The woods encroached, thoroughly and menacingly. Every step deeper into the woods increased the claustrophobic nature of the trees and deepened the darkness the sable canopy consigned to the seemingly shrinking space Dusty occupied. Wherever it was he was being led, it was very close to the heart of the forest, which undoubtedly meant it was near the heart of the Grimm populace of the area.

Finally, blissfully, the path widened, and in a way, brightened. A single shaft of clarion moonlight broke through the black ceiling of foliage, shining like a beacon. Beneath it was a macabre sight to say the least, but the first sign Dusty would see of a Huntsman's presence in this place: A rod of carved wood, six feet high and sharpened at the top, sat in the lone pool of light in the blackness with the skull of a Graylich pierced upon it and wedged into place. The white light of the moon hit the skull and made it almost glow, making the letter carved into its surface stand out clearly.


As if on cue, a peal of sound washed through the woods. It carried with it an unfathomable weight, a pressure that certainly felt as though the high bell on the tower of Death was tolling its last tones for the soon to depart. But with that weight came another, more friendly sensation... Aura. The tones were not simple sound waves created by a mundane resonator, and indeed carried a tinge of human Aura with them, undoubtedly the work of a trained Aura user. And with that tinge of Aura came a very clear feel of direction, for each time the bell tolled, that wave of sound would wash over Dusty with a distinct heading that would allow him to travel—at least roughly, considering the path he traveled—towards it.

The leering eyes of the Graylich skull carried an almost accusatory light in the shaft of moonlight, firmly alluding to that creature's demise at the hands of this Huntsman. It was perhaps true that those peals of Aura-infused sound would serve as a ward and keep away the Grimm in their immediate area, but if that turned out to be true, that would mean that the Grimm being driven away by it would be driven directly towards Dusty. And that was perhaps a revelation best left undiscovered.

It became very apparent very quickly that the weight of these wood was not a pressure that would relent. Trees seemed to swell inward, bending into the path to encroach upon Dusty's personal space in an attempt to swallow him into their depths. The darkness beckoned, a siren's call that clawed at the mind and soul such that a weary traveler would find themselves lost in these woods, fated only to become feed for...

...the Grimm. Glowing red dots flitted through the trees to Dusty's right, darting ahead of him and curving out into the path. Two Barghests broke onto the path and whipped about to face him, charging headlong with the single-minded determination that only mad, starving lunacy could produce.

The rising of the Dust spikes did more for Dusty than he had hoped; as the Barghests charged forward, one had deigned to take to the air, leaping upwards from where it stood to ambush Dusty from on high. Before it could make any real progress, however, the leftmost glass column caught it in the chest, piercing through its midsection and impaling it like a palisade spike. As it slowly slid down the pillar, its friend wove between the glass, intent on getting to Dusty regardless of its companion. The first arrow caught it in the shoulder, doing little more than irritating it initially. The explosion caught it off guard, taking a chunk out of its shoulder and sending it reeling. The second arrow impacted squarely in its chest, blasting it backwards and leaving a crater where tissue once stood.

Neither beast was dead, but neither would they be able to move. Left to their own devices, they would undoubtedly die on the forest floor. That was not, however, where Dusty's problems lie.

The sounds of combat had drawn attention. The forest seemed to have come alive around Dusty, sounds of more than just wildlife humming to life around him. And with those sounds came the sounds of Grimm. Barghests undoubtedly swarmed to his position, but the thicker, meatier sounds of movement in the forest were indicative of a larger creature. Whether those were Grayliches or some other monster of the night was not certain, but it was certain that they were en route to Dusty's location.

The tolling of the bell grew louder. What was once a signaling toll had become more insistent, more urgent. Whomever was ringing that bell was seemingly aware of the forest being riled.

A distinct scrabbling sound alerted Dusty that the arrow fired at the ground had done its job; the Grimm in chase slipped and slid, flailing about trying to gain their footing as they chased down their prey. It only took them a handful of seconds to regain their composure, but those seconds were precious, and hopefully all Dusty needed to put adequate space in between himself and his pursuers.

The more alarming sound was not the pattering of Barghest paws, however; the dull thumping in the ground that suggested Graylich presence would immediately make itself known as one of the creatures leapt across the path, emerging from the trees on one side of the path and crashing into the foliage on the other. It seemed that Dusty's location was not precisely known to the creatures save for the ones that were immediately chasing him.

The path twisted and turned, and for some minutes, it seemed to Dusty that he had escaped. Energy traps in the trees had not only dissuaded his pursuers, but also felled trees into the path to act as actual, factual roadblocks to halt their passage. It was not until the path widened out that Dusty would again find himself under duress.

Dark, wide, and ominous, the clearing went at least a hundred yards ahead with a thirty yard width. It looked mostly natural, with a few obviously man-made adjustments to allow for the cabin that sat at the far end of the space. That cabin was undoubtedly the source of the ringing, by Dusty's ears. By Dusty's ears as well as the pair of Grayliches that had been warily eyeing that cabin and pacing about it like hunters. With Dusty's arrival, they were given something else to focus on besides the bell tower, and, as such, they turned to face him and charged.