Gunmage-Chapter 17: Echoes of dread

Lugh was certain he wasn't being paranoid. Unlike when he had mistaken Sergeant Sparky for something else, this time, he distinctly felt something sinister when his eyes landed on that blurry figure.

"What are you talking about, that's—"

She never finished her sentence.

In the next moment, the gaunt figure twisted unnaturally, and an extra pair of hands sprouted from its torso. Even from a distance, its silhouette was horrifying. Its limbs bent at impossible angles, its back arched grotesquely, and then—suddenly—it dropped to the ground, sniffing.

Lugh and the sergeant stood completely still, holding their breaths. Then, the creature slowly raised its head, scanning the surroundings, before darting off in another direction.

A tense silence followed.

They exhaled in unison, but Lugh still felt uneasy.

"Sergeant, do you have any weapons on you?"

He asked, voice low.

"Yes..." she said cautiously.

"I have my dagger, I always keep it on me,"

She said, reaching for a concealed sheath.

"Good, we should follow that thing. I have a feeling something bad will happen if we don't."

She fixed him with a long, assessing look before nodding.

"Okay then."

And so they began tailing the monster, keeping a considerable distance to avoid alerting its seemingly sharp senses.

The lean creature didn't move in a straight line, occasionally stopping to sniff the ground or search for tracks. As time went on, it speed only increased, its pauses becoming less frequent, and its movements less erratic.

It was obviously closing in on something.

Then—a shriek, coming from the creature.

It grated on Lugh's ears, causing him to feel a wave of nausea and fear.

"What the hell is that?!"

"A monster, it's a monster."

"Run!"

The wind carried voices to his ears. Human voices.

"Sergeant."

Lugh turned, but the woman had already started moving, closing the distance between them and what lay ahead.

"Curses!"

Lugh hissed, taking off after her.

She was much faster than him, naturally. Lugh also had to pace himself, conserving his energy, it was of no surprise that he was lagging behind quite a bit.

He wasn't even sure why he was running forward. What could he possibly do in a battle against a monster, barefoot and barehanded?

Nevertheless, he continued to press forward.

Ahead, Lyra, who had been running with great fervor, began to slow down until she eventually came to a complete halt.

"What... happened?"

Lugh caught up, gasping for breath.

Then he saw it.

Up in front, a soldier lay dead on the sand, his back torn open, revealing a bloody mess of gore and half-eaten organs.

Beyond him, the monster was crouched on all six limbs, chasing the remaining survivors with terrifying speed.

There were five of them.

Now that Lugh got a proper look at the creeping monster, he stomach churned with repulsion.

It was a very thin abomination with rotting flesh that clung tightly to its skeletal frame. The creature had four sets of unblinking eyes adorned on its face, alongside two gaping nostril-like holes. It had no ears, no mouth.

Instead, its stomach opened into a ghastly maw filled with rows of teeth, slick with fresh blood. It was sure to haunt the dreams of anyone who bore witness to it.

The fleeing soldiers had no chance. The creature lunged, pouncing on one of them. The poor man barely had time to scream before the maw split open, tearing him apart in a frenzy of gnashing teeth and shredding flesh.

Lugh forcefully held back a surge of bile rising in his throat.

Then, the creature froze. As if in a trance, it rose to sniff the air, turned its head, and its gaze locked onto Lugh.

It had found a better meal.

Lugh felt his body go stiff with fear.

"Run!"

Lyra's voice jolted him into action, and they both immediately turned heel and fled. The sergeant quickly pulled ahead, as expected, but Lugh already knew his stamina wouldn't hold.

It didn't really matter, even if he had as much endurance as Lyra, or even the captain, he would still have not been able to escape. The monster was that much faster than them.

It had gotten too close, there wasn't much distance between them anymore. His eyes flickered decisively, and he turned around and planted his foot.

He was going to fight back.

At this rate, he was going to die anyway, so what use was there in running? At least if he stayed behind, he could buy some time for Lyra to escape.

She had risked her life to save him once, he was only repaying the favor. The fact that he personally, was what attracted the monster in the first place, only made the decision easier.

Now that it was closer, Lugh had a better look at its maw, filled with hundreds of teeth, an intestine dangling loosely from it. He was beginning to regret his decision.

The thing didn't have facial expressions, but its excitement was very obvious.

It pounced at him, back arched and stomach extended. Lugh immediately rolled to the side, precariously evading its reckless lunge.

The creature crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust. It quickly rebounded, rushing towards him with renewed vigor.

Lugh quickly got into a stance, right leg forward, left heel back, two hands raised in front. The creature's arm lashed out.

Lugh observed–thin arms, bony fingers. No claws.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

He parried the attack left, and at the same time, his right hand drove a textbook jab straight into its face. It reeled back.

"Huh?"

The creature struck again, a step drag—angled— and it overextended its reach.

Lugh instantly followed with another crushing jab to its face. Fast and precise, it recoiled, eyes already bleeding.

Feeling a bit more confident, he closed the distance and connected with a left cross. The combo was completed with a perfectly executed roundhouse. The devastating kick sent the monster straight to the floor.

Lugh was feeling very confused now.

The creature let out a shriek of rage. Primal fear instantly crashed into him, flooding his senses.

His will to fight shattered.

A psychological attack!

The monster lunged, its hands snatching his leg and pulling him down.

Lugh hit the ground hard.

Before he could react, the creature mounted him, pinning him beneath its weight.

Its stomach maw yawned open, glistening with blood and hunger.

It was going to eat him alive.