As Dylan had suggested, they burned the corpses. The stench of charred flesh soon filled the entire village, mingling with the putrid reek of dried blood, to the point where they almost regretted their decision.
But after half an hour, they found a secluded spot, not too far from the village, where the air was more or less… breathable. They sat together, Dylan and Maggie in the front, while Élisa began absorbing the anima gems they had collected.
The gems pulsed faintly between her fingers, their energy dissipating into thin blue wisps before being drawn into her skin. Her golden eyes half-closed, her features relaxing slightly—an almost serene expression, were it not for the dried blood spatter still staining her face.
Dylan watched in silence, arms crossed, his back leaning against a tree trunk. Maggie, sitting cross-legged beside him, fiddled with a dagger between her fingers, looking vaguely impatient.
"Does it always take this long?" she murmured, not taking her eyes off Élisa.
Being the one absorbing spiritual essence, Maggie hadn't realized how long it took to fully purify the essence within the body.
"The bigger the gem, the longer it takes," Dylan replied in a low voice. "She took three at once this time. Her body needs to assimilate it."
A shiver suddenly ran through Élisa's shoulders. Her nostrils flared, her fingers briefly tightening around the now-dull gems. Then, as quickly as it had come, the tension faded. She reopened her eyes, the golden gleam in her irises a little brighter than before.
"Well?" Maggie leaned forward.
Élisa took a deep breath before exhaling, a satisfied smile on her lips.
"I did it."
Dylan nodded.
"Good. Because I don't want us lingering here past tomorrow."
Maggie grumbled, tapping the hilt of her dagger against her thigh.
"You really think we'll run into something worse than those hobgoblins?"
"Absolutely!" Dylan and Élisa answered in unison.
The young woman blinked, bewildered. Élisa raised an eyebrow, amused.
"You still haven't figured out how this forest works, have you?"
"Apparently not," Maggie muttered.
Dylan rubbed his face, wiping away one last streak of blood on his cheek.
"The farther we go toward the outskirts, the weirder the creatures get. The hobgoblins were just the appetizer… or at least, that's what I've gathered."
Élisa stretched her arms above her head with a small grunt of satisfaction.
"And you're being generous. Wait until we run into a pack of moon-fangs, or worse, a phantom stalker. Then you'll see what 'weird' really means."
Maggie glared at them in turn, her expression shifting from disbelief to irritation.
"Could you stop talking like we're all going to die tomorrow?"
"We're not going to die," Dylan retorted as he stood up. "We're just going to suffer a little."
"A lot," Élisa corrected with a smile too cheerful for the context.
Maggie shot them a murderous look before getting up herself, aggressively brushing the dust off her clothes.
"I hate you."
"Liar," Élisa sang, pinching her cheek before dodging with a spin, narrowly avoiding the vengeful slap Maggie aimed at her.
Dylan watched their exchange, a faint smile on his lips, before turning his gaze toward the orange glow of the still-smoldering pyres in the distance.
The night was quiet now. Too quiet.
He knew it wouldn't last.
——
The next day, at the first light of dawn, the birds' songs seemed to greet their awakening with a soft murmur, giving the atmosphere a peaceful, almost idyllic quality, like a hike through a tamed forest.
Dylan moved forward, one step after another, his rifle in hand. Élisa walked in the middle, her two daggers discreetly sheathed, while Maggie brought up the rear, her heavy axe swinging slightly at her side. They had already been walking for ten minutes since leaving their camp from the night before.
All three of them knew they had to leave this area before hunting hour arrived.
The forest, though seemingly calm, fooled no one. Dylan scanned the shadows between the trees, ears sharp. Maggie, despite her grumpy demeanor, didn't let her guard down, her fingers tightening and loosening around the haft of her axe. Élisa, meanwhile, seemed almost relaxed, but her pointed ears twitched at every suspicious rustle.
"We should take a break," Maggie suddenly muttered, glancing behind her.
Dylan slowed but didn't stop.
"Why?"
"Just got a feeling we're being followed."
Élisa turned her head slowly, her golden eyes sweeping the surrounding underbrush.
"Not yet."
"'Not yet'?" Maggie repeated, tone dry.
"Yeah. We're being watched, but not hunted." Élisa shrugged. "For now."
Dylan clenched his jaw. "For now." Always that damn nuance.
He adjusted the strap of his rifle, feeling the weight of the weapon against his shoulder. According to Élisa, they weren't far from the treeline. "Just a few more hours, maybe."
But in this forest, a few hours was an eternity.
A sharp crack echoed from somewhere to their left.
A little too close for comfort.
All three froze.
Dylan slowly raised his hand in a silent gesture, signaling them not to move.
The leaves trembled.
Then… nothing.
A long silence settled, thick with tension.
Maggie was barely breathing. Élisa, motionless, had dilated pupils, scanning the darkness between the trees.
And then—
A massive beast suddenly emerged.
Large as a wolf, but with a grotesquely oversized maw bristling with yellowed fangs. Its black fur was streaked with scars, and its eyes—glassy, bloodshot orbs—were fixed on them with ravenous hunger.
Dylan cursed under his breath.
"Damn it, already?!"
The enormous beast began circling them, thick saliva dripping from its jaws.
Dylan tried to move.
"Don't run," Élisa said calmly. "They love the chase."
She slid a step to the side, her blades crossed in front of her.
"And they always hunt in packs."
A second growl answered from somewhere behind them.
Then a third.
Maggie tightened her grip on her axe.
"...We're surrounded."
Élisa smirked, humorless.
"Welcome to the forest."
The first monster charged.
Dylan pulled the trigger, unleashing carnage around him. The rifle's roar shattered the forest's false calm as the first bullet tore through the beast's shoulder, spraying blackened blood across the moss.
Maggie lunged forward with a guttural cry, her axe carving a deadly arc through the air. The blade bit deep into a second creature's flank, splitting fur and flesh with a wet crunch. The beast howled, twisted—but she was already wrenching her weapon free, spinning to meet the next attacker.
Élisa moved like liquid shadow, her daggers flashing. One blade slit a moon-fang's throat mid-leap, while the other buried itself to the hilt in a third creature's eye socket. She ripped it free with a flick of her wrist, dark ichor splattering the ferns as the monster collapsed.
"Back to back!" Dylan barked, ejecting the spent cartridge with a sharp click. The metallic scent of gunpowder mixed with the coppery stink of blood as he fired again. A fourth beast's skull exploded like overripe fruit.
They formed a tight triangle, weapons glinting under the dappled forest light. The pack circled, snarling, but their initial frenzy had turned wary. One of the creatures—larger than the rest, with a jagged scar across its muzzle—let out a low, rumbling growl.
Élisa wiped her dagger on her thigh, grinning. "See, Maggie? Told you they were friendly."
Maggie spat to the side, hefting her axe. "Fuck your definition of friendly."
And finally the alpha charged.