Change: New World

What Lies in the Dark

The continuous growling perceeded as I stared fixedly on the darkness in the hallway.

It eventually got louder and louder and louder, until I could finally hear faint scratch marks on the tiled floors of the school. It was the same type of sound a dog’s paw causes when it tries walking along a waxed surface.

I gulped.

I don’t know whether it was because of a human’s natural fear of the darkness or the quiet yet bone shivering noise that this new monster seemed to just barely make, but I truly felt fear.

This wasn't the same tension as when I was battling the goblins. This was something else entirely.

Luckily though, for some reason, it wasn't as overwhelming as I fir thought. If it was the past me, no doubt I'd be frozen from fear, crying, maybe even pissing my pants a bit. I think that might have been the 50% resistance to fear I received from my title.

Regardless, the overwhelming fear of the unknown, was something I could just barely stomach through.

I gripped Efhermet tightly, moving into a familiar pose.

I contemplated making a break for it and rushing back to the door that connected the teacher’s lounge, but right now I was across the room on the opposite side. I didn’t have the cocky confidence to think I could make it there in time before whatever thing outside came and killed me. Plus, if I ran away into the adjacent room, that would basically be like bringing death to Cielle and Hina.

And it would be pretty pointless if Hina died after all the trouble I went through.

For now, I stood my ground.

The growling continued on until a silhouette of a 2 meter figure appeared from in front of the gaping hole in the wall.

It was hunched over, its abdomen thin, while its broad shoulders sprouted thick arms. Its body was standing on hind legs, upright, although its hunched back suggested the creature wasn’t originally meant for human postures.

The most jarring thing about this creature though, was its head. In short, it had a canine face. Its razor sharp teeth poking out of a too-large snout, while its face, as well as the rest of its body was covered from its pointy wolf-like ears down all the way to its equally as wolf-like feet with a thick mat of fur.

Once it came into view, I could finally read its status window, although it only confirmed what I had already guessed.