The soul creatures scratched against my armor, causing my mind to roil from the contact. Their powers swaying my will, forgetting myself for the briefest of moments before I awoke, cleaving whatever beast held me in the dark with a strike that left a sickening sound in my ears. 

Hearing a shriek of fear in the dark as the rest of the group recoiled, surprised to see my retaliation. The mark of a predator that relies on the cooperation of their willing prey. 

Having a bit of space to breath, I fumbling down on the ground. Searching for the slain creature with my hands in the absence of light. Using [inventory] to retrieve the corpse, finally seeing its figure illuminated by the mental space of my skill.

The creature was short and ugly, almost goblin-like in appearance, but with a far more skinnier frame and dull black skin. Long fingers that turned to needle-like nails at the end. The head was large with virtually no neck to speak of, and it had eyes as large as saucers almost entirely black with oversized pupils. Apparently well adapted to living in the dark. 

At least I knew what I was dealing with... fighting completely blind as I listened to the howling of the enraged pack in the dark as they circled. 

The compulsion to surrender began anew, gritting my teeth while I waited for their magic to fade.

Hearing a shuffling as the monsters closed towards me again, straining my ears to their limit. Waiting for the first strike. One that never came. 

*ruffle*

The sound of a dragging body from behind me. Confusion and complacency filling my mind for a split second before my eyes lit up in anger at the realization that they were going for Tristan. Swinging blindly in the dark cutting through another one of the soul disturbing beast. 

They weren't trying to fight me... they wanted to take the easy meal and run. 

Trying to feel on the ground for where I had left his body, but finding nothing. Panic setting in when I realized they must be carrying him. Straining my ears to the max, honing in on the nearest sounds of movement. Moving as fast as I could and slashing my blade through where I expected it to be. Cutting through another of the creatures, much slower than I was, but having the advantage of the cover of darkness. 

Grabbing at the ground trying to find Tristan, but realizing this wasn't the one carrying him. Listening to the angry chatter around me, my own anger rushing into my ears as they tried to flee. Honing in on the largest cluster that I could pick up. They were too small, they couldn't easily carry him away like that without collaborating. 

Dashing forward, and meeting enraged screeches. The creatures had terrifying abilities, but they mitigated their own natural abilities with their low intelligence. Giving away their own positions so easily. 

Even so, I overshot their positions. Tripping over one directly before I even began to swing, falling flat on my face with all of my force behind it. My helmet smashing into my mouth, an iron taste on my tongue. 

The creatures went into a frenzy, stabbing and breaking their needle-like claws against my armor as I lay on the ground. Rolling over and grabbing one of the beasts before pulling it onto my blade. Needle like hands scratching against the visor on my helmet, as one tried to get through what was my biggest weak point. My mental state vanishing for long enough that when I awoke I could feel the claws prickling on my skin, just below the eye. Reacting with a panic as I swung my arm with a sweep from the small round shield I had strapped to my forearm, snapping off its thin fingers caught in the visor.  Grappling with the monster as it tried to recoil away in pain. Grabbing what felt like its neck, I squeezed as hard as I could manage, stabbing with my sword-hand repeatedly until the beast's gurgling stopped. 

The other monsters retreating again with chatter. 

I searched the ground desperately, only after finding Tristan did I relax enough to breathe. Hearing the creatures take their distance once more, upset that their second attempt had similarly failed, their foot steps retreating further into the night, turning their focus back towards the other group we had left behind. 

The influence of the creature's magic disappearing along with their presence. A sinking feeling forming in my gut now that I realized what fate I had abandoned those men to. Hearing the monsters shrieks in the distance. 

Picking up Tristan over my shoulder, I continued through the forest as fast as I could in the pitch black night. The darkness was unnatural... or rather supernatural. There should have been at least some light making it through from the stars and moon above, but looking above me I couldn't see anything but darkness. The canopy that I remembered from the day time wasn't nearly dense enough to account for this.

It unnerved me so much that I picked up speed again, stumbling blind through the dark, running into trees but shrugging off the pain, afraid that the monsters would decide to come back, or something worse finding me. 

To my relief, the forest in front of me broke.

The path opening in what revealed an ocean of tallgrass. After spending time inside the dark of the forest, it was like entering a world of light. The normally golden colored strands of grass glowing pale in the moonlight, my emotions bursting forward like a damn, enough that I felt tears wetting my cheeks.

Just glad to be alive for the time being, finding a bit of peace in the light of the moon and stars above. 

Taking off through the grass now that I had my vision restored, no obstacles to worry about. Weighed down slightly by having to carry dead weight of a heavily armored body, but feeling as light as I ever had in my life. Adrenaline still pumping in my ears. 

Passing through a colony of sleeping muck rats, scaring them half to death as they scurried about, fleeing and squealing. Running on, their voices faded in the distance. 

The wall of the city visible in the distance, torches illuminating the small gateway. 

I gave a shout when I was near, seeing the two guards peek their heads over the wall from behind their turret. 

Kaguro

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