Kael’s eyes followed the lone Gloomkin as it stood at the edge of what he assumed was the patrol route, its black, soulless eyes fixed on something ahead. Its posture was tense, head tilted slightly as if listening for any additional sounds. Whatever had caught its attention had fully distracted it from its watch.

  A moment passed before the creature crept forward, its movements slow and deliberate. Kael remained still, blending into the thick shadows beneath the trees. He wasn’t close enough to see what had drawn his and the Gloomkin’s attention, but he could hear it—faint, subtle movements rustling through the undergrowth.

  Curiosity sparked in Kael’s mind. What had drawn their attention? Adjusting his stance, he followed silently, his steps light against the damp forest floor. He maneuvered through the undergrowth, ensuring that each footstep landed with minimal noise. Even though his Essence-enhanced legs would make his movements more steady and silent, he refrained from using any unnecessary reinforcement. The thin blue shimmer of Essence around his limbs when actively used, even if it wasn't the most noticeable effect could be a risk if the creature turned around at the wrong moment.

  As he got closer, he spotted it—near the base of a large tree, tangled between thick roots, was a snake. Its long body was coiled, its head slightly raised as if preparing to strike. The snake’s scales glistened in the dim moonlight, blending into the earthy hues of the forest. The Gloomkin crept closer, its crude spear angled downward, eyes locked onto its prey. Kael crouched behind the dense foliage, watching as the monster made its move.

  With a sudden burst of motion, the Gloomkin lunged, stabbing downward. The snake hissed, striking out in retaliation, but the creature was faster. The spearhead sank into the snake’s side, pinning it against the roots.

  Kael watched as the Gloomkin let out a guttural chuckle, its mouth splitting into a sharp-toothed grin. It wasted no time, throwing aside its weapon and tearing into the dying reptile with jagged, yellowed teeth. The wet sound of flesh ripping filled the air, accompanied by the crunch of bones as it bit into its prey.

  Kael narrowed his eyes. He had just found the perfect bait. His mind was already working through the possibilities—if this worked on one, it might work on the others. Some of the Gloomkin were impulsive, and more animalistic than intelligent. If they were drawn to easy prey like this, then Kael could set up a trap—picking them off one by one without raising suspicion.

  A slow, calculated smile tugged at his lips. Let’s see how predictable you really are. He waited. The creature, still engrossed in its meal, had completely let its guard down. Its body was hunched, attention solely on devouring the snake.

  Kael moved. With swift, silent steps, he closed the distance in an instant. His arms shot out, locking around the Gloomkin’s neck in a brutal grip. Before it could react, he twisted sharply.

  Crack.

  The Gloomkin’s body spasmed once, its head lolling unnaturally to the side. Then, silence. Kael eased the lifeless body to the ground, careful to avoid making unnecessary noise. He then glanced around, ensuring no other patrols had noticed the kill.

  Satisfied, he hefted the corpse onto his shoulder and carried it deeper into the forest, moving between thick tree trunks until he found a suitable hiding spot—a natural alcove formed by the roots of a massive tree. There, he dumped the body, arranging it so it wouldn’t be immediately visible from a passing patrol. One down. Now, he just had to repeat this again.

  Kael returned to the snake’s remains, crouching beside it. The reptile’s body was torn open, its innards exposed and glistening under the moonlight. He studied it carefully. He didn't need it whole, he just needed it to serve as a distraction and look appetizing for them. He reached out, adjusting the position of the carcass, making it appear as though it had been freshly killed—just enough to be convincing.

  Then, he retreated to a concealed position, crouching low behind a thick patch of foliage. Now, he just had to wait. Minutes passed. Then, movement. Kael tensed, his eyes flicking toward the treeline where another lone Gloomkin patrolled. Like the first, its back was hunched, cautious but lacking true discipline.

  Then Kael threw a stone in the general direction of the snake, getting its attention. It wasn't long before it noticed the snake. Kael watched as the creature’s head tilted, its nostrils flaring slightly as it took in the scent of fresh blood. The hunger in its gaze was unmistakable. With slow, deliberate steps, it moved toward the carcass. Kael remained perfectly still.

  The Gloomkin knelt, reaching toward the snake’s remains, sniffing at it before grinning—showing its jagged teeth. It let out a low chittering noise, seemingly pleased with its find. Thats when Kael moved. Like before, he closed the distance quickly, his fingers wrapping around the Gloomkin’s throat before it could react. The monster’s body stiffened in surprise, its mouth opening to make a sound, but it was too late. Another sharp twist of his wrists followed, and—Crack.

  The body slumped. Kael exhaled slowly, dragging the corpse back to the hiding place. Two down. He repeated the process. Again. And again. Time stretched as Kael systematically thinned their numbers. Each time, he adjusted the bait slightly—moving it, ensuring it looked fresh, and making minor alterations. The Gloomkin took the bait every time.

  One by one, he lured and dispatched of them with ruthless efficiency.

  The system notifications appeared, brief flashes of minor experience gains, but he barely registered them. The numbers were irrelevant as low as they were. What mattered was results. He wasn’t doing this just for the exp. He was hunting.

  Stolen story; please report.

  As time passed, Kael noticed a shift. The once frequent patrols were starting to dwindle. There were fewer Gloomkin wandering outside of the village now. His effort had bared fruit. The heart of the village still held activity—fires burned, figures moved between huts, and low murmurs filled the air—but the outer defenses were noticeably weaker. Kael crouched behind a thick tree, watching from a distance. He counted his kills. Eight. That was eight fewer Gloomkin roaming the area. Eight fewer threats to deal with.

  He leaned back against the tree, considering his next move.

  The lower-leveled Gloomkin gave almost no worthwhile experience, which made sense—they were weak. But removing them from the equation was a victory on its own. He smirked to himself. The dumb things don’t even know they’re being hunted.

  He looked up and noticed the clouds had shifted again, things falling even more into place, as soon as the cloud cover returned, he decided he would take a risk and make his way into the village itself.

  Kael crouched low, his breath slow and steady as he waited for the clouds to fully obscure the moonlight once more. The flickering glow of the village’s fires barely reached this far into the treeline, leaving the outer perimeter cloaked in deep shadows. Kael not needing to wait long as the clouds blocked the moons again, making so it was the perfect time to sneak closer in.

  He pushed forward, staying close to the ground, his body shifting smoothly through the tall grass. Every movement was controlled, each step and hand placement were carefully placed to avoid making even the slightest noise. The last couple of hours had thinned out the Gloomkin patrols, reducing their numbers one by one. If anyone in the village noticed, they hadn’t acted on it yet. No alarms, no panic—just the same lazy, disorganized movements as before.

  Kael wouldn't complain about that, this only helped him further. Reaching the first hut at the edge of the village, he pressed his back against its crude wooden frame, listening. The muffled sound of nasal snoring reached his ears. He peeked around the corner, his sharp eyes scanning for any lingering patrols or movement indicating a Gloomkin heading in this direction.

  Nothing.

  The immediate area was clear. Kael moved with purpose, skirting around the hut’s exterior and toward the nearest structure. The layout of the village was simple it followed a rough pattern of huts clustered around the clearing with that elevated platform made of stacked logs and the larger central structure where the Chieftain likely stayed.

  From what he had observed, most of the Gloomkin were either asleep or clustered around their fire pits. Only a handful remained active, moving between the huts or tending to their weapons.

  Kael kept close to the ground, inching toward his next target.

  A lone Gloomkin stood near a pile of supplies—crudely made spears, bits of dried meat, and other materials likely gathered from their hunts. It was distracted, gnawing on a strip of tough meat, its posture relaxed. Kael didn’t hesitate.

  He moved in, wrapping his arm around its neck in a tight hold before it could make a sound. The creature struggled for only a second before a sharp twist of Kael’s grip silenced it forever. He eased the body down, quickly dragging it behind a hut before checking the area again. No reaction.

  The village continued as if nothing had happened. Kael’s mind raced with possibilities. With fewer patrols, he had more room to maneuver. But he couldn’t risk staying in one place too long. The moment someone noticed a missing body, everything would change. Keep moving. Stay ahead of them.

  His next target was another isolated figure—a Gloomkin wandering near a stack of crude weapons, lazily inspecting them. Kael crept closer, his footfalls silent against the dirt. Just like before, he struck fast. The creature’s body went limp before it could even register what had happened. Another quick drag, another body concealed. That made ten.

  Kael exhaled, rolling his shoulders. His approach was working, but the real test had yet to come. When they finally noticed the missing Gloomkins. How would they react?

  He positioned himself near another hut, watching from the shadows. Seeing the village remained mostly still, he continued to creep toward another hut, pausing as he heard something inside—the sound of breathing.

  He carefully peeled back the crude flap that served as the hut’s entrance. The interior was dim, but by making a small Essence sphere barely the size of a grape, he was able to improve his vision, without making it too bright to be noticed from the outside. There were nine Gloomkin. All asleep.

  Kael’s hand whent for his knife and started thinking on how he was going to do this. The easiest approach would be to kill them now before they could react. But as much as he would love to do so, slitting their throats would be messy—the smell of blood could alert nearby guards. He needed a cleaner method. A sharp, quiet kill. Just like before.

  Packing away his knife just as soon as he had taken it out. Insted Kael crouched low and moved toward the nearest sleeping Gloomkin. His hands wrapped around its head and with a precise motion breaking its neck like the rest. The creature didn’t even stir. Kael moved to the next one. Another quick, efficient kill. Then the next. And the next.

  He worked swiftly, and methodically. Within minutes, nine bodies lay still, never having the chance to wake up. Kael stood in the hushed interior, his breathing steady. He glanced around the hut once more before slipping back outside, careful not to disturb anything.

  Kael crouched low in the tall grass near the village’s edge, making his way towards the treeline. Getting there he found a nice hiding spot in some thick bushes and settled to waiting. He had done enough damage for one night. Now, he needed to see how they reacted.

  He remained still, watching the village with patient, predatory focus.

  Minutes passed. Then, the shift began. A Gloomkin emerged from one of the huts, stretching its limbs before glancing around. Its posture was lazy at first, but then it paused. It sniffed the air, its head tilting slightly as it scanned the area. Then, it frowned—or at least, the closest thing to a frown a Gloomkin could make.

  It turned, chittering something in its strange guttural tongue.

  Another Gloomkin stirred nearby, and soon, two of them were looking around, their movements slightly more alert. They noticed something.

  Kael remained still, his heartbeat steady.

  The two Gloomkin moved toward the outer edges of the village, their eyes scanning the darkened perimeter. One of them crouched near the weapons pile where Kael had taken down one of their kin. It sniffed at the air again before baring its teeth. Then, it let out a low growl.

  Kael’s fingers flexed slightly against the leaves, he was amazed how some of these monsters could be this alert and others just morons. The one crouched near the weapons pile suddenly turned toward where he hid the bodies, its eyes narrowing as it sniffed again. Kael could see the slight tension in its movements.

  Reaching down, he grabbed a small stone from the ground, rolling it between his fingers. He waited until the Gloomkin turned slightly, then threw the rock toward the far side of the village. The sound was subtle, but enough to make the creature and some of the others around it snap their head toward the noise. It chittered something, then stalked toward the sound, its focus shifting.

  Good. Let them chase shadows for now, Kael wanted to see more, maybe take a look at the leader one more time before all hell broke lose.