Ben stared at the faces of the terrified people.

  The adults were old and frail, way past their prime. They clutched makeshift weapons close to their chests and trembled like lambs to the slaughter. But what made his heart sink was the pale-looking children behind them. It was like they had seen all this many times before.

  They’ll all die if those creatures get inside.

  The clanking of steel faded beyond the door as the sounds of demonic growls erupted.

  “They must have followed you up the trail,” Arthel huffed.

  Ben exhaled a drawn-out sigh. “You’re right. When I scared the one who was after Har, it must have gone to get the rest of its friends. They’ve come here for revenge.” He huffed as he realized the people of the inn were in danger because of him. “I should’ve killed it when I had the chance.”

  Arthel shook his head. “There’s no point in wallowing in your crap decisions. I thought you were a mage. Can't you throw fireballs at it or something?”

  “I told you before, I’m not that kind of mage. Those things will cause serious damage here, and I won't stand around here doing anything. Don't you have a weapon back there that I can borrow? I need to get out there and do what I can to stop them; I can't have the lives of these people on my conscience if they get hurt."

  Arthel’s mouth dropped as he let out a scoff. “What? Did they send you here without a weapon? You’ll be a great help here, won't you?”

  Ben slammed his hand on the table. “Shut the hell up and give me a damn weapon!”

  A frown filled Arthels face as he stepped back and shook his head. “Suit yourself.” He bent down before thudding a wooden club on the table. It was simple and had iron nails sticking out of the top. If one of those made contact with someone's head, they’d surely be dead.

  Spiked Wooden Club

  A wooden club that has been modified with sharp iron nails. This weapon is effective against most enemies without armor and can cause severe bleeding.

  Attack: 8

  Bonus status effects: Bleeding

  Ben grabbed it and hurried to the door, slamming it shut behind him. The warm glow of the inside faded as he ran ahead into the darkness, where the sounds of struggle emerged. The guards were each locked in a life-or-death struggle with a pair of bloodhounds. Two smaller ones emerged from the trail and ran around, encircling them.

  Adrenaline surged through Ben’s body. The feeling was similar to what he had felt before the brawls he had during his youth, except the stakes were higher, and lives were on the line. The weight of it all bore down upon his shoulders and threatened to crush him if he failed.

  Ben waved the bat around as the smaller creatures were about to strike the guards. “Hey! You think you’re tough, huh? I’ve got a special delivery waiting for you. Come and get some!” As much as he thought it sounded silly, he wasn't sure if his bravado would dent their egos.

  The largest bloodhound glanced toward Ben. It let out a vicious growl and motioned its head towards where he was standing when the two smaller ones fixed their gaze upon Ben.

  Yeah, that’s right! Come at me!

  [Barguest Level 2]

  Both were at the same level, making Ben feel uncertain about fighting them simultaneously. He thought about running to his van to try to run them over. But it was too late. They had already made their way to him and stood there snarling, dripping their disgusting saliva on the ground beneath them.

  Ben tightened his grip on the bat, putting it back in a striking motion before the hounds started moving again before leaping. As much as he wanted to strike them, there was no way he could hit both of them at the same time. The danger of taking damage was too great, so he hopped out of the way, barely missing one of their jaws.

  The hounds crashed into the dirt but swiftly recovered and turned to strike again. They split up, breaking away from each other, and surrounded Ben from opposite sides. They once again leaped, and as they were in the air, Ben dropped to the ground and crawled away, causing them to crash into each other head-first.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Ben took that as his opening as they struggled on the ground and got up. He repeatedly swung the bat down upon both heads. The awful sounds of their skulls squishing almost made him want to vomit, but he sensed they were about to start biting for him again, so he hopped back to a safe distance.

  The hounds faced Ben and let out more blood-curdling snarls. The ones engaged with the guards became distracted and twisted their heads. It was enough opening for the guards to exploit and gain the upper hand.

  The smaller hounds turned back with a whimpering howl as if they knew no help was coming. It wasn't enough for them to back down, and thus, they sluggishly moved closer to Ben before the one with the least damage pounced at Ben.

  Ben swung the bat like he was making a record home run. The blow contacted the creature's head with a crunching sound, crushing it instantly. Blood sprayed out everywhere like a water fountain before its lifeless body fell upon Ben’s chest, dropping him to the ground.

  [+6XP]

  Damn it! Get off me!

  As Ben pushed it off himself, the other took that opportunity to get him. He grabbed the bat and pulled it to find it stuck. One of the nails had lodged itself in the skull. He stomped on the head and pulled on the handle with all his strength. But his efforts were all in vain as the other hound had gotten airborne.

  Ben had tried to get out of the way at the last minute, which had saved him from a nasty bite, but he didn't come out unscathed. Its teeth had managed to slash across his back, causing an itchy burning feeling similar to being stung by nettles.

  “Argh! Get the heck out!” Ben pulled as he felt blood flow down his back. He was more annoyed by the stupidity of Arthels weapon than anything else. It took a few more stomps for the nail to dislodge, causing blood to spray like a water fountain.

  The other creature was already moving with its mouth open for another attack. With all the might Ben could muster, he lunged forward like a spearman, causing the club to enter its mouth. Ben heard its jaw crack as it fell to the ground like a rock, twitching and writhing in pain. Some of the nails had ripped through its cheeks. Wanting to get it over and done with, Ben kicked the bat's handle, causing its jaw to rip wide open and dangle upon the ground.

  [+6XP]

  He pulled the club out, held it ahead of himself, and gagged. The blood dripped down, and even pieces of brain lodged between the nails. “That’s disgusting.” He then shifted his attention to the guards, who appeared to have prevailed in their battles.

  The older guard approached him and patted him on the shoulder. “I can't thank you enough for saving our skins back there. If you hadn't shown up there, we would have surely died. I was wrong about you earlier.” He then glanced at Ben’s back. “You look like crap… you should get that looked at, as these bloodhounds carry many diseases.”

  Ben’s back burned like fire and itched so that he could scratch himself through to the bones. “I couldn't let the two of you have all the fun now… I don't feel so good.” He stammered as he felt his entire body start to sweat profusely.

  “Don't worry about all this. We’ll clean up the mess. Get yourself inside. Carolina should be able to fix you with one of her infusions.”

  Ben felt the pain get worse as he stumbled to the entrance, each step almost taking his breath away. He tried to open the door, but something was in the way. “Hey, open up!” He yelled, bashing it a few times.

  “Who is it?” A shivering voice croaked from the other side.

  “Come on, Arthel. It’s me… I’m not a monster.” Ben sarcastically replied.

  “Oh, is that right…? It sounds like something a monster would say.” Arthel mumbled before a few thuds could be heard aligning with the furniture scraping. The door creaked open when his face poked out. “Ah, it’s you. You can't be sure these days. There are creatures around these parts known to mimic human voices.”

  Ben barged in, pushing Arthel out of the way. The moment he stepped in, every eyeball was set upon him. “Those creatures have been dealt with.” He was hoping for a cheer or something from the people, but they all kept staring at him as if they were frozen in place. He looked down and noticed his clothes were soaked in crimson blood. There were even bits of brain stuck in various sports for some added seasoning, making him look like something out of a horror film.

  “You should get yourself cleaned up,” Arthel muttered.

  “Yeah, and you should take back your crappy club,” Ben replied, holding out the dirty club.

  Arthel looked like he was about to vomit and shook his head. “You can keep it.” He moved to the door and slammed it shut. “Hopefully, that’s the last of them.”

  Ben’s vision started to burn as he felt the stinging sensation spread to the rest of his body. His head felt like it was floating like a balloon filled with helium. Everything around him started to slow down. The last thing he heard was Arthel mumbling about his back before everything spun like a merry-go-round. His face hit the ground before darkness was all he saw.

  Ben found himself surrounded by a dark void.

  It was no doubt the doing of whatever those Bloodhounds had afflicted him with. He had resigned to the emptiness, not expecting it to change. He was surprised when tiny dots appeared similar to what he had seen during the transportation command. They left ephemeral trails as they whizzed past him, and he realized he was once more traveling through space.

  A strange sensation swept across him, leaving a sour taste in his gut. It was like he was being watched by someone or something when the movement around him suddenly stopped. His vision was forced to an area without dots.

  Distress.

  The feeling had come from nowhere. It seemed like whatever was controlling Ben was trying to tell him something via his feelings.

  Devastation.

  Ben was flung to an area where no dots could be seen until the faint glow of one started to emerge, getting larger the closer he got. Before he could blink, the light from the star completely blinded him, causing him to come to a complete stop. Giant rings spun around it in a multilayered formation and sucked life from its magnificence like a parasite. Its glow diminished with each turn.

  Ben’s vision was forced to turn around and face the other dots in the surrounding area. Their light was dimming while others flickered out of existence. He stopped moving as a field of endless space junk floated in the distance.

  Death.