The shapes emerged from the mist one by one. Their were grotesque beasts that made even the seasoned fighters among them tense up.
Their bodies moved with a heavy wet sound, their grey wrinkled skin slick and they have no fur.
At first glance, they resembled lions, but then the details became clearer under the trembling light.
Each creature's broad shoulders carried not just one head, but several. A lion's snarling face dominated the center, its jaws dripping saliva and teeth bared in bloodlust.
But flanking the lion's head were thick, sinuous snakes head. Their heads just as large as the lion's, hissing and weaving, their fangs glinting in the half-light.
From their backs trailed thick snake tails, whipping and curling through the fog like living whips. Their eyes — every head, both lion and serpent — glowed an eerie green that cut through the mist like poison light.
Eccar's heart clenched the moment he saw those eyes.
That green glow feels familiar.
His mind flashed back to the forest, to the shadow creature he fought not long ago. They have the same glow and the same unnatural shimmer that attacked the soul.
"Be careful," Eccar's voice cut through the party's mounting tension. "Those eyes can deal soul damage."
The reaction was immediate.
Thorne's grip on his sword faltered for a fraction of a second, his face hardening. "Soul damage? You serious?"
Mark's eyes darted to Eccar, his calm veneer cracking. "That's rare, deadly rare. Normal protection and healing won't fix that."
Even Jan who usually calm, turned his head slightly, his eyes dark beneath his hood. "Didn't expect that. That changes things."
"Soul wounds… they will linger pretty long. Even if you survive," Kaela's fingers, already on her daggers, trembled just slightly.
Selene's flame dimmed for a heartbeat as she sighed a long breath. "Perfect. As if this place wasn't cursed enough."
Esther glanced at Annette with sudden urgency and hopeful gaze. "Annette, you have something for this, right?"
All eyes turned to the priestess now, their tension clear. Even her own party — Jan, Esther, and Hund — looked at her. None of them had ever heard her mention anything about protection against soul damage before but they can only hope for one person right now.
Annette looks calm despite the fear swirling around them. She simply nodded once.
"I do," she said quietly. "You never asked."
Jan blinked, his eyes narrowing. "You never said."
"You never asked," Annette repeated, a faint smile flickering at the corner of her lips, though her hands were already moving.
Relief washed over the group like a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. Even Thorne let out a muttered curse under his breath, more from sheer tension easing.
With the creatures slowly closing in, Annette stepped forward within the circle.
She drew out her pendant. It was a piece none of them had paid much attention to until now.
It was shaped like an intricate sunburst, forged from silver and inlaid with a pale blue crystal at its center. Around the edges, tiny symbols and runes had been etched, forming a pattern that shimmered faintly in the misty light.
She gripped it tight, her eyes closing as she began to chant words none of them could understand.
The sounds were soft at first, but they carried an undeniable Magic power, resonating with something deep in the earth and air around them.
The golden dome that had been shielding them pulsed strongly and then it thickened. The light grew denser, its glow now firm and bright like gold rather than thin and wavering.
It pushed back harder against the cold mist and the beasts' green eyes seemed to waver slightly, as if they were suddenly facing a wall they couldn't quite breach.
"That… that's different," Esther's eyes widened. She and Selene were the only ones who can feel how much change in Magic happened in the dome.
Even Jan gave a small nod of approval. "Good. Hold that."
Annette's voice never faltered as she continued the chant, the pendant blazing brighter in her hand.
The creatures growled and hissed, they were pacing at the edge of the light, their green eyes flickering.
"Good," Eccar said with a smile.
But the monsters didn't back down easily. They were still circling and waiting.
"Keep moving. Stay inside the dome's protection. No one steps out. Not even a foot." Jan said.
The group nodded. They began to move as one in a slow advance through the fog-choked forest.
The golden light of Annette's dome shifted with them while the snarling beasts circled just beyond its reach. The creatures prowled in a wide ring, never straying far, their green eyes locked on the party with unblinking hunger.
They moved like predators waiting for a single mistake to step an inch too far, to stumble, or fall behind.
But the deeper they pushed into the forest the harder it became to stay tight together. The trees grew larger and closer, their roots coiling across the ground. Dark tendrils of vines hung from above, thick enough to brush their faces and tangle their limbs.
The path narrowed, filled by gnarled trunks.
Kaela cursed under her breath. "This is getting tighter. We can't keep the formation for long."
Jan's sharp eyes scanned ahead, then flicked back to the party.
"Yo're right. We'll have to widen the spread a little. No choice. And up ahead…" He pointed toward the faint outline of a sheer rise through the mist. "There's a cliff. About twenty meters forward. We'll have to climb it."
At that, a heavy sigh escaped from Mark. "Figures. Can't stay huddled up forever. Sooner or later, we'd have to fight." He glanced at Annette's glowing pendant, then at the circling monsters. "I think its better to do it sooner."
"Just our luck," Selene muttered. Yet, she don't looks like she afraid of it. She already caressed her gloves that shimmered witht Magic.
Seeing that everyone is ready to fight, Jan nodded. Its good having party . They don't need to worry about the person they escortt and just focus on fighting,
"Alright. Everyone ready. Lets finish these creature that had bothering us," Jan said from the front.