Rotten and brittle, that was the best to describe the trees that made up the woods. There was no life left in them, yet to Zrimm, the woods had an eerie sense to them. As if someone was watching him and his allies.

“I feel like we’re being watched,” Zrimm muttered.

“The cavalry didn’t follow us I think. Too scared of the woods,” Nasrul said.

“It’s the spirits that are watching us,” Vel responded.

Zrimm was starting to believe in her ghost stories. After all, were undead not just spirits who had been forcibly returned to their bodies?

“So what are we looking for anyway?” Velatha asked.

“You said there was an abandoned village here. We can take shelter there and wait out the cavalry for a day.” Zrimm said.

“So we’re going to sleep in a creepy, haunted village for the night?”

“I’d rather sleep inside a creepy village than outside in the creepy woods,” Zrimm responded. They trodded through the woods, occasionally stepping on and breaking brittle branches that had fallen off the decomposing trees. A few crows cawed out, fluttering away as the group went near them.

The village was rather small, with only around six or so buildings making it up. It looked to have been abandoned for some time, with several of the buildings having caved in roofs or walls that had fallen over.

“Man, this is creepy,” Nasrul said as the group looked around the village.

“Which building do you want to sleep in? The caved-in city hall or the house with a missing wall?” Vel said in a sarcastic tone. Zrimm pointed to one of the houses.

“That one looks fine. At least on the outside anyways,” He said. They entered the one-story house, rats scurried as they explored the interior.

“Anyone here?” Nasrul called out.

“No one but spirits and rats I say,” Vel said as she looked around the delipidated interior of the house. “No dwarf has been here for ages. At least, no living one anyway.”

This place gave Zrimm the chills, and he was having second thoughts about sleeping in here. He might have actually preferred to sleep outside than in this creephouse.

“Getting cold feet yet?” Velatha asked Zrimm.

“What? No! Just worried that those rats have diseases.”

“Right,” Vel said in a tone that implied she did not believe him.

“It will be for only one night,” Zrimm muttered to himself. Maybe Nasrul was right, it was good to have a healthy respect for spirits.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The group was setting themselves up for the night when they heard howling in the distance.

“What was that? Wolves?” Velatha asked.

“No, hellhounds,” Nasrul said.

“Of course! They like to hide in the woods, don’t they? Now we have to deal with them,” Zrimm said. Another blood-curdling howl went out, transmitting fear across the party. “Maybe we could barricade ourselves inside this house and hold them off inside here.”

“No. hellhounds will never stop hunting their prey, not until its death. We have to go outside and deal with them.” Nasrul said.

“I was worried you were going to say that,” Vel said.

The group checked their weapons before their battle. Nasrul had his twin axes at the ready. Velatha checked her arrows as well as her dagger. Zrimm preferred to fight with his teeth and claws. Drann, however, had no weapon of any kind.

“Here, take this.” Nasrul handed the undead one of his axes. Drann grasped the steel ax with his right arm. He gave a look of thanks to the orc. ‘Now then, let’s face the enemy.”

The group stepped outside, with Nasrul taking the lead. They were no hellhounds visibly apparent around them, but they could still hear the howls, this time it was not very distant.

“They are getting closer,” Nasrul said, and not soon after the hellhounds appeared around them.

There were six of these creatures. Wolves who had now had rotting skin and fur, with exposed bones and flesh. Snarling and baring their fangs at the party, they roamed for blood and flesh to quench their endless ravishing hunger.

Velatha drew an arrow and nocked her bow while the rest of the party readied themselves as well.

The hellhounds made their attack.

As they leaped toward the party, Velatha let out an arrow that hit a hellhound straight in the chest, that did not stop it however. It launched itself towards Vel and knocked her onto the ground, with it on top of her.

Vel quickly unsheathed her dagger and began stabbing the hellhound in the head as it tried to maul her. After a few goods stabs, the creature died and Vel pushed it off of her.

Nasrul slashed at a hellhound with his ax, aiming at its head. But the hellhound dodged to left, making Nasrul misses and open to an attack. Just as it was about to attack, Drann came into Nasrul’s rescue and cleaved the hellhound’s head in half with his ax.

“Thanks,” Nasrul briefly muttered as he rejoined the fight.

Zrimm was being corned by three hellhounds. He had his back to the wall of a decrepit house, feeble and old. Realizing he could use his environment to his advantage, he slashed at the wall and quickly jumped out of the way. The roof then came down onto the hellhounds and crushed them to death.

Velatha let out another arrow, hitting the last hellhound in the head, killing it instantly. The party looked around at the corpses that were strewn across the floor.

“So that’s it huh,” Zrimm said as he huffed. Another howl went off in the distance right after he said it. “Spoke too soon,”

“What now?” Velatha asked. “How many more do we have to fight?”

“They will wear us down eventually,” Zrimm said.

“We will have to hold them off until help arrives,” Nasrul said.

“Help? Why would anyone send a rescue team for us? And besides, no one knows we are here,” Zrimm said.

“They know where we are,” Nasrul said as he stared at a crow that was perched on a tree.

“Are you not telling me something that I should know?” Zrimm asked.

“The mine, we can hold out in the mine,” Nasrul said.

“Then will only dig ourselves deeper into this hole,” Vel said.

“If we can hold out in the mine for the night, help will come. I can promise you that.” Nasrul cryptically said. Yet another hellhound howl went out.

“That is starting to get annoying,” Zrimm remarked.

“Let’s go, before the rest of the hellhounds find us,” Nasrul said. They went deeper into the village. As they walked, Zrimm noticed that Drann was walking with a limp. He saw what looked to be a recent bite mark on his left leg.

“Mind if I look at that injury, Drann?” He said as they walked along. Drann nodded in agreement. “We need to stop.”

“We can’t stop. The hellhounds will be on us any minute now,” Nasrul said. A very close howl pierced the village. “Oh no. They are already here. Run!” They all ran as fast as they could, with Drann lagging behind. Zrimm looked back to see that the hellhound was not far off and chasing them.

They neared the mine entrance, a heavy steel door led the way to the mine. Nasrul quickly pulled it open and then entered along with Velatha. Zrimm was about to enter the mine until he looked back to see that Drann was well behind and corned by hellhounds.

“Wait! We have to go back and help him,” Zrimm said.

“No. All of us will end being killed if we go back. We have to let him go, I’m sorry,” Nasrul said in a tone that said that he was truly remorseful of the decision.

Zrimm looked back at Drann, he was being torn apart by the hellhounds now. One of the hellhounds had the detached arm of Drann in its mouth. Another tore at Drann’s stomach, spilling out his guts and intestines onto the floor.

“We have to go now!” Nasrul said as some hellhounds started approaching the mine entrance. Zrimm closed the steel door and left Drann to his fate.