Several disappearances and unexplained events have been registered shorty after the commercialization of an ancient statue linked to some legends from a mysterious place called "Reich der Finsternis" in eastern Germany, there is no know route leadin...
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The ghost town
The entrance to the forest leading to Reich der Finsternis was imposing and hard to imagine. It felt like they were crossing into a parallel universe where darkness and silence reigned, interrupted only by the occasional sounds of the local wildlife. An autumnal landscape of haunting beauty unfolded before them: tall, partially bare trees formed natural arches, dry leaves covered the ground, and fallen trunks, shrouded in moss and spider webs, evoked tales from Germanic mythology—plagued with witches, lycanthropes, goblins, and demons.
Suddenly, out of the shadows, brick cottages with neglected facades and dust-covered windows emerged, revealing centuries of abandonment. Something caught Max's attention: a water well in the middle of the road. Liz and Bernard rushed toward it, stopping short when their leader pulled the rope to lift a bucket. Inside was contaminated water mixed with human remains, showing clear signs of violence.
"What the hell!" Liz exclaimed, stepping back and covering her nose as Max inspected the remains.
Bernard, more accustomed to such scenes, tried to analyze the situation. "It looks like a recent corpse," Bernard said, observing the flesh and bones that still had traces of blood. "Judging by the lack of decomposition, it hasn't been here long."
"Indeed," Max replied, gritting his teeth. "Looks like some kind of animal—or something else—tore the muscles apart."
"That's hard to believe," Liz muttered, still trying to process the scene while holding her nose. "The helicopter crew said there haven't been any large predators in these woods for years. Besides," she added, lowering her hand, "what kind of beast would even do something like this?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is," Max said, tossing the remains carelessly to the ground, "it needs to be put down."
"And that's why you're just throwing that pile of crap on the ground?" Liz retorted sarcastically. "So every creature in the forest can sniff it out and find us?"
Max ignored her remark.
"We don't know exactly which way to go," Max said as he loaded his gun, "but whatever did this is a danger to us. Stay alert, and report back if you run into any trouble."
"What's your plan?" Liz asked, still unclear on what he was trying to achieve.
"We're splitting up to search the town for clues," Max announced, drawing his gun. "This will be our starting point to figure out what's going on and how to rescue our people."
"Wait!" Bernard interrupted, visibly nervous. Max began to mock him. "You know we could be in serious danger, and you still want us to split up?"
Max didn't miss the chance to belittle him.
"I don't know how you even became an agent," Max scoffed, stepping closer with an intimidating glare. "We should've made it clear before coming—this mission isn't for scared puppies."
