Hunt the Hunter
The atmosphere was in chaos Panic erupted inside the command office as officers scrambled to carry out orders, their voices overlapping in a storm of urgency. It had been a whole 2 year since a Madhyam Domain last appeared, yet the memory of that catastrophe remained etched in the eyes of those who had survived it. Their fear was unmistakable.
"Bring me the terrain map!" someone shouted over the noise.
"No—the terrain projection map, hurry!" another barked.
Commander Viran stood in the command centre with a glowing 3D projection hovering in front of him. His voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the chaos:
"Deploy the surveillance drones immediately! Send in the beta drones and battle mechs as well!"
One officer hesitated, then asked anxiously, "Commander, what about the civilians? Only half of them have been evacuated. The rest are still trapped inside the sector."
"What?" Viran snapped, his eyes flashing with rage. "What are you lazy asses doing till now? Launch more carrier hovers! And send word to those damn private companies—if they want government contracts, they'll lend their transports now!"
"Yes, sir!" the officer stammered before sprinting out. What none of the civilians knew, however, was the cruel truth: they had all been lied to. The evacuation announcement claimed a highly dangerous gas leak had erupted, urging people to leave immediately. In reality, it was only a cover to conceal the Domain threat from the public eye.
Viran turned back to the 3D projection. His gaze locked onto Mt. Akash Chumbi. A red dot blinked furiously on the model, its signal growing brighter and its rating number climbing higher and higher. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. The cold feeling at the pit of his stomach wasn't from the rising danger—it was from the memory of a nightmare he had tried to bury.
Two years ago…
Viran had stood in the field as a platoon commander, leading his men against a similar threat. A dark silhouette had emerged from the Domain that day, slaughtering soldiers left and right. He had stood frozen, waiting for the right moment to strike, watching in helpless horror as his platoon brothers were ripped apart. By the time they brought the beast down, more than sixty men and two platoon commanders were dead. Victory had come, but at a cost so heavy it weighed on him every waking moment.
His breath caught. The blinking red signal on the projection dragged him back to the present.
"What's the status of the beta drones? Why haven't they been deployed yet?" he barked.
"Sir, they were undergoing final checks," a technician reported nervously. "The first batch has already been dispatched."
On Mt. Akash Chumbi, the drones buzzed through the cold winds, their scanners sweeping across the rocky terrain. Some hovered in the sky, others crawled across the jagged ground. Suddenly, the earth rumbled. A tremor ran through the mountain, shaking the drones violently. A surge of energy roared into the sky as the ground cracked open. Two massive pillars burst upward, anchoring themselves into the mountain.
"Destruction level—120+!"
Every robotic screen in the command centre flashed crimson.
Between the pillars, the portal attached. It stretched and twisted like liquid metal before stabilizing into a gate. A dark mist seeped from the opening, curling outward like living smoke. Then, without warning, a sleek, transparent hand shot out from the gate. Its fingers were long, almost blade-like, and in one motion it sliced through two hover carriers, tearing them apart as though they were paper.
"Deploy the battle beta drones!" Viran ordered, his voice cracking with urgency.
Humanoid robots leapt into action, racing toward the portal.
And then it came.
The Rakshasa stepped through.
Its grotesque form shocked even the most hardened soldiers. Black fur covered its twisted body. Four crooked legs carried its massive frame, while its single glowing yellow eye burned with malevolence. Its face was almost human, but split open vertically, revealing jagged teeth and a mouth that shouldn't exist.
The beta drones attacked, launching rockets and tackling it with brute strength. The Rakshasa swung its elongated arms, shredding them apart. But Viran noticed something: every time a drone exploded near its arms, its movements slowed.
"Load the next batch with explosives," he ordered coldly.
The next wave launched. Explosions lit up the mountain, and with each detonation the Rakshasa's arms grew weaker.
"Platoon commanders!" Viran roared through the comms. "Its arms are damaged. He's slowed down. Attack that bastard now!"
A coordinated assault surged forward. Suyash, caught the monster off guard and severed one of its massive arms. Cheers erupted in the command centre.
But victory was fleeting.
The Rakshasa screeched, its vertical mouth splitting wider. Tentacles writhed out, slick with saliva, and from within them a second set of fangs snapped forward. In a horrifying display, the creature bit into its own remaining arm, tearing it off at the joint. Black blood poured out, sizzling as it hit the ground, releasing smoke that burned the earth. Revealing its acidic nature.
Then, before their eyes, the Rakshasa screamed and regenerated. In a heartbeat, new arms sprouted, stronger and longer than before. The entire battlefield froze in shock.
Without hesitation, Miya leapt forward. Her spear gleamed as she drove it into the beast's arm, striking with perfect timing. The Rakshasa shrieked in pain, its single eye flaring. Now blinded, it went berserk, thrashing wildly.
"Retreat, now!" Viran ordered sharply. His intuition screamed at him.
Confused but obedient, the soldiers fell back. Just as he predicted, the Rakshasa went into a frenzy, swinging so violently that trees toppled like blades of grass, entire patches of forest shredded apart. Black mist poured from its body, expanding outward in a suffocating cloud.
Within that mist, unlucky Suraks screamed as their bodies dissolved into nothingness. The survivors on the outside could only listen in horror.
"Above! It's above us!" one Surak suddenly cried.
Heads tilted skyward. The Rakshasa dived from the air, crushing the unlucky soldier who had spoken. The battlefield fell silent in dread.
The beast's fur bristled, every strand lifting straight as if sensing vibrations. Slowly, it stalked among the surviving Suraks. It halted in front of one trembling soldier. Its vertical mouth peeled open, and writhing tentacles stretched outward. On top of them, pale larvae crawled, inching their way toward the Surak's face.
As one reached for his eye, Suyash threw a rock into the distance. The distraction worked—the Rakshasa turned its head. The Surak exhaled in relief, but that tiny breath betrayed him. The monster twisted back and sank its fangs into his skull.
Screams tore through the comms, echoing until they were suddenly cut short. When the beast spat the body out, it appeared unharmed. But then the horror revealed itself. The man's face bulged grotesquely, his eyes sank into their sockets, and larvae burst out from within, wriggling through his skull. They tunnelled downward, slithering into his neck, making their way toward his heart.
Terror gripped everyone who watched.
A calm but steady voice rang through the soldiers' earpieces.
"We're sending in a weapon for Alfred and a poison vial for Miya. Miya, coat your spear with it. Alfred and Suyash, keep its arms busy. And listen carefully—you are now permitted to unlock Level One Sync."
A surge of hope coursed through the troops. Their despair gave way to determination.
From the skies, drones streaked toward them. The Rakshasa lunged, swatting one out of the air, the explosion lighting up the mountain. But another drone slipped past, delivering a machete to Alfred and a glowing vial to Miya.
The battlefield was far from decided—but for the first time, the hunters had teeth of their own.
To be continued......….