It did not take long after the first scream before the whole valley was filled with an entire cacophony of them.
"Argh! N-Noooo! H-Help meee!"
They came accompanied by very unpleasant sounds of what were probably bones being broken and bodies getting torn apart, which made me recoil in shock even though I knew about what was coming in advance.
Malaric, thanks to his lifetime of battle experience, was the first of us to recover. Without wasting a breath, he sprung forth, quickly disappearing into the misty veil surrounding us.
As I was left standing alone in the fog, I could only hear him desperately shout from a distance, "Get into formation! Spearmen up front, archers behind!" But it appeared that he was a moment too late to turn the tide of the battle.
'I guess now would be the perfect time to take my leave...' I wondered, reluctant to follow the stout branch leader to what seemed, from the sound of it, like a one-sided massacre.
I didn't owe these people anything that would compel me to risk my life for them, so running away in the chaos was only reasonable.
Later, I could pretend I had gotten lost in the fog if it came to it.
Still, there was a small part of me that didn't want to simply abandon them. 'I might not be particularly brave, but I'm not such a coward to run away at the first sign of trouble...'
With that, I sighed and began slowly inching forward. Guided by my magic sense, I slowly but surely crept toward the chaos of the desperate battle that seemed to be happening only a few dozen meters up front.
'I want at least see what this monster looks like before I decide what to do,' I reasoned.
But then I paused, sensing a substantial amount of essence swirling a short distance away.
And despite being unable to see anything, I quickly realized it could only be the result of a clash between two powerful beings. 'It seems like our young hero has joined the fray...'
This gave me the confidence to cross the remaining distance as I knew I wouldn't be immediately attacked if he was keeping that thing occupied for the moment.
As I approached the battle scene, the fog had finally somewhat disappeared, probably thanks to the powerful shockwaves coming toward me. Then, I finally saw the creature in all its harrowing glory.
I shuddered, as the mere sight of it would probably be enough to make even the bravest of knights quiver in fear.
A monstrous mass of flesh and twisted limbs that seemed to have no end. It almost looked like a giant octopus... almost.
Its dark, oily skin glistened in the faint light, revealing pulsing veins and gaping wounds that oozed a vile liquid, its very presence reeking of death and decay.
I couldn't help but stare at its eyes, which resembled empty black voids, and its mouth, filled with countless sharp, jagged teeth.
'Oh, hell no...I'm outa here.'
This... creature, or whatever it was, seemed like it came straight out of some Lovecraftian horror type of shit, and I felt no desire to be anywhere near it, not to mention actually fighting it.
As I stood there frozen in fear, I overheard one of the priests who stood at the back of the formation, pale in horror as he gazed upon the monster.
"It's Tainted... This can't be... " I managed to catch him murmuring to himself, thanks to my heightened senses.
Immediately, a cold dread washed over me. 'Tainted... I heard this word before... Where did I hear it?' I wondered, not quite being able to remember.
I tried to peer into the monster, but my magic sense was acting weird around it, and I couldn't get a solid grip on its power. I could sense its magic, but the essence coming out of it felt wrong, all twisted and... tainted.
Meanwhile, Arn, the young Blessed warrior, continued battling the horrid abomination, strangely unperturbed by its vile appearance.
'Is he so arrogant or simply dumb? ...Perhaps both.'
If I wasn't confident enough to face it, his chances of achieving victory were close to zero.
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Yet despite this obvious fact, he stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the abomination with steadfast determination as he continued to fearlessly charge at the monstrous creature, his movements fluid and precise.
The creature's tentacles writhed menacingly, each one tipped with razor-sharp spikes as it countered each of Arn's advances with a speed that seemed impossible for something of such size.
As the battle raged on, I noticed a flicker of something else within him - a spark of magic that danced around his blade, enhancing each blow he delivered. It was not the traditional casting of spells but a raw, instinctual power that seemed to flow through him.
I watched in awe as he fearlessly faced the abomination, his sword gleaming in the dim light.
His every strike was calculated, finding weak spots in the creature's skin with skill beyond his years.
The monster thrashed and roared, its twisted form lashing out in futile attempts to strike back.
Yet Arn remained steadfast, his focus unwavering as he struck blow after blow. His movements became an elegant, deadly dance, and he dodged the creature's attacks with calculated grace—until he didn't.
It was no surprise after all; he was a human and, as such, had limited stamina.
Right when Arn's movements began to slow, the creature seized the opportunity. It landed a devastating blow, sending him plummeting through the air. He then crashed to the ground a short distance away, not showing any signs of getting back up.
The few remaining hunters lucky enough to survive until now all collectively gasped in horror as the tainted creature moved toward him, preparing to strike the final blow.
"Save him! He's our only hope! He must survive," the branch leader shouted desperately, looking straight at me, who was apparently the closest to where Arn had landed.
Meanwhile, the others, including Malaric, threw themselves at the monster, sacrificing their lives to buy me some time.
I narrowed my eyes, watching the scene unfold for a brief moment as I considered my options.
I knew I couldn't hope to defeat the abomination without employing my full power - and even then, the outcome would be far from certain.
Worse still, if I commit to this, I would have to kill all the witnesses afterward to keep my identity a secret, which would then render the whole exercise of trying to save them useles in the first place.
So, in the end, the only remaining option seemed to be going with Malaric's stupid plan of saving just one.
'Damn it all...' I cursed as a surge of essence flew through me a mere second before I sprung into action.
A massive shockwave then rolled across the battlefield, promptly throwing everything into disarray and disrupting the creature's movements for a few short moments. Yet that was all I needed to carry out my plan.
In the blink of an eye, I closed the distance between me and my target. However, instead of the young hero, it was the baffled face of the branch leader, Malaric, gazing back at me.
Without wasting a breath, I approached the unsuspecting man, sending him unconscious with a swift cuff to the temple before unceremoniously heaving him over my shoulder like a sack of ertiber as I began sprinting away from the battlefield with all my might.
'Screw the people's hopes; I still want that recommendation you promised me...'
The monster screeched, seemingly angry that its prey was getting away. Its menacing tentacles shot after us in pursuit, trying to squash us like an annoying fly.
I was just about to release another shockwave, hoping it would get unnoticed in the ongoing chaos of the battle, but the remaining hunters, true to their name, all threw themselves at the abomination like one man, blocking its charge at the cost of their own lives sacrificing themselves so that we could run away.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as they did it, unaware that their beloved hero remained lying on the ground exactly where he had landed, destined to be a monster snack.
Not that I would have done anything differently. What good was a young mage who could not cast any spells and could only wave a sword around? Not very much, apparently...
Malaric, on the other hand, with all his beast-hunting experience and knowledge, seemed much more useful, not to mention I had taken quite a liking to him over the few days I got to know him, and it would be a shame to let him die.
As I raced through the chaos, the weight of the unconscious man over my shoulder made each stride a struggle. My breath came in ragged gasps as I pushed myself to keep moving.
Behind us, literal pandemonium was going on, with men being squashed like flies, but I paid it no attention; my sole focus was on getting the hell out of there in one piece.
I continued to run and then ran some more until we left the small valley behind, and I couldn't hear the sounds of the desperate battle anymore.
Coming across a peaceful clearing a great distance away, I then gladly dropped my burden to the ground, finally allowing myself to rest.
This seemed to wake Malaric up, and he blinked, looking around confusedly. "W-Where am I? What's happening?"
"I know you might be a bit disoriented, but we need to get moving," I said firmly to the bewildered branch leader, not skipping a beat as I scanned our surroundings for any sign of pursuit.
The branch leader blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. "Where... Where is Arn?" he stammered, his eyes wide with confusion and concern.
"It was already too late for him; I couldn't get there in time," I replied tersely, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Malaric's shoulders slumped in defeat as my words sank in a pained grimace that flashed across his face as he seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and its severe implications.
"We're all doomed. If that... thing moves downstream, there's nothing we can do to stop it."
I showed him a subtle smile. "Who knows? Arn got it pretty good, so it might just end up dying from its wounds without us having to do anything... Anyway, don't worry about it right now. You still need to rest, so wait here for a bit. I'll go make sure the air is clear before we make our way back to town."