Just as a massive pile of guts, flesh, and dark blood was about to pulverize the horrified group, the loud sound of fingers snapping echoed through the air.
The next moment, Frost found himself standing in a vast open space, or rather, he found himself staring at the open sky.
He was flying!
"Whoahhhh!"
Frost was momentarily disoriented, suddenly feeling off-balance with nothing beneath his feet.
His stomach lurched as he instinctively flailed his arms, but before he could completely lose his bearings, he realized that his feet were being held firmly in place by some mysterious force.
"What the...?"
He looked around, realising that he wasn't alone. Everyone else was there as well, and they were flying as well.
Or rather, floating high above the sky, their bodies suspended in midair as though the very air itself had become solid ground beneath their feet.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
The destructive sound of something truly massive crashing into the ground echoed through the distance.
The impact made the air vibrate beneath their feet, sending a powerful shockwave rippling through the surrounding landscape.
Hundreds of small birds hidden within the distant forest suddenly burst from the treetops, scattering into the sky in a chaotic flock.
Frost stared downward.
Far below them, a massive cloud of dust and debris was rapidly expanding from the point of impact.
The corpse of the eldritch fiend had finally hit the ground.
And judging by the sheer size of the dust cloud, Frost had no desire whatsoever to find out what the forest looked like down there.
"You must be the newest batch of otherworlders."
Frost's ears were graced by the fairest female voice he had ever heard.
His head snapped toward the source, and his eyes were immediately met with the most beautiful face he had ever seen, followed by a figure that could only be described as breathtaking.
There was something about her entire presence that was simply enthralling.
His peers were just as stunned as he was.
The woman had long silver-white hair that flowed down her back like a river of silk.
Despite the obvious presence of wind, evident from the way her robes fluttered around her, that same force didn't seem to apply to her hair.
Every strand remained perfectly still, as though the wind itself dared not disturb it.
She wore loose, unblemished white robes that looked almost plain at first glance, yet they did little to conceal the stunning figure beneath them.
Her features were soft and delicate, but it was her pristine, jade-white skin that truly drew Frost's gaze.
Her eyes were an equally striking crimson, perhaps the deepest shade of red he had ever seen, framed by long black lashes that fluttered gently whenever she blinked.
Her small, button-like nose and luscious red lips were simply the icing on the cake.
Frost found himself breathing a little faster, his cheeks suddenly warming.
"Beautiful." The word escaped his lips before he could stop himself.
She looked to be around their age, yet none of the women Frost had ever seen could hold a candle to her absolute perfection.
Hell, even the most beautiful models and celebrities in the world would have been utterly outclassed by her godlike beauty.
And considering the power she had just displayed, along with the fact that she could not only fly but had somehow given them the ability to stand in the sky alongside her, Frost couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was an angel.
It would certainly be fitting.
The woman frowned when no one answered her.
Frost glanced around, oddly relieved to see that he wasn't the only one whose cheeks were burning.
In fact, it wasn't just the guys. Almost every single one of the girls was blushing profusely as well.
"Ahhhhh... Yes... Apologies. Ahhh..." Jennifer stepped forward, clearing her throat while still looking somewhat flustered, addressing the woman.
"You can call me Syrn."
The woman cut in, giving Jennifer her name.
"We're a bit disoriented. Thank you for saving us, Miss Syrn. From your words, I take it this is a completely different world from the one we know?"
The woman maintained a deadpan expression, and from the look on her face, it was clear that she would rather not be here.
"Basically, yes. I'll let someone else handle the explanation when we get back to Linden. I've done my job here. But yes, we've been receiving thousands of your kind all over our world for the past week or so."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"You lot have been the unluckiest so far, being teleported directly into the territory of a Centikraken Eldritch. You're lucky I got here as fast as I did, as soon as the disturbance in space-time was detected. Otherwise, you'd all be dead."
Frost gulped.
'So the creature is called a Centikraken.'
Instead of an octopus, it was certainly fitting, though somewhat odd. An octopus had eight legs, but this one had hundreds of them, so calling it centi instead, meaning a hundred...
Frost scoffed.
'Pragmatic, but whoever named this thing has terrible taste in names.'
"Something funny?"
The beautiful woman's voice suddenly drew Frost out of his thoughts.
"Ehhh?"
Frost's eyes widened as he looked around, realising that everyone was staring at him. Judging by the disapproving looks on their faces, maybe he had scoffed a bit too loudly.