Malin awoke suddenly, his instincts buzzing with unease as he peered out through the window. His heart skipped a beat, a cold realization settling over him—they had overslept. Dusk was falling, the last rays of sunlight casting a dim, orange glow across the city. And that meant only one thing: the ghoulish beings would soon be on their trail again.

Scrambling to his feet, he shook off the drowsiness that clung to him and made his way to where Maya and Abel lay. "Maya, Abel," he hissed, a sense of urgency thick in his voice. "Wake up. We overslept. It’s almost night!"

Maya stirred first, her brows knitting together as she blinked at him, confused. "What… Malin, what are you talking about?" she murmured, still half-asleep.

“It’s dusk,” Malin replied quickly, his voice edged with worry. “Those things—they’ll be back any moment.”

Abel’s eyes snapped open, and in an instant, he was fully alert, his expression turning grim. “How could we have slept through it? We should’ve been gone hours ago,” he muttered, swinging his legs off the bed and grabbing his gear.

Within moments, the trio gathered their belongings, their earlier exhaustion swept away by the cold reality that they were out of time. The warmth and comfort they’d enjoyed in the city felt like a distant memory now, replaced by the looming dread of the creatures’ inevitable return.

"Let’s not wait around to find out how many of them survived the last encounter," Abel said, glancing out the window. Shadows stretched across the city as the sun dipped below the horizon, and the streets outside began to darken. "We need to mount up and leave. Now."

Maya was already tightening the straps on her pack, her face set with determination. “We’ve got what we need. Let’s get to the lizards.”

The three of them moved swiftly through the city, the streets deserted in the twilight hour. They reached the stables where their lizards were kept, each beast alert as if sensing the urgency in the air. Malin mounted his lizard, Yellow, feeling a renewed confidence in its strength. “Come on, Yellow. Let’s get out of here fast.”

Abel and Maya mounted up as well, each urging their lizards forward as they made their way out of the city. Behind them, as the last hints of light faded, a low, eerie hum began to echo through the desert. The song of the ghoulish beings, faint but unmistakable.

“They’re coming,” Maya said, her voice tight.

Abel nodded, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Then we’d better be faster. Let’s ride, and this time, we don’t stop until dawn."

As the first haunting notes of the eerie song echoed through the quiet streets of Carabesh, a ripple of dread surged through the city. The melody was unlike any other—low, guttural, and filled with ancient menace. It crept into the bones, stirring an instinctive terror in all who heard it. Malin felt a chill crawl up his spine as the sound intensified, reverberating off the stone walls and narrow alleys. Distant screams rang out in response, voices rising in panic as the citizens of Carabesh recognized the sound of impending doom.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Malin, Maya, and Abel urged their lizards forward, pushing them into a full gallop. The cityscape blurred around them as they weaved through the twisting streets, ignoring the chaos erupting in their wake. The strange beings had returned, and their menacing song chased them down every alley, around every corner, growing louder and more oppressive with each passing second.

The trio navigated through the narrow, winding lanes of Carabesh with breakneck speed. Their lizards, agile and swift, darted through tight spaces and leaped over obstacles as they thundered forward. The creatures' claws clattered against the stone pavement, their powerful legs launching them forward with incredible force. Malin clung tightly to the reins, his heart pounding as Yellow rounded a sharp corner, skidding briefly before regaining balance.

A piercing scream echoed nearby, and Malin caught a glimpse of a merchant dropping his wares in terror, scrambling to get out of the lizards’ path as they barreled past. Market stalls overturned, baskets of fruit rolled across the ground, and animals scattered, adding to the mounting chaos. The streets that had once felt safe and welcoming were now a labyrinth of dread, and the haunting melody of the beings seemed to seep into every corner of the city.

“Keep going! Don’t look back!” Abel shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. He was ahead, steering his lizard with skill, his face set in determination. With one hand gripping the reins, he raised his sword, which ignited with flames that licked up the blade, illuminating the darkening streets. Abel swung his sword, releasing a fiery arc that slashed through the air, deterring one of the ghoulish figures creeping toward them from the shadows. The flames crackled, bright against the encroaching darkness, but the creature merely slowed, then resumed its relentless pursuit, unfazed by the blaze.

“Abel, to the left!” Maya called out, guiding her own lizard as it veered down a narrow side street. She extended her free hand, a sphere of shimmering water gathering in her palm. She focused, and the sphere expanded before she thrust her hand forward, sending a blast of water hurtling toward another figure lurking in the alley. The water struck with a forceful impact, pushing the creature back, but it quickly regrouped, its hollow eyes fixed on them with a hunger that sent a chill down her spine.

They continued their mad dash through the city, their lizards navigating tight turns and leaping over obstacles as they made their way through crowded market squares and open courtyards. Everywhere they looked, people were scattering, fleeing from the otherworldly threat that seemed to fill every shadow. The beings moved with an eerie fluidity, their forms twisted and elongated, shifting as they approached, as though their very presence distorted the space around them. Their movements were unnatural, almost as if they were gliding across the ground, their eerie song growing louder with each step.

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As they approached an open square, Malin spotted a group of the creatures converging on a fleeing family. Instinctively, he yanked on Yellow’s reins, guiding his lizard to intercept. He pulled out a small knife, his only weapon, and threw it with all his might, the blade embedding itself into one of the beings’ shoulder. It barely registered the hit, but it turned, if only momentarily, giving the family just enough time to escape down an adjacent alley.

“Come on, Malin, keep moving!” Maya called, her voice urgent.

Malin snapped out of his momentary daze, spurring Yellow forward once more. As they surged ahead, Maya extended her hand toward a rooftop, summoning a jet of water that surged forward in a twisting arc. The water wrapped around the wooden beams of a nearby building, pulling it down into the path of their pursuers. The structure collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris, temporarily blocking the creatures’ path, buying them precious seconds.

“They just keep coming!” Malin shouted, his voice laced with desperation as he looked over his shoulder.

“Then we’ll just have to keep running!” Abel replied, his face grim as he released another fiery slash, the flames illuminating the darkness as they cut through the night air. “We’re almost to the city’s edge. Just a little farther!”

They tore through the streets, weaving between panicked citizens and leaping over toppled market stalls. As they passed the open windows of homes and shops, frightened faces peered out, only to withdraw quickly as the ghastly song grew louder, its twisted melody spreading fear like a contagion. The city had transformed into a nightmarish maze, each alley an echo chamber for the haunting song that reverberated through the streets.

“Faster, Yellow!” Malin urged, his heart pounding as he felt the creatures closing in. The lizard responded with a burst of speed, leaping over a pile of broken crates, its powerful legs propelling them forward with an agility Malin had never felt before. He clung to the reins, feeling the raw power of the creature beneath him, each stride a testament to its strength and resilience.

Just as they neared the city’s outer walls, a figure lunged from the shadows, claws extended as it reached for Abel. Without hesitation, Abel turned, his sword blazing as he swung it in a wide arc, releasing a blast of fire that engulfed the creature, reducing it to ash in an instant. But for every creature they struck down, it seemed two more took its place, emerging from the darkness, their hollow eyes glinting with a relentless, otherworldly hunger.

Finally, they reached the city gates, the towering walls casting long shadows over them as they made their way toward the exit. The path was clear, but the song continued, echoing through the empty streets, a reminder that the beings were still on their trail, relentless in their pursuit.

They burst through the gates into the open desert, the night still cloaking the landscape in darkness, and the mountains looming in the distance. Behind them, the creatures gave chase, their twisted forms moving through the sands with that same haunting fluidity. The city of Carabesh grew smaller and smaller behind them, its gates and walls fading into the shadows, but the song echoed on the wind, reaching out as if determined to follow them into the endless stretch of desert.

Malin leaned forward, urging Yellow to pick up speed as he glanced over at Maya and Abel. “They’re still following us!” he shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

“We’ll have to keep riding until sunrise!” Abel replied, his eyes fixed on the distant mountains. “If we stop, we’re done for.”

With a quick nod, Malin pushed Yellow harder, feeling the tension in the air as they continued to flee under the starlit sky. The mountains ahead loomed like sentinels, a distant but promising haven from the relentless horrors behind them.

As they raced through the changing landscape, the towering silhouette of the Farim Mountains began to rise before them, jagged and imposing against the night sky. The peaks seemed to claw their way upward, piercing the heavens with sheer, rocky faces and narrow ridges, their sharp edges softened only by the sparse patches of resilient green that clung stubbornly to the slopes. Valleys twisted between the towering mountains, creating a labyrinth of shadows that would easily confuse and mislead any traveler. The entire range held an ancient, almost menacing allure, like a slumbering beast waiting to be disturbed.

Malin quickly pulled out the map that Nahra had entrusted to him, the parchment fluttering in the wind as he struggled to hold it steady while riding. By the faint moonlight, he traced the lines that would guide them. "Around the first mountain," he muttered, eyes narrowed in concentration, "there should be a ridge that we can climb to the top of. Once we’re up there, it’ll give us a clear view of the other side and a better path through."

Abel and Maya flanked him, keeping their eyes trained on the surrounding darkness. They glanced at him, waiting for him to set their course. "Just around that slope," he confirmed, pointing to where the mountain’s silhouette began to curve. He urged Yellow forward, determined to make it to the ridge before dawn fully broke.

But as he continued to read at their relentless pace, focusing on every detail Nahra had marked on the map, a sudden shout from Maya jolted him. "Malin! Behind you—watch out!"

He barely had time to react. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glint in the darkness—a hook arcing through the air, aimed straight for him. Instinct took over, and he jerked his head to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. The hook whizzed past, close enough to slice a thin line across his cheek, and he winced as pain bloomed along his skin. The blade of the hook didn’t stop there; it ripped through the map he held, tearing a large chunk out of the center and leaving the parchment flapping uselessly in his grip.

"Damn it!" Malin shouted, clutching the remains of the map, now ruined, with crucial parts missing. Blood trickled from his cheek, but he paid it no mind, more concerned with the precious guide now in tatters. He glanced down at the compass that Nahra had given him, feeling the weight of their dependence on these few remaining tools.

"Can you still make sense of it?" Abel called, casting a quick glance over his shoulder as he slashed at another ghoul drawing too close. Flames erupted from his sword, cutting a swath through the darkness.

"I’ll have to try!" Malin replied, his heart pounding. "We still head around the mountain, toward the ridge!"

Without the full map, he would have to rely on the torn edges and the compass to find their way, hoping he remembered Nahra’s words and markings clearly enough to make up for the missing parts. He urged Yellow harder, the lizard responding with a surge of speed as they veered toward the mountains, the ground beneath them shifting from sand to more rugged, uneven terrain.

Maya and Abel fell back slightly, positioning themselves on either side of Malin as they provided cover. Maya summoned a swirling torrent of water that blasted the closest ghoul, knocking it back before it could close in on Malin. Abel, meanwhile, released a wave of fire, illuminating the darkened desert in bursts as he cut down any who dared come too near.

"We’re almost there!" Malin shouted, straining his eyes to make out the ridge in the shadows ahead. The terrain continued to rise and steepen, their path growing more treacherous with each passing second. The rugged slopes of the Farim Mountains loomed before them, their sharp, angular faces casting intimidating shadows in the moonlight.