Mors pushed himself to his feet, goosebumps prickling his skin. "Damn it..." he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning the fallen creature. "We barely managed to kill this one."
Price gritted his teeth, drawing his sword. He leaned in close, whispering. "Everyone surround Brandon and Mors. Brandon's ability should be coming back soon, and Mors hasn't figured out his yet."
The group shifted, pressing together with their backs to one another, forming a tight circle. From the forest, the creatures emerged, each step thudding on the ground like the beat of a war drum.
Rain nocked an arrow, her fingers shaky as she pulled the string back. "There has to be at least a hundred... What are we supposed to do...?"
Price growled, his grip tightening around the sword until his knuckles turned white. He steadied his stance, voice low but firm. "As long as we can hold out until Brandon gets his ability back, we'll survive... if not, we're all dead." The weight of his words hung in the air. "Hope, back me up."
Hope clutched the hem of his shirt, her body trembling as tears streaked down her face. "I..." She sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I don't want to die..."
Price's face flushed, his muscles coiling as he clenched his jaw. "We will not die today!" His shout rang out, sharp and full of defiance. "Attack!"
Arrows flew through the air, piercing trees, deer, and the leaves. Rain drew her bow back, arms shaking harder as she fired more.
Price sprinted from the circle, his sword slicing through the air, the blood of the deer spilling in his wake. He dove to the side just as another deer charged, slashing its ankle. The creature collapsed, thrashing on the ground.
Jack conjured his goodie bag, shaking it furiously. "Huh..." The bag made a slot machine sound as it cycled through four flashing colors. "What the hell am I supposed to use this for?"
The bag landed on the green color, its smiling face shifting into a four-leaf clover. Then, with a sudden burst, it exploded in a puff of green smoke just as a deer charged toward him.
The deer's heavy steps shook the ground, its breath steaming as it charged at Jack, who stumbled backward. Shaking, Jack raised his spear, tears welling in his eyes.
The deer opened its mouth, jaws extending like a goblin shark's, but it tripped over the root of a tree. The creature tumbled forward, its bones snapping with sickening cracks until its face slid into the spear.
The color drained from Jack's face as he gripped his head. "Damn it... why the hell do I have a headache?"
Brandon grabbed the back of Jack's shirt, yanking him off the ground and away from the oncoming deer. "Jack, we don't have time for this! We have to protect the kid!"
Brandon's knuckles turned white as the spear sliced through the air, relieving one of the deer of the weight of its head.
Jack gripped his spear lodged in the deer's skull and pulled with all his strength, managing only to lift its head. The stampede tripped over the antlers of their fallen brethren, stumbling to the ground and letting out screeches as their bones crunched.
Brandon's hand pounded Jack's back as he let out a nervous laugh. "You lucky son of a bitch."
Hope chased behind Price, who was surrounded. The aura from her wings barely kept him alive. "Jack!"
Price looked at Hope, a smile crossing his face. "We'll be fine..." His sword dropped to the ground as a sword of light appeared in its place.
The sword was smoking, its hum reverberating loud enough to shake the leaves on the ground. The light illuminated the dense forest, as if a sun had just descended.
Hope's aura seeped into him, slowly healing his wounds as the deer backed up. The light from their antlers dimmed as a wall of light appeared in front of them.
"That won't be enough to save you..." Price's arm arced through the air, leaving behind a beam of destruction. The light walls shattered as the slices of light cut through them—and their creators.
Corpses piled on the ground as Price danced with his sword, but the light dimmed and then vanished.
Price turned around as a stampede of deer charged toward him. He gazed into Hope's eyes. "At least I tried..."
Mors watched in horror as Price's golden sword vanished, with not even half of the deer having been killed. 'Damnit... we need to hold out for Brandon's ability, but we're out of time...'
Price lifted the crying Hope and sprinted back toward the group. Each step, he let out louder gasps until he crumpled to the ground at Mors's feet.
Rain drew a short sword, tossing her empty quiver aside. Her face hardened as the deer charged, but tears welled in her eyes, the thunderous stomps of the stampede shaking the ground beneath her.
Brandon stepped forward, fire erupting from his body as he let out a fierce yell. He thrust his arms toward the charging creatures, unleashing a massive wave of flames that incinerated everything in its path—everything but the group.
The stench of charred flesh wafted through the air, filling everyone's nostrils. Hope's stomach churned as her gaze lingered on one of the scorched deer.
Brandon extinguished the flames engulfing his body, his form returning to normal as he rushed toward the group. Panting heavily, he pointed toward the rope.
Brandon stumbled toward Price, coughing violently. "Hurry..." he rasped, his voice breaking as another fit of coughs wracked his body. "Before Karn..."
The ancient trees quaked, their leaves shivering as a chilling roar echoed through the forest. The earth trembled beneath a massive rumble of footsteps, each one louder and more menacing than the last.
Price snatched up the rope and dove toward the nearest charred deer corpse, swiftly wrapping it around its ankles.
Price moved from one deer to the next, gathering whatever he could. The snapping of footsteps and the heavy breaths of a beast grew louder with each passing second.
Sweating bullets, Price's voice grew stronger with every word. "Grab one! Brandon and I will grab two!"
The group sprang into action, grabbing the deer. Their calves burned as they hauled as many as they could, sprinting toward the cave.
Price wheezed, his hands bleeding from gripping the deer's ropes too tightly. "How did you know Karn was going to come?"
Brandon stopped, collapsing to his hands and knees as the sounds of Karn faded. "From what Mors told me..." His voice barely escaped in a whisper. "It seems to be attracted to loud noises and destruction..."
Mors glanced at Jack, who was laughing and brimming with energy. "Dude, what the hell was your ability...?"
Jack sat down, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I don't know. I shook it, and then it exploded. But afterward, I had a headache."
Mors looked at him enviously, pinching his nose. "I'm envious, to be honest. At least you have an ability."
"I know, but doesn't everyone have an ability?"
"I mean, only a few of us in the group haven't gotten one yet, so maybe. How did you even activate it? I keep trying, but nothing is happening."
Jack laughed, scratching his head as he looked away. "Honestly, I just think... um, are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes."
"Well, I just think about the high I got from gambling. Every coin I put into the machine, every noise it made when spinning... I was reminiscing about it yesterday, and the bag appeared."
The group groaned as the cave came into sight. The other members of the group bolted out to help the beaten and battered ones back into safety.
One of the men from the group shouted, "Are you okay, Brandon?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... We can make it back. Can you guys take the deer back to the cave for us?" Brandon sat down, laying the two deer in front of him.
The man shouted, saluting. "Sir, yes sir!"
Brandon's face turned red as he tried to hide it behind his hands. The group worked together to carry the carcasses back to the cave.
Lying on the cool floor, Mors let out a sigh. The pungent smell clinging to his body burned his nose with every breath he took.
Gustav laughed as he cut into the deer, salvaging what he could. Each slice revealed more of the already cooked meat, the smell washing away the bad memories.
Mors smiled.
An older woman from the group walked over and sat beside him. "Hey, kiddo. We haven't met yet. My name's ... It seems i can't remember. What's yours?"
Mors looked at the woman, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'm Mors. Pleased to meet you."
A worried look crossed her wrinkled face. "Are you okay, young man? Did something bad happen?"
Mors sighed, clenching his fists. "It always does."
The woman leaned back against the cavern wall, staring at the puddle floating on the ceiling. "It hasn't been all bad."
"I was in school, preparing to go to college..." Mors sighed, tears welling up in his eyes. "My friends and I were all going to the same school to escape the city..."
The woman handed him some meat, laid on a shard of the burnt lizard's scale. "I had family that died to the World Destroyer."
Mors crumpled as the old woman embraced him, his tears pooling on her shoulder as he wept. Her old, frail hands patted his back rhythmically, slowly calming him down.
His eyes softened as he looked at the wrinkled woman. "My parents died when I was younger; they were all I had. Then my friends came along."
The woman leaned back, a grin spreading across her face. "I used to have parents too, but that was a long time ago."
"I'm sorry..."
The woman glanced back at him, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "People come and go. It's something I've learned to accept."
"but..."
The woman raised a hand, silencing Mors. "No buts." She coughed hard, stirring up a small cloud of dust. "Life is short, boy. My time is nearing its end too. At least let me teach you a few things."
Mors slid the meat into his mouth, its bland flavor spreading across his tongue. A tear rolled down his cheek. His stomach growled as he reached for bite after bite, devouring the old woman's gift until nothing was left.
Brandon stood, confidence radiating from him and lifting the spirits of everyone around. "It's time to discuss our next move."