200 Yahar’gul, The Hidden Village 2

The red moon loomed over Yahar'gul, casting a crimson light over the tall towers and reflecting off their windows. Atop tall buildings, creatures roughly the size of three elephants stacked on top of each other crawled on their eight limbs. They observed every passerby with their tonsil shaped heads, and their numerous eyes.

Bell ringing ladies littered the place. With every ring, huntsmen would emerge from the ground, blood dripping from their clothes, hair and fur. They roamed the streets, looking for any intruder to cut down. No matter how many times one would strike them down, the beasts would always re-emerge, blood dripping and eyes shining a crimson color.

Surgit, Karla and Francis were standing near the dream lantern. They had remembered to activate it before delving deeper inside the hidden village. They heard beasts groaning in the distance, and bells ringing nonstop.

"It feels like we landed in the worst nightmare," Karla said.

She was looking at the vast expanse displayed before them. Hundreds of houses, plus towers and big churches stretched as far as the eye could see. Atop each large building, an Amygala sat, waiting for any unsuspecting visitor.

Surgit snorted, and the two hunters looked at him inquisitively. "We've been repeating the same words ever since we landed here," he replied. He took a look at the closest Amygdala and shuddered. "The first time I saw a statue of this thing, I felt chills run down my spine. Now..." he shrugged. "They're beasts like everyone else."

"What do you mean everyone?" Francis asked with narrowed eyes.

"You know exactly what I mean," Surgit retorted. He looked below the square and spotted two dozen huntsmen patrolling the streets. "Are we hunting, or are we bickering?"

Francis inhaled sharply. "Careful, those beasts don't really die."

"Just like us," Surgit retorted with a wry smile.

He jumped over the railing and ran toward the huntsmen. He moved like a shadow, slithering between their weapons and cutting their bellies open or beheading the ones he could. Before Karla or Francis could reach him, Surgit had already taken care of the horde.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

The bell tinkered somewhere in the distance, then more huntsmen appeared.

"Sounds like it's coming from that building over there," Karla pointed at a church on the opposite side.

Surgit dashed forward, leaving the two hunters behind. He immediately reached the huntsmen that had just resuscitated, and killed them once more before reaching the stairs leading down to the building Karla pointed at.

He saw at least six huntsmen with two snipers at the foot of the stairs. Atop the building, an Amygdala was watching him. Tentacles dangled out its head. They moved about as though they had their own will. Surgit ran down the stairs and the Amygdala's eyes popped open.

It shot a laser that drew an irregular line on the stairs. Surgit kept pushing. He didn't bother killing the huntsmen on the stairs. He just zigzagged between them, making sure he avoided the laser and the line it left behind. He reached the foot of the stairs right as the Amygdala finished shooting its laser.

Karla and Francis reached the stairs. Karla was about to follow Surgit when the old man pulled her from her shoulders. "Wait until this is over," he told her.

She looked puzzled, but Francis urged her to look forward. She turned to see a blue line drawn on the descending stairs. One heartbeat later, fire shot through the thin lines, taking down the unlucky huntsmen that stood above it.

Once the coast was clear, Karla and Francis hurried down the stairs before the Amygdala attacked once more. As soon as they reached the bottom, they saw Surgit emerging from the dark building. He was covered in blood.

"I took care of the bell ringing lady," he told them. "None of the beasts around here shall come back."

Indeed, the place seemed to have quieted down. No huntsmen groaned. No sound of splashing blood as the huntsmen resuscitated was heard. Francis looked around him, sighed in relief then smiled.

"What's up with you? Why did you run off like that?" Karla asked, frowning.

"I'm just tired of making sense of all this. Eileen was right. A hunter must hunt, there is no other way around it." Surgit looked at the door leading outside the building then at his friends. "Will you join me in this hunt?"

The three hunters reached yet another square. This one looked like the center of the village. Large pillars surrounded the circular plaza. As soon as the trio left the backdoor of the building, the sound of wailing welcomed them. They were one floor above the square. When they looked down, their hair stood on end.

"What the fuck is wrong with this place?" Karla asked in a stentorian voice.

Below them, women gathered in a circle. They wailed as they prostrated and hit the ground with their palms. Some of them held sickles, others held cleavers. Their disheveled hair and dusty robes made them look even more harrowing. With each collective wail, the hunters would wince.

"You should have seen Hemwick," Francis muttered.

"Leave them be," Surgit said then turned toward a hole in a wall beside them. "We can jump down and take care of them, but they're dripping in blood. This only means another bell lady is lurking in the shadows."

They got inside the building. Darkness hindered their sight, but not their sense of smell or their incredible hearing. They heard a troll heading toward them. They were in a long hall that led toward more darkness. Beside them, there were metallic bars through which they saw a bell ringing lady.

She was wearing a long gray robe. Her head was hidden underneath a pointed cape. She turned to look at the hunters then rung her bell. Two more trolls emerged from the floor in front of them, groaning, dripping in blood.

Surgit and the others made short work of them, however. When they reached the bell ringing lady, or crone to be precise, Surgit left the honor of disposing of her to Francis.

"You've suffered most from these pests," Surgit said.

Once they were outside, they found themselves near the round plaza. Women still wailed in the distance. They could hear another bell ringing lady somewhere, but they couldn't pinpoint her exact location.

"Let's split up," Surgit suggested.

Ahead of them, there were stairs leading to another plaza with a tree in the middle. More women roamed the place. They had their arms outstretched and danced around while wailing. They looked confused, crazed. Some of them laughed hysterically, while others cried and wailed. Just hearing them was enough to send chills down one's spine.

"I'll go down. Perhaps the bell ringing crone is there," Karla said.

Surgit nodded. "Be careful. No matter what you do, make sure you don't die!"