My Life as A Death Guard

Barbarus, Nighttime, Hailer Pass

Hades clutched his crossbow, pressing his back against the dirt wall, aiming intently at the doorway, his body taut and motionless.

From outside came the sound of soft, rustling laughter, and the wooden door creaked as if scratched by nails. Yellow-green toxic gas seeped incessantly through the cracks.

Hades stared at the door.

A long, eerily pale finger slowly slid through the top of the door crack, smeared with blackish-purple mucus.

It moved slowly downward, reaching the latch. The moment the mucus touched the iron latch, rust spread rapidly, turning the once semi-new latch into a rusted relic.

Hades anticipated the movement, raising his crossbow. He only had one chance.

The laughter grew louder, brushing past Hades’ ears.

The finger gave a flick, slicing through the latch like it was tofu, which then fell to the ground with a dull thud, ending its service.

A massive, grotesque face pressed against the top of the door, with a half-face-sized pale eye peeking inside, searching for its toy.

In a split second, as the creature poked its head in, Hades fired his crossbow, the bolt speeding straight towards the creature’s absurdly large eye!

Without hesitation, Hades grabbed his dagger, holding the crossbow in one hand and the dagger in the other, charging towards the door. These creatures, known as Pale Laughers, had bodies like long-legged spiders. Even if they blocked the door, Hades could run underneath them!

Hades had a plan: once outside, he would run to the cornfield. These creatures weren’t like the overlords’ slave-catching squads but were low-intelligence beings that wandered the toxic fog in groups, attacking villages solely to feed.

Ordinary Pale Laughers wouldn’t leave their pack, and they moved slowly, which meant as long as Hades could outrun their sight and their hunting circle, he had a chance to survive!

The grotesque face didn’t seem to register Hades’ resistance, and the bolt pierced straight into the creature’s eye.

“Hiss hahahaha ahhhhh!!!”

Crimson blood sprayed from the eye as the creature’s legs thrashed wildly in pain, the grin on its face growing even more twisted.

Hades bolted through its legs, using his dagger to fend off the flailing limbs, but his left arm took a hard hit, sending blood splattering.

Outside, Hades saw four or five more Pale Laughers roaming the village, lifting dead bodies high above their heads. He recognized one of his childhood friends, Hadira, her organs spilled over a Laugher’s face, her limbs still twitching.

Hades felt his teeth pierce his lower lip, blood trickling out as anger and frustration gripped him. His mind raced—

The gap in strength was too vast; he had to flee.

Without hesitation, adrenaline sharpened his senses, and he sprinted towards the white cornfield outside the village, his heart pounding, wind roaring past his ears.

A Pale Laugher chased him closely, its insect-like legs scraping the soft ground with a scraping sound.

Hades could feel its fury, the creature screaming behind him.

—Almost there!

Hades leaped into the towering cornfield, the leaves cutting painfully across his face. He ran for his life, the toxic fog churning around him—he was heading towards thicker gas, but he had no other choice!

When you are weak, you have no choice but to run!

…

Hades didn’t know how long he had been running. He kept running and running, the sounds behind him gradually diminishing. The hoarse cries faded into the distance until all he could hear was the wind and the rustling of corn leaves.

—The creature went back—

These pack creatures never venture too far on their own. In Barbarus’ food chain, they are also mid-to-lower tier.

He had bet correctly.

When Hades finally reached the edge of the cornfield at the village’s outskirts, he stopped running.

The adrenaline rush subsided, leaving Hades with a throbbing chest. He couldn’t tell if the pain was from his heart pounding or from inhaling too much toxic gas—or maybe both.

His legs were trembling, his left arm bleeding profusely. The wound, under the effect of the gas, was beginning to fester.