Chapter 9 – Nowhere to Run

“Now!” Edwin shouted out the order, making Arthur dip down, taking a knee in the water. Susan did the same.

All three archers fired their bows at the same time. Glenn had calmed down from the first sighting of a Skulker. It seemed like he wasn’t lying about his archery skill; the arrow dug deep into the front beast’s chest, taking it down with a splash.

Edwin’s bolt landed next, straight in the eye. It killed the monster instantly.

The last one, Jake missed.

Not completely, though, the arrow pinning into its shoulder.

It did little to stop the beast, but this time, everyone did what was expected of them, the initial panic mostly gone.

Arthur took the brunt of the impact of the charge, a thin layer of mana shattering in front of his shield before the rest of the strike landed against metal.

He slid back slightly.

Susan screamed, lashing out from behind Arthur.

Her attack held no ounce of form, the cleaver in her hand wildly finding the stomach of the Skulker as she gored it.

She was on top in seconds, one swing, two swings, carving a masterwork of violence into the monster’s chest.

She screamed, blood splashing over her.

The Skulker’s claws found her thigh, arms, and even a claw across her face.

She refused to stop.

Jake frowned. Note to self: do not get on her bad side.

It was long dead, but she kept on going.

“I didn’t get a notification!”

Glenn’s shout arrived too late.

From underneath the murky waters, the Skulker that Glenn had injured ruptured from the surface, dark, grotty teeth on full display and claws ready to gore at Edwin.

Thankfully, Edwin remained calm.

He simply let go of his hand-crossbow, letting it drop into a makeshift sling he’d rigged out of a shoelace, swiftly unsheathing a long combat knife.

He slashed its collarbone, blade’s edge nipping into bone.

The Skulker found its target, raking across the neck area of his shoulder and down across his collar-bone—a tooth-for-a-tooth.

Susan was still locked in her madness.

Chloe had turned on her heels, jabbing her spear into the Skulker’s body, but it hit bone.

Sloane was about to try and help but thought better of it.

She kept her attention on her surroundings.

Or was she frozen in fear? If she did, she was good at hiding it.

Jake had readied another arrow; he could help. But a strange, bubbling sound caught his attention from behind.

He spun on his heels and scanned the area, only to catch nothing.

Lyle quickly rested his axe against the wall, grabbed hold of the Skulker’s arm, lifting it off Edwin, and threw the monster off of him.

The Skulker tried getting up but Lyle booted the monster in the face, sending it back into the oily water.

Finally, Susan had come to.

She turned, cleaving her blade into the beast’s neck.

Blood spurted.

Veins had risen from her hands and arm and her muscles bulged further than they had before.

The Skulker refused to die.

It clawed around itself.

Susan was forced to step back, as did the others.

Arthur glanced behind, his eyes meeting Jake’s. “Are you going to help or not?!”

Jake ignored him.

If they couldn’t handle an injured monster, then they didn’t deserve the help.

He heard those bubbles again.

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“Jake,” Sloane said from behind. “I think I see someth—”

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence.

From one of the darker hallways, a Skulker almost twice as large as the others, emerged.

Two small stubby horns jutted out its head.

It held a large serrated knife.

“Jake!” Sloane screamed out loud.

“I see it!”

Jake was already prepared.

He loosed the arrow immediately upon seeing the creature, the arrow flying through the air.

It was about to sink into its face, a range that Jake was surprised to even hit, but the monster moved its head at the last second, the arrow vanishing into the dark of the corridor.

Its lips curled up into a cruel smile and then stepped.

Water shot up from where it left, and in an instant, had already moved ten feet in one single step.

Jake’s eyes widened.

He hurried another arrow and fired, hitting its stomach.

It didn’t seem to do much.

He reloaded as quickly as he could and fired another, this one planting in its thigh.

Now it was in front of Sloane.

Snarling, she stepped and swung her sword in a clean arc at the Skulker’s neck.

The beast raised its own knife and parried, sending a backhand to her face. She slammed against the wall, dazed.