The monster roars, its cheek rips apart as the jaw hangs low. So this is the bite that took a man in half. Wasting no time, it jumps as the Stranger. The clash is simply visceral, blood coloured the ground red. They meet at the clearing between the settlement and the forest.

Dodging at the last moment, the Stranger slams the axe straights at his head. Deliberately avoiding the carapace on its head, the tomahawk digs deep. The skull is brittle, already cracked from all the moss that has grown all over. It wasn’t a fatal blow, despite the monster brain now turned to mush.

“Guess it all empty in here, eh” The woman quipped.

Throwing the Stranger off, the beast stumbles as she throws the lasso and pulls on its back leg. But what can her merge strength do against this thing.

Pulling its weight forward, the monster ignores the lasso and bites at the woman. The teeth are jaggy but with vile concoction coating, it pierces through the leather duster and vest easily. But only the tips could penetrate the target.

The Stranger has pulled the tomahawk out of the creature head and jams it inside its mouth.

“Eat this!”

Not like it matters, the monster simply smashes her onto the ground. The teeth run along the woman body, ripping shallows open bloody lines. Pulling the tomahawk out, the Stranger replies by delivering a devastating blow onto both of the monster’s legs. Despite the clear gaping wounds, it shows no sign of weakening.

This isn’t an ideal situation, facing cursed creatures like this is not new to the Stranger. But without any supply, she could only throw herself to deal as much as possible. Her regeneration superior, the Stranger needs to grind the monster down before it could do the same. Immortality wouldn’t matter if you are torn apart and scattered all over the place.

“So troublesome” If only she has her many knives and bombs or maybe even a few artefacts.

The beast pounces at the fallen woman but she just hops back onto her feet and throws her lasso behind its legs again. How could this be, the thing couldn’t believe how could the woman still move. Even the unknown voice of the depth within its mine doesn’t sense anything from her. Nevertheless, it will keep on assaulting until she stops moving. The monster stops its jump and leaps to the side dodging the lasso then continues the onslaught. This move wouldn’t work again.

The wide brim lifts up, however, to reveal a confident smile. Pulling the lasso back, the Stranger swings it around, along with it a rock of considerable size. Mid-air, the monster couldn’t avoid the massive blow to its mouth. With a crippling cracking sound, jagged teeth fall down, drenched in blood and murky green mucus from the depth.

Roaring again, the monster shoots out octopus tentacles, hoping to ensnare its target. The Stranger isn’t caught of guard and slides of two of the limbs. But her leg is caught and the woman is slammed against a tree, untouched from the curse, still standing strong. The leather protection absorbs most of the force. However, the pieces of bark dig deep within the teeth wound on her back.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, this better not causes an infection” The Stranger grins painfully “Who am I kidding here”

The fight moves to the forest.

The settlement all on their wall, watching the fight with bated breath. Such a monster, would their wall even hold it back. The uncertainly is unsettling, dread falls over the relatively peaceful place.

“We need to do something!” One said.

“She needs help” Another chimed in “We can’t let her deal with that thing by herself”

They ran their mouth, but none of them could step up to volunteer. The mayor also said something brave, but he is now nowhere to be found. What could they do against such a monster. Well there is one who can and he is certainly going to try.

Mordia Castellanos runs back into his house, having left the charger there. He needs to help the Stranger, the man couldn’t bare seeing her get mauled like that. A swift strike to the head, however, and the mage falls to the ground, unconscious.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do this” Claudia stands over her husband.

She knows what he can’t do, the man is powerful no doubt. His spells might even be strong even to destroy the monster. But the fight is too far away, he would have to venture out. One thing her experience has told her, if Mordia steps out there, he wouldn’t survive long enough to even use his magic. No, she would have to make the situation more favourable.

Stepping outside, she takes up the command, something she should have done. “Everyone gathers your knives and anything with a pointy end, then plant them right behind the wall” Turning to the what’s left of the guard, only one is left, alive and sane “And you, go gather as many ropes as you can”

They will set their trap, they will slow down the prey. She needs to show them how to navigate, how to set up barricades, how to funnel the monster. Only then will Mordia’s magic be effective. But all of this will require precious time. One that a lone woman is buying them.

Their fate now firm in the hand of a stranger.

In the forest, the beast hops from one tree to another. Such frightening speed and precision, its mobility unparallel. But where does this instinct come from? Wolf isn’t known for this kind of movement. And so are creatures from the deep, submerge under the bottomless sea. Or perhaps the insight offered by the depth simply transcend such a mundane aspect. It speaks in a strange language, incomprehensible yet every word is filled with infinite knowledge. A name rings out, from the deepest depth, that endless void.

[Scy’lla]

The wolf is a proud creature, even in this harsh time it still holds its head high.

So when the depth called out to it, the wolf resisted its temptation of knowledge. It fought a valiant but losing battle, keeping what was left of its merge pride. But it was all shattered by this ‘human’. The wolf had his teeth smashed in, its legs nearly chopped off, but none of that truly damaged its pride. No, the beast is crushed because it still couldn’t take down this prey after so long.

Surrendering to the whisper, the monster transforms into something unrecognisable, its former glorious self, forgotten. The howl is now drowned out by the sound of gargling from the depth. From its wounds sprout more tentacles and eyes with stretched irises opening all over. Wrapping its many limbs around the branches, the monster moves through the forest, determined to consume this ‘human’.

“Gosh, can’t believe you can look worse”

The Stranger swings her lasso around the branches to navigate. The rope is also stretched in front of the monster in hope of slowing it down. As the two collide, the lasso is pushed deep within the skin, running along as if the beast’s inside is a soft mush. It passes through without slowing down a single bit.

“Are you kidding me!” The Stranger sighs but still keep a smile on her face.

There is no way to get out of this, the beast slides along the branches, unstoppable. Or at least that what she thought. Tripping a trap hidden within the leaves, steel dusts explode and covered the monster. It burns through the scales, the carapaces, but the monster still pounces forward, undeterred.

Its speed affected, the Stranger dodges the attack. The monster collides into the oak, splinters dig inside its wounds, only to be consumed.

But where does that trap come from? The Stranger scans the area to spot more, hidden in the oddest of place. These placements aren’t for birds nor critters, no, the creatures cursed by the unknown defies nature. Their movements impossible to predict, there are more thoughts to the traps than what a mere look could tell. That plus the signature steel dusts.

It’s the Blind Order.

On the nearby oak, the bark moves out to reveal a man in disguise. Drawing his shinning sword coated in a dark substance, he slices the creature’s head off. Knowing it won’t go down like that, the man shoves a dust bomb within its gaping wound.

A muffled explosion is followed up by pained gargled. The monster somehow survives but the man has already back away, hiding within the trees and leaves, throwing his sword away.

‘Such discipline’ The Stranger thought to herself.

To know that the beast wouldn’t go down after getting its head chopped off, to be prepared when even the bomb failed. Knowing that the blood and gunk on his sword could compromise his position, he discarded that weapon without a single thought. This man must be a veteran, a strange sight since those in the Blind Order has a tendency to die young.

The monster couldn’t track this new face, this isn’t a prey but a predator. The cloak lined with Blind steel, makes him undetectable even to the enlightened beast.

From the shadow, the Blind bursts out again, slashing the monster with a steel knife then drops it to the ground. He retreats again only to strike out again, picking up his sword for a deep cut. Again and again and again, he continues to slide chunks of the monster.

Born and trained to fight monstrosities of the unknown, blinded to their temptations.

The beast falls, its many tentacles fail to even touch this shadowy figure. Lying to the ground, its scales peeled off. The creature finds it senses assaulted by the damp forest. The depth retreats to reveal the lone wolf, the last of its pack. Breathing the fresh air, it lets out a final howl of release.

The proud wolf dies, its mind washed away, no longer molested by the depth.

From the shadow, the man comes out pulling down the hood of his cloak. Underneath is an aged face but his hair and beard still faded black.

Something is wrong, the veteran doesn’t like it. None of the mutations fall of the wolf, the tentacles seemingly disappear. This beast isn’t the true monster, no it’s simply a host. The true form likely inside its belly. He will need to gut the wolf before it gets reanimated, an unpleasant task. One of his many students died doing something similar, as the young Blind was dragged inside a horse belly by an unseen monstrosity.

Even after the horse was spread all over the dissection table, the young Blind was nowhere to be found.

Kneeling down, the man pulls out the knife, his other hand placed firmly on the sword. Before he could cut the wolf opens, the beast opens its eyes and pounces at him.

Ready, the man cuts it open with one swift slash, but from the cut, something springs out. A malformed crow flies straight to the air, out of his reach. This is the true host of the depth, if it gets away, then the curse could once again spread. He throws out the steel knife, but the monster easily escapes the projectile.

Flying into the free air to spread its horror elsewhere, or at least that is what supposed to happen.

BANG.

The shot rings true, tearing the monster to shred once and for all. On a branch, the mangled Stranger lies, swinging her leg. She could now lean back and relax, but this tattered body will need more than that. And here she is supposed to be in a hurry. But leaving the town to its demise isn’t her style. Three days left? Make it two.

“Oops, I did it again” The Stranger sighs with a smirk, tipping her hat down.