Chapter 9: Tongue

The light from the torches shone through the dark cemetery, illuminating the area around them. When the team went to investigate the desecrated graves, they saw that most of them were occupied by the skeletal remains of dead villagers. Only a few lay empty.

"The empty graves are the new ones."

As Roy assessed their situation, he remembered the tales that spoke of bloodthirsty, evil monsters. Ghouls.

If ghouls were lurking in the cemetery, it would prove to be a problem to even witchers, and a precarious situation for normal villagers like them.

"This is a treacherous area. Everyone, let's leave!" Roy tried to warn everyone, but the eerie sound of a whip cracking against air reached them.

Two short moments later, Fletcher grunted. As if he was a fish that was hooked, his limbs straightened, convulsed, and was pulled by something. Then he stumbled forward.

Everyone shone their torches where Fletcher was attacked, and they saw an elongated, skin-colored tentacle glistening in the air, boring a hole in Fletcher's shoulder like an arrow. It almost tore through Fletcher's wound.

Seeger reacted first. He swung his sword up in an attempt to slice the tentacle, but it whipped back into the darkness where the light from the torches couldn't reach it.

"What the hell was that?"

Everyone hastened to form a circle, keeping Fletcher in the middle.

He was sweating profusely, but he gritted his teeth, not even wincing at the pain. He tried to stop the bleeding by pressing down on the wound, but the crimson fluid didn't stop gushing out. Everything started spinning around him, and he could feel the life flowing out of him. He could see death waiting for him on the other side.

"I-I'm done for! Run! Leave me!" Fletcher said weakly. He pushed everyone away and dashed into the night.

Jack looked around them, and murderous intent welled up within his good eye. But it was not the time for revenge. "We have to get away for now. Revenge can come later! That monster ain't getting away with this easily."

He made a run for the cemetery's exit, and everyone followed.

Seeger dragged the stupefied Roy along. It took a while for him to snap out of it, but he was still shivering from the mysterious encounter.

"That was no ghoul. What was that creature?"

When he looked back, Roy could vaguely make out a hunched, humanoid form. It wasn't sleek, no. In fact, it was bloated, heavy, and its belly resembled a pregnant woman's. The creature looked like an old woman, but it sprinted faster than a cheetah.

The creature pursued the team with tremendous speed, leaving afterimages wherever it went. It ran like the wind, and wherever it was, the creature would let out a shrill scream. It wasn't going to kill the team just yet. The creature was enjoying the chase. It wanted to play with its prey first.

"It collects bodies, looks like a hunched old lady, uses its tongue as a weapon, and lives in cemeteries." As he connected the dots, Roy started to get a picture of the creature that was chasing them.

When Jack noticed Roy spacing out, he slapped him. "Stop spacing out, Roy! Run, and don't think about anything else! Just run for it!"

Roy snapped out of it, and he mustered all his strength to escape the cemetery.

When they were inches away from the exit, the ghastly creature dropped from the sky, and gusts of gale swept past them as it fell. As the dust settled, the team saw what was stopping them. The creature was hideous, its face filled with lumps and moss.

Its skin was blackish green, and they could smell the stench of rotting bodies coming from it. It almost made them gag. The creature was covered in scales that gleamed menacingly under the moon. The claws on its limbs were as long as scythes, and they were caked in flesh, blood, and mud from its prey.

The creature was more gruesome than the witches of old, the disfigured, vengeful women, and even the monsters that haunted their nightmares.

It extended its gnarly arms at them, intending to slice their throats open with its claws. The creature gave them a toothy grin, but its teeth were black and misshapen. It loomed over them like a mountain, dashing any hope of escape.

We're doomed.

Despair welled up within them, but they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jack, Seeger, and Thompson held their swords with both hands, while Roy whipped out his crossbow. He gritted his teeth and loaded the bow with a bloody bolt.

It was then that someone darted out from the darkness and rammed into the creature. The ambush caught it unaware, and it toppled, giving them a chance to escape.

It was Fletcher. He looked bloodied and crazed, and he struggled to pin down the creature's maw, giving his comrades the opportunity to flee. "Go! Find a witcher and avenge me! Avenge Brandon!" His eyes bulged, and crimson tears streamed down his face.

Fletcher knew his son had met his fate, and he gave up on living. There was no point in surviving when his only family was dead.

The moment he said so, the creature escaped his grip and sent him flying with a kick. Fletcher fell with a thud, his condition unknown. The creature, still angered by Fletcher's ambush, pounced on him, ignoring Roy and everyone else. Its claws were outstretched, and the flesh on them flew everywhere as the creature tried to tear Fletcher apart.

"Ye ain't going to be the only hero here, old timer! I ain't no coward!" Seeger raised his sword, and firm resolve showed on his red face. "Get Roy out of here, boss, Thompson! I am a man from Skellige! We are no cowards who run from battles." Before they could stop him, Seeger charged back into the cemetery and stabbed the creature's back with his blade.

Roy was trying to aim at the creature, but Jack and Thompson dragged him by the arms. "Let's leave, child. Don't let their deaths be in vain."

Roy stopped struggling and put down his crossbow in despondence. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn't stop running. A short while later, he, Jack, and Thompson left the cemetery.

They ran as fast as their legs could take them, and they didn't even look back. They could feel their bodies giving up, but they went on by sheer will and adrenaline. Finally, they caught sight of the lights from Kaer right in front of them.

The safety of the light made Roy relax, and lethargy overwhelmed him in an instant. Everything started spinning around him, his legs started giving out, and Roy blacked out.

"Roy?"

Jack quickly held him up. Roy's face was red, and his eyes were firmly shut. Jack touched his forehead, and it was scalding.

He ran around in the wilds in this weather, late at night, without any rest. It must have taken a toll on him, but he pressed on anyway. Course, there's the wolves and that damned monster. No wonder he fainted.

Jack could understand Roy's circumstances.

"He's still a child after all." Thompson sighed and piggybacked Roy back to the village.

The white-haired village chief came out with a few villagers to welcome them. When he saw them looking filthy and washed out, he knew what had happened. His face fell, but he had to ask. "Where's Fletcher and Seeger?"

"They won't be coming back." Jack massaged his temples. His expression told of agony, but also fear. "You're right, chief. It's dangerous to go into the wilds at night. A horrifying creature attacked us when we went to search for Brandon in the cemetery. You must warn everyone to stay away from that place."

Jack paced back and forth. "No human can go against that damn monster," he cursed. "We need a witcher."

"We'll get someone to post a notification in the city tomorrow." The villagers who heard Jack nodded. "Can't risk that monster attacking us."

It had been a tense night. The village chief went to everyone's house and woke them up to warn them about the monster. Kaer's peace was broken by the sudden news of the danger in the cemetery, and everyone was worried. On the other hand, Roy was sent back home, but his fever wouldn't come down, and he fell into a coma.