Page 13 of X'nath

Greag led the way, his large frame parting the brush with ease, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, never allowing himself to grow complacent. Gorruk followed closely behind, his weathered face focused and calm, but his hand never strayed far from his weapon.

The largest and broadest of the orcs piqued my curiosity. He had a pistol strapped to his back, though it didn’t seem loaded. How had he come by such a weapon? Did these orcs raid human settlements? That would explain how they’d learned our language so quickly—perhaps they’d encountered enough of us to pick up on the basics during past raids.

That simple fact only reinforced why they didn’t seem like the saviors the women believed them to be. I kept my thoughts to myself, concentrating instead on my foot placement as I followed them.

We stayed in formation, the women flanked by the orcs at all sides, the eerie silence of the swamp pressing in on us.

I could feel their watchful gazes. Yet, despite my suspicion, I couldn’t deny something else. Something deeper that niggled at me. The orcs weren’t necessarily out to harm us—not in the same way the men on the ship had been. If they had wanted to, they could’ve taken us easily, or worse, left us to die in the waters or taken advantage of us in our sleep. But they hadn’t. Not yet, anyway.

Instead of leering at us, I felt their eyes more on our surroundings as we moved. It was as if they expected something,anything, to emerge from the swamp at any given moment. I caught myself glancing over my shoulder from time to time, half-expecting to see something lurking in the shadows, something that had been there the entire time but only now chose to make its presence known.

X’nath was a few paces behind me, his movements light and almost fluid as he adjusted his grip on his axe. Despite his earlier flirtations, he was eerily silent now, his attention fully absorbed in the surrounding wilderness. He wasn’t as obvious as Greag or Gorruk, but I could sense his eyes on me once again, watching from a distance, waiting for something.

The younger women stumbled now and then, their exhaustion starting to show. Some of them were no longer speaking, lost in their own thoughts, while others whispered quietly to one another, trying to keep the fear at bay. Their fragile optimism was fading with each passing step. The weasels had long since disappeared into the brush, though I could feel their presence just beyond the edge of our vision. I wasn’t sure what exactly they were doing—scouting ahead or simply keeping to themselves—but it was better not to question it.

The swamp around us was eerily still, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant croak of unseen creatures. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be this quiet, this tense. My body ached from the effort of walking through the muck and over the uneven ground, but it was the nagging sense of unease that was wearing me down more than anything.

Finally, I heard a soft murmur from the front of the line. Greag had paused, his head turning slowly, listening to something in the distance. The rest of us froze, the air thick with tension. Whatever was out there, we were about to find out.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing the younger women huddled close together, their expressions uncertain. X’nath was still behind me, his eyes scanning the surroundings, but therewas something different in his posture now—alert, ready. He had stopped flirting, at least for the moment.

Then I heard it—a low, guttural growl, followed by a sharp screech that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It wasn’t a bird. No, it was something far worse. Something bigger.

The women behind me gasped, some of them letting out strangled cries. I turned just in time to see one of the younger girls stumbling back, her face pale, her eyes wide with terror.

“Get back!” I shouted, instinctively moving toward the girl to push her behind me. But the growl came again, this time louder, closer. The earth seemed to vibrate underfoot, and I realized whatever was making that noise was coming straight at us.

Panic erupted among the women. They screamed in unison, their voices sharp and terrified, echoing off the trees around us. Didn’t they realize their sounds of fear would draw whatever was coming our way?

I looked around frantically, searching for something—anything—that could be used as a weapon. My heart was racing, and my mind was clouded with the immediate need to protect. I spotted X’nath standing a few paces away, his eyes narrowed, his posture tense. He wasn’t running; he was ready for whatever was coming.

I didn’t hesitate. My hand shot out and grabbed one of the smaller blades from his waist, yanking it free from its sheath. X’nath’s eyes flashed with surprise, but I didn’t give him a chance to protest. There was no time for games.

“Move!” I yelled, pushing the women back and getting ready to face whatever nightmare was coming for us.

The sound grew louder, closer—something large, and whatever it was, it wasn’t alone. From the shadows, shapes began to emerge. I couldn’t make out the details, but there were several of them, moving quickly through the muck. I grippedthe blade tightly, my knuckles white, my breath coming in short bursts.

I barely had time to think before the first creature broke from the underbrush—a massive, twisted thing with too many limbs and eyes that glowed unnaturally in the dim light beneath the canopy of the trees. Was there moss growing from their backs? Its screech echoed again, sending another wave of terror through the group.

“Stay close!” I shouted, trying to keep the women gathered. “Stay together!”

The orcs had already drawn their weapons, moving into position, but I didn’t trust them to protect us. Not entirely. This wasn’t a simple animal or something we could scare off with fire. This was a hunt, and we were the prey.

As the first of the creatures lunged, I swung the blade in a sharp arc, connecting with something—flesh, or maybe bone. I didn’t have time to check. The creature recoiled, screeching, but there was more coming. More were emerging from the swamp’s depths, their forms grotesque and alien.

My pulse thundered in my ears, my instincts pushing me forward despite the overwhelming fear. This wasn’t the swamp I’d learned to survive in—this was something much worse. The creatures were fast, and they had the advantage of numbers.

I barely had time to breathe before the orcs roared, their guttural battle cries filling the air like thunder. Greag’s roar was the loudest, cutting through the chaos as he charged forward, axe raised high. X’nath followed, grinning wildly as he gripped his massive blade and swung it with precision, cutting through the air with lethal intent.

The sight of them fighting gave me a moment of grim relief—they might not be saviors, but they were fighters. The air filled with the clash of steel on monstrous flesh, the sound of grunts and howls echoing in the swamp.

But the more we fought, the more we realized something horrifying. What had first appeared to be extra limbs or moss hanging off these creatures—twisting, writhing appendages—wasn't just part of their grotesque form. As blades sliced through the creatures’ defenses, the moss-like covering peeled away to reveal a writhing mass of something far worse beneath. These creatures were more than just beasts—they were somethingalive, somethingchanged. The moss wasn't just a covering; it was a part of them, a living camouflage.

The realization hit me hard. These weren’t random swamp creatures. They were part of something... something deliberate. I swung my blade again, this time severing one of the many writhing tendrils that lashed at me. The creature let out a shrill scream, and the tendril dissolved into a strange, black fluid that splattered against the ground.

Greag took a swing at another creature, his axe splitting its side open. As it collapsed, the moss-like coverings split apart, revealing a horrific, fleshy mass beneath. It was clear now—these things were not natural. Not of the swamp, not of the earth.

“Watch the moss!” I shouted, panic creeping into my voice as I stabbed the next creature, lodging the blade inside its chest. “It’salive!”

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