The pale light of the moon was nothing more than a dull grey smear behind thick clouds and curling mist. As the fog refused to lift, hugging the twisted trunks of dead trees like pale vines, suffocating the forest in silence.
As the team left the old cabin carrying the weapons they had found inside, they made their way towards their destination and soon found a narrow uneven path that vanished into the thick grey mist. Following it they reached the entrance of the Ashen Pine forest bracing themselves for whatever waited ahead.
The trees on either side were spaced wide apart while their bare branches twisted and tangled like old broken bone and dead leaves covered the ground and it looked as if no one had walked here in a long time.The air was colder at the edge of the forest and carried the damp and musty smell of wet earth. When his team was stepping between the trees it felt like crossing into another place that was quiet, empty and not meant for visitors.
As James pushed forward along with his team close behind through the thick forest as the twisted branches brushing against his sleeves while his shoes crunched softly on the dry, dead leaves covering the ground. With each step deeper into the Ashen Pines, it felt more and more like walking through someone else's grave as he looks at the bare trees standing like quiet watchers in the mist.
They all moved in single file with Li Jiang leading the way then Qin Juan followed behind him and Li Mei came next with James at the rear as they kept their weapons ready and their eyes constantly scanning the fog.
Everyone could feel it that something was wrong in the air. The whispering was no longer just around them but hidden in the fog curling between the branches and brushing against his skin like invisible fingers.
"Stay sharp." Li Jiang murmured and his voice was low and steady. "This forest is not empty."
As if answering his words a branch snapped somewhere deeper in the mist. It was not a falling twig but the clear sound of a footstep
They froze instantly.
As soon as they froze James's heart was beating in his chest, quickly.
"Movement." Li Mei whispered and her voice was barely more than a breath. "Through the trees on the righ."
"It could be the beast." Qin Juan muttered under her breath.
Li Jiang's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed "It could be worse."
They moved forward carefully with the map burned into their memories and the Hollow Vale still at least a mile ahead through the shifting maze of twisted pines that seemed to move with the fog.
But they weren't alone.
Elsewhere, Not Far Behind
Kellan crouched beside a half-buried stone and brushed the dirt away with his fingers. On the ground near a tree that looked like it had burnt roots a faint small round shape began to appear and it gave off a soft glow as the dirt cleared. It was a warning formation faded by time and left behind by formation masters who must have placed it here to watch for anyone entering the forest.
"We're close." he said softly.
Rye grinned behind him, flipping his knife lazily. "I can hear them moving."
"You hear everything." Mora muttered.
He just winked at her and she round her eyes, with her arms folded.
Ahead of them, curling around the trees, were faint footprints in the soft dirt. Fresh. Too fresh to be anyone else.
"Let's cut them off upfront." Kellan ordered. "We'll hit them before they get to the Hollow Vale."
"And if the three-headed freak shows up early?" Mora asked, cracking her knuckles with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Kellan's smirk was sharp and cold "Then we'll use it to kill them for us."
The three of them moved like wolves, silent and sure, weaving through the fog.
Back with James and the Others
The Trees with their twisted limbs woven so tightly together that barely any light passed through over their heads. The air grew colder, thinner, like the forest itself wanted to push them back.
Then they heard it a deep warning growl echoing through the silence Ashen Pine Forest making them feel like the earth was vibrating.
It was neither human nor part of the fog but it was something else entirely.
James instinctively stepped closer to Li Mei as the growl deepened, between the trunks like thunder coming from the direction of the Hollow Vale.
Then came another sound quiet but clear and it sounded like footsteps approaching from behind them.
James turned sharply as figures appeared in the fog moving fast and they weren't beasts.
"Company!" Li Jiang's voice cut through the silence.
Through the swirling mist three dark shapes appeared and they were Kellan Rye and Mora swift and like skilled hunters ready to spring a trap.
Rye's blade caught the light with a red gleam while Mora stood with her fists clenched and her knuckles cracking like snapping bones. Kellan, calm as ever, stood just far enough to hold James's gaze steady.
"I guess we finally meet." Kellan called softly, voice carrying eerily well through the fog "Funny how these things work out."
James had a confussed look on his face "Who the hell are you?"
Rye grinned wide "We're the ones who came to collect your head, friend."
Li Jiang raised his sword "Then you chose the wrong day." But before either side could make the first move.
The growl behind them erupted into a deafening roar. As the trees shook and the fog ripped apart at the side of them it suddenly revealed three massive heads, jaws snapping, eyes glowing faint green, emerging from the veil of mist like a living nightmare.
The three-headed beast revealed itself before them, standing on four legs and roughly the size of an average man. Its middle head was that of a lion with a thick mane while the left was a snarling wolf and the right was a spotted leopard. Each mouth was filled with rows of jagged white teeth that caught the dim moonlight and its faint green eyes burned like embers fierce and unblinking.
Thick matted fur covered its muscular frame with a mix of brown fur and leopard spots running along its back down to a single powerful tail. From each throat came a deep menacing growl that blended into a terrifying chorus and its claws sank deep into the earth shaking the ground with every heavy step it took.
"Damn it." Qin Juan muttered "Now we've got two problems."
For a moment both groups froze not just as enemies facing eachother but as people standing together against something far worse.
James lifted his sword, eyes narrowing "Looks like you're going to have to wait your turn."
Kellan didn't smile now and his cold eyes stayed fixed on the ferocious beast.
Rye flipped his knife through his fingers ready for whatever was coming. Mora's fury hardened into steady confidence as she too prepared for the fight ahead.
Above them, the fog coiled tighter, drawn to the beast like breath inhaled before a scream and then with a crack of splintering branches and a roar like grinding stone, the three-headed beast charged.