Though the spear had gone straight through its paw, the Lycan didn't care. Ignoring the pain, it dragged Ronal along with the embedded spear, only to smash him with its other claw flinging him violently into the wreckage of a destroyed Metabus.
"Fuck, that hurts," Ronal grunted, trying to lift his head. His vision blurred, his body heavy, but when he forced himself to look, the beast was gone.
How can an injured monster be this damn strong? His thoughts raced as he stumbled to his feet, gripping his battered spear tightly. Heart pounding, he spun frantically, expecting the Lycan to spring from anywhere.
Then its shadow loomed above. The beast dropped from the air, jaw wide, ready to consume him whole. But Ronal, almost as if anticipating it, rolled aside at the last second. With every ounce of strength, he rammed the broken spear into the Lycan's torn wounds.
The monster's roar split the valley, shaking the ground. The spear had pierced deep straight into its organs.
"Now!" Ronal bellowed.
Toga, as if possessed, surged forward with reckless fury. She tore through corrupted wolves that barred her way, her movements wild, unrelenting. Sliding beneath the Lycan's towering frame, she twisted her body upward, driving a brutal kick into the spear still lodged in its side. The shaft sank deeper. The Lycan toppled, writhing, its agonized cries echoing into the night.
"Is it dead?" Ronal coughed, teeth clenched, blood on his lips.
"I… I don't know. It looks dead."
But then
RRAAAWRRHHHHH!
The beast's roar erupted once more, louder and more furious than before. Its snarl rolled across the valley like thunder. For the first time, the corrupted wolves faltered. They hesitated, their wild eyes flashing with something alien to them fear.
The Lycan staggered back to its feet, trembling but unbroken. Lifting its head, it howled. The sound was deafening, a piercing wave that made Ronal and Toga clutch their ears in pain. One by one, every corrupted wolf joined in, their howls rising together until the valley shook with a chorus of dread.
"What the hell are they doing?" Toga shouted.
"I don't know… it feels like a cry for help." Ronal's face paled. His guess was right.
Because from the shadows, another creature emerged. It was just as massive maybe even more terrifying than the mutated Lycan they had just fought. Its presence alone made the air heavy, suffocating. Sweat rolled down Ronal and Toga's spines as the weight of death itself pressed against their backs.
As Ronal turned to look at the beast and unconscious sighed escaped from his mouth. "Uh...fuck"
[Elsewhere ]
"What was that? Did you hear it?" Margie whispered, her eyes darting.
"Hear what exactly?" Scalar asked, clearly confused.
"It sounded like… crying cats."
"Would you two shut the fuck up?" Gruger snapped, his disgust at their presence clear in every word.
Margie fell silent, but her unease lingered. She glanced at Gruger and saw it in his eyes "he had heard it too. He just didn't want to admit it."
Staring to heard at Gruger he couldn't help but wonder. "What is this brute after?"
Scalar and Margie followed behind Gruger until the group reached an open clearing. Scattered across the ground were multiple corpses Roar agents, torn apart by bite marks and claw slashes. Nearby lay the wreckage of a destroyed Metabus, two massive containers split clean in half.
Not far from it, the quickly decaying bodies of several giant Severworms lay strewn across the dirt.
Scalar hurried forward, his eyes wide. "Whoa… Severworms. These wolves must really be threats if they killed one… two… three of them." He crouched, impressed by the sheer size of the fallen beasts.
Margie walked slowly to another carcass, studying it. Interesting.
Gruger and Miss Kenny barely reacted. The sight of Severworms meant little to them—their minds were fixed on the item they were after.
"Search inside that container," Gruger ordered, his tone dripping with condescension.
Miss Kenny obeyed, stepping inside. She gagged at the sight of mangled Roar agents, but found no sign of the weapon.
Margie glanced back at her and Gruger, standing in front of the torn container, and muttered under his breath. "They're up to something."
The whole situation stank. Gruger had let the Enforcers die. Why would Roar's vice head bring so many men here, only to watch them get slaughtered by two Variants? No this bastard was planning something.
"This is weird," Scalar muttered as he knelt by one of the Severworms.
"What's weird about dead worms?" Margie asked, annoyed.
"Everything. Look closely they weren't killed by wolves. These wounds… they're human-made. Look at this one the head's blown clean off."
"So what?"
"So how could Severworms and corrupted wolves both attack Gruger's stupid unit's at the same time? And I doubt any of his foolish men could've killed these." Scalar's voice rose, his suspicion breaking through his usual cluelessness.
Margie narrowed his eyes. He knelt beside another carcass, tracing the dried edges of its wounds.
"Scalar, you fool," he hissed.
"What? What did I do now?"
"Can't you see? These worms have been dead for days."
"Oh… I haven't read up to that point yet."
Despite his blunder, Scalar wasn't wrong. The wolves must have discovered the Severworm corpses and built a temporary den around them. That explained why the beasts were swarming the area.
"Nothing's here, sir," Miss Kenny's voice called from the container.
Margie shot a sharp look at her and Gruger. Those bastards…
"Scalar."
"What!?"
"Get up," Margie muttered, eagerness hard in his voice. "We're checking the second container."
"What? Why?"
"Because I said so."
The two started toward the container—when suddenly, Gruger was there. He appeared in front of them without warning, his presence suffocating.
How did he move so fast? Scalar's stomach dropped. Unlike him, Margie saw the truth he caught the flicker of rage and disgust in Gruger's eyes before the man blurred out of sight.
"Where are you two vermin going?" Gruger snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Margie forced a smile. "Since you and the missy seem to think the Variant's hiding in one of the containers, we thought we'd help. Isn't that right, Scalar?"
"Uh… yeah. What he said."
Gruger's lip curled at the sight of them. He turned away in disgust and stalked toward the container. With one savage punch, he smashed the crooked door wide open.
"Miss Kenny."
The woman flinched at his tone, her spine stiffening. "My lordship… you called me?"
"Search. Now."
His cold command made her blood run cold. She hurried inside, scanning every inch until her eyes locked on something gleaming in the corner.
There it is… the Q.R.C.
A massive silver cannon-like device, its wide barrel gleaming even in the dim light.
"Sir, it's here!" she cried.
Gruger's lips curled into a smile as he stepped forward
But a broad blade swung up to bar his path.
Margie's sword.
"What is this, Gruger? You've been lying to us."
"Yeah," Scalar added, nervous but firm. "What's in there?"
Gruger's smile vanished. His face twisted in fury.
"If you want to know…" he growled, voice thick with rage, "…go in and find out for yourselves."