Boran and Boney Stark continued deeper into the cave. The corridors, illuminated by phosphorescent mushrooms, gradually narrowed, occasionally widening into small chambers. With each step, soft splashing sounds rose from the damp ground beneath their boots.
"Something's changing in this cave..." said Boran, carefully examining his surroundings. He ran his gloved hand along the wall. "The humidity is increasing, the air is getting colder."
Boney Stark suddenly stopped and readied his bow. The blue fire in his eye sockets began to burn brighter. Boran immediately raised his shield.
"What is it? What did you see?" Boran whispered. His skeleton companion silently pointed to the darkness ahead. Boran squinted. At first, he couldn't see anything, then... yes, there was something there. A dark shadow, barely visible even in the mushrooms' light.
The shadow was moving slowly. Or rather, it was gliding. Boran's hair stood on end — this was something different.
"A Gloomy Hunter," Boran whispered. "At last..."
The creature appeared to be made entirely of black mist, like a shadow gliding through the dark night. Its form was fluid, in constant motion — one moment rising like a tall column toward the ceiling, the next becoming a thin layer of mist sliding across the ground. This variable nature made it dangerous and unpredictable, as it was impossible to anticipate what form it would take next.
Boran gripped his shield tightly. "We know very little about these," he said quietly. "We only know they exist in mist form. We must be careful."
The Gloomy Hunter suddenly stopped. The strips of mist around it began spinning faster. Boran and Boney Stark held their breath — well, Boney didn't have breath, but he remained motionless.
The Gloomy Hunter glided forward slowly. It moved as if independent of gravity. Boran stepped forward, holding his shield in attack position. "Be ready," he whispered to Boney Stark.
The creature suddenly accelerated — though even this speed was relatively slow. The black mist spiraled toward Boran. Boran struck with his shield and...
The shield passed through the mist. There was no resistance. It was like trying to strike at air.
"What!" Boran shouted in surprise. He immediately retreated. Boney Stark fired an arrow — the arrow passed through the Gloomy Hunter's body and hit the wall behind, falling to the ground.
"Physical attacks don't work!" said Boran, backing away. "It's made entirely of mist! Of course physical attacks don't work..."
The Gloomy Hunter was now growing larger. The black mist rose upward, reaching the ceiling and beginning to droop down from there. It was slowly surrounding Boran and Boney Stark.
Boran tried once more with his shield — again futile. The shield passed through the mist, having no effect. Boney Stark's arrows were equally ineffective.
"Damn it!" Boran growled. "How can we damage this thing? None of our weapons work!"
The Gloomy Hunter had now come very close. When the black mist touched Boran's ankles, he felt a strange coldness. This cold penetrated to his bones. It wasn't just physical cold — it felt as if his soul was freezing.
"Magic..." Boran suddenly said. "We need to attack it with magic. But we..." He couldn't finish his sentence as he looked at Boney Stark. "...don't have any magical attacks."
The black mist was covering more and more area. Ice crystals had begun forming on Boran's armor. His breath had become visible — the cave's temperature was dropping rapidly.
"We need to get out of here!" Boran shouted. "We can't fight this — at least not now! Fall back!"
The pair quickly began retreating. The Gloomy Hunter followed them, but fortunately, it was quite slow. As Boran and Boney Stark ran away, the image of the black mist gliding behind them grew smaller.
"Stop... let's stop for a moment," said Boran, breathless. He stopped when he was sure they'd gotten far enough away. "This... this was something completely different. Dark Crawlers are child's play compared to this."
Boney Stark lowered his bow and looked at Boran. The blue fire in his eye sockets flickered with concern.
"Yes, you're right," said Boran, understanding his skeleton friend's silent look. "We're not ready to fight this creature. Magic... we need magic. Or at least magical weapons. We don't stand a chance against it with normal weapons."
He shook the ice crystals from his armor. He was still shaking — not just from the cold, but from the effect of the experience. "That coldness... Should we go back?" he asked. "Trying to hunt Gloomy Hunters without better preparation would be suicide. Maybe we can buy magical weapons. Or we could ask someone who uses magic for help." He paused for a moment.
"I know someone who can use magic!"
Boran opened his "Friends" list. He selected William Bennett and pressed the "Start Chat" button.
[Boran: Hello William. What are you doing?]
After a brief wait, the response came.
[William: Hello Boran. I had some items to get, I was getting those. Did something happen?]
[Boran: I'm sorry to say this without knowing you very well, but I need your help with a quest.]
[William: No problem, I'll do what I can.]
[Boran: I'm in the Twilight Pit dungeon. One of my quests is to kill 20 creatures called Gloomy Hunters.]
[William: Ah... yes, I remember those. Difficult creatures to deal with.]
[Boran: I think they only take damage from magical attacks. And I don't have any abilities that deal magical damage. Could you help me kill 20 Gloomy Hunters? If you want gold in return, I'm ready to pay.]
[William: You don't need to give anything in return but... Okay, I'll help. Invite me to your party, I'll be there in half an hour.]
[Boran: Thanks William!]