Laying on a stone dais in the middle of the pond was a corpse dripping blood into the water. My summon growled, but the creature was truly dead.

I sniffed the air and had to cover my nose. The coppery scent penetrated deep, and I could taste it on my tongue.

Corrupt!

The thoughts were right. I couldn't even savour the blood this time; nothing about it smelled good. I could only describe the scent as rancid meat and battery acid blended together.

Another fat droplet splashed into the glowing water, creating more particles before fading away, consumed by the ethereal blue.

On the dais, the corpse of the majestic-looking stag stared off into the distance with clouded eyes. The milky film made it hard to tell, but the eyes of the stag were bright green underneath.

I stared at the strip of pink flesh dangling from its antlers.

It must have killed one of the hunters before it succumbed.

A gentle wind blew through the trees, ruffling my hair. The stag's white fur rippled in the soft breeze, creating the illusion of the beast breathing. I looked away from its majesty and focused on the culprit of its death.

Sticking from a bleeding wound, a wooden arrow with white fletching penetrated deep into its shoulder. On its back and sides, two more arrows marred its hide.

I continued to observe the corpse with the dripping blood. The sight felt wrong, and I couldn't understand why. Lowering my hand, I tentatively sniffed the air and immediately covered my nose.

Still wrong. Is it the corpse? Is it rotting meat?

Except, the corpse looked in good condition. I wasn't an expert on dead animals, but the hunters went into the woods several days ago.

For something killed several days ago, it was in remarkably okay condition.

Corpses bloat, right? Gasses expand, and maggots should be covering the body. Unless this is magical, and nothing makes sense.

It was probably magic, and I was very much out of my depth.

I accomplished my goal. I came to the part of the stream where a magical corpse lay dead on a magic stone circle in an even more magical pool of water. The adrenaline-fueled need to move and purge the corruption had begun to fade, leaving me with a hollow thumping in my chest.

The sounds of the stream grew louder, and it made the world all the more quieter.

What now?

Unsure whether to approach or wait, I decided to do both. I walked to the water's edge and looked around. The forest offered silence and not much more. At any moment, I expected another beast to come rampaging through, hellbent on crushing my skull.

Nothing happened.

I wasn't sure, but I mentally counted over a minute where I stood in relative peace. My wolf nudged my leg, and I reached down to stroke its fur.

"Right. What do we do now?" I asked my wolf.

"Hunter…"

Ahh, I should have kept my big mouth shut.

I felt the hair on my arms rise, and goosebumps blossom across my skin.

The creepy voice was back, meaning I was no longer alone.

"Hunter!" the creature screamed.

"Is this what happened? Is this why you killed the villagers?"

"Murderer! Trespasser! Leave! Leave!"

I'm going to haunt you if I die, Devon. Where the heck are you?

"Is the stag important to you?"

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"Kin slayer! Get out. Go."

"I didn't kill the stag. You're the one who attacked me."

Kin slayer… because I killed the beasts or because this is its sibling.

Scratching sounds from behind me made me spin around. I brought my axe up to intercept an attack, but none came. The beast that made the scratching was a fox glaring at me with glowing grey eyes.

Its fur stood up, its tail pointed straight.

The fox took a step forward. "Leave! Leave! Get away from my… brother!"

My wolf moved in front of me, and I finally noticed how much smaller it was. When I summoned the creature, the wolf's head met my lower stomach near my navel. Now? Its head barely reached my waist.

This isn't good. It's disappearing.

The creature ignored my summons and continued to move closer. It lowered its head and bit at the air. "Kill. Kill hunter. Revenge!"

In a fight, I figured my summon could take the creature, but it was one of potentially a limitless amount to come.

I wasn't in fighting condition, and apparently, my wolf could only last so long. Still, I gripped the shaft of my weapon harder and lowered my body with my feet wide apart.

My leg prevented me from moving fast, so I'd have to take the hit if it came. Every blow counted.

I can do this.

The creature released a low hiss, and a pressure wave pushed the particles away. My axe nearly slipped from my hands as the particles condensed and then formed into a snarling maw with pointy teeth.

The floating set of jaws snapped once, then dispersed. The creature let out another hiss, creating another maw.

This repeated as I slowly backed up, my wolf in tow. I felt my legs shake.

Possessed beasts were still beasts. They were real, normal in a way. But this? This wasn't normal.

This wasn't something I'd fight with an axe.

My foot splashed into the water, and I slipped. The fox yelped and charged forward. Two ethereal maws floating above its head sailed forth.

The shadow wolf intercepted the charge, but the maws came down. It managed to avoid the first one. The maw scraped his left shoulder, but the second maw caught around his neck, dragging him to the ground.

I heard a loud crunch, and a shooting pain shot into my chest. My head throbbed, causing me to slip further into the pond. Blinking away tears, I saw the dust maw disperse, revealing the fading shadow puddle of my wolf.

"Yiiip!"

I swung forward, forcing the fox back, but it darted around the blow and jumped at my face. Its momentum knocked me over, but I rolled with the weight, using my failed attack to wrap around the fox's body as it bit into my cheek. I continued moving, slamming the creature against the ground.

Sharpened claws tore into my skin, but my cloak deflected hits that landed on its fabric, the material somehow cushioning the blows.

I grabbed the fox's neck, digging my fingers into its fur. The axe stopped me from securing a good grip, so I let go of the weapon.

I tried to pry the fox away from my face, but it bit down hard, sinking its sharp little teeth into my skin.

"Arrgh! Let go!" I yelled.

I tried again, and it scratched me on the neck. Without any option, I bellyflopped forward, crushing the fox. The creature yelped and screamed, blending the bestial noise with the microphone voice.

Even as I struggled, it clung to me. My legs wobbled, slipping deeper into the pond. Another sharp sting to my neck snapped the terror inside me, and I roared.

"Aaaargggh!"

I jammed my fingers into the creature's eye and dug deep. The creature rocked backward, trying to escape. With my flesh freed from its fangs, I yanked hard and hurled it away.

It rolled but shot to its feet and yipped, forming another maw from the thickened cloud. "Die hunter!"

In desperation, I grabbed my axe and swung it around, stopping inches away from slicing into the stag's neck. "Back off now!"

The fox's body visibly shook, its tongue dancing between its teeth. A deep, demonic growl rumbled from its throat. "Get away!"

"No," I said. I lowered the axe an inch further, and the fox snapped at the air, another maw beginning to form. "Cut it out, or I take off its head."

The creature snarled, but after I lowered the blade another inch, it took a step back, and the maws disappeared.

It watched me, its grey eyes locked onto my hand. Sweat covered my palm. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay standing in the freezing cold water. I lost a lot of blood, and even the heat inside my chest struggled to warm me up.

"Get out. Leave. Leave!"

I'm not moving an inch, psycho.

I spat blood into the water and tried to reign in my ragged breathing. "Where's Devon, the other hunter?"

Another snarl and a thumping of a tail, the creature bit at the air but said nothing. The little fox looked rabid, with blood dripping down its snout.

I kicked at the water. "Answer. Now!"

"Dead. Gone. No help. Leave now!" It snarled back.

I don't believe that for a second.

"Destroy the connection. Leave the fox, and I'll go." My blade rested on the stag's white fur, the sharp edge splitting a few hairs. "Now."

The fox's body became eerily still. Its eyes stayed fixed on the axe. With each second spent unmoving, the more I considered making a break for it. But that would be foolish. I could barely walk. The fire in my chest was on its last embers.

It took everything I had to stay still without moving. My teeth threatened to rattle the more the cold seeped into my limbs.

My cloak tightened around my shoulders, and my eyes widened. The fox's eyes turned into lanterns, similar to when Devon banished it.

Holy crap, it's complying?

That illusion shattered the moment its neck twisted, and a strong wind battered my back. My arm shifted, and the axe slipped, landing on the corpse's neck. The axehead sliced through the pelt and cut into its flesh.

The wind picked up, and the blue particles moved with it. Three maws larger than my head formed from the cloud, each snapped once. The echoes sounded like rattling bones, sending a chill down my spine.

"DIE!" the creature screamed.

One maw veered left, another darted right, and the third lunged straight for my face. My heart raced, and my foot slipped, causing me to stumble.

Something hit the ground.

I raised my hand as the dust maws crumbled apart, losing form before smashing into my chest. They felt heavy. I dropped to one knee, and pain jolted up my leg.

Grunting, I clenched my teeth and looked up.