Duncan looked up from the temporary shelter he had found for the night. There was a weird feeling up in the air. Every part of his body was screaming danger.
Duncan looked around to see where this feeling was coming from and found nothing. He didn't see anything around. Even the grass around him wasn't rustling. The only movement he could see was the wind.
Yet, countless encounters inside the forest have taught him better. He knew deep down that he was in danger. But, he didn't know from where it was coming or to who it was referring.
Deciding to not take any chance, Duncan hurriedly packed his belongings. The area he had decided to camp in was a bit off the road. He didn't want to lose sight of the road yet.
While he hadn't decided on what he was going to do now that the bandits were ahead of him, Duncan felt that it would be a good idea to be in sight of the road always.
Otherwise, he would lose his bearings in this endless grass and mistakenly wander somewhere he shouldn't. With that in mind, he had traveled a bit before night came in and found a place that could serve well in the darkness as his hideout for the night.
But with this weird feeling up in the air, Duncan wasn't feeling confident anymore. He felt as if he was somewhere he shouldn't be and getting out of there would be the best idea for now.
And yet, he was worried about the bandits as well. He knew they wouldn't stop hunting him that easily. Moving at night will definitely expose some of his tracks and if the bandits ran into it, they might once more track him down.
With the bandits on one end and this weird feeling on the other end, Duncan felt huge pressure to make the right decision. But, the problem was that he didn't know what the right decision was at this moment.
So, he decided to do as he always did. His gut was telling him to get out of this area, and that was what he was going to do. Even if the bandits found the trail, that was a problem for later.
Once done packing, Duncan picked up the direction towards the nearby town and started walking without looking back. He was afraid that if he looked back, he would change his mind and decide to remain in the Grasslands.
With no moon shining its light, the trek was arduous. Duncan stumbled a few times, but he remained safe. He didn't hurt himself by stepping into some hole or landing awkwardly.
Not long after Duncan began his trek, he heard a howl from somewhere in the distance. It was hard to tell which direction it was coming from. But, what froze Duncan on the spot was that the howl was answered by several howls from different directions.
And it didn't just stop there, roars followed by several other animal noises that wouldn't be usually heard at the night. The situation was so unusual that Duncan froze on the spot.
At that moment, something within Duncan told him that he needed to get out of the Grasslands this moment.
Duncan didn't waste any time. He began sprinting in the direction of the next town with haste. He didn't worry about his tracks being exposed or any other shit. He just wanted to be away from the Grasslands at this moment.
Duncan's path wasn't any easier now that he was in a hurry compared to earlier. This caused him to fall over several times and tumble a bit here and there. So, Duncan threw caution to the wind and headed to the road.
Once he reached the road, Duncan took off without turning back.
He could hear the entire Grasslands going crazy behind him. There was a cacophony of sounds coming from behind him, towards the side, and even the front. It was as if every wild beast and the demonic beast inside the Grasslands were creating a huge ruckus.
During his time with the merchant caravan on the way to Starmist City, Tang De had told him about this. This was the beginning of the beast tide. And one of the worst places to be in when a beast tide occurred was the Grasslands.
There hadn't been a beast tide near this region for the past fifty years. And now, out of nowhere, a beast tide was occurring with little to no warning. In the tales that Tang De told, there were always warning before a beast tide occurred.
However, tonight seemed to be an exception to the norms.
Duncan hadn't experienced a beast tide in his living memory. Granny Jiao has talked to him about it, however. Whether it was Granny Jiao or Tang De, they both agreed on one thing.
Beast tides were the most devastating things that could happen to any town or village situated near the Grasslands. The devastation the beasts leave in their wake wasn't something easy to recover from.
Usually, before a beast tide began, the surrounding villages and towns would migrate to a safe distance under the guard of cultivators and nearby city officials beforehand.
But, no such information had been sent earlier. Duncan knew this. After all, he was in the city not even a week before and the few villages he had passed by were operating normally as well.
So, the occurrence of this beast tide was truly something no one expected.
Duncan didn't know what the reason for this beast tide was. But, he knew one thing for sure. He was right in the middle of a beast tide. It would be a miracle if he could make it out alive of the Grasslands.
Even then, he might not be safe. No one in the surroundings will be safe from the beast tide. Because it wasn't just wild beasts that would appear in the beast tide. There will be demonic beasts from deep inside the Grasslands appearing as well.
And to add further fuel to the fire, the humans had no knowledge of the occurrence of this beast tide. They will be taken totally unaware. With no warning signs, the humans living in the surrounding area will be caught totally unprepared.
As he ran, Duncan's mind raced trying to figure out what he could do to escape from this predicament. The bandits were no longer his concern. The beast tide was the only thing occupying his mind.
Even then, he didn't lose his pack. A part of Duncan didn't want to part with his hard-earned money that he had plans for. So, he was carrying the pack and running as hard as he could.
Just as Duncan turned a corner, he ran into a pack of wolves that were rushing in the same direction he was running. The moment the wolf pack smelled him, they started howling and growling.
Duncan knew that he couldn't escape this fight. He hurriedly discarded his pack and unsheathed his sword standing his ground. He didn't have to wait for long. One of the wolves pounced from the grass onto his shoulders.
Duncan cleaved the wolf in half and turned to find three more wolves rushing at him. He knew standing here and being defensive wasn't going to work in his favor with the numbers the wolves had.
So, he rushed one of them and tried to cut it. The wolf jumped back hastily trying to avoid the sword. Duncan took the opportunity he was presented with and ran past the wolf without looking back.
His pack was left in the dust for the wolves to play with. Duncan figured that at the least, the meat and other stuff would delay a few of the wolves from coming after him.
The reason he rushed out was that he didn't want to be encircled by the wolves. When the wolves hunt, they mark their prey's position, circle them, and then attack them. So, when the first wolf attacked him, the others would already have made to circle around him.
Being encircled by wolves was not a good way to die. They will slowly rip you into pieces and then, only then, go for the kill. The best way was to fight out of the circle and find a place to have your back against.
Unfortunately for Duncan, there was no place near where he could place his back against. So, the only option left to him was to run. And that was what he did.
Duncan took off with a bunch of wolves nipping at his heels. Now that Duncan had cast off his pack, he could accelerate without much effort. And being on the verge of life and death gave him enough adrenaline to truly pick up his pace.
With Duncan's body that was close to a cultivator's body, he effortlessly outpaced the wolves and created some distance between them. In normal times, the wolves would have realized this was a futile hunt and went in search of other prey.
Unfortunately for Duncan, this was a beast tide. So, the wolves chased him relentlessly. Duncan ran for a long time with the wolves at his heel. Even though the distance between them was increasing constantly, with the road being what it was, Duncan didn't have any way to lose the wolves.
*****
Duncan looked up from the temporary shelter he had found for the night. There was a weird feeling up in the air. Every part of his body was screaming danger.
Duncan looked around to see where this feeling was coming from and found nothing. He didn't see anything around. Even the grass around him wasn't rustling. The only movement he could see was the wind.
Yet, countless encounters inside the forest have taught him better. He knew deep down that he was in danger. But, he didn't know from where it was coming or to who it was referring.
Deciding to not take any chance, Duncan hurriedly packed his belongings. The area he had decided to camp in was a bit off the road. He didn't want to lose sight of the road yet.
While he hadn't decided on what he was going to do now that the bandits were ahead of him, Duncan felt that it would be a good idea to be in sight of the road always.
Otherwise, he would lose his bearings in this endless grass and mistakenly wander somewhere he shouldn't. With that in mind, he had traveled a bit before night came in and found a place that could serve well in the darkness as his hideout for the night.
But with this weird feeling up in the air, Duncan wasn't feeling confident anymore. He felt as if he was somewhere he shouldn't be and getting out of there would be the best idea for now.
And yet, he was worried about the bandits as well. He knew they wouldn't stop hunting him that easily. Moving at night will definitely expose some of his tracks and if the bandits ran into it, they might once more track him down.
With the bandits on one end and this weird feeling on the other end, Duncan felt huge pressure to make the right decision. But, the problem was that he didn't know what the right decision was at this moment.
So, he decided to do as he always did. His gut was telling him to get out of this area, and that was what he was going to do. Even if the bandits found the trail, that was a problem for later.
Once done packing, Duncan picked up the direction towards the nearby town and started walking without looking back. He was afraid that if he looked back, he would change his mind and decide to remain in the Grasslands.
With no moon shining its light, the trek was arduous. Duncan stumbled a few times, but he remained safe. He didn't hurt himself by stepping into some hole or landing awkwardly.
Not long after Duncan began his trek, he heard a howl from somewhere in the distance. It was hard to tell which direction it was coming from. But, what froze Duncan on the spot was that the howl was answered by several howls from different directions.
And it didn't just stop there, roars followed by several other animal noises that wouldn't be usually heard at the night. The situation was so unusual that Duncan froze on the spot.
At that moment, something within Duncan told him that he needed to get out of the Grasslands this moment.
Duncan didn't waste any time. He began sprinting in the direction of the next town with haste. He didn't worry about his tracks being exposed or any other shit. He just wanted to be away from the Grasslands at this moment.
Duncan's path wasn't any easier now that he was in a hurry compared to earlier. This caused him to fall over several times and tumble a bit here and there. So, Duncan threw caution to the wind and headed to the road.
Once he reached the road, Duncan took off without turning back.
He could hear the entire Grasslands going crazy behind him. There was a cacophony of sounds coming from behind him, towards the side, and even the front. It was as if every wild beast and the demonic beast inside the Grasslands were creating a huge ruckus.
During his time with the merchant caravan on the way to Starmist City, Tang De had told him about this. This was the beginning of the beast tide. And one of the worst places to be in when a beast tide occurred was the Grasslands.
There hadn't been a beast tide near this region for the past fifty years. And now, out of nowhere, a beast tide was occurring with little to no warning. In the tales that Tang De told, there were always warning before a beast tide occurred.
However, tonight seemed to be an exception to the norms.
Duncan hadn't experienced a beast tide in his living memory. Granny Jiao has talked to him about it, however. Whether it was Granny Jiao or Tang De, they both agreed on one thing.
Beast tides were the most devastating things that could happen to any town or village situated near the Grasslands. The devastation the beasts leave in their wake wasn't something easy to recover from.
Usually, before a beast tide began, the surrounding villages and towns would migrate to a safe distance under the guard of cultivators and nearby city officials beforehand.
But, no such information had been sent earlier. Duncan knew this. After all, he was in the city not even a week before and the few villages he had passed by were operating normally as well.
So, the occurrence of this beast tide was truly something no one expected.
Duncan didn't know what the reason for this beast tide was. But, he knew one thing for sure. He was right in the middle of a beast tide. It would be a miracle if he could make it out alive of the Grasslands.
Even then, he might not be safe. No one in the surroundings will be safe from the beast tide. Because it wasn't just wild beasts that would appear in the beast tide. There will be demonic beasts from deep inside the Grasslands appearing as well.
And to add further fuel to the fire, the humans had no knowledge of the occurrence of this beast tide. They will be taken totally unaware. With no warning signs, the humans living in the surrounding area will be caught totally unprepared.
As he ran, Duncan's mind raced trying to figure out what he could do to escape from this predicament. The bandits were no longer his concern. The beast tide was the only thing occupying his mind.
Even then, he didn't lose his pack. A part of Duncan didn't want to part with his hard-earned money that he had plans for. So, he was carrying the pack and running as hard as he could.
Just as Duncan turned a corner, he ran into a pack of wolves that were rushing in the same direction he was running. The moment the wolf pack smelled him, they started howling and growling.
Duncan knew that he couldn't escape this fight. He hurriedly discarded his pack and unsheathed his sword standing his ground. He didn't have to wait for long. One of the wolves pounced from the grass onto his shoulders.
Duncan cleaved the wolf in half and turned to find three more wolves rushing at him. He knew standing here and being defensive wasn't going to work in his favor with the numbers the wolves had.
So, he rushed one of them and tried to cut it. The wolf jumped back hastily trying to avoid the sword. Duncan took the opportunity he was presented with and ran past the wolf without looking back.
His pack was left in the dust for the wolves to play with. Duncan figured that at the least, the meat and other stuff would delay a few of the wolves from coming after him.
The reason he rushed out was that he didn't want to be encircled by the wolves. When the wolves hunt, they mark their prey's position, circle them, and then attack them. So, when the first wolf attacked him, the others would already have made to circle around him.
Being encircled by wolves was not a good way to die. They will slowly rip you into pieces and then, only then, go for the kill. The best way was to fight out of the circle and find a place to have your back against.
Unfortunately for Duncan, there was no place near where he could place his back against. So, the only option left to him was to run. And that was what he did.
Duncan took off with a bunch of wolves nipping at his heels. Now that Duncan had cast off his pack, he could accelerate without much effort. And being on the verge of life and death gave him enough adrenaline to truly pick up his pace.
With Duncan's body that was close to a cultivator's body, he effortlessly outpaced the wolves and created some distance between them. In normal times, the wolves would have realized this was a futile hunt and went in search of other prey.
Unfortunately for Duncan, this was a beast tide. So, the wolves chased him relentlessly. Duncan ran for a long time with the wolves at his heel. Even though the distance between them was increasing constantly, with the road being what it was, Duncan didn't have any way to lose the wolves.
*****
