“We’re getting closer,” Grey said, his silver eyes narrowing as the golden thread threaded itself into a vibrant path of Will floating in the air. “It’s this way. Let’s take it slow.”
The group nodded silently, their movements deliberate as they slowed their pace. Each step was cautious, their breaths quiet as they advanced into the deepening danger ahead.
A sudden, guttural cry cut through the stillness—a human cry. The sound sent a jolt through the group.
“Stop,” Keen hissed in a harsh whisper, freezing them all in place.
Apprehension gripped the group, memories of recent tragedy flooding back. The shadow of their last encounter with humans outside the village loomed heavy, the losses still fresh in their minds.
“What do we do?” Shot whispered, her voice trembling with panic.
“Calm down first,” Brawl said firmly, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. His calm presence anchored her as the group gathered their resolve.
“It sounds like they’re struggling,” Wild muttered, gripping her club so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Now’s a good chance to strike.”
Keen’s voice remained level, his eyes scanning the trees. “We don’t know who they are yet. Let’s approach slowly and decide when we can see more.”
The group moved without argument, crouching low and slipping into the underbrush. The sounds of conflict grew louder with each step, the tang of charred wood and scorched earth filling their noses. The aftermath of a violent clash lay ahead—underbrush torn apart and the scent of burned leaves clinging to the air.
Then, in Grey’s vision, the orange light they had been tracking abruptly vanished, snuffed out like a candle. He tensed, watching as new lights flared to life—nodes of pure yellow Will, rising from the forest floor. Wherever the energy touched, plants wilted and decayed, leaving a trail of lifelessness in its wake.
“What’s going on?” Wild asked, her voice laced with unease.
Keen’s breath hitched. A memory surged forward, unbidden—the sight of withering flora, just as it had before his brother’s death. “Grey,” he said, his voice low and urgent, “is it…?”
Grey’s eyes remained locked on the swirling yellow energy. “I don’t know what happened,” he replied, his voice tense. “If the target evolved, it wouldn’t be this strong. Something—” he paused, his voice dropping further, “—something else killed it.”
Elsewhere, not far from the group, over ten corpses littered the forest floor. Among them, two figures remained, bloodied and gasping for breath as they stood over the lifeless body of a massive beast. Their hands trembled as they lowered their weapons, a brief flicker of relief crossing their faces.
But the relief was short-lived.
Within the shadows, the true predator observed. It had waited patiently, conserving its energy, crawling from one host to the next. The parasite had slowly devoured its previous vessel from within, spreading tendrils through muscle and sinew until it reached the brain. Now, its body brimming with stolen power, it had evolved so long ago—though it still yearned for more.
The parasite’s current host was a beast of moderate strength, but it was no longer enough. The perfect opportunity lay before it, a new body that surpassed anything it had possessed before. Its virulent Will radiated in a deep yellow glow, unseen by the two survivors, as its tendrils reached out hungrily for the fallen beast.
The timing was precise. As the two humans celebrated their narrow victory, the parasite made its move. A tendril lashed out from the shadows, wrapping itself around the corpse of the beast. In a grotesque display, the lifeless body began to move, its limbs twitching unnaturally as the parasite forced itself inside.
An ecstatic tremor coursed through the creature’s new form as its power surged. The beast’s sinewy muscles flexed, its frame reshaping grotesquely to accommodate the parasite’s expanding strength. What the host’s previous aura lacked in potency, its physical resilience more than compensated for, unlocking the parasite’s true potential. Tendons snapped and reformed as the parasite bent the body to its will, creating a vessel that could match its growing ambitions.
For the first time, the parasite felt the pull of true intelligence within reach—an evolution it had long craved. For eons, it had languished in a placid, stagnant state, its potential stifled by unworthy hosts. But now, with this new form, it stood on the precipice of transformation. Its power radiated outward, a deep yellow light illuminating the forest floor, feeding the air with an oppressive energy that wilted life in its wake.
The two insects before it cowered at the monstrous sight.
From the brush, Keen’s group froze, their breaths caught in their throats as their eyes fell upon the abomination before them.
A towering beast loomed in the clearing, its grotesque silhouette silhouetted against the dim light filtering through the trees. Standing the height of three men, its massive frame was twisted and unnatural. Thick, sinewy arms hung low to the ground, ending in jagged, claw-like fingers that flexed with eerie precision. Its wide, flat face was devoid of emotion, its hollow, glowing eyes staring blankly as though the mind within was detached from the monstrous body it inhabited.
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Patches of fur clung desperately to decayed flesh, revealing leathery, blackened skin beneath. The chest heaved with labored, unnatural breaths, each exhale releasing a faint vapor that seemed to drain the warmth from the surrounding air. Its legs, thick and powerful like ancient tree trunks, stamped the ground, creating faint tremors that rippled outward, adding to the oppressive weight in the air.
The beast’s entire body radiated an otherworldly glow, deep yellow veins pulsing faintly beneath its hide. Every movement seemed to radiate brute strength, an overwhelming force that felt unstoppable. Yet, it wasn’t its size or power that chilled the group to their core—it was the sense of wrongness that emanated from it. This was no mere predator. This was something consumed, twisted, and far beyond their understanding.
But something was wrong. It wasn’t attacking the two strangers in front of it. Instead, it seemed to be scanning the environment, its massive, decayed nostrils flaring with every inhale as though searching for something—or someone.
Grey’s stomach tightened as a sudden realization struck him. “Keen,” he said, his voice trembling, but loud enough for the group to hear. “It’s looking for me! We have to get in a fighting position now!”
The rest of the squad froze for a moment, glancing between each other with confusion etched on their faces. The tension was suffocating, and the weight of Grey’s words pressed down on them like a storm about to break.
“Shot, Serene, get into the trees. Wild, swap positions with me—I’ll protect Grey,” Brawl said firmly, his voice cutting through the rising unease. “Wild, keep an eye on the strangers… but do not attack them unless they make the first move. I’ll take on the creature when it charges.” Keen, you take the lead after.
The group sprang into action, their movements swift and purposeful. Shot and Serene scrambled into the lower branches, bows at the ready, their eyes scanning for openings to shoot. Wild shifted toward the strangers, her grip on her club tight as she kept them in her peripheral vision.
Brawl tugged Grey back a few paces into the clearing, creating space for the others to move into formation. He planted himself firmly between Grey and the advancing horror, gripping his weapon like a shield against the oncoming storm. “Stay close, Grey. If it makes a move, I’ll handle it. Focus on support and staying safe.”
And then it happened.
The grotesque beast suddenly froze, its decaying nostrils flaring one last time before its lifeless, hollow eyes turned sharply toward Grey. A wave of nausea and dread washed over him as he met that gaze. For a moment, those empty eyes flickered with something new—something alive. Hunger. A primal, insatiable hunger.
The beast let out a deep, guttural snarl, its segmented fingers digging into the ground with a sickening scrape as it lowered its hulking frame, preparing to charge. A faint tremor rippled through the earth beneath its massive feet, each step sending vibrations that resonated in the tense air.
As it launched into a mindless beeline toward him, two arrows streaked through the air. The first, tipped with poison, bounced harmlessly off its thick, corrupted hide—the material unable to penetrate its unnaturally toughened skin. The second arrow, crafted from the sturdy remains of Hooded Horn material, struck true, punching clean through its leg. Yet the beast didn’t so much as flinch, its momentum unbroken by the wound.
From behind, a spear whistled through the air, expertly aimed. It struck near where the Hooded Horn arrow had pierced, the force driving into the creature’s side and glancing off its dense bone. The impact caused the beast to momentarily stagger, its balance faltering just enough to slow its charge. But it wasn’t from pain—the thing seemed utterly indifferent to injury—only the physical jolt of the strike caused the momentary stumble.
Brawl capitalized on the opening. He surged forward with a thunderous roar, his club arcing downward in a powerful strike aimed directly at the beast’s knee. The sickening crack of bone breaking echoed as the joint bent unnaturally, forcing the creature to collapse partially. Yet, despite the grotesque injury, the beast didn’t wail or falter for long. It merely adjusted, its segmented fingers clawing at the ground to regain balance.
Then it lashed out.
Its hand swung toward Brawl with terrifying speed, massive claws aiming to snatch him mid-motion. Before it could connect, two blazing spheres of fire streaked through the air, smashing into the beast’s hand and arm. The impact halted its attack momentarily, singeing its decaying flesh and forcing it to recoil just enough for Brawl to roll clear of danger.
Grey caught sight of the two strangers, their hands outstretched and glowing with vibrant orange light as they prepared to launch another fiery assault. The air around them shimmered faintly with the heat of their Will, their faces tense but unwavering.
Amid the chaos, Grey’s silver eyes darted to the beast’s body. Unlike the wolf they had faced before, this creature’s radiance was uneven. The golden-yellow glow wasn’t spread across its body. It was concentrated—a single, searing point at the back of its neck. The rest of the body remained dark and lifeless, as if drained of vitality.
“The back of its neck!” Grey shouted, urgency sharpening his voice. “There’s something there!”
The ape-like beast shifted its weight onto three limbs, adapting with unnerving efficiency. Now crouched on two massive arms and its uninjured leg, it moved in a grotesque yet calculated way. The shattered knee acted as a stabilizer, compensating for its awkward posture as it readied itself for another charge. Its pale, lifeless eyes fixed on Grey.
It resumed its charge, but Wild sprang into action, tackling its good leg. Though she lacked the strength to topple the beast, her distraction was enough for another two arrows to streak through the air alongside Keen’s second spear. The creature sensed the shift in momentum and abandoned its attack, throwing a massive hand up to shield its neck. It succeeded—but at a cost. The hand was pierced by the spear, and the beast stumbled due to the sudden shift of balance, crashing heavily into the ground.
In Grey’s vision, the weak point shifted, the golden light moving from the creature’s neck to its chest. “The chest now! At the heart!” he shouted.
Reacting in an instant, Brawl wrenched the spear from the beast’s leg and lunged forward. Grey’s arrow flew just past him, their timing flawless. Both struck at the same moment—the spear embedding deep into the beast’s chest, the arrow piercing the same point with surgical precision. A guttural, unnatural scream erupted—not from the beast, but from something within it.
And then, just as suddenly as it had moved, the monstrous body crumpled to the ground, its limbs lifeless, its radiance fading into the forest floor.
As the group stood in tense silence, their breaths heavy with exhaustion, all attention shifted to the two strangers. They fell to their knees, their faces pale, their wide eyes brimming with fear as they realized the focus of the battle—and the wary stares of the group that had saved them—were now fixed entirely on them.