Chapter 13: whispers of unrest.
At the same time Seth prepared to go on his night hunt, beyond the forest but not quite in the city, the half-moon bathed the barren earth in a pale glow.
There, five figures—three men and two women—fought desperately against a centipede-like monster.
The beast was a nightmare made flesh: four feet tall, twenty-five feet long, its black exoskeleton gleaming under the moonlight, dozens of legs skittering with terrifying speed. Its mandibles clicked, shrill and sharp, as though mocking the humans who stood in its way.
Despite being outnumbered five to one, the monster held its ground.
Clang!
Dax's axe rang out uselessly, the vibration rattling his bones as the blade bounced off the centipede's armored flank. His hands went numb. Gritting his teeth, he staggered back just in time as the beast snapped its head around, mandibles carving a gouge into the dirt where he had stood.
"Damn it!" Dax spat, tightening his grip.
"Move!" Felix, the leader, dashed past him, sword flashing. He went low, aiming for the softer joints between segments—but the centipede twisted, lifting half its length into the air. Then, with horrifying speed, it brought its body down like a massive whip.
The world slowed. Felix's eyes widened. If that blow landed, it would leave him half dead at the very least.
A hiss of air. A spinning arrow sliced past his shoulder and struck the beast mid-swing, carrying enough force to divert its aim just enough for Felix to roll clear. Dirt and rock exploded where he had been.
Felix glanced back, breathless but alive. Lily, the archer, already had another arrow nocked, her pale face focused, jaw clenched. He nodded his thanks before springing forward again.
The centipede lunged, mandibles snapping like guillotines. Sarah, gauntlets glowing faintly with energy, ducked beneath and drove a punch into its side. Crack! A line fractured along one plated segment. The beast shrieked, rearing violently.
"Now!" she shouted.
Roland, the dagger wielder, seized the moment. He sprinted, vaulted onto the thrashing body, and clung on like a shadow. Twin blades—dripping with green venom—stabbed deep into the crack Sarah had made. He dragged them down the length of the centipede, carving sizzling flesh beneath the armor.
The monster writhed furiously, rolling and smashing itself into the ground to dislodge him. Roland was flung off with brutal force, tumbling across the dirt but leaving a trail of poisoned ruin in his wake.
The fight shifted. The centipede's movements grew erratic. Its once blindingly fast strikes started to falter, each segment twitching as the venom ate away at its innards.
"Keep pushing!" Felix barked.
Sarah hammered its head with another gauntleted strike, dazing it. Dax roared and charged, his axe finally finding purchase. With a brutal downward swing, he buried it deep into the softened chitin of its skull. Black ichor sprayed.
The beast shrieked one final time, flailing weakly. A few more savage blows widened the wound until its glowing core pulsed beneath. Felix drove his sword in, ripping the crystal free. The centipede convulsed—and then collapsed with a thunderous crash, ichor pooling around their boots.
For a moment, silence.
Then—laughter.
Exhausted, the five dropped to the ground. Shoulders heaved, breaths came ragged, but they laughed all the same. Not with joy, but with the shaky relief of the barely-survivors.
"That was… insane," Dax wheezed, wiping ichor from his face.
"Insane's one word for it," Roland muttered, pressing a hand against his bruised ribs.
"7th fight today," Sarah said bitterly, "and they're getting more aggressive. Something's wrong out here."
Felix's expression tightened. He didn't answer, just moved toward the corpse to loot its plating. But before he could touch it—
The night split with screeches.
Not one. Not two. Five.
The group froze, turning toward the forest.
Dust clouds rose, faint under the moonlight, but the source became clear. More centipedes—five of them, their segmented bodies blurring across the earth. Two smaller, three full-grown. Their speed was terrifying; their bodies skittered so fast that if Seth had been there, he would've seen only streaking afterimages.
Felix's voice cut sharp and immediate: "Retreat! NOW!"
They ran. No one argued.
The dead centipede was abandoned as they bolted across the barren earth, boots pounding. The ground itself seemed to tremble as their pursuers closed in, mandibles clashing like war drums.
Their saving grace: the centipedes prioritized defense over speed, their heavy plating slowing them just enough. Still, the gap was closing.
Finally, breathless, they reached the minor hill. Their hover bikes waited—sleek frames, twin thrusters humming faintly in the moonlight.
One by one they leapt on, activating the engines. A low hum filled the air as the bikes hovered two feet off the ground. The thrusters spun faster—faster—until the air split.
Whoosh.
The five vanished in a blur, shooting forward at near-sonic speed.
Behind them, the pursuing centipedes skittered to a halt, their furious screeches echoing into the night sky.
The adventurers did not stop until the glowing walls of the city loomed before them. Relief surged through their veins as they flashed their crystal plaques at the gate scanner.
The shimmering barrier rippled, then parted. They sped inside, leaving the nightmarish wilderness behind as the gate sealed shut once more.
The city's neon glow greeted them like a dream. Towering white buildings, luminous billboards, flying vehicles streaking overhead—civilization in all its glory.
They slowed only when they reached their destination: a sprawling white complex that stretched wide across the district, its front emblazoned with the massive symbol of an—A.
Beneath it, in bold letters: The Adventurer Organization.
The plaza outside teemed with people, and inside was no different. Noise filled the vast hall, warriors battered and bloodied, some missing limbs, others missing comrades entirely.
The five shared a glance. They weren't the only ones nearly swallowed alive by the wilderness tonight it seems.
But for now—they were alive. And that was enough.