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[h1]Forest Shrine[/h1]

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Thud.

Thud.

Thud thud.

Thud thud thud thud thudthudthudthudthudthudthud---

The heavy pounding of the creature in pursuit was growing louder. The moment they started running, it became clear that its pace had quickened, and now it was only growing louder and more swift.

It wasn't just chasing them. It was gaining on them.

The forest had seemed serene and peaceful before. But now, the light of the sun above seemed to have grown dimmer. Where once the only thing obscuring their vision was the green leaves of the lush foliage, now it seemed far darker. Between the trees was inky blackness, the kind that could normally only be seen on a truly starless, moonless night.

Worse than that was the fact it was now far more difficult to see where they were going.

Behind them, a pair of pale green orbs could now be discerned, emerging from the shadows that consumed the path they left behind.

If they were eyes, whatever they belonged to was far taller than a human being.

It almost seemed as if the shadows themselves were rolling across the earth and through the undergrowth, close to the ground, but this wasn't the case.

No, instead, what crawled along the ground was hundreds upon hundreds of black-red centipedes, their numerous limbs scrabbling through the leaflitter as they moved in unison ahead of their green-eyed pursuer.

A shape of something could almost be discerned now, thundering footfalls growing louder. A ragged, rasping sound seemed to fill the forest, coming from every direction at once.

They had to think quickly of some way to lose the creature chasing them down---!

[@FujiwaraPhoenix][@Pyromania99][@Raineh Daze]