The marshland stank of stagnant water and decay. Each step sank ankle-deep into black mud, and the mist clung to their skin like wet cloth. The only sounds were the squelch of boots and the occasional croak of some unseen creature.
Ethan kept his hand on his sword, eyes sweeping the gray haze ahead. The shapes they'd seen from the ridge had disappeared into the fog, but the sense of being watched hadn't left.
"Feels like walking into a trap," Rowan muttered, wiping muck off his knuckles.
"It is a trap," Selene said, voice clipped. "The question is whether it's meant for us or anything that enters their territory."
Lily raised her bow, scanning the reeds. "Does it matter? Either way, they'll know we're here soon."
The first attack came from below.
A mass of tentacles—slick, mottled with green and black—shot out of the water, wrapping around Marcus's leg and yanking him off balance.
"Marcus!" Ethan lunged forward, slicing one of the tendrils clean through. The thing screeched, the sound bubbling up from beneath the surface, before retreating into the water with a violent splash.
"Not all the same type," Marcus grunted, hauling himself up. "That wasn't like the gorilla-thing from before."
"No," Ethan agreed, glancing at the rippling water. "And it's not alone."
A shadow loomed ahead—tall, hunched, with a jutting jaw and too many teeth for its narrow head. Behind it, something crawled sideways, spider-like, with a body as big as a cart.
The fog shifted, and suddenly Ethan saw all six of them. Each was different—mutated in its own nightmarish way.
[System Alert: Dark Creatures Detected.]
[Calculating EXP Amplification…]
[Amplification: x2]
Ethan's stomach sank. Two. Seriously?
[Acknowledged. You have received a 2x EXP amplification.]
"Ethan!" Rowan's shout snapped him back as the hunched creature charged. Ethan met it head-on, steel clanging against claws that sparked with some oily substance.
Selene hurled a firebolt at the spider-like one, but its carapace absorbed the heat, steam rising in the cold air. Lily's arrow found a joint in its legs, slowing it just enough for Rowan to smash it aside with a gauntleted fist.
Marcus took on the tentacled one as it re-emerged, shield braced against the whipping strikes.
Ethan was forced back step by step, his blade heavy in his hand. Normally, a decent amplification gave him the edge—extra strength, sharper reflexes. But now… now it was just him and the creature, and it was stronger.
The fight dissolved into chaos. Mud sucked at their feet, fog blurred their vision. Ethan barely dodged a swipe from a second creature, only for the hunched one to slam into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs.
Lily's voice cut through the noise. "Ethan, down!"
He dropped instinctively, and her arrow sang past his ear, burying itself in the creature's eye. It screamed and staggered back, giving Ethan enough time to drive his sword into its chest.
The moment it collapsed, the tentacled one wrapped around Rowan, yanking him into the water. Marcus dove in after him without hesitation.
By the time the last creature fell, they were all bleeding, breathless, and covered in muck.
Ethan stood over the hunched corpse, chest heaving. He didn't feel stronger. He didn't feel victorious. He just felt… drained.
[EXP Received: 2x Amplification Applied.]
[Warning: Prolonged exposure to marsh toxins detected.]
He ignored the system. The others were regrouping, weapons hanging limp in their hands.
"This isn't random," Ethan said finally. "Six different creatures, same location… this was coordinated."
Selene's eyes narrowed. "And if they're coordinating, someone—or something—is leading them."
Ethan didn't say it out loud, but the thought settled in his chest like a stone. This wasn't just a threat. It was a warning.