chuckle as she lit a torch. The flickering light revealed the grotesque
interior of the creature. Its insides resembled a horrid, twisted mansion. The walls were fleshy,
pulsating with a sickly hue. Veins and arteries intertwined like twisted hallways, and the stench
was unbearable. The floor was slick with viscous, slimy fluids, making every step treacherous.
The air was thick with the scent of decay, and half-digested bodies littered the space, a
macabre testament to the creature's previous victims.
"We need to find the heart and burn it," Nora said, her voice steady despite the horror around
them.
Johan frowned. "Why can't we just dig our way out?"
Nora's eyes widened as she explained, "This creature is actually Charybdis, a monstrous sea
demon from ancient myths. Charybdis was once a beautiful naiad, a beautiful angel that fell into
darkness turning her into a ravenous beast that swallows everything in its path. She creates
whirlpools to devour sailors and their ships whole. And well, we are inside it right now."
Johan's expression darkened. "Oh, fantastic. So we're in the belly of a mythological nightmare."
Nora nodded grimly. "Its weak point is the heart. If we destroy it, the creature will explode, and we
can escape."
They began their perilous journey deeper into the creature, each step a test of their resolve. The
air grew thicker, and the smell of rot and bile became overpowering. As they walked, they passed
more bodies, some still wearing the expressions of their last, terrified moments. The flesh walls
seemed to close in on them, the pulsating veins casting eerie shadows.
Finally, they found the heart, a massive, throbbing organ protected by large, parasitic creatures.
Johan transformed into his werewolf form, his growls echoing in the cavernous space as he tore
into the parasites. Nora, keeping her focus, lit another torch and approached the heart. With precise
movements, she set the heart aflame. The creature's insides began to convulse violently.
Charybdis exploded, sending them hurtling through the air. Johan landed on his feet, and Nora fell
into his large, protective hands. Johan, trying to lighten the mood, quipped, "Well, that certainly puts
the 'heart' in heartburn."
Nora, still dazed, gave him a flat look. "Really?"
Disappointed that his joke fell flat, Johan transformed back into his human form. They began
walking again, the weight of their journey pressing heavily on their shoulders.
Nora, reflecting on their ordeal, said, "After what we just went through, maybe we can win this
journey after all."
As they continued, they saw it: a gigantic castle looming in the distance. It was a monstrous edifice,
its dark stone walls covered in twisting, thorny vines. The towers reached into the sky, their tops
shrouded in ominous clouds. The windows were like empty eyes, staring into the void. The gates
were wrought iron, twisted and gnarled, as if they had grown from the ground itself. The air around
the castle was cold, and the scent of decay hung heavy.
Nora and Johan stood at the foot of the castle, its towering presence casting a long shadow over
them. They exchanged a determined look, knowing that whatever lay inside would be their greatest
challenge yet. The path ahead was fraught with danger, Malek is in there, but then suddenly the sun
appeared in the sky burning every demon in Nyxmoor, someone must have done this. The two felt
more calm than before, embracing the good omen, they went in the castle not ready for how labyrinthine it was.