Fainting from my encounter with Vyctor, I am quickly awakened by a pair of hands shaking me. My eyes flutter open to see Gale kneeling beside me, soaked by the storm. They had carried me back into the cave to resuscitate me.

"We thought we lost you!" Herk shouts as she treats Ivian and Lukia's wounds. They had claw marks but no bites from the werewolves. Gale grabs my face and turns it toward his. "Look at me. Are you alright? Your wounds are all healed and repaired. What happened?"

"Sorry, I got separated from the group. I had escaped the beast's jaws and fought my way back to where you found me."

Gale sighs and leans back a bit. "Honestly, we would have been dead if it weren't for you being on guard. Thanks." Patting my back, Gale lets out a soft smile. I didn't want to tell him about my encounter with Vyctor or his pack. If I did, they might be more alert for the future regardless.

"My wounds are mostly healed from my magic. I casted everything I had to recover. After some time, the storm had scared off the beasts when they failed to kill me. I don't think they will be stalking us further after a failed attempt."

"Is that so? I think you may be right." Gale scratches his eye and kneels beside Lukia and Ivian, who are steadily recovering. Yann pats my head and sits near me.

"I'll take the next watch; you must be exhausted from tonight. Get as much rest as you can."

"I slept enough."

"Says the guy with sunken eyes. Just stop acting tough and take care of your body more."

"Can't argue with you about that, I guess. But I'll take the offer."

"Sleep well, I'll have Gale switch with me in a few hours."

With a simple nod, I leaned into my bedroll and rubbed my neck. There is a clear indication of the bite Vyctor inflicted me with. Healing magic could not restore the imprint left behind. Pulling my cloak further to hide that portion of my neck from my peers, they didn't need to know about mark. All I knew was that Vyctor intended to protect me with this. I will put my trust in those eyes of his. He was sad, scared, and anxious when he saw me.

The mark would push any creature away from us on our journey; whatever magic or binding he planted onto the bite was bound to me until he took it off. When will that happen? I didn't have a clue. But with the stillness of the moment, I found myself asleep. After taking hours upon resting, I opened my eyes to the sound of thunder and the storm raging outside still.

Gale had begun to wake everyone up, checking on our wounds and status. We doused the fire and made sure to cover all of our gear to prevent the storm from ruining it. Grabbed cloaks and heavy furs to shield us from the rain. Spending a solid hour of preparation, Gale led us with a lantern in hand.

Leading the vanguard with Lukia as I held the lantern ahead, we rode the fastest we could push our mounts for hours before they began to succumb to the elements. The dark skies made it difficult to observe the scenery around us. Only patches of trees gave us some shelter from rain, but any rest would be pointless.

"The horses won't be able to make it much further today if we push them another hour, Gale." Ivian tends to his horse while speaking. Gale nods and looks at us.

"This storm will continue for days; we might as well push them as far as they can go and stop. Yann, make sure to give them food and water. Lukia, you and Caleb should keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"Sure thing, Gale." Her hands shook as she held her bow. The exhaustion on her face was still apparent despite her extra hours of sleep because of me. She could only take a few bites of any rations we received before saying she was done. My eyes were heavy from the days and nights of taking her shift and getting only the bare minimum rest to function for the most part.

Ivian and Yann took care of the horses in the meantime until it was time to venture forth once again. Our small respite was quickly over, pushing us back into the eye of the storm. Time passed, and our horses were starting to strain to continue further. At this rate, they could die.

"Gale! We should find a place to camp!" I shout from the back, reaching his ears.

"There are no clean-cut caves like before. The trees here are spaced apart, leaving little shade from the elements. If you have an idea, I am all ears-"

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A sudden flash of lightning strikes right near Ivian in the middle of our formation. The sound of the ground being struck by such a piercing sound caused our eardrums to ring, and the horses kicked up in reaction. Ivian held onto his mount, so did Gale and Herk. Yann fell off, but his harness stayed on, and he suffered some nasty scrapes and bruises from the fall. He regained his composure and got back into his saddle. Lukia shouted and pulled her mount to the side, but it was too terrified and began to act on its own.

"Lukia!" I shouted. Reaching to grab her hand, I missed her. Her mount took off to our left, trying to escape the ensuing bolts of lightning hitting the ground. Lukia holds on tightly and tries to pull the horse back. I soon chase after her, leaving Gale and the others to help her.

"Caleb! I can't stop her!" She would be stuck in this vicious storm if she fell off her horse. Visibility was limited, my lantern was lost when the lightning hit the first time. I could only see the outline of the fast-moving animal. I attempt to catch up, slowly closing the distance, but a chill runs down my spine when the clouds flash a bright light.

Feeling it within my soul, a bolt of lightning hurls right toward me. This storm isn't entirely natural, some sort of magic has influenced it. I raised my hand to conjure a barrier in a fraction of a second. Feeling anxious about defending, I raised my other hand to direct the lightning. Adjusting its course from me even if it breaks through. The streak of blue energy shifts slightly and hits the barrier. Sparks flash from the bolt as it chips away at my barrier.

The loud sound of thunder rocks my focus, and the bolt of lightning slips past, missing my head, and explodes from striking the ground. The impact and shockwave push through the side. The extensive force knocks me and my horse to the ground in a heavy tumble—the ache in my body from previous wounds stings from the collapse. Soaked in mud, I turned to find my horse had run off to save itself. Figures.

The storm had stirred and continued to call down bolts of lightning. They were nowhere near me, but the shake on the ground wasn't exactly comforting in this situation. Alone in the eye of a massive storm, magical influence, and low visibility left me stranded. Having no time to regret my choice to go after Lukia, I continued on foot.

With the storm so set on raging on, I had a meager chance of returning without a mount. Having one in this storm had been far more challenging than I could recall. Pelted with heavy winds and rain, my chances of survival were laid out and bare.

"LUKIA!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!" Screaming into the void would be pointless, but I had no other option but to call out in hopes of finding an answer. I didn't want to give up any hope of finding her.

Just a few minutes on foot, winds pushing me around, the rain swallowing me, everything was out to stop me. Flashes of lightning occurred, giving me very subtle and brief glimpses of my surroundings. A vague silhouette was in the distance. It could have been Lukia. At least, I had hoped.

Sprinting in that direction, another flash of lightning, illuminating the area, showed the figure quickly approaching my direction. I stopped in my tracks, trying to gauge the situation. In the brief moments of visibility, what looked like someone had slowly shifted. Their body contorted and crawled on all fours.

The flash ended, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of danger. My heart skipped a beat, and I drew Tempest. Holding my sword tightly, I held my breath, focusing on timing the flashes. A moment passes in complete darkness. Another in the torrent of rain, channeling my magic into the blade to absorb the winds around it.

Thunder rippled in the distance, and soon, the flash revealed the area. The figure was gone, and my heart sank as fear of the unknown sank deep...

It was a breath, subtle, warm, sickening. The sounds of bones clicked together and scraped on of itself. My entire body froze. Whatever, this creature or thing wasn't affected by the mark. It was not a beast; it was not human; it was something pure evil.

"FrEsH pArTs!" The speech was broken into multiple voices echoing upon each other. My eyes catch the mass of bones and rotting flesh. Face to face with a deformed skull with pieces of other skulls randomly fused around the temple. The body and limbs are held together by bones and broken muscles; it is a being made of other creatures, mainly humanoids.

"TEMPEST BURST!" Fear stricken, slamming my blade across the ground; the reaction of wind and water causes a massive eruption. Breaking through the storm, I turn to run. This is a creature born from necromancy. From what I have read on dark magic like necromancy, this is most likely a husk. A creature of pure nightmares and horror. It is an amalgamation of parts of creatures, humans, and beasts fused together into what it is. Their sole purpose is to search for other victims to stalk and hunt. Killing them and taking a piece of their corpse to add to its mass, granting it size and power.

This husk had fused with many beings; the size and scope of this husk had killed many, and its eyes now preyed upon mine. Each of its movements was a rattle of bones and disgusting sounds of flesh ripping and falling apart. The creature moves unpredictably, moving with a lack of understanding of its body composition. However, it doesn't need to know as it can use more than the full limitations of the creatures it fuses with.

Leaping toward me, I deflect its attack, but I tripped over myself in doing so. Stumbling in the dark until another flash of lightning highlights the figure leaping at me with sickening speed. Before it could pounce, I felt a strong tug on my cloak and lifted onto a moving horse. I looked up to see Lukia, who held onto me tightly.

"Don't look at it! They want you to stare at it with fear! We can lose the creature if we ride on without focusing on it!" I hold onto the saddle as she kicks the horse to go faster, circling around to avoid the husk. It continues to shout the same words, "FrEsH pArTs," in the distance.

After a few minutes, the husk lost interest and continued to patrol the area. More of this leads to the possible idea that this storm and the husk were connected by some sinister mind. Lukia held onto me tightly as we both shivered from the elements. I could barely keep my eyes open until we spotted a light in the distance...