Two fungus-covered wolves sniffed the air as a red glow spread across the floor of the forest like a blanket. Their heads would twitch abnormally at irregular intervals, mouths always hanging slightly ajar. The caps of what looked like oyster mushrooms were growing from the side of both creatures' skulls, warping flesh and fur around them. One’s ears pricked slightly as a twig snapped in the distance. Both turned towards the disturbance as a shiver ran through their forms, the red glow casting long and deep shadows between tree trunks.
For several moments the only thing that broke the silence was the wheezing of the two mutated wolves. Then, on the very edge of perception, there was a sound like tearing silk. A heartbeat later both creatures were retired from the Myacept brood, twitching bodies still as two decapitated heads rolled away.
Domison flickered in and out of the shadows as he led their group, running fifteen feet ahead of the group to clear the way. Following closely behind him was Mel, along with Craig who had Mike strapped across his chest with a makeshift harness. As soon as the pair of Myacept’s brood was dispatched he flickered back to the group, re-appearing directly in front of them before wobbling slightly, “I’m getting a bit better with its control and my stamina is building quickly, but I am still burning out faster than my stores grow.” He pulled a deep breath through his nose and blew it slowly out of his mouth before continuing, “Killed two mushroom dogs ahead, past them we should only have another mile before we reach the edge of the forest. Craig, try to keep up. This is the final sprint!”
With those final words, Domison flickered back through the shadows. Coraigen clenched his fists and grumbled aloud, “Damned human, just because he is strong does not mean he needs disrespect me. My name is Coraigen! Coraigen Ukarel J’Onnlem, the one who walks the path of his ancestors!” For a few moments a just pouted and looked at the ground while Mel gathered herself before they continued their mad dash. The huge Urketh then kicked at a rock on the ground and looked sidelong at Mel in a way that would put a toddler to shame, “Do you think he’s doing it on purpose? He must know he is trampling upon my honor… right?”
Mel stared open-mouthed at the large, Orc-like being for a full fifteen seconds before her teeth clicked shut. “Well, he did punch you riiiiight before you got out your full name. The way your mouth clapped shut, it definitely sounded like you said, Craig. Honestly, it may have played a part in him letting you live?” At Coraigen’s eyes widening in a panic, she continued in a rush, “You know, cause it's a Terran name? There aren’t as many Craigs as there used to be, but I’ve still met a few.” Mel finished this off with a shrug and pointed toward the direction Domison had indicated, before chasing after him.
Coraigen caught up to the small woman in a heartbeat, and they continued through the forest in silence for a time. Bisected corpses and pools of blood lay strewn about every twenty feet or so and after ten minutes of silence, Coraigen coughed slightly to catch her attention and spoke softly, “It is okay if he calls me Craig. It takes a great leader to be able to discern an ally across the bounds of separate species.”
Mel glanced over at the hulking humanoid before answering with a shake of her head and a giggle, “You’re worried he’ll kill you if you make a fuss about it huh? Well, I haven't known him for very long but… he seems like a good guy." For a scant few seconds, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their thunderous charge through the wooded area. Coraigen could feel tension pulling the air taut, but he gave the woman space to continue, "We would have died, you know? Mike and I that is… All we could do was hide as monsters tore people apart around us. For hours we huddled in the back of his stupid little car, just waiting for what would come next." Her eyes were starting to shine with moisture and she swiped the back of her hand across her face in frustration, "But then there he was, half naked and covered in blood. I thought that was the end of it, I'm telling you, he looked like a psychopath. But he didn't kill us, harm us, or even ask for anything in return. That wasn't even the first time he saved us either…"
The two continued following behind the flickering reaper, who systematically cleared away any hostile lifeforms between them and the edge of the forest. The sun had almost set completely at this point, but the luminescent glow coming off of the fungus growing along the trees lent the group unimpeded sight. As they made their mad dash towards the city a huge tree, much larger than any others in the forest, began to shudder and squirm. A scarred and fungus-covered trunk towered over the forest surrounding it and blood-red leaves as large as a boat hung from twisting branches. Every single body severed from its brood caused pain and it quivered with each death. A wave of cold and old anger built within the body of the massive organism. It was a patient wrath, one that allowed even a quick-witted man to tighten his own noose and wear it like a necktie. ‘Escape while you can.’ A dry and slithering presence spread throughout the growing nervous system of the brood, encouraging the spread, ‘You will come back into our nest… I will make sure there is no other way out.’
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Domison finally broke free from the clutches of the alien forest, shadows still trailing behind his panting form. His arms were trembling and the blade in his gore-soaked hand faded into nothing. He could hardly open his fingers, they had been gripped so tightly upon the hilt of his blade for what felt to him like an eternity. The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon and Domison could see rays of orange and yellow painting the skyline behind the cityscape looming in the distance. Domison could even make out the edges of Old Town; the cracked foundations of two-hundred-year-old apartment buildings looked like miniatures, in the distance. He had only a minute to shake the trembles from his arms before Mel, Coraigen and the unconscious Mike arrived. Domison looked towards them, the sun rays causing the violet and blue hues in his hair to stand out, and he smiled for the first time since either of them had met him, “We’re almost home!”
Mel felt a warmth spread through her body, while Coraigen had to stop himself from taking a half step back. In the end they just both nodded and made Domison promise if they didn’t make it to his house within the hour they would stop to sleep somewhere before they continued. It took almost exactly an hour to a minute before they arrived on a street on which Mel could see what used to be a little butcher shop, a wooden sign hanging from one strand above the door. That didn’t hold her attention for long, however, before the black void snatched her full attention. Across the street from the butcher, in the middle of the block of apartments, was a hole. There was just nothing there like someone had torn a rip into reality and she could just tumble right into the nothing that lay beyond. While she stood in the middle of the cracked street, Domison continued walking and after examining the tear for a moment, he reached a hand out to it. Fear that he would fall prey to her unvoiced anxieties about the hole she began to scream, “WAI-” Before she could even finish her warning the void rippled, and before her teeth clacked together the rippling void began to rush towards Domison, unveiling the ordinary apartment beneath.
Domison ripped the front door from its hinges and rushed inside without acknowledging she had even spoken and she chased after him, calling over her shoulder, “Come on Craig!” Coraigen stood in the street, arms crossed awkwardly around an unconscious body for a moment, before following behind the young woman with a grumble about skinny, bossy females. Mel caught up to Domison only a moment after he entered the apartment door at the top of the stairs, the room beyond lay in shambles and Domison was trembling slightly.
A small voice came from Domison’s lips, afraid and anxious, “Are you here buddy…? Come here, boy…” Silence filled the room as his pleas spread throughout the building and nothing happened for several handfuls of seconds. There wasn't a day that he remembered in which his puppy wouldn't be waiting at the door when he got home, let alone not coming after hearing his voice. “Please… he promised you would be here, that you would be okay…” A deep shudder spread through his body for a moment and Domison did his best to wrestle his emotions back into check. He swiped a hand across his chin, pressing hard against his jaw. A fist lashed out at the nearby wall and the drywall turned to dust, “FUCK!” Domison screamed before pressing his palms against his eyes and turning his face toward the ceiling.
Scant seconds passed after Domison’s outburst before something in the room began to change. There hadn’t been much light in the room, to begin with, but it suddenly seemed like the beams of sunlight stretching through shattered windows had started to waver and retreat. A deep and shuddering growl started to build from the back of the small apartment, coming from a small room at the back of a hallway that was now pitch dark. The darkness grew deeper and deeper, the growling beginning to reverberate through the floors, then glowing golden eyes manifested at the end of a hallway like headlights approaching through fog. Domison only stared in shock for a heartbeat before he spoke, “Pabu…?”