The Twice-blessed Paladin

The old stone road south of Gildan's Reach should have been bustling with life. Merchants, mercenaries, and travelers should have been making their way between cities, trading goods and information.

But today, it is dead silent.

Aldric strides forward, his boots pressing into the dirt path, his cloak swaying with each step. Sapphire and Elira walk beside him, their weapons ready.

Elira narrows her eyes, scanning the treeline. "This doesn't feel right."

Sapphire nods, her shield strapped firmly to her arm. "A road this important doesn't just go empty overnight. Even if people are scared, merchants don't just stop moving."

Aldric remains quiet. He has seen this before—a place tainted by an unseen force, where something lurks just beyond understanding.

They continue forward, the stillness of the road unsettling.

Then, Elira halts.

"There," she points toward a ditch off the side of the road.

A wagon, broken and half-sunk in the mud.

The party approaches cautiously. Aldric draws his sword, Sapphire readies her shield, and Elira nocks an arrow.

The wagon remains intact, but the horses are missing.

No blood. No bodies.

Elira kneels by the wheel, fingers tracing along the dirt.

"There are tracks," she mutters. "Something was dragged into the forest."

Aldric kneels beside her. The drag marks are deep—whatever was taken, it struggled.

Sapphire moves to the rear of the wagon, lifting a tattered cloth covering a pile of discarded crates.

She stiffens. "There's something here."

Aldric steps forward as she lifts the cloth further.

Beneath the crates lies a severed human arm, fresh and cleanly cut.

Elira swallows. "No blood around it. Whatever did this… took the rest of the body."

Sapphire swears under her breath. "This isn't bandits. Something hunted them."

Aldric straightens, gripping his sword tighter. The trail leads into the woods.

"We are following the trail into the woods. Prepare yourselves" he says.

The forest is dense and dark, the trees towering overhead like silent sentinels. The further they go, the quieter the world becomes.

Then—a sound.

A low, skittering noise, followed by a sharp clicking.

Elira freezes. "Did you hear that?"

Sapphire grips her sword. "Stay ready."

Then, the first creature emerges.

It is a monstrosity—the arms and head of a giant praying mantis, but the body and legs of a large predatory cat.

It moves low to the ground, chitinous arms twitching unnaturally. Its compound eyes reflect the dim light, unblinking, unfeeling.

Then—another steps forward.

A horrid mixture of a wolf and a snake, its fur broken by patches of scaled flesh, its jaw unhinging too wide as it flicks a forked tongue.

Aldric raises his sword. "Get ready."

The creatures do not charge immediately.

They watch.

Elira swallows. "They're waiting for something."

Then, the first one lunges.

Aldric reacts first, swinging his sword to meet the mantis-headed beast.

Its claws clash against his steel, sparks flying, but Aldric holds his ground, shoving it back.

The wolf-snake hybrid pounces at Sapphire, its fangs flashing.

She raises her shield just in time, the force of the impact sending vibrations through her arm. "Damn, it's strong!"

Elira looses an arrow, striking the mantis creature in one of its compound eyes.

It shrieks but doesn't stop.

Then—more emerge from the trees.

Aldric curses. "Form up! Don't let them surround us!"

Sapphire pushes forward, slamming her shield into the snake-wolf, forcing it back.

Another creature appears—a hideous mix of a bear and a stag, its antlers twisted like jagged bones, its forelimbs too long for its body.

It roars, shaking the trees, then charges.

Aldric meets it head-on, his blade cutting deep into its side.

But it doesn't stop.

It keeps moving, tackling him to the ground.

Elira spins, firing another shot, this time hitting the snake-wolf through the throat. It writhes, choking on its own blood, before collapsing.

Sapphire steps between Aldric and the bear-stag, her shield slamming against its head.

Aldric shoves it off, driving his sword through its chest.

The mantis-cat circles them, waiting for an opening.

Elira grits her teeth. "They're learning how we fight!"

Another one joins—a winged abomination, bat-like but with scorpion legs, crawling on the trees above them.

Elira aims—but another lunges at her from the side.

She turns too slow.

Then—an unseen dagger pierces the attacking creature's throat.

It drops lifelessly.

Elira blinks, startled. "What the—"

From the shadows, Zira vanishes back into the trees.

The remaining creatures grow restless, their movements more erratic.

Aldric stands tall, his armor slick with ichor and blood.

Sapphire breathes heavily, shield dented, but still holding.

Elira, though exhausted, fires another arrow, striking the bat-scorpion through the chest.

The last creature—a massive fusion of a crocodile and a boar—charges at Aldric.

He meets it with a brutal downward strike, cleaving through bone and flesh.

Then—silence.

The creatures are dead.

The forest goes still once more.

Then—a piercing screech rips through their minds.

Aldric staggers, gripping his head.

Sapphire and Elira both gasp, wincing.

Aldric's vision blurs—images flashing into his mind.

A cavern. A pulse of hunger.

A voice—not words—emotion.

Curiosity. Recognition.

And then, a single question:

"What… are you?"

The presence recedes just as quickly, leaving behind an overwhelming sense of rage.

Then, the sound of skittering claws echoes deeper in the forest.

Elira swallows hard. "That wasn't just a monster."

Sapphire tightens her grip on her sword. "It knows we're here."

Aldric looks toward the darkened treeline.

And steps forward.

"Whatever it is, we need to stop this."