As they emerged from the dungeon, night enveloped them, the moon's rays casting eerie shadows across the forest floor. Zion's stomach clenched. Had they exited on the same night they entered? If so, it was the worst-case scenario. Their pursuer could be out there, lying in wait with the advantage of knowing their whereabouts.
"Let's proceed carefully and quietly," Zion whispered, drawing Onyx as silently as possible. He berated himself for not having his blade ready the moment they stepped through, but fear had momentarily clouded his judgment. Both girls followed suit, their weapons at the ready. The trio ventured cautiously into the surrounding woods, each scanning for signs of danger or the glint of enemy eyes. The forest seemed to hold its breath, an ominous silence hanging heavy in the air—an unsettling feeling that Zion couldn't shake.
The ground leading away from the dungeon was in disarray, a chaotic scene of upturned dirt, scattered grass, and felled trees—a testament to some violent upheaval. The claw marks were sizable, though perhaps not as massive as those left by dungeon bosses, skewing Zion's perception. He also noted the presence of the green ooze the girls had mentioned, thickly layered around the destroyed area as if marking its territory. Zion bent down to inspect it closer, attempting to pry a piece loose with a broken stick. However, the material proved stubbornly resistant, indicating its age and hardness.
"I don't think we have to worry about monsters," Zion called out at a normal volume this time, gesturing toward the hardened goo. "This stuff is rock hard. Unless its purpose is to trap people, I doubt it's fresh."
"I think you're right. When we saw it, the stuff was dripping freely from its face," Camila agreed, attempting to kick the substance with the same futile result as Zion's stick. "No way would a monster willingly have something that could potentially kill them in their sleep."
“Still, let’s move forward cautiously. The dark is home to more than one monster,” Beth interjected, urging them forward once more.
Their journey continued in eerie silence, uninterrupted by the usual sounds of wildlife. They encountered numerous signs of the same monster wreaking havoc throughout the forest. Corpses of lesser beasts littered their path, each one in a state of decay, adding to the oppressive atmosphere that sent shivers down his spine. Stealth became their mantra as they approached the guild hall on the horizon, its outline obscured by rising smoke that cast a shadow over their spirits.
The path ahead was strewn with bodies, a grim scene of death. Some belonged to adventurers, their faces frozen in expressions of terror, while others were the remains of monsters from various origins. The mingling of bodies struck Zion as unnatural, a disturbing sight that hinted at the severity of the situation they were about to confront.
Camila gestured toward a dense section of woods off the beaten trail, leading them to take cover. Zion scanned their surroundings for any signs of movement, his senses on high alert. Once hidden, Camila turned to face them, keeping watch over the guild site.
"I don't think I need to point out that everyone in there is most likely dead," she whispered, receiving affirmations from her companions. "Do you guys think this is related to our mission? It seems odd that so many monsters would attack this place."
“Your question is all well and good, but mine is, why are there no reinforcements?” Beth countered, her gaze sharp. “The only explanations are either they lacked the power to fend off the attackers," she paused, locking eyes with Zion and Camila, "or no one made it to the travel pillars."
Her words hung heavy in the air, causing Zion and Camila to pause in contemplation. An attack that wiped out everyone seemed implausible; surely, some would have fled rather than face certain death. The only feasible scenario was if the attackers had infiltrated the guild undetected...
"Fuck!" Zion exclaimed, his eyes scanning their surroundings even more fervently than before. He had startled both girls, who looked at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. "What if the monsters didn't come from the forest? What if they appeared near the travel pillars?"
Only a second passed before clarity dawned in their eyes, followed by the grim realization of the implications. "The champions," Camila and Beth gasped simultaneously.
"We need to get to the pillars now!" Camila declared, already rising from her kneeling position to orient herself toward the direction of the pillars.
"Why the rush to leave?" A deep, unmistakable voice rang out from ahead of them. Blades of darkness swirled around, carving a wide circle in the forest as they decimated everything in their path. Emerging from the cleared area stood Randan, his once-green skin now tainted with vile black veins. A viscous substance akin to tar dripped from his mouth, spattering the ground like repulsive droplets. His tusks were gone, replaced by dangling tendrils of dark fluid that swayed with a sickening rhythm.
"Welcome back, adventurers. I see that you cleared that dastardly dungeon. How daring!" His voice dripped with sarcasm, each word laden with cynicism. "I see you're missing one, though. Did the old dwarf break his back? He was always a liability."
Before anyone could respond, a spear of ice struck his face with a sickening crunch, sending him sliding backward several feet. Black ichor oozed from his broken nose, but he only smiled, his laughter echoing with madness.
"Sore spot?" he taunted Beth, his laughter grating and ugly.
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"What happened to you, Randan? Did a Champion do this to you?" Zion asked, utterly bewildered by the grotesque sight before him. How had Randan undergone such a drastic transformation? And if the Champions were capable of such atrocities, why hadn't they simply turned the missing guild members?
"Randan?" the disfigured orc mused, his snout-like appendages twirling as he pondered. "Oh, the persona I adopted. Yes, Randan, or 'porky,' as I fondly called him. He tasted a lot like pork. But he's dead. Has been for years."
"There's no way. I would have smelled your stench if that had been you!" Zion retorted, refusing to believe a word of Randan's claims.
"Ah, the arrogance of youth," Randan sneered mockingly, feigning deference with a sarcastic bow. "Yes, because little baby Herald over there is just soooo powerful. I've been amassing my strength for years while you've had what, a week? You're nothing in the grand scheme of things. We've been harvesting the souls of guild members for generations, steadily accumulating our power. You were merely a diversion, a plaything for our amusement."
With a contemptuous gesture, Randan's eyebrow arched, causing some of his green orcish skin to crumble away like dried parchment. "Why do you think I sent you three on not one, not two, but three high-level missions? How did you not piece it together? I was certain you understood when you dashed straight for the dungeon. I thought you were attempting to thwart my plans, so I returned here to disrupt the guild. But instead, I find out you're just a trio of naive fools who stumbled into luck."
"A trio of naive fools who are going to shove our weapons up your ass!" Camila declared defiantly, the tip of her spear beginning to glow with a fiery intensity.
"Wait, Camila, don't be rash," Zion pleaded, a sinking feeling settling in his chest. It was as if his heart already knew the impending tragedy.
But Camila paid no heed to his warning. With a determined pivot mid-air, she rocketed toward Randan. His malevolent smile widened as she approached, and with a flick of his hand, dark blades shot forth from the snot ropes. Camila evaded the first blade with a swift maneuver, but the second found its mark, striking her armor with a sickening crack. She tumbled to the ground, her spear slipping from her grasp.
Meanwhile, Beth unleashed a barrage of ice bolts at Randan, but he merely laughed and retaliated with more blades. Although Beth managed to evade them, she failed to notice the figure approaching from the side. Zion watched in horror as a rapier pierced Beth's chest, blood spilling from her mouth as she collapsed to the ground.
Isabella stood over Beth's collapsing form, her eyes gleaming with madness, and an inhuman smile stretched across her face, the corners nearly meeting in a circle. Rows of broken and rotting teeth were exposed as her grin widened.
As Isabella lunged towards him, Randan unleashed a barrage of attacks. Zion deftly parried Isabella's thrust and summoned an arcane barrier to shield himself from the incoming onslaught of snot blades. The force of the impact nearly shattered the barrier, but Zion held firm as Isabella's smile widened at the sight.
Retreating while fending off Isabella's rapid strikes, Zion's mind raced with the urgency of survival. He activated Aether Storm in an effort to gain some space but saw the nasty tar swarm up Isabella's skin. Each strike of lightning or explosion of mana seemed only to fragment the tar protection, letting nothing through.
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, realizing he couldn't match Randan's power, Zion swiftly used kinetic movement to appear beside Beth, cradling her in one arm. With another dash, he gently laid her down next to Camila just as Isabella closed in. Without hesitation, Zion employed a third movement, slamming his palm into Isabella's face and propelling them thirty yards away from his friends.
The ground cracked as Isabella's face met the dirt, and Zion rolled to avoid a tar bomb that detonated nearby. Some of the viscous substance splattered onto his leggings, causing the metal to sizzle against his skin. Ignoring the pain, Zion charged towards Randan, determined to confront the source of their torment head
Randan's malevolent grin stretched wider as he spread his arms in a mocking gesture of welcome. Zion tapped into his surge ability, feeling the power surge through him more intensely than ever before, coursing through his very bones. As cascading mana surrounded him, Randan mirrored his actions, summoning jet-black tentacles that lashed out in every direction.
Suddenly, something plummeted from the sky, crushing Randan into the earth with a deafening impact. Zion was thrown backward by the shockwave, his body flailing uncontrollably. Regaining his bearings after an ungainly roll, he witnessed Randan locked in combat with a radiant white elf.
The elf was adorned in gleaming pearl-colored plate armor, brandishing a silver sword that gleamed with the same ethereal hue. Blonde locks matched the color of the wings sprouting from his back. Randan struggled against the formidable foe, his dark form being pushed down by the elf's strength. Zion sensed a connection with his savior but had no time to dwell on it.
Isabella returned to the fray, her rapier splitting into four blurred images as she launched her assault. Zion conjured a barrier to block her attacks, but one slipped past his defenses, piercing through his bicep. Wincing in pain, he seized the opportunity as their momentum brought them face to face. With a swift move, he unleashed a burst of mana down her throat, causing her grotesque smile to falter.
Zion's surging body delivered blows with incredible force, but Isabella skillfully parried, allowing the momentum to slide along the slender blade. Utilizing kinetic movement, he appeared at her side, delivering a sundering slash from his blade. With another swift maneuver, he soared above her, delivering a second slashing strike in tandem.
Not yet finished, Zion appeared below her, catching her off guard. Onyx pierced through her midsection, her body jerking from the unexpected blow. The slashes found their mark, slicing into her flesh and causing her arms to hang limply. Despite the grievous wounds and the flow of her maroon-colored blood, Isabella maintained her eerie smile.
Determined to end the confrontation, Zion delivered a final blow, his left arm striking her face with crushing force, caving it in and silencing her twisted grin for good.
Quest Completed:
Defeat the killers
5/5 defeated
1/1 motive found
Zion waved the notification away with a sense of urgency, kicking Isabella's lifeless body off his sword as he turned to assess the situation. To his dismay, both Randan and the mysterious stranger had vanished without a trace. With no time to spare, he rushed to his friends' side, his heart pounding with adrenaline.
Grabbing the lone health potion they had given him, Zion administered it to Beth, recognizing her as the most severely injured. He then positioned Onyx into a defensive stance, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of danger. The sounds of nearby combat filled the air, accompanied by swirling clouds of dust billowing into the sky. Despite the chaos unfolding around him, Zion remained vigilant, ready to defend his friends at a moment.