The road that stretched before them was slick with rain that was falling hard and already half-swallowed by the thick fog rolling in from the forest, which they have no idea when it became this thick.

The steady hard drumming of raindrops against the mud was broken only by the faint echoes of pursuit behind them.

Coren turned, scanning the treeline again where the fog moved unnaturally as if it were alive and watching them.

"Keep running!" he shouted and waved them forward. "Don't stop until we see lights or walls!"

Ryn stumbled but caught himself, his boots splashing through a puddle.

"How are they so fast?" he gasped. "Direwolves shouldn't move like that on soaked ground!"

"They're being pushed by something," Elrin said breathlessly, glancing over her shoulder. Her voice trembled as a flicker of light already pulsed faintly from her staff. "Something's forcing them toward us."

The forest behind them groaned with movement, branches snapping, claws tearing bark, and low growls rippling through the air.

Meanwhile the storm above raged louder, lightning splitting the sky with blinding white flashes and rumbles.

Coren gritted his teeth and forced himself not to look back again. "We're not fighting this here."

Lira nodded. Her knuckles whitened around her bow. "If we reach the town, we can hold out until morning."

"Assuming it's still standing," Ryn muttered.

"Move!" Coren snapped again, cutting him off. His instincts screamed that the beasts weren't the only danger.

The wind and fog carried something else now and they all could feel it, not just Elrin. A deep vibration like a growl that came from everywhere at once. It felt like the air itself was growling.

Then, from somewhere beyond the forest, a sound like distant thunder rolled, but it wasn't thunder. It was slower, heavier, and rhythmic, like colossal steps shaking the earth.

The road trembled beneath their feet.

Elrin's eyes widened. "That's not Direwolves. Something huge is moving out there."

Coren's pulse spiked. He could feel each vibration syncing with his heartbeat. "Whatever it is, we don't stay to find out. Double time!"

They broke into another sprint.

Rain blurred their vision and the cold bit into their lungs.

Lira's braid clung to her soaked cloak as she ran. Her boots were slapping against the road.

The mist ahead grew thicker, and shapes of old wooden posts appeared through it—collapsed remnants of a once-patrolled route.

"There!" she shouted, pointing through the downpour. "That's the crossroad to the town!"

They turned sharply, their feet sliding on the mud, and bolted toward it.

The trees began to thin again, but the noises behind them surged. The howls multiplied and they sound closer now, echoing from both sides of the road.

"They're flanking us!" Ryn yelled, panic breaking through his voice.

"We can't slow down!" Coren shouted back. He raised his sword, its edge glinting in the flash of lightning. "Stay tight! If they reach us, form a battle formation but until then we just run!"

The storm howled in response, swallowing their voices. The cold rain fell harder and relentlessly as the four ran deeper into the dark road toward a faint shimmer of light flickering in the distance.

They ran without stopping, splashing through puddles and mud as the wind screamed past their ears.

The forest's chaos seemed to follow them even out onto the road.

The lightning grew more frequent. They flash across the black sky in violent bursts.

BLARRR!

One of them struck a tree beside the road with a deafening crack. Splinters exploded outward as fire briefly flickered before being snuffed out by the rain.

The blast threw them off balance. Ryn and Lira staggered, clutching their heads as the shockwave rang in their skulls.

For a moment everything was sound and white light. The smell of burnt wood filled the air.

"Move!" Coren shouted again, his voice muffled by the ringing in their ears. "Don't stop!"

Before they could recover fully, another gust of wind roared through the road. It wasn't just strong. It was like a wall slamming into them.

The four were lifted from their feet and thrown several meters through the air. Mud and debris swirled around them in a violent spiral.

Elrin reacted instinctively.

She gripped her staff and shouted a spell. A surge of blue light burst outward, slowing their descent.

The wind lost its edge as her Magic caught them and cushioned their fall and guided them back to the soaked ground.

They landed hard but were alright, just breathless and covered in mud.

"Come on!" Elrin gasped. "The wind will come again!"

They pushed forward. The faint light ahead of the town grew brighter. The outer wall rose out of the fog, its shape blurred by the rain.

Hope bloomed in their chests.

"There it is!" Lira shouted, nearly stumbling as she ran. "We made it!"

But as they drew closer, the reality struck them. The gate loomed ahead but it was sealed shut. No guards stood watch above the battlements and no torches burned along the parapets.

The town wall was silent.

Ryn slammed his shoulder against the gate but it didn't move.

"Locked! Why the hell is it locked?!"

Coren's stomach sank. "Town gates don't close this early. Someone should be here. Maybe they hide."

Elrin turned toward the fog, her breathing uneven. "This strange weather is keeping them from being here."

Then the forest behind them groaned again. The mist thickened and rolling and through it came the glint of dozens of eyes.

Shapes began of massive furred bodies beginning to emerge from the white haze. They move low to the ground, claws scraping against the wet road.

The Direwolves had arrived, their eyes glowing in the lightning's flash. They moved and forming a loose circle around the adventurers.

Growls rumbled from their throats.

"Fuck me," Ryn whispered, his voice barely audible. "There's too many…"

Coren drew his sword, the steel slick with rain. His breath came heavy as he planted his feet and scanned the formation.

"We can't run anymore," he said grimly. "Form up!"

Lira raised her bow, pulling an arrow to her cheek. Elrin's staff shimmered as she gathered light into her palm. Ryn tightened his grip on his sword.

Coren took a slow breath, steadying his stance as thunder rolled above.

The Direwolves growled louder, their bodies tense and ready to strike.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating a sea of moving shadows surrounding them. Then the first Direwolf lunged through the fog.

—