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Whatever the case, it was at least obvious to Hector that he could not simply leave the creature alone, not when he knew that Chort had been killing people and turning them into gestating husks for its offspring. If this thing was pulling shit like that down here in the darkness, then Hector needed to know about it.

Before he decided to make a move, however, a new sound arrived from the blackness.

It started slow, like loud breathing, then ramped up to a more rapid, piercing pitch. Then it petered off into silence, only to repeat. Slow and breathy. Then fast and harsh.

It almost sounded like a hyena, Hector thought, though maybe a bit more guttural.

The reaper’s chatter came to an abrupt end as everyone listened.

Voreese was the one to break the silence. ‘Oh, fuck me. That’s not what I think it is, is it?’

‘Surely not,’ said Garovel. ‘Is that actually a Laughing Ceese? I’ve always heard that those were a myth.’

‘Oh, they’re real alright,’ said Voreese. She hovered closer to Roman as the noise continued.. ‘Just rare. Lucky me to encounter a second one, I guess. Fuck! Everyone, be careful. That thing feeds on fear and will follow us for days or even weeks, evading all our senses until we’re worn down and vulnerable. It might harass us with some occasional attacks, too, if we’re not exhibiting enough fear for its liking.’

‘Weeks, you said?’ Garovel sounded more annoyed than afraid. ‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah. Those things are motherfuckers. Resilient, persistent, fast, and cunning. I’d tell you not to let your guard down, but that’s also part of the game it plays. It wants you tense and afraid so that you tire out faster.’

‘Hmm,’ hummed Garovel. ‘Well, unfortunately for it, we reapers don’t get tired, and we can keep the servants up for weeks relatively easily. Or just have them stay up in shifts.’

‘Sure, but it’s still dangerous as fuck. It can hurt reapers, and we have no idea where it is.’

Hector, meanwhile, was following its exact position several meters away with the Scarf. So that thing was called a Laughing Ceese, huh? Yeah, he could sense the flow of air in and around its body as it made those noises.

Voreese was still going, though. ‘Plus, we don’t exactly have weeks to spare, now do we? This was supposed to be a short trip, remember? We need to meet up with Princey Poo as soon as possible.’

“Please don’t call him that,” said Roman.