Lances and Daggers

7. A Battle Against Uncertainty

I advanced with cautious steps into the foggy darkness. There was no light strong enough to guide me, so every move I made had to be calculated. I abandoned my dependence on sight and sharpened my other senses. My ears did not miss a rustle; my nose did not miss an odor. No potential threat passed unnoticed.

I followed the road for half an hour, then strayed into the wilderness. My compass rested on my palm and guided me through the disorienting grasslands. It was a device designed for adventurers: its case emitted a fluorescent light that helped me track its needle even in the dark. This light also allowed me to read my map, which showed several groves in the area.

I theorized that the giant Aberration had built its nest nearby. Aberrations don't like open spaces. Caves and forests serve as comfortable homes for them. The giant Aberration, however, was seen near farmlands, not mountains, so it must have been hiding in a grove.

But which one?

I visited the first, the second, the third. But there was nothing unusual. Where was my prized prey hiding? I checked the fourth and the fifth. The hoots of an owl welcomed me, and a scared group of possums begged me to leave. Then, on my way to the sixth, I came across a set of unusual footprints.

Found it! It seems I won't need to wait two days.

I put the map away. Then I crouched to examine the footprints in the faint light of my compass. They were not as deep as I thought they would be, and their shape was unexpectedly familiar. I drew a clear outline around them before I realized that they belonged to a Laikos, a mutant wolf. A short investigation followed, and my tracking techniques uncovered several parallel trails. This new evidence pushed the number of Laikos up to five.

My sense of accomplishment faded away; something wasn't right.

Didn't everyone complain of a giant Aberration? Why are there Laikos footprints? And why are there so many of them? Did they leave the labyrinths together like a happy family?

I took my map out and made the final and most important observation. The footmarks had a baffling orientation. The Laikos were moving away from the town and toward the groves, not in the opposite direction.

What does this mean? Were these Aberrations in Ashenbrook? But I didn't hear any screams on my way out of the town.

As I struggled to explain this last inconsistency, I heard a snarl from inside the fog. I held my breath and listened more carefully. After a moment, my ears picked up the sound of footsteps. It came from many directions.

Am I surrounded?

A howl broke the silence of the night.

They're on my scent. There's no sneaking away now.

I took a flare out of my pocket and lit it by pulling a string. A beam of light shot up like fireworks, and a new star appeared in the night sky. It illuminated the darkness and painted the fog white. I waited with my sword ready. Would the Laikos attack from the right or the left? Would they charge at me together, or take turns and tire me out?

I heard rapid footsteps behind me. A Laikos materialized from the white mist. It charged at me with an open jaw and pounced with an insatiable hunger. Its three eyes coveted my neck, and its claws aimed a deadly blow. But I had no plan to become its next meal. I ducked and avoided its lunge at the right moment. The Laikos became vulnerable to a counterattack, and I didn't miss this chance. I raised my sword and cut through its body as it flew above me. The blade wounded its chest and stomach, and it dropped dead after a trembling motion.

I rose to my feet and turned around. The battle was far from over: two other Laikos appeared. They launched simultaneous attacks from the left and right, drawing arcs with their wild leaps. Their eyes were shining, and their mouths were drooling.