More of its kind emerged from the dark depths.
They slithered up the roots and limbs, moving too fast, too fluidly. Their wet claws dug deep into the Bentree bark. They climbed up with eerie precision.
The first four-armed mutant—the one they'd nearly killed—plunged into the water below and vanished as if it had done its part.
A cold dread settled over Vlad. This wasn't a random encounter anymore; it felt coordinated.
It was a hunt.
Vlad and Lana locked eyes. They didn't need to speak.
Run.
They scrambled, leaping from limb to limb, across the wider gaps between branches. Below, the creatures pursued—gliding through the tangled undergrowth.
They were faster on their terrain, cutting off their escape routes with unnerving precision.
Hissing filled the air, echoing from below and then above. More of the creatures crept up, scaling the massive trees like spiders. Vlad's heart pounded as they darted between branches.
They were being herded.
Vlad swore under his breath as one of the creatures flanked to the left. Another surged ahead beneath them in a blur and clawed up the Bentree's trunk to block their path—fangs flashing in the dim crimson light.
"Right!" Lana shouted.
They turned—only to find another one waiting, its claws against the bark.
"We're getting surrounded!" Lana gasped, her longsword raised.
Vlad's mind screamed for an opening—then he spotted it.
A narrow tunnel of limbs wrapped around a path. A natural pipe, too small for the mutants to get in.
"There!" He barked, yanking Lana's arm and pulling her across a gap.
They leapt across.
Vlad crashed against the bark and scrambled inside. Lana followed, crawling through the cramped tunnel of twisted wood and moss.
He glanced back.
Two mutants stood at the entrance. Their bodies too broad to follow. Vlad fired—bullets snapping through leaves. The same dull thunk of hitting their exoskeleton he'd heard before rang out as one of the bullets stuck true. He didn't wait to see more. He turned and crawled as fast as he could.
But the path wasn't very long—soon it came to an end, with another one of the bastards crouched, waiting.
Of course. It was their home. Their terrain.
They couldn't get in, but Vlad and Lana couldn't get out either.
They were stuck.
He heard movement behind—fast, light… wet. The smaller, two-armed ones. The ones that could fit through.
"What do we do?" Lana whispered, breath ragged.
Vlad scanned, desperate. His eyes caught a vine—dangling outside the tunnel. But between them and the vine was a thick branch, just wide enough to block their way.
"Cut this branch."
Lana moved without hesitation. She raised her blade and hacked but the wood barely splintered. The space was too tight for power.
"Move."
Vlad raised his pistol.
"Are you mad? There's not enough room—we'll get hurt!"
He didn't answer and pulled the trigger.
The gunshots filled the tunnel—each blast deafening. Chunks and little pieces of the bark exploded outward—slicing across their suits, across their skin. Vlad grimaced as a piece of bark hit his cheek.
The branch remained resilient. The damned thing just wouldn't snap.
The hissing grew louder—closer.
Vlad gritted his teeth.
Come on. Break already!
He remembered when he shot the pile of leaves and moss on the huge, ancient limb and hit the bark. The bullet barely scratched it.
This one was an infant compared to that one. It was thinner… weaker. But not enough.
After a brief pause, he raised the pistol again. Aimed where the last bullet had gouged deep and fired.
A cracking sound filled the narrow tunnel.
Then—snap.
The branch gave away with a bone-splitting sound, exploding open and falling to the void-like water below. Light burst through.
"Jump onto that vine, quick!"
Lana hesitated.
The gap was frightening but they didn't have another option.
She gulped and leapt onto the vine. Her legs swung in the air as she climbed up the vine to a huge branch above.
As soon as the vine stabilized Vlad leapt across as well. He dangled precariously, the wind whistling past his ears, the sight of the black water far below a dizzying threat. He was one slip away from oblivion. Suddenly the dangling intensified, but Vlad didn't give it a piece of mind. Hauling himself upwards was the only thing occupying his thoughts.
Only a few meters remained of his desperate climb. His muscles screamed in protest, but the solid branch above was tantalizingly close.
Almost there!
"Quick!"
Lana stretched her arm down towards him, her fingers reaching, hope flickering in her emerald eyes.
But her expression… looked off.
Then he felt it.
A subtle shift in the air directly beneath him. A wet, slick pressure against his dangling leg. Something alive.
He risked a downward glance.
It was one of the smaller ones with two hands. Its glowing green eyes were inches from his dangling boot, its clawed hand latched onto his ankle.
Vlad lashed out, violently shaking his leg. His boot connected with the mutant's distorted face with a wet, sickening thud. The creature shrieked, a high-pitched, guttural sound that echoed through the branches.
But its hold did not loosen. Its claws dug deeper into his suit. He was still dangling, the black water a terrifying abyss below, and now a mutant was stubbornly, impossibly, clinging to him.
The mutant, in a silent snarl, lunged upwards, its free claws raking the air where Vlad's leg had been moments before. However, the dangling motion threw off its aim. The claws whooshed past his boot.
He was losing his grip on the vine. His fingers were screaming. Panic surged. He had to act, and fast.
Vlad released his hold with his left hand. For a heart-stopping instant, his entire weight shifted onto his right arm. He twisted his body, bringing his pistol up with his now freed left hand.
He fired.
The violent sway of the vine amplified his already poor aim making the shot a near impossibility. Yet, by a stroke of luck, the bullet struck true.
A shower of purple blood and bone exploded everywhere. The mutant plunged towards the ink-black water. But its arm got severed and remained locked tight around his ankle like a grotesque shackle.
Vlad was still dangling precariously above the dark water by a single hand, the wind whistling past his ears. The dead weight of the mutant's severed arm swung uselessly beneath him, a gruesome reminder of the close call and a new burden.
Lana, above, had her hand still reached out. Though the grim look on her face hadn't entirely faded.
She gripped Vlad's outstretched hand with both of hers. Her small stature belied a surprising strength as she hauled upwards, grunting with the effort.
Finally, with a last surge, Lana dragged him onto the massive limb. The branch they were on was connected with a few others making a platform as wide as a road, completely surrounded by leaves from all sides.
"That was close," Vlad said, gasping for breath.
The limb moved for a split second, then—a high-pitched, guttural shriek cut through the wind, making their heads snap.
It was one of the bigger ones, but… more muscular. It had spikes protruding out of its back. The death cry of the lesser of its kind must have alerted it. Its ghostly green eyes were fuelled with immense rage.
It charged at them with lightning speed. Its four arms, tipped with wickedly sharp claws, were outstretched, aimed directly at Vlad.
Lana reacted instantly, her longsword whistling through the air in a desperate parry. The mutant's leading claws screeched against the shining steel, sparks flying in the growing crimson light. The force of the blow jarred Lana's arms, nearly knocking the sword from her grip.
Vlad, still hampered by the dead weight swinging from his ankle, scrambled backward, his pistol rising to meet the creature's furious advance.
He squeezed the trigger. The bullet cracked through the air, but the mutant was too fast, too enraged. The bullet hit its shoulder and got deflected.
It's even tougher than the other one?!
With a guttural roar, it launched itself at Vlad, its claws aimed at his face. He ducked low but the slippery moss made him fall on his back instead.
Crap!
Vlad's eyes grew large as the claws came crashing down on him. His attention got snatched for a split second. Finally snapping back, he threw himself sideways, the creature's claws tearing through the air inches from his head.
He rolled on the rough, skin-like bark, the severed arm flopping awkwardly.
The mutant slammed its claws deep into the branch where Vlad had just been. The wood groaned under the force, splintering around the embedded talons.
"Are you okay?" Lana cried out, her voice filled with alarm.
But Vlad remained silent. His gaze was fixed upward, his eyes wide with a chilling focus.
Finally, a slow, almost detached voice escaped his lips, a stark contrast to the frantic energy of the fight.
"We... might be in big trouble."