As they stood in front of the ridge, the air felt colder. The door made of stone and rotten wood was half broken, and small red threads on its edges were moving—almost as if they were alive. The smell of Bloodthorn residue had intensified, and tiny bones were scattered on the ground.
Grace gripped her spear tightly, her brown eyes narrowing. "This is the place. If the hunters are alive, they'll be trapped here."
Riya spoke in a calm yet firm tone, "We stay silent. Every step must be calculated."
Rudrak checked his bow and said softly, "Anything could be inside. The tracks are almost gone."
Aarya looked at his Granthnishaan; it was glowing faintly, as if reacting to the Bloodthorn residue. Feran growled telepathically, "There's something else inside… this smell isn't just Bloodthorn. Something more."
Aarya cast a small glance at Riya and said quietly, "Let's go."
---
As they pushed the door open and stepped inside, the air turned colder. The path inside the ridge was built with stones and old wood, and on its walls, the red threads of Bloodthorn residue were gently moving.
Sunlight reached only till the entrance; inside, it was deep darkness. Grace pulled out a small glowing stone from her belt, which cast a soft yellow light.
In that light, small scratch marks became visible on the walls. Riya touched them and said softly, "These marks… they're from humans. The hunters passed through here."
Rudrak bent down to examine some signs on the ground. "And these… drag marks. Someone was pulled in."
Aarya noticed some scattered fragments at the edge of the floor—a half-broken quiver and a piece of leather. He picked it up and handed it to Grace. Grace recognized the leather, her face turning serious for a moment.
"This belongs to Arjun…" Grace's voice no longer had its usual calm—it held pain.
Riya looked at Grace and said firmly, "He's alive. We'll bring him back."
Grace only nodded, but her grip on her spear tightened.
---
The Increasing Smell of Blood and Fear
As they went deeper into the ridge, the smell became stronger—a mix of wet flesh and rotting wood. Feran growled, "This place feels dirty… something's alive here."
Aarya said quietly, "And it's watching us."
Riya stopped at a corner and saw old wooden beams nailed to the wall. They had old blood stains, as if someone had been tied there.
Rudrak said quietly, "Someone was bound here… and maybe…" his sentence trailed off.
Grace stopped him with a hand and whispered, "Stay quiet. Every sound echoes here."
Their footsteps sank slightly into the soft soil, and the silence inside the ridge was broken only by the faint sound of their breathing and steps.
---
In one corner of the ridge, they found a small camp spot—some old utensils, a half-burned torch, and a small diary.
Riya picked up the diary; its pages were stained with blood. She slowly flipped a page and read a few words:
"…we don't have time… the thread of Bloodthorn is alive… Arjun was dragged away… if anyone is reading this, don't come any further…"
Riya's expression turned serious for a moment.
Grace looked at the diary, her face tightening further. "They were scared… and yet they stayed here."
Aarya said calmly, "Which means they might still be here… and the thread of Bloodthorn is still active."
Feran growled, "And it's waiting for us."
---
As they read the diary, a faint scraping sound echoed inside the ridge—as if metal was being dragged.
Riya instantly stood up, her blade tightening in her grip. Grace readied her spear, and Rudrak placed an arrow on his bow.
Aarya whispered, "It's coming."
And in the very next moment, two red glowing eyes appeared from the darkness of the ridge, slowly advancing toward them—and behind them, more red shadows were shifting.
—
The darkness felt deeper, as if the stones of the ridge were breathing. The red threads of Bloodthorn residue along the walls started moving faster, as if reacting to something alive.
Two glowing red eyes came closer, and then a roaring sound echoed through the ridge. Suddenly, from the darkness emerged a tall mutated beast.
Its body was half decayed, and beneath its skin, the red threads of Bloodthorn residue were moving, as if keeping it alive. On its back were two small growths, each with small red eyes blinking.
And it wasn't alone—four more shadows followed it, slowly approaching.
Grace tightened her spear. "Don't let them get close… they'll all attack at once."
Rudrak pulled an arrow and readied his bow. Riya prepared her blade, and Aarya gripped his Granthnishaan. Feran growled, "Aarya… these aren't normal beasts. They're completely fused with Bloodthorn."
---
For a moment, everything was silent, and then with a roar, the first beast leapt toward them. Its body was so heavy that the floor of the ridge trembled as it landed.
Grace blocked the first attack with her spear. The beast's strength was immense—Grace slid back two steps, but quickly stabbed her spear into the beast's stomach. The beast roared in pain but didn't stop.
Rudrak quickly fired an arrow, which pierced the beast's side. The beast staggered briefly, and Grace twisted her spear to strike near its neck. The Bloodthorn threads latched onto the spear, trying to pull it in.
"This residue… it's alive!" Grace growled.
Riya leapt toward the beasts behind. Her blade pierced the throat of the first beast with precision, and she twisted it to slice through the threads. The beast fell to the ground with a groan, but its body still twitched.
Two more beasts lunged at her from behind. Riya flipped mid-air to dodge the first attack and slashed one beast's leg. The second beast charged, but Aarya stepped in.
Aarya delivered a solid punch with his Granthnishaan to the beast's chest. It flew back and slammed into a wall, yet its red threads still moved.
Feran growled and leapt onto the beast's leg, tearing the threads with his teeth.
---
Rudrak fired another arrow, but the beast extended its threads to catch it mid-air. "These things… they can grab weapons too!" Rudrak growled.
Grace stabbed her spear into another beast's leg, pinning it to the ground. "Cut the threads! The threads are what keep them alive!"
Riya spun her blade across the threads, and the beast chasing her collapsed with a roar and stopped moving.
Aarya tightened his Granthnishaan in both hands and struck a beast's neck with a powerful blow. The beast tried to unleash more threads, but Feran tore one apart. Aarya struck again, slamming it into an old stone pillar.
---
As the smaller beasts began to fall, a heavier roar echoed from deeper within the ridge.
From the darkness emerged a massive mutated beast—twice the size of a man, its back covered in a dense web of red threads that clung to the ridge walls, almost as if it were part of the ridge itself.
It had four eyes, each blinking in different directions. Grace growled upon seeing it, "This… must be the core beast of Bloodthorn."
With a roar, the beast extended its threads and began breaking the ridge's support pillars. Riya shouted, "Don't let the pillars fall—the ridge might collapse!"
In a single moment, the beast threw threads toward Grace. She blocked one with her spear, but another wrapped around her arm and began pulling.
Aarya rushed forward. He struck the threads with his Granthnishaan, snapping one apart. Grace spun her spear and freed her hand.
Rudrak fired an arrow into the beast's eye. It recoiled with a roar, and Riya used that moment to slice through the threads on its neck. One by one, the threads snapped, and the beast began to stumble.
Feran leapt onto its back, tearing through the threads with his teeth. The beast roared once more before collapsing slowly to the ground.
The Bloodthorn threads continued to move—but slowly, they withered away.
---
When all was quiet, Grace took a deep breath and rested her spear against the ground.
Rudrak looked deeper into the ridge and said softly, "There's another path from here… and…"
Riya moved beside him and saw—fresh human footprints on the ground. Alongside them lay a broken hunter badge, still warm.
Grace picked up the badge, her face softening for a moment. "This… belongs to Arjun. And it's still warm… which means he's still alive."
Aarya said quietly, "And he's deeper inside the ridge."
Riya looked at Grace. "We'll bring them back. Not tomorrow… now."
Grace tightened her spear, her face now filled with a new determination. "Let's go. We're getting them out."
And the four of them moved deeper into the ridge—toward the place where the hunters might still be alive, and where the true core of Bloodthorn might be waiting.
—
TO BE CONTINUED…