I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 852: Found Them

They all heard Darel's order and obeyed without hesitation. The tone in his voice left no room for debate and that alone was enough to spur their legs into motion.

No one stayed behind. Not even Varn who in a different fight might have grinned and held his ground just to test his strength. But not here. Not against these creatures.

In the first few seconds of their escape, a few of them had assumed Darel might be planning to circle around and maybe even set a trap or try fighting back once they got clear of the mist.

That was usually how he worked. They will observe and learn then begin attack again. Darel had always believed that every monster had a pattern or rhythm, something you could learn if you survived long enough.

But this time was different.

Darel knew it deep down in his heart and so did the rest of the party. These grey things, there was something about the way they moved that rejected the natural order.

Darel couldn't read them or predict them. They didn't fight for territory, didn't bleed properly, and they didn't retreat when wounded.

Worse still, Darel couldn't count how many of them around. For every one they killed two more appeared. And now, with those winged versions diving from the canopy and the lumbering giant approaching with ground-shaking steps, the smart choice wasn't to stand and fight.

It was to run and just to survive.

And that scream from the rear guard fighter might've already doomed them. It would draw attention. The forest might seem quiet but it was full of listening things.

If even one of those grey beasts heard the shout, clash of steel or the sound of flesh being torn apart, more would come. They might already be surrounded without them knowing.

So they ran fast and low through the undergrowth, ducking under branches and pushing past ferns slick with moisture.

Even Varn, the proudest fighter among them, said nothing like a bark of defiance. Just heavy and tense breath while he was focusing on surviving.

Minutes passed or maybe more. Then the party's ranger — a wiry woman with sharp eyes and a keener sense for the forest than any of them — suddenly hissed and slowed. She raised her hand to Darel, motioning for him to halt.

"I see something," she whispered between breaths, crouching to the ground and brushing aside some ferns with her gloved hand. Her gaze narrowed. "There are traces onthe ground and the leaves. I see slight blood on the edge of that thornbush there."

Darel crouched beside her instantly, eyes scanning where she pointed.

"What kind of trace?" he asked quickly.

The ranger didn't hesitate. "Human's steps. Not one but multiple. A party passed through here recently."

Darel's mind snapped into focus like a drawn bowstring. It clicked. It had to be them.

The other party. The one they were sent to hunt.

He stood and turned to the others and said with low but firm voice. "We've found them," he said. "Or at least their path."

"Wait, you think—?" one of the fighters began, but Darel cut him off with a motion.

"We follow them now. Stay sharp."

Their objective, long buried beneath waves of grey-fleshed horror, returned to the forefront. The hunted weren't dead yet so Darel intended to find them, kill them and then return.

Darel's eyes swept over his party.

"We've found the trail," he said. "They're alive. That means we need to complete the job by our own hand. We find them. We kill them. And then we go home," , he said with voice sharp and urgent.

That was all it took.

The others nodded their head, tension in their shoulders easing slightly now that the nightmare had a goal again.

There was no hesitation. No one asked questions. They all agreed that the faster they found their targets and got the job done, the sooner they could leave this cursed forest behind and collect their reward.

The ranger took the lead again. She moved with careful but swift steps. The others followed close behind. Their weapons drawn while keeping their movements tight and their eyes alert.

Darel pushed them to keep pace. Not recklessly but quickly enough to avoid losing the trail.

The further they moved, the more the forest revealed how deep the corruption had spread. More of the grey creatures lurked nearby. They didn't always move. Some simply stood between the trees while half-hidden in shadow. Their milky eyes tracking the adventurers as they passed. Somehow, with unknown reasons, they are not attacking and just watching.

Others wandered in slow patrols, sniffing the air or crawling along the branches above like spiders.

The party held their breath each time they spotted one. Their hearts thudding, hands twitching near blades. But luck was on their side. Or maybe the creatures were too focused on something else, a different prey. Either way, they avoided detection for now.

The ranger barely spoke, only giving brief hand signals and soft murmurs. Then, after what felt like hours pressed into mere minutes, she halted abruptly and knelt behind a cluster of thick roots.

"I see them," she whispered, just loud enough for Darel to hear. "Through that break in the trees. Maybe one hundred meters ahead."

Darel moved beside her, crouching low. He squinted through the mist and leaves, and sure enough he can see figures. A group of people sitting around the underbrush. They were armored and rugged as if they had been in countless battle, but clearly still alive and fine.

Darel felt something shift in his chest. He become focuses now. Everything else faded. The grey creatures, the forest, the fear, all of it was behind him now. His eyes locked on the party ahead.

"Prepare yourselves," he whispered to his team. "We strike fast without hesitation. Get it done and we leave this place!"

The party nodded and unseathed their weapons. Yara's gauntlet shining with Magic light.

Then they move.

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