The altar glowed. A bewitching hymn struck the hearts of those present, the air quivered and fell silent.

Mephitic spirits gathered and a terrible gale roared, as wicked whispers turned to howls, the runes lit ablaze. A fiendish fire danced across the bones, a dreadful blume converged.

Ghastly reflections of the hive wizards took form within it, descending towards their summons. As lightless tunnels were plunged into twilight, a gelid chill gripped the earth.

The next instant, everything stalled.

[Sixth Sense]

Void's body moved on instinct as he unsheathed his blade, a sharp aura exuded, then with eyes settled on the altar his body flickered.

A dreadful strike cleaved apart the rune circle and split the apparitions in the fog, causing a malevolent eruption, the Hive magic danced wildly but it was immediately eaten up by the blade.

Void's violent slash snapped everyone out of their trance as a sudden panic overtook their senses.

"RUN!"

Four shadows shot towards the tunnel exit in a mad frenzy. The altar had shook the hive from their slumber. Any second now, and they would flood the tunnels looking for the disruption.

"What the HELL was that" Levi groaned dashing forwards with extreme speed.

"Hive wizards, they ensnared us with that fog." Void replied, darting beside him.

The ground rumbled as frightening shrieks resounded.

"They're awake. We're gonna be surrounded." Cory barked, his face stiffened as he sprinted faster.

"Then we'll just kill our way out." Bandit hissed, unsheathing his daggers.

As the four spectres bolted through the tunnels towards the courtyards of the Hive fortress, an army of thralls awaited them.

"CHARGE." Levi roared, a vigorous aura exuded from within him, he flashed forwards with a swift kick that split the air on impact, ripping through the thralls.

Immediately, Bandit's figure dissolved into Cory's shadow. A murky coat of light stuck to the latter's knuckles as he mowed down any thralls before him with lethal punches.

-Clink-

Void's blade unsheathed, Pahanin's technique flashed his mind. He swiped ahead, a lilac streak swept ahead and cut through the thralls.

Cory skilfully weaved through the thralls. His murky light tugged at his own shadow, as he punched again, shadowy spectral arms rose and punched just the same.

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"What! How did you do that?" Void flickered beside him and slashed.

"Practice and patience." Cory chuckled, the shadows around him took the form of his strikes.

Suddenly, a spectre scattered from Cory's shadow, reaping lives with vicious swipes, Bandit surfaced for a second.

Bandit dryly chortled ,"He calls it Shadow boxing", and then jolted from shadow to shadow, like an untouchable wraith.

The thralls outnumbered them, but the four hunters were viciously mowing them down for a chance to survive.

Levi jumped up and summoned his bow, as light concentrated into an arrow.

"Son of a-" Void stammered as he and Cory shuffled away while Bandit hid in their shadows.

Levi's arrow pierced through the hive as it tethered them to the ground corrosive light erupted, umbral chains sprouted from the Shadowshot and drained the thralls of their vitality.

"Give us a goddamn warning, shithead." Void barked, his hands rested on the hilt of his sword.

"I thought you had sharp eyes shithead." Levi raised a brow.

Another wave of thralls rushed closer.

-Clink-

He swiped his sword, its edge covered in a thin streak of light which swept forth, dissecting everything ahead.

"Watch the blade!" Cory slid under the sword's streak, the attack barely grazing his cloak.

Bandit emerged, dancing with his daggers as he rushed towards the fortress wall.

"Call the ships, we're running outta time." Bandit shouted, climbing towards the exit.

Levi tinkered with the transponder and sent out the pickup location, "They're enroute, let's go!"

Despite the thralls chasing them, Levi followed Bandit's lead and leapt to the fortress wall

Void and Cory followed closely behind but realization struck.

"The traps!" Void barked, but it was too late. As the four looked back, the mindless thralls had triggered their own mines.

A blinding flash spread out.

The sudden eruption was too fast. Far too fast for anyone to notice. The explosion pulled everything in as the Hive energy erupted, the blast reduced everything to smithereens.

Only a crater was left behind. The hive fortress itself was buried beneath the lunar dust. All life was reduced to dust and ash. Hive themselves weren't immune to their accursed power.

Alas, that was its overbearing cost. The lightless crater shimmered, three ghost shells remained steadfast, standing over the ashes of their guardians.

The fourth, was no where to be seen.

From the darkness, a shadow wiggled and danced wildly, a second later it spat out a charred figure.

Bandit heaved a breath and weakly coughed.

"You guys owe me....big time." He trudged towards their ghosts, a sudden spark of light jolted from his palms.

Void, Cory and Levi had their bodies reconstructed as their ghosts resurrected them. Suddenly pulled from the brink of death, the four felt nauseated.

" Fuck, those idiots really blew themselves up." Cory sighed.

" All's well that end's well." Levi shook his head.

Void got to his feet, his eyes immediately looked towards the east. A cloud of dust rose and fell. Faint tremors grew more frequent.

His eyes narrowed, "It's not over yet."

Just as he had said, a terrifying shriek bellowed. One that they hadn't heard before.

"That explosion was quite a show, because of it we've attracted some...attention." Void contemplated.

Judging from the tremors he felt it could only be one thing. Void gestured them all to get ready.

The four took a defensive stance, readily trying to charge up their light through the ghosts before the enemy appeared.

'It can only be that' Void grimaced.

Suddenly, the shrieks grew louder, faster, and seemed closer. It had picked up pace. The tremors now felt like a beating heart, pounding wildly.

Dust rose and fell, as shivers ran down their spines. Across the crater, they saw a titanic figure.

An amalgamation of rotten bones, and miasma, a hulking and towering giant that looked upon them as if they were its next meal. Unlike its size, it was mighty and fast.

As they looked upon it from the distance, it charged on all fours, like a rabid beast, crossing miles in seconds.

Finally, It was upon them.

'An Ogre.'