The forest exploded into motion.
Something burst from the undergrowth to my left. Humanoid shape. Wrong proportions. Arms too long. Mouth too wide. It moved with the stuttering speed of a stop-motion nightmare.
My bat was already in my hand. The simulation had replicated my equipment with disturbing accuracy. Weight. Balance. The slight imperfection in the grip where I'd rewrapped the handle after the Necropolis.
The creature leaped.
I stepped into the swing.
The impact traveled through my arms and into my shoulders. The creature's head separated from its body in a spray of black ichor that dissolved before it hit the ground. The body followed, unraveling into digital smoke.
KILL CONFIRMED: NIGHTMARE GHOUL (E-RANK)
KILL COUNT: 1
More sounds from the forest. Rustling. Chittering. The unmistakable noise of things that wanted to eat me organizing themselves for the attempt.
I ran.
