Magnus of Ice

The Thread Between Life and Death

"KYAAAAAAAA!!"

"AHHHHHHH!!"

"RUN." Mr.Kim shouted. He didn't need to because all of the hunters were already on their heels, running from the 'Lord' at the fastest speed possible.

"HELP ME!"

"GYAAH!!"

One female hunter hadn't moved since the 'Lord' started to walk. She still didn't move, even after seeing the blood-covered under foot of the 'Lord' coming her way. It seemed like she accepted her reality that she would die today. And she did die, not because she had to, but because she didn't try her hardest to survive.

"IT'S DANGEROUS TO GROUP UP! SEPARATE FOR NOW!" Mr.Song said. The hunters all shouted in unison, "Y-YES!"

Jin-Woo, Magnus, and Ju-Hee split from the rest of the group. Trying to figure out what 'Praise the Lord' means.

'I can't die here! I was determined to be a good father to my kids, but this...!' Mr.Bak thought as he remembers a recent conversation with his wife.

"How about you quit being a hunter and find a safer job? We already have two kids." She had asked him, smiling as she saw the baby bump showing that she's almost due for delivery.

"What are you talking about... We have to earn more money for their sake." He had answered, sitting on the couch with a soda can on his hold.

"OVER HERE SHOULD BE SAFE, RIGHT?" Mr.Bak asked as he stopped in front of a statue. He hadn't seen what kind of statue it was. He just thought it would be safe since these statues haven't moved yet.

"MR.BAK!! BEHIND YOU!! TURN AROUND!" Mr.Kim tried to warn his friend, but he was too late.

Before Mr.Bak could even make a move, he was already sliced in half by the statue behind him. The statue was a blademaster, so his long blade sliced him in half so quick that he was still able to get one last sound before his two halves decided to part for eternity.

"Ah..." With one eyeball rolling up and the other rolling down, Mr.Bak was cut in half vertically.

The blade master was so quick and precise that what followed was like a game effect for players who use blood when he lifted his blade again. The blood just followed and fell from the sword in an arc. If it weren't for the fact that it was blood, and many hunters were about to die, they would have thought it looked cool.

"Jin-Woo, let's stay clear of the statues that hold weapons," Magnus told Jin-Woo as they continued to run, but they ran more like in a circle around the lord.

With a nod, Jin-Woo began to think, 'Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise... the Lord. How do we praise a god-like him?!'

The said 'Lord' kept following, always lifting the foot that was covered in a dark crimson color. Some would think it would be a red wine stain mark, but they all knew it wasn't wine. It was the blood of two companions that followed them here but won't ever make it out alive.

'He's more like the devil than a god! Before us is the colossal statue. Behind us stand the guards. As Magnus said, they will attack if we get too close to them. An ax, a spear, a sword, a hammer, a flail, a bow, an instrument...'

"Hey, Jin-Woo, do you see that statue? It has an instrument instead of a weapon. Would it attack us? Let's get a closer look." Magnus decides as he leads the trio to a statue with an instrument.

'Do they attack with instruments too? The guards only attack when you get too close, with a set of predetermined motions. So... do the ones holding instruments behave the same way?'

"EVERYONE! RUN TOWARDS THE STATUE WITH THE INSTRUMENTS!!" Jin-Woo shouted, finally keeping up with Magnus since he figured something out.

"So, was my guess helpful? You seem so determined to get there," Magnus said, looking up from where their hands interlocked with each other.