Hell Lake.

Arah sighed in relief and looked around.

It seemed their group was among the last to finish fighting. Bodies were scattered across the misty field, bull corpses half-submerged in red fog. Hunters stood in small clusters, catching their breath.

His gaze shifted toward Iane's direction, only to notice something odd.

There was an additional bull corpse near him. Not the one that had followed him at the start, it seemed he had time to fight another one. Iane was already collecting its red soul disc.

Arah frowned, then turned to the corpse of the bull they had killed.

There it was, floating just above its body. A crimson soul disc, glowing faintly.

It felt different. More refined than the black ones. Purer, and colder as well.

Iane approached them with a satisfied grin. "Nice work. Didn't think you'd actually kill it."

"How about you give us the disc you just got?" Sofise asked, not missing a beat.

Iane's smile faltered slightly. "Uhh… you want it now? Uh… how about after the Bloodfiend raid? There's bound to be more red beasts by then."

Sofise sighed and nodded. Then she looked down at the corpse of the bull they had taken down.

"So… do we divide this by kill? Contribution, or...?"

No one answered.

Iane chuckled. "How about you let fate decide,"

A wave of killing intent suddenly burst out near him.

His smile vanished. Pure reflex kicked in as he turned his gourd toward Arah, now tense.

"Fate?... Decide?"

Arah suddenly blinked, then looked around.

Terent and Sofise had already resummoned their soul paths. Both were staring at him, clearly unsettled. The killing intent vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"…I apologize," Arah said. "I don't really… like that word."

"No shit," Iane muttered, lowering his gourd with a sigh. "Where did you even learn to do that, anyway?"

Arah said nothing.

Iane sighed again. "Alright, fine. Let's call it… luck, then."

Arah frowned again, but didn't respond.

Iane dug into his pockets, eventually pulling out a compass-like object. "Each of you pick a side. I'll spin it. Whoever it lands on gets the disc."

They nodded.

"Must you participate, Terent?" Sofise asked. "You didn't seem too keen on soul discs before."

"That… was only because they were black discs," Terent replied, looking sheepish. "Red ones are f-far more precious. I'm sorry."

Sofise sighed, but picked a side.

Iane spun the device. It ticked softly as it spun, then slowed and landed on Terent.

"Damn it," Sofise muttered, turning away.

Terent hesitated for a moment, then nodded and stepped forward. He collected the disc and stored it in his ring.

With that, the group reorganized. The others finished their short break.

"Burn the corpses to ash and let's move!"

A few Rank 2s and 3s with fire affinity moved around, burning the bulls to ash, and they moved on.

As they continued walking, they encountered other beasts along the way. But unlike the Thorn Bulls, most of them were solitary, scattered, and lacked coordination. The team handled them without much effort.

By late afternoon, they finally reached their destination.

A lake stretched out before them.

It was beautiful, strangely so. The surface shimmered with golden light, reflecting the sun like a thousand glittering stars scattered across a dark mirror. The water was clear, untouched, and impossibly still.

Sofise stopped beside Arah. "Why is... it called Hell Lake?"

Her voice held a note of disbelief, as if the name had been some cruel joke.

Arah just frowned, studying it more carefully. From where he stood, the lake was motionless. Not a ripple, not a wave, not even a breeze brushing the surface. And yet... he couldn't see anything beneath it. Not even the shallowest shadow near the edge.

It was too still.

Too quiet.

That only meant two things. Either there was nothing living in it at all, or it was unimaginably deep.

Beside him, Iane stretched his arms behind his head and smiled. "Well, it's called Hell Lake because no one knows how deep it really goes. In ancient times, it was believed to be one of the Twelve Gates of the Goddess of Death and Conclusion."

He paused, then grinned wider. "Some say its waters are so pure they can even cure death... of course, that's just a rumor."

Sofise frowned. "And how are we supposed to fight the Bloodfiend here?"

Iane made a casting motion with his hands, like throwing a fishing line. "When you go fishing, you bring bait to attract the fish, don't you?"

Arah looked at him.

"You're saying... you have bait that can draw it out?"

Iane's grin didn't fade. "Not just bait. The kind that makes her angry."

Iane crouched beside his bag and pulled something out.

Arah narrowed his eyes.

It was a fish.

At least, it looked like one. Long, black, with too many fins and a strange rubbery sheen. The skin was oily and mottled, and despite the fact that it had clearly been out of the water for too long, it was still moving. Its gills flexed in a slow, twitchy rhythm. One eye bulged and rotated aimlessly.

It wasn't natural.

Iane wasn't the only one who was doing this. Across the lake's edge, other hunters had begun doing the same. One by one, they produced similar fish, each one different in shape, but sharing the same unnatural twitching. Then, without hesitation, they began tossing them into the water.

One splash after another echoed across the still surface.

Arah watched in silence for a moment, then glanced at Iane. "What are those?"

Iane didn't answer right away. He was still holding his fish by the tail, letting it squirm slightly in the air. Finally, he exhaled and said, "They're fish possessed by parasites."

He tossed it into the lake. A soft plop, then the surface smoothed over as if it had never been disturbed.

"Another parasite?" Arah asked.

Iane gave a small nod. "Parasites... they're smarter than your average beast. Territorial, too. The one inside that fish… it's only a black-disc level, barely enough to survive on its own, to the point it forces the host to move even when the host is dead. To act alive, eat, shit, and rest. We call them zombie parasites."

Arah frowned, eyes returning to the lake. The water was already swallowing the tossed fish without a trace.

"Sounds nasty, right? They are," Iane agreed. "Normally, they don't cause much trouble. But if they live long enough and manage to evolve, that's when they become a problem."

Arah watched the surface of the lake. It had already returned to its still, smoothness.

Still too quiet.

Iane continued, "But that's not why we use them. See… parasites don't get along. They treat any other invader as a threat. Especially ones that act like them."

He gestured toward the lake. "Those zombie parasites we threw in? They'll start squirming around the shallows soon, moving around."

"And the Bloodfiend will sense it," Arah said slowly.

"Exactly." Iane gave a sharp smile. "If the Bloodfiend lives here, and owns this part of the lake, as a red-disc level parasite, way more powerful than anything we threw in, it would have ignored it. But territorial instincts run deep."

His eyes seemed to shine.

"When it senses another parasite in its domain, especially something it thinks is trying to claim its breeding grounds…"

"It'll come out," Arah finished for him.

Iane nodded.

"Enraged, that's if it's actually there. It might have been in the Redbad cave after all. All we have to do is wait and see."

Arah sighed and sat down beside a tree, closing his eyes. His breathing slowed, and his hands rested lightly on his knees. He wasn't tired, not exactly, but something told him the next battle wouldn't be short. Or easy.

Assuming there was a battle at all.

Around him, the others prepared in their own ways. Some checked their equipment or polished their weapons. A few stood watch at the lake's edge, cautious but not alarmed.

Time passed.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting golden light across the lake. Still, nothing happened.

Arah opened his eyes.

Across the field, several experienced hunters were standing near the water, quiet. Their gazes were fixed on the surface, watching, and they seemed to be frowning.

Arah turned his head and spotted Iane lounging on a thick branch, lazily munching on an apple. When he noticed Arah looking, he hopped down with a grin.

"Done sleeping?"

"I wasn't sleeping."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

Arah ignored him and turned his gaze back to the lake. "Did the plan fail? The sun's setting."

"Maybe it's just not in there," Iane said, crunching into his apple. "Could be the other team got lucky. Or unlucky, depending on how you see it."

Sofise walked over, arms crossed. "Unlucky, I'd say, especially for you. Since that means you owe us payment."

Iane choked slightly on his bite. "Oh… right. That. Sure, sure. I'll pay up."

One of the Rank 3 hunters walked closer to the shoreline, before he finally turned back toward the group and let out a long sigh.

"Well, looks like it's not here," he said. "Prep the detonators. Let's blow the fish. No sense in leaving the parasite behind."

Hunters moved into action, pulling out strange cylindrical tools with a single button at the top. Some looked disappointed. Others relieved. Iane, still chewing, laughed.

"Come on, cheer up! We get to go home early! The other squad probably got it."

A few people nodded and moved to click their detonators.

Nothing happened.

No vibration, no light, no explosion.

Just Silence.

Iane's smile faded.

"Is something wrong?" Arah asked, watching his expression shift.

Iane's eyes narrowed. "The soul bombs didn't go off…"

He pointed toward the lake. "There should've been a pulse. The whole shoreline should be vibrating right now."

Arah followed his gaze.

"The fish," Iane muttered. "They didn't react. Not one of them detonated. They're just… gone."

Then, a scream tore through the air.

Arah spun around. A young Rank 1 woman was standing near the tree line, pointing a trembling hand toward the water.

Arah followed her gaze.

The Rank 3 hunter who had stood near the lake a moment ago… was still there.

Or rather, half of him was.

His lower body stood upright, still swaying slightly in the breeze. But everything above the waist was gone, torn clean off. Blood spilled out into the shallows like dark ink, staining the pristine water.

Arah froze.

A massive claw protruded from the lake, still twitching.

Sofise gagged beside him.

'It killed a Rank 3 in one strike…'

He turned to Iane, who had already dropped his apple and drawn his dagger and gourd. Arah summoned his spear. Terent moved into formation beside them, his face pale but determined.

They all looked back toward the lake.

It was still.

Too still.

Then, bubbles began to rise.

It was slow at first, then it became faster, and more frantic. The water began to churn, frothing violently as if boiling from within.

Iane sighed. "I should've known. None of my trips ever goes smoothly."

Then suddenly the lake exploded.

Water surged into the sky as twisted shapes burst forth.

They weren't fish, not exactly. They looked like a weird hybrid of human and fish.

Creatures covered in slick, scaled skin and half-formed limbs dragged themselves onto the shore. Their eyes were too large, their mouths filled with needle-like teeth. Their legs ended in webbed claws, and each held long, jagged spears made of hardened bone or ice.

They came by the dozens, and before long, they were already double their numbers.

A pair of massive crab-like beasts emerged behind them. Their claws were the size of wagons, and each one radiated soul energy so dense it made the air feel heavy.

The shoreline trembled.

A final ripple formed in the center of the lake.

And from it, something rose.

A black figure, drenched in a thick, oozing liquid, stepped out of the water like a nightmare given shape. It walked forward with slow, deliberate movements.

Every fish-creature it passed stopped and dropped to its knees. The two massive crabs lowered their bodies, kneeling like beasts before their master.

The black figure stopped between them.

And then it screamed.

A horrible, shrill wail, like metal scraping against bone, like pain given voice.

The fish-creatures screamed back in unison. The sound made even the seasoned hunters flinch. A few Rank 1s panicked, stumbling away from the shore. Some fell. Others backed into trees, pale and silent.

Even the stronger ones looked unnerved.

It was a scene from hell.

Arah stood still, watching it all unfold.

He tightened his grip on his spear.

The black figure finished its scream and pointed a clawed finger toward the group.

And as one, the army of twisted fish-beasts surged forward.

-------------

Holy, I did not mean for this chapter to go on this long, I was in a trance and when I snapped out of it it was already 2k words...I apologize if it's too long.