The sound of gunfire and the groans of the undead resonated in the forest. Captain Ellaine led her squad in a tactical retreat, pulling back to a trap laid by Vashni. They lured the horde into a part of the forest where the trees were painted with Jingo’s runes, hoping to stall the undead’s relentless advance.

As the first wave entered the kill zone, Vashni activated the runes, paralyzing the undead where they stood. Sensing the moment, Captain Ellaine ordered her squad to open fire, cutting down the immobilized enemies with disciplined precision.

"Captain, the runes are weakening!" Vashni shouted.

"Roger!" Captain Ellaine responded, ordering another tactical retreat as the horde, numbering in the hundreds, began to overpower the faltering runes.

The situation was under control, and based on their progress, nearly half of the horde had been eliminated.

“Keep it up, everyone! We’ve taken down more than half!” Captain Ellaine called out, boosting the squad’s morale.

Gary, alongside his comrades, sighed in relief after mowing down the largest wave yet. Spotting a retreating straggler, he took aim and fired, the crack of his rifle echoing through the forest as the undead fell.

“Ceasefire!” Captain Ellaine commanded.

Gary felt a pang of disappointment at the order. He wanted to do more, to prove himself to his comrades. Silently cursing himself for feigning sickness earlier, he yearned to redeem himself.

As Captain Ellaine approached, she ordered Gary to fall back to the rear.

“What for? I’m fighting just like everyone else!” Gary protested.

“You don’t understand, Gary,” Captain Ellaine said sternly. “You’ve been reckless lately.”

“What do you mean?” Gary asked, frustration clear in his voice.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but I won’t tolerate recklessness in my squad,” she replied firmly.

Gary, grumbling under his breath, reluctantly moved to the rear, realizing he needed to calm down.

Once the scene was clear and silence returned, Vashni approached Captain Ellaine, who was resting near the root of a giant tree, taking a moment to drink from her canteen.

“What is it, Vashni?” Captain Ellaine asked.

“About the wife of the man we rescued in the cave—we need to confirm if she was among the undead we eliminated,” Vashni suggested.

“It’s risky. The horde could return at any moment,” Captain Ellaine objected. “Even if we find her, we’d have to confront the phantasms possessing her.”

“I understand the risks, but we can’t ignore the possibility. Leaving her unchecked could cause bigger problems,” Vashni argued.

Captain Ellaine thought for a moment before replying, “Alright. I’ll allow it. We’ll select a team to accompany you.”

As they prepared, Vashni scanned the corpses of the fallen undead. The sight troubled him deeply. He wondered how many more exterminations would be necessary. Though it was merely a temporary fix for the Phantasmal Anomaly, something had to be done to protect people from these horrors.

A few moments later, three mercenaries joined Captain Ellaine, including Gary, who looked uneasy yet eager. Seeing this, Vashni considered replacing him with someone more stable.

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“That guy over there,” Vashni pointed at Gary, “I don’t want him. Can we choose someone else?”

Gary bristled at the remark. “What’s wrong, you sinful monk? I’m perfectly capable!”

Vashni’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Who do you think you are?”

“That’s enough!” Captain Ellaine intervened. “My decision is final, Water Exorcist.”

“Fine,” Vashni muttered. “But I won’t be responsible for what happens to him. We leave in twenty minutes.”

Vashni gathered his equipment, including talismans, two ward candles, and a can of enchanted liquid paint mixed with holy water.

After twenty minutes, Vashni, Gary, and two other mercenaries set off to inspect the corpses. They carefully navigated through the field of bodies, a grim sea of the fallen. Vashni methodically checked the faces and clothing, searching for the woman.

Despite his careful observation and the use of his third sense, he couldn’t find her. Instead, he noticed that some of the corpses were decomposing rapidly—a bad sign. Vashni decided to halt the search.

“Why are we stopping?” Gary asked, noticing Vashni’s deep contemplation.

“The possessed woman isn’t here. We need to go back—it’s too dangerous to stay,” Vashni replied.

“Are you kidding me? You dragged us out here, and now you want to bail?” Gary mocked.

Vashni’s patience snapped. Without warning, he punched Gary in the left cheek, sending him staggering back a meter.

“You—!” Gary yelled, regaining his balance, fury burning in his eyes.

Gary retaliated with a punch of his own, landing it squarely on Vashni’s face. The force knocked Vashni off balance, and he tumbled to the ground. Groaning in pain, Vashni struggled to his feet, ready to fight back. But before he could act, the two other mercenaries intervened, pulling the two apart.

“I have beef with you! If only Mitchell were here, there wouldn’t be any problems!” Gary yelled, still fuming.

“Where were you when your friend needed you? I was there when that incident happened. Now you’re trying to redeem yourself because you lost your friend?” Vashni shot back.

Gary fell silent, the anger draining from his face as tears welled in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Vashni, his anger subsiding, ordered the two mercenaries to take Gary away. As they began to leave, Vashni lingered, his gaze sweeping the eerie, corpse-laden landscape. Something felt off. “This is not right,” Vashni murmured, suddenly alarmed. He rushed to catch up with Gary and the others.

“We don’t have much time!” Vashni urged, his voice tense.

“What do you mean?” Gary asked, still shaken.

“No wonder their movements were too predictable!” Vashni realized and then explained, “We have to warn Captain Ellaine and the others. We have to trail these undead where they are going!”

Gary nodded in agreement, and the four headed back to where Captain Ellaine had camped.

Captain Ellaine sensed something was wrong. The hairs on her body stood on end as she scanned the surroundings.

“What is happening here?” she muttered to herself.

A clicking sound echoed through the forest, disorienting the mercenaries. She signaled for silence, her eyes searching for the source of the noise.

Suddenly, a mercenary screamed in pain. His voice cut through the stillness, sending a ripple of fear through the group.

“I want two men over there to check what happened!” Captain Ellaine ordered. Despite their fear, the mercenaries complied, moving cautiously.

The temperature suddenly dropped, an unnatural chill that seeped into their bones.

“We need a ward. Where’s the Water Exorcist and the others?” Captain Ellaine demanded.

“They haven’t returned yet, ma’am!” a mercenary replied, his voice trembling slightly.

“I see… anyone have a ward?” Captain Ellaine asked again.

“Yes, ma’am!” a mercenary replied with a lowered voice, lighting a ward provided by Vashni to the squad.

Several minutes later, Vashni’s group arrived at the camp. Hearing the gunshots, he realized he was too late to warn the rest. Looking at Gary, Vashni suggested, “We need to get to Captain Ellaine. However, there are supplies I needed from my bag. Can you go first? I will catch up later!”

“You’ll be all alone! You should have had an escort or else you would be overwhelmed.” Gary disagreed.

“Don’t be stubborn. I can handle myself. Go!” Vashni said.

Gary and the others left Vashni to reinforce Captain Ellaine’s group.

While Gary continued on his way. He saw some wounded mercenaries on the ground, treated by medics. Gary asked one medic who was attending to a wounded.

“Where are the others?”

“They were following a possessed. The possessed went to the east and the Captain herself followed it.” The medic replied.

While Gary was about to leave. Vashni arrived with the equipment he had in his hands. Gary was surprised when he saw it, but he didn’t ask a question because of the urgency of the situation.

“Let us go, Water Exorcist. Our Captain needs us!” Gary said.

“After you!” Vashni replied.

Vashni and Gary rushed to where the Captain was heading. While the two were heading her way, creatures unknown to them surrounded the Captain and ten other mercenaries. Captain Ellaine could only hope for the best, trying to fend off the gigantic spider-like beings.

As Vashni and Gary arrived, they saw something that surprised them. Seeing Captain Ellaine and others surrounded by the creatures, Vashni knew he had to think fast or else his comrade may be overwhelmed.