The common room of the Stone Boar Inn was warm, smelling faintly of roasted boar and fresh bread. Outside, night had swallowed Norhollow whole, the fog thick enough to turn lanterns into dull, orange blurs.
The six of them sat around a small table in the corner. Their drinks sat mostly untouched.
"I'm going back to the marsh tomorrow," Selene said, breaking the silence. "With or without the mayor's permission."
Marcus set his mug down hard enough to make it slosh. "You're still half-stitched from earlier. And if Haldrin sends his own scouts tonight, we'll just get in their way."
"They won't send scouts," Lily muttered. "They'll send grave diggers after whoever they do send."
Rowan leaned back, chair tipping dangerously. "So what? We just leave? Pretend we didn't see it?"
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "We could take the job the guild posted for escorting the grain shipment to Westvale. That keeps us moving, and maybe—"
"No," Selene cut in. "Those things are breeding here. We've all seen what the Dark can do if they spread. We can't just walk away."
"Selene's right," Lily said quietly, eyes down. "We already know they're moving in patterns. If this isn't stopped, Norhollow will be the first of many towns to vanish."
Marcus sighed heavily. "And we're supposed to do it alone?"
The table went quiet.
Ethan stared into his untouched drink. The system's faint hum in the back of his mind hadn't gone away since they left the marsh. He didn't have a new amplification—just that same lingering warning. [Danger proximity: Persistent]
Before he could speak, a distant boom rolled through the night air. The floorboards under their boots trembled.
They were all on their feet instantly. Selene's bow was already in her hands. Marcus grabbed his axe.
"North wall," Rowan said, straining to listen. Another muffled thud followed—closer this time.
The inn's door slammed open and a boy stumbled inside, panting, eyes wide. "Dark things—at the grain store! They—they came out of the fog!"
No one said a word. They didn't have to.
The six of them grabbed their gear and pushed into the night, the fog swallowing them almost immediately. The shouts ahead were sharp, frantic.
By the time they reached the northern edge of the village, they could see shadows moving—fast, low, and too many legs for anything natural.
Ethan's pulse surged.
[EXP Amplification: 12x]
"Better than nothing," he muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.
"Form up!" Marcus barked. "Same as before—don't let them circle us!"
The first shape burst out of the fog—a twisted, spider-like thing with arms where legs should be and its mouth splitting open like rotting cloth.
The battle began.
If you want, I can make Chapter 16 about the fight at the grain store turning ugly when they realize more creatures are slipping past them toward the heart of Norhollow, forcing a split-second decision that could cost lives.