In the dense woods on the east side of forest, branches and leaves shook violently, and eight spiny spider legs clawed at tree trunks, leaving deep scratches on the bark.
Keziaz rode a Death Crawler, his body pressed against the spider's carapace, his black cloak billowing in the wind, a poisoned arrow nocked on his bowstring, his eyes fixed on the fleeing figure ahead—Edward and his personal guards, like a group of startled rabbits, sprinted through the forest, dry branches underfoot snapping loudly.
"Quick! Don't let that human escape!" Keziaz roared, gently nudging the Death Crawler's carapace with his legs.
The spider seemed to receive the command, leaping abruptly from one pine tree to another, instantly covering an eight-meter span, its spider legs landing with a thud that shook leaves loose.
A dozen night hobgoblins behind him followed closely, the Death Crawler leaping agilely through the treetops, forming a dark pursuit line, getting closer and closer to Edward.
But Edward, that bastard, was as reckless as a wild ox in battle, yet his ability to flee was unparalleled.
He wore light leather armor, had long since thrown away his longsword, clutching only the cloth pouch of gold coins at his waist, his steps so fast he seemed to fly.
His guards were left behind; some ran panting, some even sprained an ankle, limping and falling behind, becoming live targets for the night hobgoblins.
"Whoosh!" A poisoned arrow shot from Keziaz's hand, accurately striking one of the guards in the back.
The guard grunted, stumbled, and fell to the ground, motionless within moments.
The other guards were scared witless, running even faster, but still couldn't escape the poisoned arrows—in just half an hour, only three of the dozen guards remained, clinging tightly behind Edward, their faces ashen.
As Edward ran, he cursed the people of Prince Patton's Fiefdom in his heart.
He never imagined that he wouldn't fall to Katushir's army, nor die by the machinations of Prince Patton's Fiefdom, but would instead be forced to his death by a group of greenskins in this cursed forest! Had he known the greenskins were so troublesome, he would never have agreed to Prince Patton's Fiefdom's idiotic plan!
But then he gritted his teeth and quickened his pace—fortunately, he had a habit of carrying money with him; the cloth pouch at his waist contained a full three thousand gold coins, and a few gems stolen from merchant caravans.
As long as he could escape this forest, find any noble's territory to live under a false name, with this money, he could still live as a wealthy old man for a lifetime, which was much better than being a bandits' leader!
The forest ahead gradually thinned, and a putrid, fishy mist wafted over—the swamp had arrived!
Edward's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline.
He glanced back at the relentlessly pursuing night hobgoblins, then yanked hard on the reins; the poor horse under him cried out in pain, rearing up.
Before the horse could steady itself, Edward flipped off, shoved aside a nearby guard, and bolted towards the swamp.
"Leader! Wait for us!" The guards cried out, also wanting to dismount, but were struck by poisoned arrows from the pursuing night hobgoblins, falling onto the grass by the swamp, their blood staining the muddy bank.
Edward paid no attention to the guards' fate; he ran to the edge of the swamp and, without hesitation, pushed his horse aside—the poor horse whinnied, struggling to back away, but still slid into the swamp, quickly swallowed by the black mud, leaving only a few bubbling whirlpools.
Edward, meanwhile, half-knelt at the edge of the swamp, took a deep breath, and plunged into the swamp, half his body submerging in the mud, crawling laboriously towards the depths of the swamp like a loach.
The mud in the swamp was as thick as glue; every step required immense effort, and the cold muddy water soaked through his leather armor, making his teeth chatter.
But he dared not stop—the night hobgoblins could catch up at any moment; only by burrowing into the reeds deep within the swamp could he completely escape the pursuit.
When Keziaz, riding a Death Crawler, reached the edge of the swamp, he just saw Edward's figure disappear into the mud deep within the swamp.
His face darkened—although Death Crawlers could leap through forests, they most feared this sticky swamp; once their spider legs got stuck, they would be entangled by the mud, unable to move.
"Shoot arrows! Don't let him escape!" Keziaz roared, raising a poisoned arrow and aiming it at Edward's retreating figure.
The night hobgoblins behind him also nocked arrows, and a dozen poisoned arrows, like black lightning, flew towards the depths of the swamp.
But the fog in the swamp grew thicker, and Edward's figure was indistinct in the mud; the poisoned arrows either missed, plunging into the swamp, or were deflected by reeds, completely failing to harm him.
Instead, the few guards who hadn't managed to escape were struck by poisoned arrows, falling on the bank, becoming a feast for the swamp's insects.
Edward lay in the swamp, listening as the sound of arrows gradually faded behind him, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
He wiped the mud from his face, a smile of survival gracing his lips—no matter how powerful the greenskins were, they wouldn't dare enter the swamp to pursue him! Just a few hundred more meters, and he would reach the small island in the center of the swamp, where he had hidden a small boat; once on the boat, he could follow the swamp's underground river to escape Forest of Gloom!
Just as he reached out to grasp the reeds ahead, preparing to speed up, the swamp beneath him suddenly shook violently.
"Gurgle—gurgle—"
The black mud began to bubble, as if something was stirring beneath.
Edward's heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged within him.
He suddenly looked up, only to see a colossal dark shadow slowly rising in the swamp ahead—mud slid off the shadow, revealing dark green scales that covered its massive body like armor; on its two arm-thick arms, muscles bulged, claws as sharp as scimitars, and a rusty iron chain was shackled to its wrist, the other end of the chain connected to a huge axe; on its long alligator-like head, a pair of yellow vertical pupils stared fixedly at him, dark green saliva dripping from its fangs, emitting a nauseating stench.
"K-Kroxigor?!" Edward's voice trembled, his blood almost freezing.
He had seen illustrations of this creature in the noble texts of Katushir—a lizardman war slave, whose physique was even stronger than a Saurus, but whose mind was as simple as a rock, killing anyone it saw except its own kind!
But wasn't this thing only supposed to exist in legends?
This kroxigor clearly had no interest in listening to him speak.
It let out a low growl, its voice echoing like muffled thunder in the swamp, and its huge hand suddenly lunged towards Edward.
Edward was scared out of his wits, turning to crawl back.
But the mud in the swamp was like an invisible hand, gripping his legs tightly, rendering him immobile.
He could only watch helplessly as the scaled hand drew closer and closer, even seeing the water weeds and mud clinging to its claws.
"No—!"
A shrill scream ripped through the silence of the swamp.
The kroxigor's hand fiercely squeezed Edward's body; its dark green scales pressed against his leather armor, and with a "Crunch," the sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.
Edward spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide, still clutching the cloth pouch of gold coins tightly in his hand, but he was no longer moving.
the lizardman held Edward's corpse as if it were an ant, casually tossing it into its mouth.
Sharp fangs chewed, and blood and shredded flesh dripped from its mouth, splashing into the swamp, attracting a swarm of black insects.
On the swamp bank, Keziaz and the night hobgoblins watched in stunned silence.
They rode their Death Crawlers, standing on the grass by the bank, poisoned arrows still nocked, but they had forgotten to shoot.
No one had expected that their prey, almost within grasp, would be eaten alive by such a behemoth!
After eating Edward, it's yellow vertical pupils turned towards the night hobgoblins on the bank.
It let out a low growl, its massive body shifting in the swamp, splashing mud, clearly seeing the night hobgoblins as its next prey.
Keziaz instantly snapped back to reality, an alarm bell ringing in his heart.
He had seen Skarsnik's collection of lizardman scales—hard enough to block an iron axe, let alone this giant lizardman, twice the size of a Death Crawler, whose claws could tear a spider in half with one swipe!
"Retreat! Quickly, retreat!" Keziaz roared, turning the Death Crawler around and retreating towards the forest.
The night hobgoblins behind him were also terrified, riding their spiders, following Keziaz, quickly withdrawing from the swamp bank.
The kroxigor watched the fleeing night hobgoblins, growling a few times, but did not pursue—though simple-minded, it knew the forest outside the swamp was not suitable for its movement.
It swayed its massive body in the swamp, then slowly sank back into the mud, leaving only a few bubbling whirlpools, as if it had never appeared.
Keziaz, riding a Death Crawler, ran back to the edge of the forest in one breath before daring to stop.
He looked back in the direction of the swamp, where mist hung heavy, eerily silent, but he dared not approach another step.
"Damn it... how can there be such a monster in this forest?" Keziaz wiped the cold sweat from his face, his heart filled with lingering fear.
What he originally thought was a simple hunt unexpectedly ended with a lizardman appearing and eating Edward alive!
But then, Keziaz felt a sense of relief—Edward was dead, the cloth Brotherhood was completely leaderless, and the remaining bandits would either be cut down or flee into the forest to become vagrants, no longer posing a threat.
As for that kroxigor... as long as they didn't provoke it, it shouldn't come to forest looking for trouble.
He adjusted his cloak and said to the night hobgoblins behind him, "Let's go! Back to forest! Report the situation to the boss!"
A dozen night hobgoblins nodded, riding their Death Crawlers, and headed towards the forest.
Silence returned to the swamp bank, with only Edward's uneaten pouch of gold coins peeking out from the mud, glowing faintly in the mist, but it was soon covered by new mud, completely disappearing into the depths of the swamp.