I still wasn’t at the village.

  I was running for my life, still with zero HP.

  Breath coming in ragged gasps, I pressed my back against a tree and desperately tried to steal a few seconds of rest.

  The distant sound of running water was infuriating. The village was so close, but here I was, running around according to the whims of my pursuers.

  Something crashed through the underbrush behind me. I took off again, sprinting through these dense, shadowy woods, with the thorny underbrush clawing at my legs like it was an extension of the monsters.

  Rabid barks grew louder behind me, the sounds of the pursuers crashing into trees intensifying. I wasn’t going to waste time looking back. The fact that I could hear their warped mouths snapping open and shut was more than I needed.

  Suddenly, a sound came from in front of me.

  “It was the greatest taste I ever experienced.”

  Its grey form broke out from between the trees, its anglerfish-like maw gaping wide as it aimed for my head. I ducked just in time, the creature’s skin scraps grazing the back of my neck.

  It crashed behind, probably clumsily rolling on the ground. A bark came. It was scrambling toward me. New Arm already equipped, I swung it backward in a wide arc, the metal fist connecting with the hungry creature’s face. The impact sent it sprawling into the underbrush, but I didn’t stop to finish it off.

  “That’s a third one! How many are there?!” I yelled, running away from the similar-looking pair that had finally come back into sight.

  These things, like the others, were warped gray humanoids. They were thinner than the others I had encountered, their bones visible wherever their skin wasn’t loose. They were much faster too. Their heads were disproportionately large and elongated, with their jaws being able to unhinge and open wide enough to swallow my head whole. It was like if someone took an anglerfish’s mouth and teeth and jammed it into a human’s while also filling the head with gas. Their most dangerous ability was their lunges. Once they leaped, they were like flying fish cruising through the air.

  I kept sprinting, turning whenever the path ahead was too miserable. I did my best to follow the sounds of water, hoping that I could cross into the village and hide.

  They were silent now. My heart went faster. They had closed in.

  “I would eat it every day if I could.”

  There it was! I lifted my left arm. One of the pair lunged from my left, its mouth stretching unnaturally wide as it snapped at me. I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding its teeth, and drove New Arm into its side. The creature let out a gurgling shriek, its body crumpling under the force of the blow, but I didn’t wait to see if it stayed down. I kept running, my heart pounding in my chest, my lungs burning with every breath.

  Trees creaked beside me. The third creature was leaping from tree to tree, its nails clawing into the bark every time without fail. This one’s movements were more calculated. It darted across the trees, staying just out of reach of a quick backhand, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

  A chill went down my spine. I glanced over my shoulder just as it lunged, its mouth opening wide, rows of jagged teeth glinting in the dim light of strobing plants.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  I dropped to the ground, rolling to the side as the creature sailed over me. I summoned New Arm again, slamming it into the creature’s ribs as it landed. The force of the blow sent it skidding across the forest floor, but it was back on its feet in an instant, its twisted body moving with unnatural speed, as drool poured from its mouth.

  It came for me like a beast driven mad by hunger. I braced and swung, smacking it across it face and snapping its teeth. It stumbled, and I took it by the head and slammed it into the ground. Panting, I jammed New Arm in its mouth, grabbed it by its fat tongue, and ran forward toward a large spire sticking out from some tangled roots.

  Thanking everything in existence for this thing being so light, I hoisted it and slammed its head back down on the spire. The rock erupted out from the space between its black holes for eyes and further destroyed the head as I jammed it further down the spire.

  I ripped the tongue out, tossed it to the side, then grabbed one of the larger fangs and ran.

  Barks came from behind me again–two distinct barks. I focused on my sprint forward–I was sure I was getting to the village.

  The creatures were relentless, their guttural growls growing louder than the stomping of their feet as they closed the distance.

  “Given up on being silent, huh?”

  One shot past me, hit the tree to my left, and lunged for me, its mouth snapping shut just inches from my ear. I swung New Arm blindly, the metal fist connecting with it and sending it to the ground.

  That was a lesson in how fast they could move. I weaved between trees, ensuring that there was no easy straight path between them and me. The tactic saved me from a sudden jet-lunge from behind, but these things that could move from tree to tree probably liked it. More often, I was catching them out the corner of my eye, leaping from bark to bark.

  The louder the water became, the more desperate they seemed to become. They were getting into sight more often, and then they started lunging at me in turns. Their warped mouths snapped at me from every angle, forcing me to dodge and weave as I ran. Each near-miss sent a fresh surge of adrenaline through my veins. The only thing that was saving me was that they were just going for it, even though they would miss. Maybe they thought throwing me off with a failed attempt would allow the second to get me, but I was too locked in.

  Finally, the trees began to thin, and the abandoned village came into view. The dark, rounded buildings loomed ahead, their form still throwing me off. The obelisk loomed over this obstructing wall of bubbles, its flame-less state a stark reminder that getting into the town may not be enough to save me.

  I just needed to get there. I would get a Level, and my HP would be restored, and I’d have regen active again. And if not, then I could barricade myself inside somewhere. My memories as Set screamed at me–if we could just enter the village, we would be safe! Villages were safe!

  The creatures’ reactions were proof. They were trying so hard because they didn’t want me to escape.

  One of them lunged from behind, its mouth snapping shut around New Arm’s forearm.

  “Idiot.”

  I leaped to the left and slammed the creature against a tree, leaning into the bite. It shrieked, surprised that I pressed my arm so into its mouth that I tore its flesh. I took the fang I had ripped earlier and stabbed it in the neck repeatedly. Purple ichor spurted out after each stab. It finally released my arm, and I ran again, narrowly avoiding the one behind me.

  My rage got the better of me. The one behind me had just missed and its partner had at the very least been stunned. I pivoted and swung New Arm, clipping the ground as I delivered an uppercut to the shambling creature.

  It went flying upward, some teeth snapping. Triumphant, I broke out of the forest. My eyes scanned everything in an instant. There was a bridge right there! I got lucky!

  I crossed the river, running over the mushroom-covered stone bridge, but right as I did, I saw it out of the corner of my eye.

  There was a ‘cloaked’ grey creature kneeling at the water’s edge, its lips so stretched that they looked like a mosquito’s stinger. Was it sucking up water with those lips–with that mouth?

  But it didn’t turn toward me. Instead, I heard its whisper–

  “This water is so blessed.”

  Counting my own blessings, I ran into the nearest pod house and immediately shoved a wooden table into the doorway.