CHAPTER 13 , The Hunt of the Corrupted Beasts
The forest grew darker as the night deepened.
Jay and Elara moved silently along a narrow path that seemed less like a road and more like a faint memory left behind by travelers who had once dared to pass through this place. The ground beneath their feet was uneven, covered in roots that twisted like serpents and patches of damp earth that threatened to slow their movement.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The only sounds were their footsteps… and the occasional rustle of leaves.
But the silence between them wasn't empty.
It was watchful.
Both of them were alert.
Both of them understood—
This forest was no longer just a path.
It was a test.
After several minutes, Elara finally broke the silence.
"You fight like someone who's been on battlefields," she said, her voice calm but observant.
Jay didn't look at her.
"I've seen enough fights."
"That's not what I meant," she replied.
Jay slowed slightly.
Elara continued,
"You don't just react… you predict. You don't hesitate, and you don't waste movement. Even experienced soldiers struggle with that."
Jay gave no immediate response.
Because she was right.
Those instincts weren't learned in a few months.
They were forged through countless life-and-death battles…
In another life.
Elara glanced at him again.
"You're not just a traveler, are you?"
Jay finally answered,
"Neither are you."
For a moment, Elara smiled faintly.
"Fair enough."
The conversation ended there.
But the tension between them didn't fade.
It simply settled into something quieter.
More cautious.
They continued walking deeper into the forest.
The trees grew denser.
The air grew colder.
And then—
Jay stopped.
Instantly.
Elara noticed and stopped as well.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
Jay didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were fixed ahead.
"The forest… is too quiet again."
Elara's expression changed.
She raised her staff slightly, her fingers tightening around it.
"I feel it too."
For a brief moment—
everything froze.
Then—
A deep, low growl echoed through the forest.
Not from one direction.
From all around them.
The ground trembled faintly.
Branches shook.
And from the shadows between the trees…
it emerged.
A massive creature stepped into the dim light.
It stood taller than a man.
Its body was covered in dark, coarse fur, but patches of its skin looked twisted—almost as if something unnatural had corrupted it. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and its claws dug into the ground as it moved forward.
Then another appeared.
And another.
Within seconds—
they were surrounded.
Elara whispered,
"These aren't normal beasts…"
Jay's voice was calm.
"No. They're corrupted."
The creatures began circling them slowly.
Their movements were unnatural.
Jerky.
Unpredictable.
As if something inside them was forcing their bodies to move.
Elara stepped slightly closer to Jay.
"There's too many…"
Jay's eyes narrowed.
"Then we don't fight them all."
Elara looked at him.
"What do you mean—"
Before she could finish—
one of the creatures lunged forward.
Fast.
Too fast for its size.
Elara reacted instantly.
She raised her staff and a glowing blue barrier formed in front of her.
BOOM!
The creature slammed into the barrier and was thrown back.
But two more rushed in from the sides.
Jay moved.
His body blurred.
He stepped forward and grabbed one creature's arm mid-attack, twisting it violently and throwing it into another.
But more were coming.
From every direction.
Elara shouted,
"There are at least ten of them!"
Jay's voice remained steady.
"Then we break through."
Another beast leaped toward him.
Jay dodged—
but this time, instead of countering directly…
he vanished.
Completely.
Elara's eyes widened.
"He's gone…?"
The beasts stopped for a split second.
Confused.
They growled, their heads turning wildly.
They couldn't sense him.
They couldn't smell him.
The forest itself seemed to have swallowed him.
This was the second time Jay had used it tonight.
Power of Hiddenness.
But this time—
he combined it with something else.
A faint distortion appeared behind one of the beasts.
Then—
FLASH!
Jay appeared instantly behind it.
No movement.
No sound.
Just—
there.
Teleportation.
His blade moved.
A clean strike.
The creature collapsed.
Before the others could react—
he disappeared again.
And reappeared—
to the left.
Then behind another.
Then above a fallen log.
Every time—
a new position.
Every time—
a precise strike.
Elara watched in shock.
"This… this isn't normal movement…"
It wasn't.
Jay wasn't just fast.
He was bending space itself.
Short-distance teleportation.
Not perfect.
Not stable.
But enough.
The creatures grew agitated.
They howled, their red eyes glowing brighter.
One of them suddenly turned toward Elara and charged.
She reacted immediately.
Her staff glowed bright blue.
"Arcane Bind!"
Chains of light shot out from the ground and wrapped around the creature, stopping it mid-lunge.
Another beast jumped from behind.
Elara spun—
"Burst!"
A blast of energy exploded outward, throwing it back.
But even she was struggling now.
There were too many.
And they weren't stopping.
Jay reappeared beside her.
"They're not attacking randomly," he said.
Elara frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jay's eyes moved toward the deeper forest.
"They're being controlled."
At that exact moment—
a louder growl echoed.
Heavier.
Deeper.
The ground shook again.
The smaller creatures suddenly stopped.
Then they stepped aside.
Making a path.
Something bigger was coming.
Elara's grip on her staff tightened.
"...This is bad."
From the darkness—
a massive figure emerged.
It was at least three times larger than the others.
Its body was covered in thick black fur, but dark veins pulsed across its skin, glowing faintly like burning cracks. Its eyes were no longer red—
They were completely black.
Jay stared at it.
"This one…"
Elara whispered,
"That's the source…"
The creature roared.
A deafening sound that shook the trees.
Jay took a step forward.
"Stay back," he said.
Elara looked at him.
"You can't fight that alone—"
Jay didn't respond.
His eyes had changed.
Completely focused.
Completely calm.
The creature charged.
The ground cracked beneath its weight.
Jay didn't move.
Not until the last second.
Then—
he vanished.
The creature crashed forward—
but hit nothing.
Jay reappeared above it.
Mid-air.
His body twisted—
and he drove his blade downward.
CRACK!
The blade struck the creature's back—
but didn't go deep.
Too tough.
Jay landed lightly.
"…Stronger than expected."
The creature turned instantly.
Faster than before.
It swung its massive arm.
Jay teleported—
barely avoiding the strike.
The force shattered a tree behind him.
Elara shouted,
"It's reacting to your position!"
Jay understood.
That meant—
he couldn't rely on teleportation alone.
The creature roared again and charged.
This time—
Jay didn't move away.
Instead—
he activated both abilities at once.
Hiddenness.
His presence vanished.
For a split second—
the creature hesitated.
That hesitation—
was enough.
Jay reappeared directly in front of it.
Closer than before.
His blade moved—
not at its body—
but at its neck.
At the pulsing dark veins.
SLASH!
The blade cut deep.
The creature let out a horrifying roar.
Black blood splattered across the ground.
It staggered—
then collapsed.
The moment it fell—
the smaller creatures froze.
Then one by one—
they dropped to the ground.
Lifeless.
The forest went silent.
Completely silent.
Jay stood still, his breathing steady.
Elara walked closer slowly.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
"That…"
"…wasn't normal."
Jay wiped the blood from his blade.
"No," he said.
"It wasn't."
Elara looked at the dead creature.
Then toward the distant mountains.
Her voice was quiet now.
"If something like that is already here…"
She paused.
Then said,
"Then whatever is in the Ashen Mountains…"
"…is far worse."
Jay looked in the same direction.
His eyes hardened.
"Good."
Elara looked at him.
"…Good?"
Jay turned and began walking again.
"It means I'm getting closer."
The wind moved through the trees again.
Colder than before.
And far away—
deep within the mountains—
something stirred.