"Over here! This way! I don't know what's happening, but suddenly a path opened up and the wall disappeared. Everyone, run over here—quickly!" Lena shouted toward the crowd.
Davorin immediately grabbed Georgia's hand and ran toward Lena.
"Shit, shit, shit! A red cone-shaped hat stained with blood, small bodies, pointy ears, and sickles in their hands... There's no doubt about it—they're RedCaps. How the hell are English mythological creatures real?!" Davorin muttered to himself.
Screams rang out behind them. Georgia, terrified, glanced over her shoulder while still running.
Blood was pooling everywhere. Legs, arms, even heads were torn from bodies. Intestines and other organs were scattered all around, and the RedCaps' laughter pierced the air like knives.
"HUUEEEGGKK!" Georgia vomited but kept running, her hand still clutched tightly in Davorin's grip.
"Don't look back, Georgia! Just keep running! We're almost safe, just a bit further!" Davorin shouted in panic.
Davorin risked a look behind and was horrified. Blood pooled everywhere—legs, arms, even heads were severed from bodies. Intestines and other organs were scattered around, and the shrill laughter of the RedCaps pierced the air.
The creatures were soaking their hats in the blood of the people they'd killed—some even dunked their hats directly into a corpse's stomach.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Davorin yelled.
"If these creatures are really like the legends, then once their hats are soaked in that much blood, they'll go berserk. Shit, they're gonna lose their minds!" he muttered again.
And just as he feared, after putting on their blood-drenched hats, the RedCaps' eyes turned crimson, their teeth sharper than blades, and their speed increased drastically.
"Shit, shit, shit! If this keeps up, we're all gonna get caught," Davorin thought.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
"Georgia, give me your necklace!" Davorin said.
"Huh? Why, Senpai?" Georgia asked.
"I'll explain later! Just hurry, Georgia!" he said, coming to a stop.
She handed him the necklace.
"Keep running and don't look back. Don't stop, no matter what," he said firmly.
"Hurry up! Don't ask questions—you're just slowing me down!" Davorin yelled.
Georgia nodded silently and continued running with everything she had. Not long after, more people ran past Davorin, including Garran.
"What the hell are you doing, kid?! Stopping in the middle of the way—do you have a death wish?" Garran growled.
"Hahaha! If I wanted to die, I'd have done it a long time ago, old man," Davorin snapped.
Suddenly, a sickle flew through the air and struck Garran's leg.
"ARGHHH! My leg! No, no, no—I don't want to die!" Garran cried out in terror.
"Tch! Hiding behind me now, huh? You should've just kept running instead of becoming my burden," Davorin shouted.
One of the RedCaps charged at him. Davorin quickly raised the necklace in his hand.
"Please work, damn it," he whispered.
"By iron, salt, and sacred word,
Let no evil beast be stirred.
By fire's light and holy flame,
Back to shadow, whence you came!"
he chanted.
The RedCap halted and covered its ears.
"Ha... ha... ha... it worked! It actually worked!" Davorin panted.
"What the hell was that, kid? How'd you do that?" Garran asked, stunned.
"Don't you know, old man? In legends and folk tales about RedCaps, crosses and prayers can repel them. I wasn't even sure it'd work, to be honest," Davorin explained.
Suddenly, a whole group of RedCaps surrounded him.
"Tch... In the name of light and sacred ancestors, I banish you, back to the shadows!" Davorin shouted another prayer he knew.
The RedCaps approaching him immediately covered their ears and backed away—but a few managed to resist.
"Human... how can a weak little thing like you know our weakness? Damn you, pathetic human!" one of them snarled.
Davorin quickly grabbed a sickle one of the RedCaps had dropped nearby and threw the cross necklace to Garran.
"Hey, old man! Use that to protect yourself—chant whatever prayer you can!" Davorin yelled.
"Got it, kid. I'm not about to be your dead weight," Garran replied.
Davorin gave a small grin.
His device displayed a message:
Distance left: 500 meters
"Just a little further... please let me be right," he whispered.
He took a stance, preparing to face the RedCaps head-on.
"Kek kek kek kek... a weak human like you wants to fight us? Know your place, you pathetic creature," a RedCap mocked, its yellow teeth bared as it laughed.
"Heh... let's see who's laughing in the end," Davorin shouted.
One RedCap lunged at him from the front, its sickle aimed to slice through flesh, but Davorin blocked the strike with the sickle he'd picked up.
"Huh... guess all that may exercise finally paid off," he thought.
But the assault didn't stop. Two more RedCaps attacked from the left and right. Davorin blocked the one on the right but got slashed on his left shoulder.
"ARGHH! Damn you monsters!" Davorin shouted.
"Kek kek kek... ah, the sound of human agony... their fresh blood looks so beautiful," one RedCap drooled.
Distance left: 100 meters
"Die, human! Kek kek kek!" another screeched.
Davorin struggled to hold them off, but his right hand was slashed, and he dropped the sickle—his only weapon.
"Shit!" he cursed.
Garran was barely holding them back with the necklace and whatever prayers he could remember.
Distance left: 50 meters
"Just a little more, damn it!" Davorin shouted, desperate.
The RedCaps launched into a wild frenzy. One slashed Davorin's leg off with its sickle.
"Shit, shit, shit..." he muttered through gritted teeth.
Distance left: 20 meters
Both of Davorin's arms were severed by more sickle strikes.
"It hurts like hell..." he whispered in despair.
Distance left: 5 meters
The RedCaps' laughter echoed and filled Davorin's ears.
"No... no, I don't want to die. Georgia... help me," he thought, hopeless.
Davorin shut his eyes, resigned to his fate...
Then, suddenly, all their devices displayed:
Distance left: 0 meters
Objective complete
Threat neutralized
All survivors' wounds healed instantly