Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 584: Hunting [4]

Although the soft giggle was faint and only reached my ears, it deeply influenced the area around us. Multiple shadows appeared in flashes right in front of us. At that moment, Seraphine’s face shifted dramatically.

Even amid the bewilderment, she managed to respond quickly.

Immediately, shadowy vines erupted from the earth below them, rushing at the flashing shadows and wrapping them up entirely.

Her response came without delay.

In that brief instant, her eyes met mine for a mere half-second before she directed her focus to the captured figures.

"Three."

Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a weighty tone I could sense clearly.

She had indeed restrained three such entities.

Which meant—

Unbeknownst to them, five anomalies had slipped into her team.

Seraphine kept her face icy even in this chaos as she faced one of her companions.

"Paul, locate their hiding spot."

"Got it."

The individual called Paul, a lanky guy who seemed about my age, advanced. His shoulder-length brown locks split down the center while his eyes scanned the three tied-up anomalies. Moments later, he shut his eyes and started some kind of process.

I began pondering his actions just as Seraphine’s words resounded in the air.

"He holds the [Hunter] Decree. Though he failed to detect the anomalies when they blended with us, he can trace them once they’re secured. My intention is to head straight for their lair. I suspect that’s where the absent members are held."

"Maybe so."

Truthfully, curiosity gripped me.

Would we truly uncover their hideout, or end up dragged to damnation like my earlier ordeal?

‘This anomaly clearly orchestrated my trip there. I remain intrigued to discover how one could dispatch someone to hell. Is hell some readily reachable realm just like that?’

I doubted it was that simple. As I stood quietly awaiting Paul’s completion, the atmosphere altered subtly, with a faint stirring in the environment. The fog grew denser simultaneously as a chill breeze swept over us.

"They’ve detected us."

Seraphine’s murmur cut through the haze.

"...They’ll come after us shortly."

She glanced at Paul, who then opened his eyes.

"I’ve located it."

"Excellent."

She gripped her fist tightly, causing the anomalies to burst apart instantly, dissolving into mist fragments. Meanwhile, Paul moved ahead and started leading the way.

"Stay close. Avoid straying too much. Keep watch on those around you."

I trailed them quietly, keeping my pace steady.

Bringing up the rear, I couldn’t shake the thought,

Did they simply overlook it?

No, that likely wasn’t the case.

The notion persisted in my thoughts, intensifying as we pressed on.

Yet, I grappled with her motive for such a choice.

No obvious gain came from it. On the contrary, it endangered her own allies. Still, being a Paragon, she undoubtedly had her reasons.

*

Rustle~ Rustle~

As we pushed through the haze, we grazed countless slender twigs jutting from the fog, their fragile arms whispering against our attire. Every footfall crunched softly on the rough terrain below, echoing oddly in the hushed woods.

The further in we ventured, the thicker the haze turned. It twisted around trunks and slithered over the soil, devouring forms and muddling ranges until anything past a short distance dissolved into ghostly white.

Not a word passed between us.

Just the subdued tread of our boots and the soft swish of limbs in the vapor.

I watched it all wordlessly, a growing pressure building in my torso as we delved deeper. Meanwhile, I glanced back, chuckling lightly to myself to confirm no additional figures lurked.

No extra being was present.

But this very inaction heightened the oppressive feel.

The ideas fled my head as Paul abruptly halted.

Guiding the pack, the others stuck near him. When he paused, the entire group stopped too.

A dense quiet settled in after his standstill.

"....."

The hush extended tautly, shattered only when Seraphine neared him.

"What made you halt? Have you..."

Her sentence cut off midway.

And then—

Thump!

Paul’s form toppled rearward suddenly, jolting the group.

Gazes snapped to him instantly, and as they did, a shared gasp rose with sharp, icy intakes. I shared the shock, my stare fixing on his gaping voids.

Voids, indeed.

No eyeballs remained.

Both had vanished when Seraphine inspected the corpse. Though the event was abrupt, she stayed composed, finally closing Paul’s eyelids.

"We’ve reached it."

Swiveling, her focus turned another way. She offered no remark on Paul’s demise or even acknowledged it.

I found this odd while continuing to eye the remains.

I furrowed my brow, scanning the vicinity. Even more startling was the minimal reaction from Seraphine’s teammates. They appeared somewhat grieved by the abrupt loss but remained steady and posed no questions.

This struck me as peculiar, particularly how they viewed the death routinely, yet after brief reflection, I understood, ‘They hail from a top-tier Guild worldwide. Death must be commonplace for them. They likely see it as ordinary.’

In time, tracing her direction, I spotted a massive outline concealed in the vapor, its form akin to a pair of stacked homes. From the murk, a subtle groaning noise gradually permeated the atmosphere.

A noise hauntingly like the gradual groan of a swaying seat.

As we neared, the sound intensified. The leisurely groan reverberated in the haze, as if an object softly rocked in the calm.

Finally, the dwelling’s contours sharpened in the mist. Upon the timber deck upfront sat a swaying chair, oscillating independently.

Empty of any occupant.

Still, it persisted in its motion amid the profound quiet.

My frame stiffened at the view, an eerie weight bearing down on my chest while observing the chair’s back-and-forth swing. It felt off somehow, like an invisible presence occupied it, observing our approach.

I attempted a giggle, but no result.

Nothing perched on the seat.

Simultaneously, my eyes shifted beyond the chair to the structure, absorbing its features. It rose two levels high, its timber skeleton battered by time. Panes were aged and filmed with grime, their surfaces murky and indistinct, untouched for ages.

Certain slats dangled askew, groaning lightly with each gust that passed.

The whole edifice loomed in the fog, exuding an aura of isolation.

Though every instinct urged me to steer clear of the spot, Seraphine proceeded.

Her strides were steady, unhurried as she headed to the dwelling, her stance relaxed.

Stunned, I merely observed her reach the entrance. With zero pause, she grasped the knob, swung it wide, and crossed the threshold.

Seconds later, her companions trailed inside.

I stood mutely as the remainder of her squad vanished into the building, their outlines flickering momentarily against the grimy, hazy glass.

Looking toward Drake and Esteban, I hesitated briefly before pivoting and advancing to the house too. The timber porch groaned under my feet as I neared and crossed into it.

The second I entered, every noise seemed to vanish from the area.

"Hm?"

Noticing the change, I surveyed the space and saw it utterly vacant. Upon turning, I realized Drake and Esteban had disappeared, and the portal at my back had shut.

My eyes widened in alarm.

Yet prior to any move—

Trrrr! Trrrr—!

A piercing bell resounded across the chamber.