Crouching down low and whacking away any branches that get in our way, we slowly make progress deeper into the woods, the only sounds accompanying us being the hoots of owls and rustling of leaves. We have ventured far since entering the forest, but now even the once bright and welcoming trees suddenly don't look so innocent.
As we have gone deeper, nature has started to change, the trees starting to look more twisted, the leaves seeming to be dying, even the soil and grass looks like it is inflicted with decay.
"This doesn't feel good, GM. The sun has disappeared now and only the moonlight is visible. While it is definitely brighter than it usually is, it's still not enough to fully light up every bit of darkness, not with the trees blocking it." Garret warns as we enter an even deeper section of the forest, worry etched onto his usually positive face.
'He is right, it's getting too dangerous to continue. We should have run into something by now, anything really, even if it was just a lone beast or animal that accidentally stumbled upon us while prowling around or hunting.
Either the beasts have decided to move somewhere else, our Intel was wrong, or...they are being being heeded somewhere to prepare for an assault.'
Whatever the reason, it's not good. The worst immediate issue with this observation is that we can't investigate it, not yet. It's way too dark to go further without any escape plan, and wherever they have gone is not somewhere we can find them as of right now.
We risk losing our lives if it get any darker, we should be grateful for the amount of light we are getting right now with moon, though, that does make me wonder if maybe Balhael had something to do with it... could Stacey be right, and their is a actual god?
Whatever, I will keep my hunters as safe as possible, even if I have to make a deal with the devil and sell my soul. At least this way everyone else will make it out alive. Hopefully it won't come to that and Balhael is telling me the truth, not feeding me lies.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I really hoped to get this over with tonight, but maybe that was a long shot."
I halt my movements, causing everyone behind me to also have to quickly stop, to prevent themselves from bumping into one another, and then straighten up.
I turn my head slowly, carefully observing our surroundings as a the terrible feeling that's been growing stronger in my gut suddenly grows tenfold.
Something's wrong, I can feel it, but what am I missing... why is it so silent? What happened to the owls? Where is the wind and the rustling of leaves?
I quickly look at our surroundings again, being careful not to overlook any details, and that's when I see it.
Suddenly a snap echoes throughout the area, causing me to draw my sword, both my hands gripping tightly onto the hilt, ready to swing at a moments notice, as I yell to everyone in alarm.
"Everyone to arms! We have been slowly surrounded as we have gone deeper, we are in an area where even the owls don't dare to venture!"
Almost instantly, everyone leapt into action, quickly forming a circle of defence so as not to leave any blind spots to exploit, and raised their guard to the highest level, preparing for the incoming fight.
We looked through the trees as the sound of shuffling feet moving steadily in our direction could be heard, moaning and groaning filling the air with a chilling sense of doom,and sparking a realisation that I really hoped that I would not come to.
"Get ready everyone, we aren't dealing with just mutated beasts anymore...we are dealing with something far worse."
I tense my arm harder so as to stop myself from shaking, as I recognise the groaning, and fix my eyes forwards, refusing to back down.
Then their was a shrill scream as the figures revealed themselves.
Walking into the light was a monstrous sight. Humanoid figures with pale white skin, black eyes with red irises, a visible skull on the left side of their faces, rotting flesh and crimson blood dripping down the remaining side of their skull, as if it no longer fits the creature that it belongs to, and the mouths... The mouths stretching so far with teeth as sharp as a nail to boot.
"It's Ghouls, we've walked into a pack of Ghouls!" Stacey shrieks, fear lacing her words as she starts shaking.
"These creatures have destroyed entire villages, tearing their victims limb from limb, as they feast on their flesh. Their main source of food is people!"
With a roar, a starved ghoul jumped forwards, arms and vile claws outstretched to grab a young female martial artist who'd looked away for but a second, causing it to sense the moment of weakness.
"RAGHR!"
"Ahhhh!"
"Helen, duck!" The swordsman at her side yelled, as she slashed her sword down in a perfect arc, striking the ghoul inbetween it's neck and shoulder, as the woman dropped to one knee, before leaping up again and striking it in the jaw, knocking it back a few paces while also freeing the sword once more.
"Phew, that was a close one. Lucky we had each other's backs there, or we'd be toast."
Both fighters nod to each other, getting back in formation, as what looks to be a horde decides to charge full force in rage and hunger, seeing their fellow ghoul get hurt by the meat bags.
We all fought like our lives depended on it, hacking and slashing at any ghoul that came too close, sending heads rolling and limbs flying, but I could see it clearly. We were slowly being overwhelmed.
I grabbed the closest ghoul to me and flung it into another approaching group that was trying to run up on some fighters that were busy fending off another group that had slipped past their guard and gotten too close, before punching another one square in the face that had gotten too close to myself.
"This can't go on, we are losing ground Kurt!" Stacey yelled, her voice barely able to be heard over the loud moans and groans of the monsters.
"I know!"
Thinking that we were already facing the worst to come was a mistake, for we had forgotten the very beasts that we had come here to hunt in the first place.
"Shit! It's the mutants!" Someone cried, their movements becoming sluggish as they realised just how royaly fucked we all really were.
The beasts let out a ferocious growl, as they bounded towards us, slather dripping from the edges of their mouths, teeth bared and ready to bite.
"We're dead, we're dead, we are so dead!"
I tried to locate who said that, only to turn back around abruptly as one of the mutants lept at Garret, biting down on his arm, causing him to let out a pain scream.
A ghoul taking advantage of the situation tried to rake it's claws against his chest, and would have succeeded had it's head not gone flying the moment it moved, thanks to my quick reflexes.
Garret stabbed the beast in the back of the head, twisting his blade viciously, making the beast howl in pain as the life slowly fades from its eyes and drops dead on the floor.
"Agh, son of a bitch. My left arm is wrecked!" Garret exclaims, gritting his teeth, trying to push through the pain, as he continues to fight with his other arm.
"Fuckkkk, noooo!"
I hear more screams of pain,with the ghouls starting to break through our formation, biting down on hunter's necks, ripping out their oesophagus, and splashing blood in every direction as it proceeded to rip into theirs chest, chewing on their organs, pieces of their innards dripping down the ghoul's chins.
'It's bad, people are dying now, what do I do? I can't get to them all, I'm struggling as it is with all the monsters currently launching themselves at me and Garret. Shit, if he doesn't get some medical attention soon then he is going to bleed out.
This can't go on or we are all going to be wiped out without even being able to put up much of a resistance.'
Slicing at the many beasts and ghouls closing in on me, my sword gets lodged in the chest of an especially resilient ghoul, it's groaning getting louder, swipes at me in retaliation, knocking me down to the ground where I knock the back of head heavily, the exhaustion starting to set in along with the pain from the claw marks that managed to make it through the leather chestplate causing a bout of pain to flare up on my chest.
"Kurt, nooo!" I hear as I start fading in and out of consciousness, seeing stars and the outline of a person running in front of me, attempting to blocking the monsters from getting closer to my position in my weakened state.
"Kurt, get up! We can still fight this, don't give up now, we need you!"
'Garret? No, stop. Save yourself, don't die for me, protect yourself first.' I try to say, but the blow to the back of my head making it hard to concentrate.
"Agh!"
I manage to regain my vision for a few moments, and what I see next sends a shiver of horror down my spine.
Garret, down on the ground, his insides being ripped out with a vacant look in his eyes, his arms being ripped off by beasts, as more blood spills across his already dead corpse.
"NOOOOO!!"
I bellow with a cry of fury, pushing through the immense pain to stand up and fight once more, using my sword as a crutch to help keep myself stead, refusing to go down without a fight, I will die with my sword in my hand, not lying on the ground hoping for salvation.
Looking once more at the scene of so many hunters lying dead on the ground, their bodies being dismembered, a flash of malice creeping in as my eyes narrow, uttering the one word that will change the world forever.
"BALHAEL!"