The noise of the crowd was really loud, in the supermarket. It felt like you could actually feel the sound of people talking and shouting. The roar rolled through the supermarket like a wave.
KAAAH—!
The ceiling panels started to rattle badly. The decorations that were not stuck on properly came off. Fell down with the silver tinsel floating around like tiny threads. You could hear the sound of glass breaking from far away.
Ethan Cross stopped in the middle of taking a step.
The mans instincts were telling him something. Every single one of them old and new the ones he had learned from experiences were all saying the same thing. They were sharp and clear like when you're, in a tough spot and you have to think fast and they were all screaming at him to be careful. The mans instincts were screaming the warning over and over again.
This wasn't a goblin.
Marcus Hale was standing beside him. Marcus Hale had a tight grip, on the bat. The bat was made of aluminum. It was making a weird noise because Marcus Hale was holding it so tightly. Marcus Hales face was very pale. You could see that he was sweating a lot under his cap. The sweat was making lines on his face where it was washing away the dirt.
"Tell me " Marcus whispered in a rough voice "that was not what I think it was, the thing that I think it was."
Ethan did not answer.
The air had changed. It was, like something was different now. The air had. I could feel it.
The thing was thicker now. It was heavier too. The bad smell came a second later. It smelled like fur and blood with a lot of iron in it. There was also rot. It was all, over the muscle. The floor started shaking. The smell of fur and iron-rich blood and rot over muscle was really bad. The floor shook some more.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Every single step that I took had a lot of weight to it. There was a lot of intent, behind each step that I took. The intent was really important. Each step had a lot of weight and a lot of intent.
Ethan said softly "There is something, behind me."
Marcus did what he was told without saying a word. He just went along, with it. Marcus did not question anything.
Ethan walked through the wreckage his boots making a crunching sound on the glass and bones that were over the place. There were goblins everywhere their bodies twisted in weird ways. The blue stuff that was usually on them was gone now it had been. Taken or something. Ethan could still feel the warmth in his arms and legs. He felt like he could see and hear things a little better, than usual like his senses were sharper. The wreckage was a mess, Ethan. The dead goblins were a reminder of what had just happened.
Not enough.
This is not, for what was coming.
The meat section was right in front of me. The fluorescent lights above were blinking on and off like they were going to stop working at any moment. There were hooks hanging from the ceiling and they were all swinging back and forth but they were not holding any meat. The refrigerators were making a noise they were humming but not very smoothly. The doors of the refrigerators were wide open which seemed strange. The meat section usually had a lot of meat. Now it was empty. The refrigerators in the meat section were still humming,. They were not closed. The hooks, in the meat section were still swinging,. The meat section was empty.
And at the center of it—
The orc stood there. Waited.
This thing was really big. It had seven feet of strong muscle all over it and its skin was a weird gray and green color with a lot of scars. It had teeth sticking out of its lower jaw and they were covered in blood that was still wet. The creature was holding an axe in one hand the kind that you use to put out fires and it looked like it had been torn right off the wall. The axe was damaged, with a chip, in the blade. It was all slippery.
At the feet of the thing lay what was left of a security guard. The security guard was really hurt. The security guard did not look like he was going to be okay.
The orc lifted its head up. Looked around. The orc was really big and scary. What was the orc going to do ? The orc just sat there for a moment.
The eyes of this thing locked onto Ethan.
I saw recognition flash there.
The prey that fought back.
The animal let out a noise. It bellowed.
The sound was really loud. It broke the fridge door. This made the frozen meat come out and slide over the floor. Then the thing that made the sound started moving towards us it was like it was coming to attack. The sound was still loud. It was getting closer and closer and then it charged.
Ethan shouted "Move" loud. He wanted people to get going. Ethan was saying they had to move now. Move was what Ethan was telling them to do.
He pushed Marcus to the side when the axe was coming down on them. The axe was really close, to hitting Marcus. He had to push Marcus sideways to get him out of the way of the axe. Marcus was lucky that he was able to move him in time. The axe came down hard. Hit the ground.
BOOM.
The floor just blew up where Ethans head was. It smashed all the tiles into pieces. This big shockwave. It really shook Ethans teeth. He rolled over and got up fast he was already running.
The orc ripped the axe out of whatever was holding it. Spun around really quickly. This was too quick.
Ethan slashed at the monsters thigh. He was trying to hurt the monster badly. The monster had sharp teeth and Ethan was very scared of it. Ethan kept slashing at the monsters thigh.
The blade bit in.
The orc did not slow down. The orc just kept on going. The orc was really moving fast.
The ball hit him hard. It was like the ball came out of nowhere. It backhanded him. The ball was moving fast that it backhanded him before he could even react.
Ethan got hurt bad when he crashed into the meat counter. The pain was, over his ribs. He could not breathe for a moment. Something broke. Ethan rolled away without thinking because the axe was coming down. It hit the steel counter where Ethan had been lying. The axe cut through the steel.
Marcus did not freeze.
Terror was burning inside of him.. At the same time he felt a lot of fury. The terror was bad. The fury was really bad too. Terror and fury were both burning through the man.
The man charged forward.
The bat swung low. The bat was coming down quickly. It looked like the bat was going to hit something. The bat kept on swinging low.
CRACK.
The kick connected with the orcs knee.
My bone actually snapped. It is a bad feeling when a bone snaps. The bone. Now it hurts a lot. The bone that snapped is going to take a time to heal.
The orc let out a howl and stumbled around. But the orc swung its free hand like a big heavy thing. Marcus got hit hard and flew through the air crashing into a shelf with a lot of dried meat bags, on it. Then Marcus fell down on the ground. Lay there trying to catch his breath. The orc was still coming at Marcus.
Ethan yelled out Marcus.
Alive. Breathing.
Barely.
The orc turned back, to Ethan it was really mad. There was a lot of blood coming from its leg. It did not back away. The orc raised the axe again ready to hit Ethan. The orc was still very angry. It was going to attack Ethan with the axe.
Too strong. Too durable.
Ethans mind was really racing. Ethan was thinking about a lot of things and Ethan could not calm down. Ethans thoughts were, over the place.
Think.
The man looked at the duffel bag that had been knocked over. The stuff from the bag was over the floor. His eyes were, on the spilled duffel bag. There was gear everywhere.
The flare gun.
Marcus Ethan shouted loudly. The flare he said, needs to go up.
The orc took a step forward and swung its arm at me. The orc was really strong. The orc was trying to hit me.
Ethan met the problem head on. He did not back down from the problem. The problem was something Ethan was ready to face. Ethan was going to deal with the problem.
The man ducked under the axe that was coming at him he got slashed across the forearm. Then he buried the knife into the creatures ribs. The creature roared loud and slammed its head forward. The creature was very angry now. The creature let out a roar again.
CRACK.
Stars burst across Ethans vision. He. Almost fell, but he managed to catch himself just in time. The axe came down again it barely missed him but it did graze Ethans shoulder and it tore his flesh. This really hurt Ethan. He was getting very scared. The axe was still coming down at Ethan.
My blood was really boiling. The blood was running hot. I was so angry that my blood ran hot.
Marcus was really struggling as he crawled. He was gasping for air. His fingers were closing around the flare gun. Marcus had a grip, on the flare gun now.
He picked it up with hands that were shaking badly. His hands were shaking much that it was hard for him to hold it. The thing he was holding was really important to him so his hands were shaking more. He was trying to be careful, with it. His shaking hands were making it difficult.
The orc roared again. Its mouth was really wide. The orc let out a roar.
Marcus pulled the trigger. He did this thing that people do when they want to shoot a gun. Marcus pulled the trigger. Something was going to happen because of it. The trigger that Marcus pulled was, on a gun.
FWOOOSH.
The flare went into the orcs throat. No that is not what I mean. The flare fired into the throat of the orc. This thing was really powerful. The flare fired into the orcs throat.
A huge amount of light came out of the things mouth. The light was so bright that it was like an explosion of light, from the things mouth.
The creature stumbled around scratching at its face and its screams became all wet and choked as the fire ate away at the creature from the inside. The axe fell out of the creatures hand. Landed on the floor with a really loud bang.
Ethan did not hesitate.
He moved forward fast and everything he did was exact and rough. He surged forward and his movements were precise they were brutal. The way he surged forward was full of energy. It was easy to see that every step he took was precise and brutal.
One stab to the heart.
Another to the neck.
A final twist upward into the base of the skull.
The orc fell down. The orc just could not stand up anymore. The orc was completely exhausted. It collapsed.
When the thing died a big burst of light came out of its body. This blue light was really strong. It felt like it was going to hurt Ethan. The blue light went into Ethans body like liquid metal. It filled up his veins. Made the pain go away. The blue light also fixed the damaged muscles in Ethans body. It made Ethans senses really sharp. Everything became very clear, to Ethan. It was really scary. The blue light made Ethan see and hear everything in a way that was almost too much to handle.
---
The energy drain has been triggered
[High-Tier Essence Absorbed]
---
Ethan went down on one knee his breathing was really rough. It was not because he was weak. Because he was trying to hold back. The power, inside him wanted more it was asking for more it was demanding that Ethan give in to it that the power have more of Ethan.
He made himself swallow the thing. He forced the food down his throat.
Marcus groaned behind him.
Ethan stood up. Walked over to him. He then grabbed him. Pulled him upright before he could fall down. Ethan did this so that he would not collapse to the ground.
Ethan asked if you are alive.
Marcus laughed a little holding his ribs. He said "Ask me tomorrow."
The hypermarket was really quiet now. It was like the hypermarket had become a different place you know the hypermarket that was always full of people and noise.
Too quiet.
No goblin shrieks. No movement. Just distant sirens and the low hum of failing electricity.
Ethan looked closely at the dark shadows. The shadows were pretty scary. Ethan was being very careful. Ethan kept scanning the shadows to see if he could find anything.
This victory had been loud.
Ethan said that they will come. He was talking about people. These other people will be stronger, than the ones they have seen before. Ethan said that other people will come and these people will be very strong.
Marcus nodded slowly his eyes burning now. It was not because he was scared but because he was determined.
So what are we going to do with this situation I mean what is the next step for us to take with the problem that we have, in front of us.
Ethan looked around the ruined store. He was thinking about supplies and where he could find them. He also thought about the places to defend himself like choke points and if there were any higher areas, like elevation that would give him an advantage. Ethan thought about the store and its supplies again. How he could use the layout to his benefit.
He said that they have to make themselves stronger. They have to get ready, for what's coming.. The thing is, they cannot just relax and think everything is okay because it is not. They have to stay alert and keep preparing that is what they have to do with their preparations and their strength, their fortifications and their readiness.
The sky was on fire, with a color when night came. The sky looked really red outside when it got dark. The night was. The sky was red.
The world had not ended.
The project had entered its phase. The second phase of the project had now started.
And hunters—
Hunters were being forged in blood.