Chapter 17 - Sixteen (1/2)

Something was following us, again, but this time they weren't human.

As we were minding our own business, moonbathing, while my brother rolled around in the snow, only stopping to ask for a scratch on the back, I spot in the corner of my vision a white blur pass.

”Brother.” Hunthor says, low so only I could hear him. I just nod while his new tail flickered, impassive. I lick my upper fangs.

”Let's see what it is. Can you hold on for a few seconds?”

”Sure thing.”

He didn't had the ability to go stealth anymore, making his strength by attacking from far away, casting spells, while I usually or defended him, or stayed hidden until the prey charged at him and I jumped on it.

One more reason for me to go alone and check. We were trying to hunt new things to increase our abilities, but I would always use appraisal first.

I reached close to a group of five white creatures… And they looked very weird. They had dinosaur like bodies, with longs legs and tiny arms, but their heads… they didn't have eyes, not even a real head, only a big neck that ended up in a huge mouth full of teeth putted in a circular way.

They clicked and clacked, using their talons and claws to communicate, as I used appraisal on them:

Stalkers: Blind creatures with a high sense of smell, they are commonly known for hunting on packs. Their name comes from the fact that, once spotting their prey, they never let it go.

Good thing they didn't find us yet… right?

Of course that, as I was thinking that, out of nowhere they sprinted in the middle of the woods, right where I had left my brother.

Shit.

They caught our smell.

I sprinted quicker in the woods, reaching my brother before them. He strained his ears, and without a word started running with me.

Between breaths I quickly explained the situation.

”There are five- of them that I know of- two level 12 and the other three level 17. In this –open- space we are easy prey, we need a closed- in place so you can attract their- attention while I sneak at them.”

He just nods, already feeling his SP lowering.

The trees pass hastily as we dash and dodge our way between them, going farther and farther away from the hunters. But the stalker thing… bothered me. It would be troublesome if they kept chasing us, what's worst, they could have more of them awaiting for us.

Not good, hum.

The trees started to lessen and more and more snow came to view, stretching on the horizon. A slight mist covers the field, until no trees could be seen, only the bare land and some… silhouettes?

It was difficult to see but they looked like rocks or something but as we couldn't afford to stop we gamble our way towards them.

Gravestones.

Lots of them, laying around to be punished by the weather. A grunt made me look to a humanoid shape to our left, moving slowly through the rocky path.

Oh god, it smelled awful.

We didn't slow down as we passed it but I could get a good look nonetheless. An undead, the eyeball hung on his face as his skinny body tried to turn around to follow us.

Icky, disgusting.

With this open space he could see some stalkers keeping their distance but circling around us to close in, as well as many slow silhouettes dragging themselves, mixing with the tall gravestones.