There were seven humanoid monsters in all. Their faces were tinted blue or purple, reflecting the red glow of the flames and making them look especially bizarre.
One of them had a face that had become indistinct, as if some unknown force had wiped away its features.
At least one arm was missing from each of these "people," replaced by thick black tentacles.
The strongest monster stood over two meters tall. It had no legs below the waist, just four or five tentacles.
Kraun saw that the monsters had no pupils. Their eyeballs were covered with clusters of fine red, yellow, blue, and other colored filaments. He could even clearly see the filaments writhing nonstop.
The monsters stretched out their necks, opened their mouths wide, and hissed.
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried remarkably well. Hearing it was like listening to a snake slither through the grass.
"Wow, good heavens! What am I looking at? How did Old Jon end up like this? And Joia too?" Baru tiptoed to see what was happening outside, then gasped.
"Fire!" Kraun shouted. His voice carried far into the quiet night.
Though these monsters had once been friends to some of them, no one hesitated. Those with crossbows took aim.
Since the Gray Fog descended, ordinary people's combat skills had improved considerably. Progress from nothing was always strikingly clear.
The monsters hissed as they charged the wall. The scattered, irregularly placed wooden stakes outside slowed them considerably, but they also threw off the aim of the untrained crossbowmen. Most of the bolts stuck into the stakes.
The bolts sank deep into the wood, their tails still vibrating with a buzzing sound.
Now and then, a bolt struck a monster, but they kept advancing as if they felt no pain.
Kraun drew his Revolver