The hunters started sprinting before the last word passed Sasha’s lips, dodging dark shapes emerging from the banded earth. There were dozens of pale bodies scampering out from what had to be an extensive network of tunnels, and more monsters were joining the chase with every beat of his heart.

As he fought to outpace the chittering swarm, Edge took aim and cast entangle, targeting the creatures in between his location and the hunters’ camp. So far, only a few of the shelled bodies had appeared in front of him—most were emerging from the ground around the spring.

They must have migrated into the Painted Lands and built a lair sometime over the last few days. That explains why there are so few beasts living here. It seemed that this species of monster was prone to sleeping during the day and had been roused by the setting sun and the scent of the hunters passing through the area.

Now that the soil had stopped raining to the ground, Edge was able to get a good look at the monsters he had caught with entangle. So far, his vines were durable enough to keep the creatures trapped, at least long enough for the duo to run past.

The swarming abominations were crabs the size of an Earth pig. But instead of ordinary crustaceans, these looked like nightmare crabs from out of a fever dream. Their shells were bone white, with pale pink accents along the joints. They were covered in jagged, thumb-long spikes that leaked an oily fluid, which appeared to be the source of their rancid odor.

The monsters ran on dozens of spindly legs that had far too many joints, each of which tapered down to a needle-sharp point. Their limbs scoured the soil in passing, and Edge had no desire to learn what they would do to flesh. They didn’t have eyes as far as he could tell. Instead, a pair of bright red antennae protruded from the plates covering their heads, which twitched as the hunters ran past.

Their mouths were small, but the rest of their natural weaponry more than made up for the difference. Each crab had a pair of massive, wickedly sharp claws hanging in front of it. Segmented tails arced up and over their bodies, ending in jet-black stingers like scorpions.

Although the monsters looked durable, they didn’t seem too dangerous individually. Edge thought that the bigger ones were still early stage-one, and the little versions were late stage-zero. But since there were scores of them following hot on the hunters’ heels and more were joining the chase every few seconds, stopping to fight was a terminally bad idea.

These things are fucking awful. I hope that we don’t have to engage them in hand-to-hand combat. I think I could handle three or four, but any more and they will attack from my blindside and overwhelm me in an instant. In addition to there being far too many opponents to handle, none of his skills were effective against a threat of this type. I really need to pick up some manner of area of effect attack.

That being said, even if there were only a handful, he didn’t want to fight them at all. In the end, it wasn’t the monsters’ ghastly appearance or rancid smell that creeped Edge out, although those were bad enough.

What really got to him was the sound that the horrible things made as they called out to one another. It was a screeching, warbling chitter. Like claws being drawn across a chalkboard, only a hundred times worth. Combined with the clacking they made as they scrabbled across the ground, and the clamor of their pursuit was pure nightmare fuel.

While Edge struggled to keep their path clear, Sasha drew her flare gun and fired into the air. A bright green fireball soared over the treetops, letting Trapper know that they were coming in hot and that their pursuers were of the monstrous variety.

“I think I know what they are,” Sasha called over one shoulder from about ten feet ahead of his location. “They’re called cancerous blightlings. They specialize in defense and can inject a numbing poison, so make sure that you don’t get stung. One or two will only be an inconvenience. But take too many and you will lose control over your body.

“They are dangerous enough at low stages, but their real threat is how fast they can evolve and reproduce. They’re capable of wiping out entire biomes under the right conditions. If we can’t deal with them now, we will have to turn back and warn the town, or they could become a threat to everything living on the Ivory Plains.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Regardless of what they were called or the nature of their powers, there were far too many to monsters to defeat in a straight exchange of blows. All Edge and Sasha could do was run for their lives and hope that their warning gave the other hunters enough time to come up with a countermeasure while the besieged duo raced to join them.

They sprinted for everything that they were worth. The ravenous horde was still growing by the heartbeat—now at least a hundred members strong. The blightlings chased the hunters as they raced for the border of the grove, heading for the butte another quarter mile ahead. As he scanned the trail ahead for additional enemies, Edge could heat the scrabble of their too-many feet. Their chitin clicking as they bumped into one another.

The good news was that the monsters were slow, at least compared to the pair of cored warriors. They began to open some distance between themselves and the main body of the swarm, leading him to hope that the crew could outrun the creatures and avoid a direct confrontation. Maybe Trapper can find some way to kill them in their burrows.

That was the moment when Edge learned the bad news, which came in two parts. As it happened, there were even more of the cancerous blightlings than he had thought, and the spring wasn’t the only exit to their lair.

The ground erupted on both sides of the trail, as dozens of crab monsters came surging out of the soil. Edge entangled the closest batch, but he couldn’t catch them all.

With that many enemies coming in from three sides, his efforts only bought them another few seconds. He pushed his body into a burst of speed, trying to catch up to Sasha, who was faster than he was when she was going all out.

That was when a beast that had been hiding in the bushes burst out of the foliage, caught in the trap that Sasha and Edge had sprung.

The deerlike creature was already surrounded, but it made a mad dash for freedom despite the odds. Not that it had much choice if it wanted to survive. It charged straight for the thinnest patch of monsters, executing some manner of skill along the way that accelerated its steps until its body became a streaking brown blur.

When it reached the blightlings, the beast gathered its strength and jumped—trying to clear the crustaceans and break free to the other side. For a moment, Edge thought that it was going to make it. Its hooves were going to come down just past the last crab, then it was home free.

But then one of the monsters reached up and activated a skill of its own. Fast as thought, it positioned one of its claws around the beast’s leg and squeezed, shearing the limb off at the knee. The stricken creature landed hard and went skidding across the soil, screaming in terror all the while. It was covered by the swarm a heartbeat later. Devoured down to bloody bones in a matter of seconds.

That will be us if we don’t get away. The hunters picked up the pace, sprinting like mad as the horde of monsters followed in their wake, relentless as the rising tide. When she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was there, Edge could see his own horror reflected in Sasha’s eyes. At least they don’t have any ranged attacks, or we would already be screwed.

By now, the foul things were surging in from three sides, leaving only a slender lane open for the duo to navigate. A path that was narrowing by the footfall as the horde of monsters continued surfacing from tunnels all throughout the grove.

It was a tense, frightening situation. One that would have overwhelmed him before obtaining his core. Shut down his ability to think and forced him into a heedless flight, helpless to resist the monsters’ assault.

But he wasn’t that person anymore. Old Edge would have succumbed to the pressure, but new Edge had been born amidst terrible danger and forged in the heat of battle. Tempered by surviving one desperate dilemma after the next and spurred onward by the ever-present threat of annihilation.

Thus, instead of falling apart, he gritted his teeth and focused his will, shutting out the swarm’s warbling wails. The keening and clacking of their claws and the skittering of their limbs. The bloodthirsty chorus of hundreds of voices keening for their flesh and the reek of rotting fish.

By now, he could see the end of the wooded area. Just a few hundred feet and they would emerge along the base of the butte. Where, with any luck, the crew had prepared something sufficient to eliminate the swarm, or at least drive them back.

Sasha had pulled further ahead over the last few seconds—a development that suited Edge fine. He could use shadow step or leap to open some distance if he needed to, and this way he knew she was safe. If any of them are waiting in ambush, they should target me instead. Try to separate me from my team and finish me off while I’m vulnerable.

No sooner had that thought entered his head than one of the monsters jumped out from behind a bush that Sasha had just run past. It raised its claws to block his path, barbed stinger probing at the air. If Edge wanted to reach the rest of the crew, he was going to have to deal with the carnivorous creature first.

He ignited his core and got ready to strike, as the chittering clamor rose like a dirge. It was a good thing that he was ready for just such an occurrence, because his opponent didn’t give him time to ponder the situation. A bare instant later, the monstrous crab leapt straight at him, claws and tail poised to strike.