Page 15 of X'nath

Greag bellowed a war cry as he swung his axe, cleaving through one of the creatures, only for it to rise again seconds later. He grunted in frustration, bringing the axe down again, this time aiming for its skull. The creature staggered, but just as it hit the ground, it started to pull itself back up, twitching and crawling on broken limbs.

“No!” Greag roared. “Not again!”

“Girls! Grab what you can. We need to keep these things down!” came Gracie’s sharp command to the other women.

I spun on my heel, barely avoiding a clawed swipe from another reanimated monster. My blade sliced through the air, catching the thing’s arm mid-swing, but it didn’t fall. Instead, it screeched and jerked back, its body reattaching where I’d struck it. They were regenerating. This wasn’t just death. This was something far worse.

The swamp bog woman raised her hands again, the dark magic swirling around her, feeding into the creatures that kept rising from the muck. I could see the energy crackling through the air, a storm of power that only fueled their return.

“Enough!” I shouted, gritting my teeth as I charged at her, ignoring the chaos around me. But she was ready. With a flick of her wrist, I was thrown back, slamming into the ground with a grunt. Pain flared in my ribs, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.

Gorruk attempted to move stealthily behind her, but without even turning around, she shot her arm back, sending his body crashing violently into a tree.

Meanwhile, Vakgar used his immense size to keep the creatures at bay, positioning himself between them and thewomen. His focus was locked on the crone, preparing for whatever came next.

“Pathetic!” she sneered, her voice rich with contempt. “You really think you can stop this?”

Greag, furious but determined, charged at her, swinging his axe with a roar. The air seemed to thicken as his axe approached her. With a raised hand, she stopped it mid-swing, the blade halting just inches from her throat. Her power was too great.

“You don’t even know the half of it,” she hissed, her voice full of malice.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart racing. I knew we couldn’t fight this way forever. We were all growing tired. Savage Claw Clan, strong and fierce as we were, were facing an enemy they couldn’t easily defeat. The women, still huddled and trying to fight where they could, were beginning to break under the strain of fear and exhaustion. There were too many monsters. And with each one we killed, another reappeared.

I glanced back at the women—most of them were doing their best to stay out of the fray, but a few had picked up weapons per Gracie’s command, trying to defend themselves. Some of the younger ones were still in shock, their faces pale with fear, but I could see the spark of determination in their eyes. Even the orcs seemed worn out, their strength being stretched thin with every passing second.

“We can’t keep this up,” Gorruk growled as he cleaved through another creature, his face streaked with blood. “We need to stop hernow.”

“We will!” I yelled back, my voice full of defiance, though I wasn’t entirely sure how we could. The swamp woman’s magic was too strong. But I wouldn’t let her win. I couldn’t.

With a yell, I launched myself forward again, this time swinging my blade at one of the creatures that was advancing on me. It crumpled under the strike, but it only took seconds for themagic to bring it back, its grotesque form standing and lunging once more. I hacked at it again, and again, but it kept rising.

I was growing desperate.

A scream from one of the women tore through the swamp. My heart skipped a beat as I turned toward the source. One of the creatures had grabbed hold of her, pulling her to the ground. The others were too caught up with the reanimated beasts to notice.

“No!” I shouted, my voice desperate, but there was no time.

We fought valiantly, but even our strength was waning. The creatures were relentless, and we had no idea how many more would continue to rise. They just kept coming.

Her grin stretched wider. "The swamp doesn’t give freely. It takes... and sometimes, it keeps what it desires."

The same words she had whispered to us on our journey to the shore echoed in my mind, sending a chill down my spine.

The old crone laughed, her voice cutting through the chaos. "You are nothing but prey in my domain. The swamp remembers. It hungers, and it will take what it desires," she sneered, her magic crackling louder than before.

It wasn’t just her creatures we had to fight anymore. It was her too. She was the root of this nightmare, and I knew we couldn’t afford to waste any more time. We needed to take her down.

I turned, signaling to Greag, who nodded without a word. It was clear—thiswasn’t a battle we could win with brute force alone.

It was time to do whatever it took.

We had to stop her.

Now.

9

The Crone’s Curse

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