The sound of a devastating gunshot cracked through the night.
The creature that had been lunging for Vince collapsed with a thud, a small hole blown into its side.
A rifle? Vince thought, barely able to process it.
The beast twitched, dragging its rotten bear-like head toward him. It reached out with its blood-soaked claws, but before it could touch him another shot rang out.
BANG!
The creature's arm exploded, torn off in a spray of gore. A guttural screech echoed through the forest as the monster writhed, blood pouring from its jaws.
"What the hell!" Vince shouted, stumbling backward.
The beast rolled on the ground in agony, trying to rise. More gunfire cracked through the night.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Rounds tore into its chest, ripping apart flesh near the heart. The thing was launched back, chunks of its body flying.
It twitched violently, then stilled. Blood pooled beneath it, soaking into the dirt.
Vince's eyes were glued to the mangled body, his chest tightening as if his own life had been taken with it.
Then a warm, friendly voice broke the silence.
"Why, hello there!"
Vince's head snapped up. The group he had seen in the distance now stood directly in front of him, their presence sudden and unsettling.
Four people, two men, two women.
The one who had spoken seemed slightly off. His face was long, his glasses round, his hair a strange blend of blond and brown. Brown eyes peeked from behind the lenses, and his clothing was all black: wool shirt, trousers, thick boots.
Behind him stood someone far more intimidating, a bulky man dressed in a gray cotton shirt under a dark wool vest. His dark trousers were tucked into knee-high black leather boots, a black sash slung across his waist. A white-and-purple bandana was pulled over his face, goggles hiding his eyes. In his hands, he held a long brown rifle tipped with gold.
He's the one who saved me, Vince thought.
Next to the men were two women, both dressed similarly: thick trousers, fitted vests over cotton shirts, high boots. One had dazzling hazel eyes and black hair, the other had sharp green eyes with dark blond hair.
Why isn't that first guy dressed like the others? Vince wondered.
"H-Hello," Vince said nervously.
The man in black smiled warmly. "No need to fear. I'm harmless!"
He gestured openly. "I'm Adam. A pleasure to meet you."
Adam pointed to each of his companions.
"The quiet man with the rifle is Jasper. He doesn't talk much. The lady with the hazel eyes is Sydney, and the one beside her is Ara."
Adam extended a hand toward Vince. "May I ask your name, my good sir?"
Vince hesitated, then smirked. "My name is Salomon Arotinco."
Adam's smile widened. "What a lovely name you have, Salomon!"
Vince quickly pointed at the creature's corpse, still twitching faintly in the dirt. "W-What the hell is going on here? What is that thing?"
A heavy silence hung in the air until Jasper finally spoke, his deep voice rasping like gravel.
"He's not a monster. Well… he was."
Jasper strode past the group toward the body. He crouched, grabbed the grotesque bear head, and tore it clean off. A gush of old blood spilled out, maggots squirming across the ground.
Underneath was no beast at all, but a man. His face was deathly pale, covered in scars. His hair was gone, his eyes hollowed and eaten out, his mouth teeming with crawling maggots.
Vince stumbled back in horror, bile rising in his throat.
What the fuck…
The corpse twitched with maggots crawling from its mouth. Vince gagged, clutching his stomach.
Jasper's voice cut through.
"This unfortunate soul tried to advance a stack. He was once a good man, but the artifact he attempted to bind shattered his mind. When his will collapsed, he went rogue. We've been hunting him for hours. He was starving for flesh, so he couldn't face us. Instead, he found you."
Jasper tossed the rotting bear mask aside.
Vince's voice cracked. "He… he was once human?"
"Yes. He was." Jasper paused, narrowing his eyes. "Wait. How could you not know that? Any Stacker should sense the human life beneath. Unless…"
His tone sharpened.
"Unless you're horribly weak."
Jasper stepped closer, towering over Vince despite being only a little taller. Vince staggered back, fear tightening his chest.
"S-Stacker? What's a Stacker?" His words shook, desperate.
Jasper stared for several long seconds, then without warning, he drew his rifle. The barrel leveled at Vince's head. Even at a few feet away, Vince felt death breathing down his neck.
His body went stiff. The compass and shovel slipped from his hands and clattered to the dirt. He raised his arms in surrender.
"No! Please, wait! I'll do anything!"
"Drop it!" Jasper barked.
"D-Drop what?!"
"The artifact!" Jasper's finger hovered on the trigger. His voice was ice. "If you don't, I'll splatter your brains across this forest."
Artifact? Vince's mind spun. The gun… the gun!
He ripped the revolver from his belt and hurled it to the ground. "T-There! Please, don't shoot!"
Jasper's gaze flickered. He lowered the rifle, stepping forward to snatch up the black, fish-skin revolver. Holding it in his hand, he aimed it at Vince.
"Stand down, Stacker."
Before Vince could plead further, Adam raised his hand. His voice cut smoothly through the tension.
"Enough, Jasper."
The big man's gun lingered for a breath, then shifted away.
Adam adjusted his glasses, his tone calm but sharp. "This boy isn't a Stacker. People under fear usually lie, but look at his face. He doesn't even know the word."
Jasper's brow furrowed.
"Then why would he be carrying an artifact like this?"
Adam shrugged lightly, almost amused. "Who knows? Perhaps fate dropped it into his hands. But he has no knowledge of our world, that much is certain."
He turned back to Vince, his smile polite yet oddly predatory. "Which makes him a clueless human."
Adam extended his hand, his voice dripping with promise.
"Salomon, would you accept an offer instead? Not a threat, but knowledge."
Vince hesitated, his heart pounding. "Knowledge?"
"Knowledge like power."
Adam's glasses caught the moonlight. His arms opened wide, his voice rising with warmth. "If you trade this revolver, I will give you what few ever glimpse: the knowledge to stand above others. The knowledge to command fire itself. The knowledge to shape the world around you, to break the limits that bind ordinary men."
He leaned in slightly, his smile sharpening.
"In other words… the knowledge to become a Stacker."