Felix let out his breath, watching as it turned into steam, rising into the air. He nocked an arrow onto his bow, pulling it back against the string. He felt the fletching rest against his cheek, the feather that made it up tickling him a little. Felix was on top of a small building, the uncomfortable sloped shingles poking under his ass. He grimaced at the feeling. The guard did not want to die in such an uncomfortable spot. Regardless, he kept his focus and eyed the group of marauders who walked down the same path he had been on earlier.

They were obviously led by the woman, her short blonde hair visible through some gaps in her helmet. She carried a small shield on her left and a spear in her right hand. Felix raised his head from his arrow, sure he could hit them from this distance. The idiot behind her impatiently moved around, kicking over barrels and crates. The other was the archer, carrying a short bow as he looked around.

Felix took a deep breath and held it as he aimed his bow.

‘Three.’

He loosed an arrow, hitting the dolt who was breaking windows. The idiot fell back on his ass, an arrow in his shoulder as he hurried to cover and yelled at his friends. The woman instantly took cover, and the archer near her moved to take aim. Felix already had another arrow nocked on his bow, pulling it back as he took aim again, this time at the archer.

‘Two.’

He loosed another arrow with little accuracy, missing the bowman. Still, it threw off the bastard’s aim, his arrow missing Felix by a mile. Felix cursed still, hurrying to nock another arrow on his bow. He could see Harald come up behind the other marauder, his sword raised for a strike. The dolt, however, noticed Harald and barely dodged the veteran’s attack before swinging back at him.

‘He’ll take care of it…’

Felix focused back onto the archer, his hand pulling the fletching back.

‘One.’

Felix exhaled as he got a clear shot at the archer. However, something else caught his attention. He could see how the woman stood out in the open from his peripherals. Felix felt his heart drop when he noticed she was aiming something at him. Something that grew a bright red.

“Shi–!”

“Fireball!”

Felix didn’t have to think as he jumped from the roof. He could feel the fireball's heat on his back as he landed hard on the ground, his left arm hitting the cobbled street. Something snapped underneath the guardsman, followed by a loud pop.

“Delphine’s fucking tits!” Felix cursed loudly, his shoulder screaming in pain. The fall had also broken his bow and snapped it in half. The guard tried to get up, his body aching as he got onto his knees. Footsteps caught his attention, and Felix turned to see the woman from before, spear in hand, as she headed towards him. He could see Harald fighting off the two other marauders in the distance.

‘I’m done for.’

Regardless, Felix tried his damndest to crawl away. His left arm was unresponsive, possibly broken or dislocated. It wouldn't matter, as the woman neared Felix, her spear raised at him. Felix couldn’t help but watch in silent acceptance as she thrust her spear at him, its tip aiming for his throat.

Suddenly, something deflected it away, the spearhead hitting the ground before him. Felix blinked at the sudden block. He watched as a cloaked man stepped before him, his stature towering over the young guard. The man’s long black hair was tied up neatly as he brandished his weapon, the same one he had used to deflect the spear.

‘Is that… Is that a blacksmith’s hammer?’

Felix stared at the unusual weapon. He turned to his savior, who grinned under rosy cheeks and a trimmed beard. Haggard, the drunk from the tavern, twirled his bulky hammer like it weighed nothing.

“So you’re the marauders everyone has been so scared about. Interesting, I’ve been waiting for a good fight these last few days.”

----------------------------------------

James coughed, his vision blurred as he tried to stand up.

‘Too hot…’

He could feel the heat in the air as embers floated around him, some of them landing on his skin and jolting him with burning pain. He patted his body down, making sure he wasn’t on fire. Thankfully, James was mostly unburnt. However, he couldn’t say the same about the vase shop, which crackled with flames from its collapsed roof and walls.

‘Where is everyone?’

James stumbled around, coughing as he breathed in the dust and ash. There was flaming debris everywhere, and the fire from the shop spread into the other buildings. He pulled his shirt collar up to cover his mouth and nose as he walked around. He still coughed, his lungs gasping from all the dust he had breathed in.

James stopped and looked around the spot where he had last seen Thomas. No one was in sight. There wasn’t even a body. He opened his mouth to shout but coughed violently instead, spitting out the dust that had gotten into his mouth.

That’s when he heard it. James went quiet and held back another cough as he looked around. He heard it again, this time clearer. It was a clicking sound, like chattering teeth. James felt a tinge of fear blossom in his chest as he hurried through the fog and smoke before falling on his knees, his feet tripping over something. It was Thomas’ sword, left all alone. James hurried to pick it up before scrambling to his feet.

Click click click

The noise returned, much louder now. James pressed himself against a wall, trying to think of a plan, any plan. Nothing.

‘Faust… I really need you to do that supernatural thing again…’

He hoped the spirit had something to offer. Something that can give him an upper hand of sorts.

‘Your body is too hot. You’ll cook yourself to death if I try to help. You’re on your own…’ the spirit revealed.

James cursed at the response but knew that there was nothing Faust could do. He slowly inched across the wall, quiet as he could be.

Clack clack clack clack

The awful noise returned closer again. James could feel his fear growing as he raised his sword. He even closed his eyes and hoped that this was all a dream.

‘I’ll wake up back home… I’ll get a call from Mia. Plan out another date. Nick and I will play some video games together, and I’ll return to my nine-to-five job. This is all just a bad dream caused by me not taking my meds.’

James almost laughed, his sanity slipping bit by bit.

‘James, calm yourself. If you lose your nerve, you won’t get it back,’ Faust spoke, calming the unstable man a little.

James took a deep breath and gripped the sword tightly, ready to strike at anything near.

“Such an interesting specimen you are… Nothing like the other bodies I’ve dissected,” an ethereal voice rang out.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

James couldn’t pin down where it was coming from. It was almost as if it was everywhere. He turned around, looking at the thick fog. Nothing was in sight. Everything was quiet, James’ breathing and the crackle of flames being the only sounds in the air—until the sound of footsteps came in from his right.

James turned quickly to the sound, his eyes squinting through the smoke and fog. He tried to make out the figure moving towards him, unsure if it was a friend or foe. Slowly but surely, a man came from the smoke, coughing violently. James recognized him as the marauder Thomas had fought earlier, his nose bloodied and eyes red.

The marauder coughed a little before he locked gazes with James. He scowled, shouting in another language as he raised his sword at James. The young man barely had time to raise his sword, blocking the sword strike in time. Vibrations shook him, but he kept his ground, yelling as he forced the marauder away. The marauder raised his blade to swing at James again, but someone else suddenly tackled him.

James’ eyes widened as Thomas struggled with the man, the guardsman throwing the sword away from the marauder.

“James! Help!” He shouted.

James moved in to help Thomas before feeling something grab his back, throwing him to the wall. He landed on the ground, only to see the other marauder from earlier, the one who had used that rune. James barely dodged the man’s boot, his right foot kicking at the bastard’s knee like last time. It worked again, the marauder yelping in pain as he fell.

James raised his sword, not thinking straight as he swung down on the marauder. The man dodged his attack, and the sword made contact with the ground, chips of steel and stone flying as it sparked. The weapon was then kicked away from James, landing in the flames of the burning debris nearby.

Before James could try to retrieve it, the marauder tackled him to the ground. James struggled with the other man, his eyes widening at the sight of a dagger. He held the man’s knife back, doing his best to keep it away from his throat. Yet he was at a disadvantage, the marauder right on top of him as he forced the dagger down onto James. He could do nothing more than watch the dagger’s tip near his neck, the marauder’s strength overpowering his own.

“Flare!”

A familiar voice sounded out before a blinding flash of white appeared out of nowhere. James squeezed his eyes shut right before the flash happened, knowing who had cast it. He felt the marauder loosen his grip, allowing James to kick him off.

“Dahlia?” the young man called out, hoping the shaman was nearby. He could hear the two marauders groaning and writhing on the ground as he blinked quickly, the white screen over his vision slowly fading as his ears rang.

James wished he hadn’t been able to see.

The young man watched in horror as some thing pinned Thomas to the ground, the guard struggling as he yelled out in fear. The thing was horrifying. Its flesh hung off in tatters, revealing taut muscle and torn sinew. Its teeth chattered visibly, recreating the horrible clicking sound he had heard earlier. James could see how parts of its body were engulfed in crystals, sharp and jagged. Whatever skin wasn’t covered was bloated and blackened, resembling frostbite.

Nothing on Earth could have come close to this level of horrifying, not even in the goriest and darkest horror movies. If it weren’t for the crippling fear he felt, James would’ve vomited.

‘What the fuck is that?’

James watched in terror as the Abomination pressed its left mangled arm onto Thomas’ head. The guard’s horrible screams only lasted for a second before his head caved in, dark red blood suddenly painting the cobbled ground. The creature raised his head, its gaze focusing on the blond man.

“James Holter. We’ve been looking for you.”

James could only stare. Fear had spread throughout his body, paralyzing him as the thing spoke to him with its single, glowing eye.

‘James! Run!’ Faust yelled internally.

James snapped back as the will to survive came to him in a rush. The young man moved, stumbling over his feet as he tried to escape. The other marauders seemed to have regained their vision as they reacted with curses and yells. He looked back to see one marauder get pulled back by the monster, screaming as the other one tried to scramble away.

James would’ve stared if it weren’t for someone grabbing his arm. He reflexively pulled away in panic, only to see that it was the shaman who had just saved him. Her soft amber eyes calmed him, snapping him out of his paralyzing fear.

“Let’s go!” Dahlia shouted. “Where’s Thomas?”

James turned back to the horrible scene, causing Dahlia to look as well. Her face dropped, her tan skin paling as her eyes widened in horror.

“W-What? What is that–?” She began.

James was already moving, his hands pulling her behind a corner to hide from the thing that was killing the marauders. He almost wanted to run off from the street, find a spare ship, and leave this cursed island. James didn’t need to stay here, right? He had no attachments, no real reason to stay.

‘Dammit! Calm down! Don’t think that way!’

James took a couple of deep breaths, his hand moving to his chest. He could feel his heart beating with panic, his muscles feeling as if they were made of pudding. He hadn’t felt like this since his duel with Deimos. Hell, this was actually worse. Still, he couldn’t back down from this. He couldn’t let this creature take any more people with it. Despite the fear, James had the obligation to kill this thing right here, right now.

‘Gotta focus. We need to kill that thing before it gets away or worse… comes after us.’

“Do you have any runes that can help? Any spells?!” James frantically asked.

“I… I’m not sure. Maybe with my ignition spell, I can, but I’m almost out of reserves,” Dahlia muttered, her eyes looking back at him. There was a sense of fear and terror in her expression, letting James know he wasn’t the only one nearly pissing themselves out of fear.

James cursed under his breath, trying to figure out another way. He suddenly remembered the rune the marauder had used and how it devastated the shop he had hit. James peeked over the corner and squinted through the fog, which was slowly dissipating. The thing was still there, feasting on the marauder’s bodies. James had to refrain from retching. Both men were dead, the first marauder’s corpse a few feet away from the creature.

James turned back to Dahlia. “We’ll have to get close… One of those marauders has to have a rune on them. I saw one of them use one that summoned a fireball.”

“What if they only had one?” Dahlia asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know… I just know that we need to check for ourselves on the chance that they still have one. It’s our only shot of killing it,” the young man emphasized. James turned to the corner again. “I’ll distract it. You check their bodies. You're quieter… It won’t notice you.” He didn’t have to check to see if she nodded, as he trusted her.

“Wait,” Dahlia suddenly said, causing James to look at her. She quickly gave him her dagger, forcing the handle into his hesitant hands. “Just in case…”

James swallowed and nodded before she ran off into the nearby building. He tucked the dagger into his jacket’s pocket, making sure its tip wouldn’t stab him. He breathed and prepared himself before he ran out into the open, his arms waving at the thing.

“Hey! You want me? That’s why you’re here, right?!” James shouted. He was doing his best to suppress his fear. Still, it was hard not to recoil when he watched the thing raise its head from the corpse. The thing’s only eye burned brighter from the shout as if James had intrigued it. It slowly stood hunched over as it trudged towards James. Its body looked almost armored, the crystals forming a sort of protection over its head and torso.

“Interesting,” it said in an ethereal voice, its lone eye staring at James in interest. Its remaining face was all black and wrinkled, with no lips to cover its chattering teeth as it spoke.

James swallowed the urge to sprint away, his hands shaking before he clenched them into fists.

“What are you?” he asked before stepping back as the Abomination got closer. He could see Dahlia emerge from a broken building behind the creature, sneaking closer to the two dead marauders. James made sure not to look directly at the shaman, fearing that the creature was intelligent enough to notice.

“We do not know, but we know what we want,” it answered. James swore that it was grinning in some fucked up way. It opened its jaw to speak again, but its eye flickered right as its body fell on one knee. It let out a guttural shout that felt closer to pain rather than anger.

“Kill me! Please… I can’t take it!”

Its voice rang out again, this time frantic and less menacing. It sounded different, desperate, as it writhed in pain.

“The voices… stop the voices, please!”

James watched on, unsure of what to make of the situation. From his peripherals, he could see how Dahlia searched the last body, her hands pulling out a familiar black stone.

“What do you mean voices?” James asked the thing.

“I… I’m supposed to be dead! The voices brought me back, but they forced me to kill people and... eat them. I just want to die, please!”

It was begging now, its single eye wide with fear and pain. Suddenly, the creature stopped rambling, its eye flickering again as it stood right back up. James could take a guess as to what that meant, his feet taking a step back. He looked towards Dahlia, who was gesturing to him to move out of the way.

James took the advice and ran, but he soon found out how terrifyingly fast the thing moved. Despite its size, it scurried quickly, just like a monster would in a nightmare. As the creature closed the distance, James chanced it.

“Dahlia! Fire it! Now!” He screamed, making the creature take pause as the shaman’s voice yelled out,

“Fireball!”