The Huntsman Of Death:A Gamer's POV As Side Character

The air grew heavy as Freya gripped her sword tightly. With a sudden burst of power, she dashed forward, her speed leaving faint afterimages in her wake.

The lightning wolf, sensing danger, tried to leap away, but it was too late. Freya's charge was unstoppable.

Raising her massive sword high, she brought it down with a ferocity that could shatter stone. The blade slammed into the wolf's side like a battering ram, the force of her strike creating a sharp gust of wind that tore through the wolf.

BOOM!

The wolf's body exploded into pieces, its blood and flesh scattering across the clearing. A faint mist hung in the air, settling as the echoes of the blast faded away. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ashton dusted himself off, muttering something to himself. I glanced at him, my thoughts swirling.

Ashton is probably at the level of an Acolyte now. This fight will light a fire in him. But with me changing the flow of events, I don't know if the path he's meant to take will remain intact.

My gaze shifted briefly to Freya. She was jumping around, clearly annoyed as she tried to shake off the blood and gore that clung to her.

"Eww! So disgusting!" she exclaimed, wiping furiously at her clothes.

She froze when she noticed me watching her and scowled. "What?"

I ignored her, turning to Ashton. "She could work as a mage."

Freya's eyes narrowed as she turned to me, her voice sharp. "Excuse me?"

I shrugged, brushing off her irritation. "Buckle up. We still have some time left."

Checking my watch, I added, "It's half past four. We've got an hour before the hunt ends. Should we keep going, or conserve our strength?"

"Hunt more," Ashton suggested, glancing around. "The evaluators are definitely watching us. Better scores mean better assessments."

I turned to Talia, who stayed silent as usual, her eyes focused and thoughtful. Freya, meanwhile, looked like she wanted to scream as she kept wiping at her bloodstained gear.

"No," I said, cutting through their chatter. "Let's stop fighting."

Ashton frowned. "Why?"

Instead of answering directly, I asked him, "Don't you think something feels… off?"

"Off? What do you mean?" Ashton asked, his tone cautious.

Talia's ears perked up, and she glanced at me, clearly curious.

I pointed toward the horizon. "The sun. It sets around seven, right? We've still got two hours, but look."

Ashton turned to look and froze. The sun was much lower than it should have been, almost touching the horizon. He frowned, clearly unsettled.

"It's because of the fog," I said, scanning the area. "The refraction from the fog makes it look like the sun is setting earlier."

"Fog?" Freya sneered, crossing her arms. "Where is this fog? Are you sure you're not imagining things?"

I stopped mid-sentence, my voice dropping. "It's already here."

"What?!" Freya shouted, her voice sharp with disbelief.

The mist that had hung faintly before now thickened, curling around us like a silent predator. It was no longer a question of if—it was here. And we were surrounded.

...

The forest seemed to press in on the small group, each step sinking them deeper into a heavy, suffocating darkness. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their twisted branches clawing at the dim sky, while faint whispers of the wind carried unsettling rustles from the shadows. The ground beneath their feet was damp and uneven, littered with decayed leaves and patches of dark, slimy moss that oozed a faintly putrid smell.

"Why did it get so dark all of a sudden?" one of the cadets whispered, his voice trembling.

"This place is terrifying," another muttered, clutching their weapon tightly.

"Stop acting like scared little rats," Sam sneered, turning to glare at them. His expression twisted with contempt. "Oh, I forgot—you're just pathetic commoners who grovel at the feet of those born better than you."

The cadets flinched but didn't respond. Sam clicked his tongue in disgust. "A little darkness and you all turn into cowards. It's embarrassing."

"But, Sir Sa—"

"I said call me Master!" Sam barked, stomping his foot for emphasis. His voice echoed faintly, swallowed quickly by the oppressive silence of the forest.

The cadets lowered their heads, their fear of him overshadowed only by the dread that hung in the air around them.

Suddenly, one of them gasped and pointed a shaking finger. "Master Sam! Behind you!"

Sam spun around, drawing his sword just in time to meet a shadowy figure lunging at him.

CRUNG!

The blade drove through the beast's muzzle, pinning it to the ground with a sickening squelch. Sam smirked, wiping sweat from his brow.

"See? Nothing to worry about," he said arrogantly, turning back to the others. "I've got everything under control. I'm—"

"KIRK!"

His words turned into a strangled scream as the pinned beast began to move. Its maw, despite being skewered, twisted and widened unnaturally, its flesh tearing open to reveal jagged rows of exposed bone. With a sickening crunch, the beast snapped its paw free from the ground, leaving the pinned remains of its limb behind.

The cadets froze in horror as the creature reared up. Its half-torn face exposed the glistening interior of its skull, a grotesque mixture of muscle and sinew. Its remaining eye burned with an eerie green light that seemed to pulse with malice.

"Arghhh!" Sam screamed as the creature lunged. Its skeletal maw clamped down on his shoulder, its exposed teeth sinking into flesh. Before he could react, a massive claw slammed into his chest, pinning him to the ground with brutal force.

"Sav...Sav…" Sam gasped, blood bubbling from his lips as his struggles weakened.

The cadets screamed in terror. Two of them turned and bolted without a second thought, shoving past the third in their frantic escape. The remaining cadet fell backward, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" he shouted after them, but they were gone, swallowed by the shadows.

He turned, trying to scramble to his feet, but froze as a massive shadow loomed over him. The beast stepped forward, its grotesque, half-missing face illuminated by the faint glow of its fiery green eye. Its gaping maw, a horrifying mix of bone and torn flesh, opened impossibly wide as it growled low and menacingly.

The cadet's breath hitched. Paralyzed by fear, he could only stare into the creature's burning gaze as it stepped closer.