The group advanced cautiously, boots scraping against the scorched and uneven ground. The aftermath of the battle was evident—scattered weapons, shattered armor, and corpses lying in twisted, unnatural positions. The eerie silence hung heavy in the air, and the remnants of the skirmish seemed to whisper of something far more sinister.
Kalem's eyes swept over the scene, noting the signs of struggle: claw marks etched into the ground, blackened scorch marks, and deep grooves where weapons had dug into the earth. He paused near a body that had been slumped against a broken boulder, its mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
Serka knelt beside one of the fallen scouts, her fingers hovering cautiously over the soldier's chest. Her brow furrowed as she examined a deep cavity, its edges charred and slick. "They aren't just dead," she whispered. "It looks like their blood was completely sucked out."
Kalem's grip on his spear tightened. In a sudden, fluid motion, he yanked Serka away from the corpse and thrust his spear repeatedly into the body, his strikes precise and unrelenting.
"Whoa! What are you doing?!" one of the soldiers, a Lunarian with pale blue hair and glowing eyes, rushed over and pulled Kalem away, his voice tense.
"Checking for parasites lying in ambush," Kalem responded curtly, still staring at the corpse.
Astra approached, her gaze shifting between Kalem and the corpse. "You think some of them could be playing dead?"
Kalem nodded. "The way the ichor moved before—it latched onto corpses, using them as hosts. If one of these bodies still has traces, it could attack at any moment."
The Lunarian, still holding Kalem back, hesitated, then glanced at Astra, who gave a brief nod. "Alright. Make sure the bodies are thoroughly checked. Any sign of movement—burn it."
Serka shot Kalem a disapproving glare. "You could have warned me before you started stabbing."
Kalem didn't answer, too focused on examining the ichor-stained ground. "It's strange. If the parasites are using the corpses, why haven't they attacked yet? They didn't hesitate before."
One of the other scouts, a woman with a burnished steel halberd, carefully prodded another body with the weapon's shaft. "Maybe they only react to certain conditions?"
The idea gnawed at Kalem's mind. The parasites had been aggressive earlier, actively seeking hosts. Now, they seemed dormant—lying in wait.
He glanced at Astra. "What's the plan?"
"First, we make sure nothing here moves. Then, we advance toward the last marked position of the scouts. We'll burn any suspicious corpses along the way."
As they moved deeper into the area, the air grew colder, and the ground began to feel oddly soft, as if something pulsed beneath the surface. Kalem could sense Onyx growling low, ears perked and alert.
Serka kept pace beside him, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "You're unusually tense," she noted.
"It's not just the parasites," Kalem muttered. "Something about this place feels... wrong. Like the ground itself is infected."
A sudden crackling noise broke the stillness. One of the soldiers in the rear stumbled backward, his foot having sunk into the ground as if it were a thin membrane. A faint, dark liquid oozed out of the indent.
Kalem and Astra rushed over, and Astra gave a sharp command. "Don't move!"
The soldier froze, eyes wide with panic. Kalem leaned in closer, inspecting the ground. It looked almost like a layer of skin stretched over a hollow cavity, and the liquid that seeped through had the same oily sheen as the parasites.
"Step back, slowly," Kalem instructed.
As the soldier carefully pulled his foot free, the membrane quivered, and a series of small, spidery tendrils erupted from the hole, latching onto his leg.
"Cut it!" Kalem yelled.
Serka was faster, her stiletto flashing as she severed the tendrils, while Astra plunged a rune-etched blade into the spot, releasing a burst of flames that incinerated the tendrils instantly.
The soldier breathed heavily, checking his leg for injuries. Thankfully, the armor had prevented the tendrils from piercing through.
"What the hell is going on?" Serka demanded.
Astra gritted her teeth. "The parasites aren't just lying dormant in the corpses—they're spreading underground. The whole area could be contaminated."
Kalem's eyes darkened. "They're evolving. They've become part of the terrain itself, waiting for prey to step on them."
The realization sent a ripple of unease through the group. Astra raised her voice, addressing everyone. "Change formation! Stay light on your feet. Test the ground before stepping. We move in pairs to minimize risk."
Kalem glanced at the whip coiled on his hip, considering its potential for checking the terrain from a distance. As they advanced, he cautiously struck the ground ahead of him, looking for any signs of movement.
One of the younger scouts whispered to another, "It's like the ground's alive... like we're walking on a living creature."
Kalem didn't dismiss the thought. If the parasites had enough time to spread, they might have fused with the very earth itself, creating a network of traps.
Serka caught his glance and muttered, "You got that look again."
"Just thinking," Kalem replied. "If they're linked to each other underground, they might react all at once if disturbed too much."
Astra overheard and nodded. "Good point. We'll need to make sure we don't trigger a full reaction. Move carefully."
The eerie quiet continued, broken only by the crunch of gravel and the distant howl of wind through the craggy landscape.
Suddenly, Onyx froze, his ears twitching. Kalem halted immediately. "Wait. Onyx senses something."
The wolf's fur bristled, and he growled low in his throat, his eyes fixed on a patch of ground a few meters ahead.
Kalem motioned for everyone to stop. Slowly, he pulled the Burnt Blade free, igniting it with a low flame. He carefully approached the suspicious spot, and just as he raised the blade—
The ground erupted.
A massive, bulbous form burst forth, dripping with oily black ichor, tendrils flailing in every direction. Kalem sliced through one of the writhing limbs, his blade searing it off.
"Ambush!" Astra shouted.
The entire area seemed to come alive as more grotesque creatures tore themselves free from the ground, each one a mass of wriggling tendrils and hollowed faces.
Kalem swung the flaming blade in wide arcs, burning anything that got too close. Astra rallied the unit, weapons flashing as they fought off the onslaught.
Serka stayed close to Kalem, slicing through the parasites with quick, efficient strikes. "I thought you said they were dormant!"
"They were!" Kalem snapped back. "Something must have triggered them!"
Astra shouted a command to focus fire on the larger clusters, and the enchanted weapons flared to life, cutting through the swarming parasites with ruthless efficiency.
Kalem gritted his teeth. "We need to find the source—if they're spreading like this, there's a core somewhere, something feeding this infection."
Astra nodded grimly, slicing through a writhing tendril. "Agreed. Keep pushing forward. If we can find the origin, we might be able to burn it out."
As the chaotic battle raged on, Kalem couldn't shake the feeling that they were being herded—guided toward something far more dangerous.