Chapter 170 (1/8): Return of the Monstrosities

“I’ll believe you for now,” the captive priest said. He looked around at each of them before offering up a head for a shake. “They call me Jona. By the way, just because I believe you now doesn’t mean we’re allies.”

Fleur nodded. “We understand. You need to confirm some things by yourself, right? We’re not going to ask anything of you that might be too much.” Being allies might be a bit too much to ask so soon, but she was just happy that they weren’t enemies anymore.

Now that he wasn’t in danger of being silenced or beaten anymore, Jona seemed to have calmed down significantly, regaining some of his outward pride. His chin was lifted, and he looked over Anne and Fleur when speaking, preferring to seek out Justin. That was understandable, but considering how they had operated since they escaped, each pulling at least their own weight, it was kind of irritating to be overlooked.

For the sake of keeping relations cordial, though, Fleur didn’t let her smile fade and kept her complaints to herself.

“So, what are you going to ask of me?” Jona crossed his arms, looking unwilling to do anything. If anything, he looked impatient to leave, looking in the direction of the village every so often. It was almost suspicious, if Fleur wasn’t already convinced that the priest didn’t have any allies nearby. Even if he told the villagers, it wouldn’t amount to much anyway.

Suppose Jona wanted to capture them. It would be in his best interests to play along for a bit, but by then Fleur and the others will be long gone.

“Nothing too much. I just want you to be a proxy for us,” Justin said. He pulled out his heavy coin purse and took out a few coins. There were rocks inside the purse to mask their dwindling treasury, adding some weight, and he had to be careful to pick out the right objects. Before long, four coins twice the size of thumbnails sat on his palm. “Not everyone is as open minded as you…”

Jona smiled, pleased by the compliment.

“…so we can’t openly trade just anywhere. That’s why we want your help using these coins to exchange for some supplies. If you agree, Anne will go with you, so you know what we need to buy.”

Before Jona could even consider making a deal with the villager and pocketing the difference, Justin killed the plan in its cradle by sending Anne along as an observer. And it wasn’t only because of their reluctance to show their faces. These villagers will probably give Jona cheaper prices thanks to his status, compared to Justin’s ragged appearance.

With some reluctance, Jona nodded and took the coins. “That’s all I’ll do for you, at least until I know more,” he said gruffly. “After this, I’ll need to get back to the city and check out some things and see if you’re really telling the truth or not. Will you consider coming with me back?”

“We’ll see,” Justin said, promising nothing. But everyone knew that the chance of that happening was zero at best.

The priest shrugged and headed back toward the village, brushing off his robes as he went. Anne went along, keeping just out of his reach in case Jona suddenly changed his mind and tried to take her hostage. Just like how Jona didn’t trust them completely, neither did they trust him.

Once they were a decent distance away, Fleur and Justin followed as backup, unseen by anyone.

It didn’t take long for Jona to return with the goods—some jerky, some salt and sugar, and a bit more furs. Anne followed behind like a shadow, saying nothing, but that lack of any reaction was a good sign. Fleur let out a sigh of relief as Anne split from Jona and came back to her side while Jona went to give the goods over to Justin.

“Anne, are you okay?” Fleur asked, just in case.

Anne nodded. “Fine.” Then she sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing important. Just…you should’ve seen how the villager acted in front of Jona. He was practically kissing the ground, saying how it was his honor to be able to sell to a priest, and how he would be sure to give him a good, fair price. All while hinting that Jona should bless him in exchange.” She sniffed. “And how do their kind act toward us? I think Jona managed to get the price down to half of what we would’ve had to pay, and he didn’t even ask for a lower price!”

Fleur patted her back, trying to calm her down, rubbing and massaging away Anne’s disgust and frustration. “There there. You can’t blame them for trying to trade for things they don’t have with things they do. A villager probably can’t afford a blessing with money, so favors are the best way to go about it. Did Jona bless him in the end?”

“Of course no,” Anne said with a snort, almost scoffing. “Does he seem like the type?”

“…not really.”

“Right? Come on, let’s go over to Justin. They’re probably discussing something and we don’t want to miss out.” Anne pointed over toward the two grown men walking side by side toward the forest again. While the forest wasn’t very comfortable, it was still the safest place to be.

Anne and Fleur hurried after them and soon they were sitting in a circle. While Justin packed up and organized their supplies, he got them up to speed about what he and Jona had been talking about.

But halfway through, he stopped. “Actually, why don’t you tell them yourself? It’s better to hear straight from the source after all.”

Jona raised his eyebrows, displeased, but seeing the jingling coins in his hands that Justin gave him, he shrugged. “Fine. It’s not that big of a deal anyway. No big secret.” Still, he looked around at the dark forest around them.

Although Fleur had been completely fine before, Jona’s movements sent shivers up Fleur’s spine, imagining the hidden dangers that might lurk between the trees.

“…what are you looking at…for…?” she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.

Her question made Jona focus on her, his brows furrowing. “You want to know? Well, here’s the thing. Recently, there’s been a lot of undead coming around these parts. It’s different from the lone undead that sometimes pop up here and there. No, these come in packs.” He shivered.

“Packs? Of how many?”

Fleur couldn’t help but think back on the undead they kept running into while running away. If her instincts were right, then the so-called packs of undead that Jona is talking about are the same ones that they faced.

“Not sure. I only fought one, but they range anywhere from five to more than twenty, according to things I’ve heard. The bunch I fought with when I was with some others from my church numbered around ten.”

With that, Fleur was more or less sure that she was correct. Her eyes met with Anne’s and Anne nodded. Anne had been thinking the same thing, but instead of feeling good that she was right, she just felt dread, because now she could no longer read the undead’s intentions.

Before, she could at least comfort herself by saying that these undead are appearing solely to hunt their little group down. But now, that lie doesn't work anymore. These undead groups were part of a bigger issue, one that transcended her own puny importance.

Jona took in their reactions and sighed. “If that’s making you worried, then start panicking. There’s more. Apart from normal zombies and skeletons, apparently there are sightings of a new kind of undead. But reports I’ve heard are kind of mixed, since they’re mostly from gossip. Some say they’re like dogs and others say they’re like a bunch of other wild animals. Either way, it’s quite frightening.”

“That…does sound concerning. Any idea what it means, though?” Fleur asked.

The priest shrugged. “Who knows? It’s not my job to look into these things. That’s for the higher ups. I just do what I’m told to.”

Fleur had to bite her lip to stop herself from shouting at the priest. How could he say something like that? What happened to dedicating his life, body, and soul to the great project of making the world a better place?

But it wasn’t her place to lecture him, nor was now the right time. She could only swallow her grievance and listen quietly. Next to her, Anne took her hand and squeezed, as if to tell her that she wasn’t alone in her thoughts.

Jona ended up staying to talk for quite a bit. Things differed a lot between different Church branches, and there wasn’t a lot of movement between them. Every branch was a rival to another, competing for resources that only the Hearth Cathedral at the center of the Church could provide. They exchanged stories, and tips and advice, until the sky grew dark. While they spoke, Fleur played with Anne, and the day became a rare day of rest. It was actually kind of relaxing for a change.

But before they realized it, the sun had fallen behind the trees, casting the whole forest in darkness.

Jona was the first to notice, looking around in alarm. “Oh… it’s gotten quite dark, hasn’t it? I should probably get back. Do you know the way we came from?”

“Of course. That way,” Justin said, pointing. “But we’ll come with you. It’s not safe to be out here in the forest alone in the dark when you’re not used to it like we are.”

If he hadn’t said anything, perhaps Jona would’ve accepted his help, but now the priest’s face reddened. “Are you saying that I’m not as good as you are?” he demanded.

“What? No! It’s just a kind warning.” Justin stood up, but Jona pushed him back down. “The forest is more dangerous than you think!”

“It’s fine!” Jona said with finality. “If you’re still here tomorrow, I’ll be waiting around where you first found me. We can talk more then, and then we can talk about going back to the city together.” With a wave, he walked into the darkness. The forest swallowed him in just a few steps.

Fleur began to nibble on her bottom lip, staring at the spot where he disappeared. “Do… you think he’s going to be alright?”

“Maybe? It’s not hard to find an opening in the canopy to see the sky and although the moon is kind of dim tonight, you can still use it to walk in a straight line,” Anne replied.

“But does he know how to do that…?”

Anne shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to us, does it? We got everything we need, plus some information out of it, right Justin?”

“Yeah. Let’s go a bit further just in case and set up camp. We don’t want it to get much darker without a fire.” Justin stood up and patted down his pants. He took one step and froze, looking out behind him where Jona had gone. His eyes widened.

“Justin? What’s wrong?”

“Undead! Six of them!”

“What?!” Anne and Fleur said at the same time. Fleur closed her eyes, trying to detect the telltale mana that marked the existence of nearby undead, but she couldn’t feel anything. Then again, her range was a lot lower compared to Justin, an archpriest-in-training. “Where are they headed?”

Justin closed his eyes to concentrate. It didn’t take long for them to open again. “Towards Jona!”

“Him? Why not us?” “We need to go help him!”

No matter what, even if he were unfriendly, Jona was still a relatively open-minded priest who could listen to reason. Fleur didn’t want him to die.

Justin and Anne both nodded and they took off running toward the village, but their pace was slow thanks to the undergrowth. Anne held Fleur’s hand, holding her steady so that she didn’t fall over.

Soon, even Anne and Fleur could feel the frigid mana of the six undead. But something was strange about them. The mana from the undead felt almost familiar, as if she had felt it somewhere before.

“Something’s weird about the undead!”

“I think so too,” Justin said. “It feels… not that pure, like a bunch of different manas cobbled together instead of a single coherent whole.”

Justin’s description woke up a corner of Fleur’s memories, yet it still remained out of reach. It wasn’t until Jona suddenly burst out of the undergrowth in front of them that she finally remembered. “Chimera!”

“Help me! Please!” “They’re here!”

Several voices rang out at once and the scene erupted into chaos as the first of the six undead beasts charged out of the undergrowth after Jona. The others split up and circled around. That feeling of familiarity came back again. But this time, she didn’t have a buckler.

The beast was a twisted monstrosity made of many different animal parts. But it wasn’t just animal parts. Human limbs, faces, and heads were visible on these monsters, all still moving. These weren’t chimeras that Camilla and Kagriss carefully put together so that they were almost a work of art.

No, these were beings of terror and she had to cover her mouth to stop herself from throwing up.

“Fleur, snap out of it! Stand behind me and watch my back!”

Fleur felt a rough smack on her back and then she was pulled back behind Anne.

Two flashes of golden light lit up the forest around them as both Justin and Anne let off a shot of holy mana, charring the face of the monstrosity. The thing reared back, and taking advantage of the brief moment’s respite, Fleur and Anne moved back to gain some distance.

They didn’t need to talk to know what the other was going to do.

“W-wait for me!”

“Hurry up! Don’t hold us back!” Anne snapped.

Jona shivered and scrambled after them.

The monstrosity tossed its head a few times, but before it could reorient, Justin ran up in front of it and pressed both his hands on the monster’s forehead, or what counted as one on that grisly visage. Spending a second to gather power, he sent a pulse of holy mana into the beast, charring the outside and taking apart the monster from within. The monstrosity screamed.

When one pulse didn’t work, Justin did it a second time, and this time the undead monster stayed down, falling down on its side. The foul magic that kept its form together faded and the monstrosity fell apart.

Curling his lips in disgust, Justin turned back. “One down, how is it over there? Just stall!”

“Not… good!” came Anne’s reply. Light covered her fist and she dashed forward, punching the monster in front of her, sending it reeling. “Too many!”

She jumped back as something whipped past her in the dark, taking Fleur with her. A vine of some kind?

“Thanks,” she said, breathing hard. The exchange had lasted only a few seconds, yet she already accumulated some wounds. But the healing light from Fleur’s hand soothed them, filling her with warmth. Fleur’s magic strengthened her, giving her power. “Stay safe yourself, okay? I need to focus this time.”

“Got it.” Fleur nodded, stepping back and keeping an eye around her.

Six undead in total. One killed by Justin just now and three occupied by Anne. That left two more.

An eldritch scream made her jump and she turned to see Jonas struggling under two mounds of flesh. Claws ripped at his face while many sets of mouths on a single face opened wide, dripping blood and saliva.

“No, please! Please no! Arrrgh!” he screamed. “Help me! Ahhhh!”

“Jona!” A huge column of light descended down onto the monster’s back. Even as the monsters screamed, however, they continued to rip at their prey that was trapped beneath them. Some of their mouths opened wide, letting out screeches of pain, while others cried. Still others barked.

By the time they finally stopped and dropped dead once more, the bloody mess beneath them could barely be recognized. Perhaps the only intact part on him was his back, for everything that had been exposed was torn apart.

However, none of them had time to grieve or even think about the priest’s sudden passing, least of all Anne. She was nimbly dodging from side to side, dancing along the monstrosity’s bodies and forcing them to fight along themselves. When she saw the chance, she landed some blows of her own, each reinforced by Fleur’s magic as well as her own.

While two was still within her limits, three was a bit too much to handle while fighting in the thick of things. Luckily, as she tripped one and flipped behind it to take cover from the grabbing arms of one of the monstrosities, a column of holy light descended on the fallen monster, keeping it down while burning away its undeath.

In a few seconds, it was inert once more, leaving Anne fighting against just two enemies. With the help of Fleur’s occasional bursts of holy mana and her reinforcement shells, Anne managed to knock over both of the undead monsters, leaving them to be destroyed by Justin.

Everything had happened so quickly, and it was over in just a few minutes. First was the sudden detection of the undead, and then they ran into a fleeing Jona. They fought and while Justin quickly defeated one while Fleur and Anne stalled three more, the final two attacked from the shadows and killed Jona.

Although he wasn’t close to anything and Fleur didn’t like him, she couldn’t help but feel a knot in her chest as she looked away from his bloodied, strewn corpse.

“Don’t feel guilty. There’s nothing we could’ve done. We were tied down by our own battle. Plus, we’re just acolytes. He’s a full priest,” Anne said, hugging her. Fleur nodded.

“I know that… but it still doesn’t feel good. I never want to get used to feeling this.” Fleur sighed.

In the end, they didn’t bury Jona, nor did they get rid of the chunks of flesh that once made up the monstrosities. It was just too dark. They quickly moved, built a campfire, and prepared to sleep.

As Fleur curled up, pressed her back into Anne behind her, she whispered to Anne in a small voice. “These things. Don’t they feel like the monster we ran into way back when we were chasing after the strange living undead?”

“…Yeah.”

“I have a really bad feeling about this. The undead are definitely up to something,” Fleur muttered. She sighed. “I really miss Kagriss and Camilla. I wonder if they are well?”

“I think they’re living better than us right now, even if they’re someplace dangerous. They are strong, after all.”

Fleur nodded and closed her eyes. No matter what was happening, they had to get to vampire territory fast. What happened to Jona could happen to them any day if there were too many enemies to handle. Things were changing, and the undead had finally started moving. They’d discovered them too late, and it was now too dangerous to remain for long.