Not even a second after Avelyne had pushed herself off the ground, a giant maw shot out of the ground, swallowing the area they had rested at just a moment before.
Thanks to the dreadful feeling and warnings the shadows had given him, Nyx knew that something dangerous was about to happen. But seeing all three of them nearly escape death sent a chill down his spine.
This was not like the monster tide they had gotten swept up in—the danger was clear, and even when the Broodweaver had attacked their carriage, Nyx had noticed it.
He had been so sure that he would sense the monster approach again before it could get really dangerous for them. But he hadn't sensed anything.
As if the monster had no shadow, or the Broodweaver was too strong and its shadow was out of Nyx's reach. He didn't know the real reason, but realizing his only card against this creature was gone left him trembling all over.
Avelyne hadn't looked back. Carrying Nyx and the unconscious Caelia, she made her way toward the hiding spot of the group within the forest.
Nyx had already told her their position earlier for exactly such a case.
Most of them were already sleeping, but the few who had stayed awake on guard had all been alarmed by the commotion. One after another, the others jolted awake.
Not that it mattered; in fact, it was even important for them to be awake. Otherwise, Nyx feared they would all be eaten in their sleep, and his so-called distraction wouldn't have the desired effect.
Thankfully, the people still hadn't spotted them. But Nyx knew that this would change soon as they got closer and closer to the green border.
From behind, Nyx heard the Broodweaver drawing in, destroying everything in its path. His perception, even with the creature in front of his eyes, was completely useless.
It wouldn't take much longer for them to enter the forest, and the group hiding within it had already noticed them approaching by now. The Broodweaver, though, had completely slipped their awareness for the moment.
This worked in their favor—but it also unsettled Nyx. All the noise and destruction behind them was caused by it. So how had they not noticed the monster coming closer and closer?
Trying not to bite off his tongue, Nyx informed Avelyne.
"They already noticed us."
Avelyne squinted her eyes at the forest before her gaze landed back on Nyx with a questioning look on her face.
Understanding what she wanted just from that look, Nyx cleared his throat.
"Four are in the trees, and six are on the ground hiding in bushes. Ready to circle us in the moment we enter the forest."
Avelyne gave a slight nod at his words.
They only had one try. If they failed, they would be left to fight the Broodweaver, which could also be called a suicide mission.
As they entered the forest, three arrows shot at them, each aimed at one of them. Avelyne sidestepped the arrows and continued forward. Their aim was at the formation's center.
Following the arrows' trajectory with his senses, Nyx felt as if the world was mocking him as he watched the arrows pass through the monster instead of piercing its flesh.
He knew that it was foolish to try comprehending such a beast and its abilities at his current level, but—
"That is fucking bullshit! It's not even changing its target."
Nyx clenched his fists as hard as his regained strength allowed. It wasn't much, but the break had definitely done its job.
Doubt crept into his mind. If they couldn't see nor touch the creature, what were the chances for the monster to switch targets without getting aggressed by others?
Avelyne might have been able to pull something like that off with her speed if she didn't have to carry Nyx and Caelia, but with both of them as dead weight, it seemed rather difficult. On top of that, they were currently getting circled in from all sides, which was their initial goal—but now—
They soon reached the middle of the formation that was meant to capture them. The Broodweaver was still a bit behind thanks to its gigantic build and the dense forest. While the monster was much faster than them in open terrain, here in the forest they had the upper hand.
Nyx's perception was working in overload as he navigated the route through the forest. They had long since arrived at the center of the trap. Their plan from there on was to draw everyone in as close as possible—without revealing that they had known about it all along.
Weaving through arrow after arrow—sidestepping traps and dead ends within the formation—they baited the people closer together. The distance between them and the Broodweaver had increased by a lot.
A spear shot out of the brush in front of them. Avelyne ducked low and veered to the left, just for another one to shoot out of the dense greenery from that side. The situation looked dire, as it seemed that they would get struck for good this time.
But the moment he thought they would get hit for good this time, Nyx found himself a few feet behind the spears' range. He could feel that his body had just been moved at a speed so fast his perception couldn't follow.
The circle of people around them had closed in so much that there was barely a meter of distance between them, with a few additional archers in the trees—leaving the monster no other choice but to target those first before it could go after Avelyne, Caelia, and Nyx.
Now they just had to pray that the beast wouldn't come out of the ground like before and swallow them within the encirclement—or be able to phase through the people like it did with the arrows.
But fortunately, the Broodweaver hadn't moved through the trees and was forced to find a way around them or uproot them entirely, giving Nyx the confidence that the beast at least wasn't almighty with its shifting.
As the monster drew closer, the group of bandits—or whatever they were—started to realize that something wasn't right. Nyx felt their fear and tension rising with the approaching destruction.
The Broodweaver finally revealed itself in all its fury and started to target the pitiful souls that dared to stand between it and its prey.