Chapter 75 - 74: The forest bite back
The morning passed without incident.
After their brief rest beneath the towering tree, the elderly man pushed himself to his feet with a quiet grunt. The others gathered their belongings almost immediately, tightening the straps on worn backpacks and adjusting the weapons hanging awkwardly from their waists. Nobody suggested lingering. The longer they remained in one place, the greater the chance something would find them.
Without a word, the group resumed walking.
Nina quietly fell back into her usual position near the rear. Not too close to the others. Not far enough to seem detached. The distance had become instinctive, a silent compromise that neither invited trust nor provoked suspicion.
The road changed gradually.
What had begun as a gentle forest trail now sloped steadily upward. Thick roots twisted across the ground like sleeping snakes, forcing everyone to watch their footing. Loose stones rolled beneath tired boots, and every climb seemed to reveal another hill waiting beyond it.
The elderly man leaned more heavily on his walking stick.
One of the women slowed to match his pace without being asked.
Ahead, one of the children stumbled over an exposed root. Before the little girl could fall, her mother caught her by the shoulder and lifted her into her arms with a weary sigh. The child rested her head against her mother’s shoulder without complaint, already too exhausted to protest.
Nobody wasted their breath on conversation.
The only sounds were boots pressing into the earth, uneven breathing, and the steady rustle of leaves overhead whenever the wind found its way through the dense canopy.
As the path climbed higher, Nina noticed more people joining the same road.
Small groups emerged from narrow trails hidden between the trees. Families carrying bundles. Lone survivors gripping whatever weapons they had managed to keep. Strangers who glanced at one another only briefly before fixing their eyes on the climb ahead.
The stream of people grew thicker with every passing hour.
No one greeted the newcomers.
No one asked where they had come from.
Everyone simply merged into the slow procession as though an unspoken understanding bound them together.
Whatever had called them into the wilderness...
It had called many more than Nina had imagined.
A man several paces ahead glanced at the empty sleeve pinned neatly against her side before quickly looking away.
She pretended not to notice.
The road stretched onward, climbing steadily toward higher ground, carrying hundreds of silent hopes with it.
Finally, the teenage boy broke the silence, his voice little more than a tired murmur. "...Feels like everyone’s heading the same way."
No one answered.
They simply kept climbing.
The climb became steeper.
Loose stones rolled beneath worn boots, forcing everyone to watch their footing as the narrow trail wound higher through the forest. The steady stream of refugees stretched far ahead and even farther behind, disappearing around bends in the mountain path.
Nobody complained.
Breathing itself was becoming difficult enough.
The trees grew larger the farther they climbed.
Massive trunks rose dozens of meters into the sky before disappearing beneath an endless canopy of emerald leaves. Thick vines wrapped around them like sleeping serpents, while enormous flowers bloomed from branches that seemed far too high for any ordinary plant.
One of the children pointed upward. "That flower’s bigger than me."
His mother immediately lowered his hand. "Don’t point."
The boy blinked. "Why?"
"I don’t know what it does." That answer was enough.
Nobody touched the flowers.
Nobody touched the strange berries hanging from unfamiliar bushes either. Their deep blue skins glistened invitingly beneath the afternoon light.
A man slowed beside one of the shrubs. "They look edible."
"They also look like a quick way to die," another survivor answered without stopping. The man withdrew his hand immediately.
A few people chuckled quietly.
It was the first genuine laugh Nina had heard all day.
It didn’t last.
The road continued climbing. The air felt different here. Cooler and cleaner.
One of the women took a slow breath. "... At least the air’s nice."
Another shook her head. "Cleaner doesn’t mean safer."
Silence settled over the group again.
Far ahead, another line of refugees merged onto the mountain road. Some carried bundles across their backs. Others supported elderly relatives who struggled to keep pace. Everyone looked exhausted.
Everyone kept walking.
After several more minutes, the teenage boy finally spoke. "What if..." He hesitated before looking toward the distant mountain ahead. "What if that light really was a trap?"
Nobody answered immediately. The question lingered between them.
One of the older men finally shrugged. "Then I’ll see it with my own eyes."
Another survivor gave a tired laugh. "I’d rather die there than behind Tobias’s walls."
Several people quietly nodded.
Not everyone.
One of the women frowned. "What if there’s another Lord waiting?"
"So?"
"So what if they’re just like him?"
Nobody had an answer.
The elderly man in Nina’s group continued walking for several steps before speaking. "Then we’ll judge them ourselves."
Nina listened without saying a word. She understood every side of the conversation.
Hope had brought them onto this road. Distrust kept them from believing too easily.
The mountain path curved sharply around a massive wall of stone.
The forest thickened once more.
Somewhere high above, an unfamiliar bird released a long, haunting cry that echoed through the trees before fading into silence.
Nobody could tell whether it was warning them...
Or warning something else.
Without slowing, the endless procession continued climbing toward the place where the mysterious pillar of light had appeared.
Whatever waited beyond the mountain...
Every step carried them closer to finding out.
The mountain path curved sharply around a massive wall of stone.
The forest thickened once more.
Somewhere high above, an unfamiliar bird released a long, haunting cry that echoed through the trees before fading into silence.
Nobody could tell whether it was warning them...
Or warning something else.
Without slowing, the endless procession continued climbing toward the place where the mysterious pillar of light had appeared.
Whatever waited beyond the mountain...
Every step carried them closer to finding out.
The mountain road grew quieter as the refugees continued their climb.
No one had the energy to keep talking.
The only sounds came from weary footsteps scraping against loose stones, children breathing heavily and the occasional rustle of leaves whenever the afternoon breeze stirred the towering trees.
Then a scream shattered everything.
It echoed through the forest ahead. High, sharp and filled with raw terror.
Every person on the trail stopped instinctively.
Another scream followed almost immediately.
Then another.
Children began crying somewhere farther up the road.
"What happened?" one of the men in Nina’s group asked, gripping the handle of his machete.
Nobody answered.
Nobody knew.
The elderly man frowned as he stared farther up the winding path. "Stay where you are."
His warning barely left his mouth before frightened voices erupted ahead.
"Run!"
"They’re coming!"
"Move!"
The orderly stream of refugees dissolved into chaos.
People came rushing down the mountain path, shoving past anyone standing in their way.
A woman clutched a little girl tightly against her chest while dragging another child by the wrist. An older man stumbled after them, blood running down the side of his forehead. Someone dropped a backpack without even noticing.
"They’re behind us!" a survivor shouted as he sprinted past. "Run!"
Panic spread faster than the words themselves. For one terrifying heartbeat, nobody knew which direction meant safety. Faces twisted with fear as frightened eyes searched the trees, the trail and the strangers beside them. Parents pulled children close enough to hurt, while others tightened their grip on whatever weapon they carried, praying it would be enough this time.
Some people turned to flee downhill.
Others tried forcing their way uphill to see what was happening.
The narrow mountain road became clogged almost instantly.
Shoulders collided. Someone lost their footing and fell, only to be dragged upright by another refugee before the crowd trampled over them.
The teenager in Nina’s group tightened both hands around his spear. "What are we running from?"
Nobody answered him either.
The old man stepped forward, his voice surprisingly steady. "Everyone stay together."
The group instinctively closed ranks around the children.
Nina’s fingers wrapped tightly around the knife at her waist.
Her heartbeat hammered inside her chest.
She still couldn’t see anything.
Only terrified faces.
Only people running.
Then the refugees nearest the front suddenly scattered to both sides of the trail.
Something burst through the trees.
It landed heavily on all fours, claws carving deep grooves into the rocky earth.
Its grey hide rippled beneath layers of thick muscle as yellow eyes swept across the crowd.
A low growl rolled from its throat.
Another monster emerged from the undergrowth.
Then another.
Branches snapped farther inside the forest.
More yellow eyes appeared between the shadows.
Not a Beast Tide.
Just a hunting pack.
Against trained adventurers, they might have been manageable.
Against hundreds of exhausted refugees carrying children and wounded relatives...
They were more than enough.
The first monster lunged.