Chapter 40

The large, professional kitchen was filled with state-of-the-art appliances and equipment. This space was designed to be a working atmosphere, being organized, efficient, and tidy. The kitchen boasted numerous workstations, plenty of storage, advanced equipment, and enough space for multiple cooks to work at once. The walls were an off-white color, with stainless steel countertops and shelves. Various large appliances such as ovens, stovetops, and refrigerators were spread strategically throughout the kitchen.

So where? Where could it be? What was this something Masafumi sensed? Owen's eyes became razor sharp, his ears simultaneously focused on potential footsteps.

Suddenly, Owen's eyes lit up with recognition. He motioned for Masafumi to follow him, leading the way towards a seemingly innocuous section of the kitchen. A corner that was devoid and perfectly natural yet also too perfect.

"So…?"

The anxiety was getting to Masafumi while Owen's fingers traced off the white surface. He found a depthness and suddenly went down, down, down in a perfectly straight line. He found what he was looking for and pressed a thumb. Click! A doorway clipped back and to the left. 

Masafumi's breath caught in his throat as he peered through the tiny gap, his eyes widening in astonishment. "What is it?" Owen asked.

"No clue. Let's open it." Masafumi put all his fingers on the gap and tried to move it to the side. Slowly but surely, it moved. For Owen, it wasn't fast enough and with one hand they went from slow to slamming the doorway open.

"Phew. Nice. Although…" Masafumi looked back. "I think that was a bit too much noise."

Agreed. A dark feeling settled in his stomach as he stepped through the door, his footsteps echoing softly against the cool stone floor. Upon the third step was a pressure plate, causing the door behind them to close. Torches lit the left side of the walls. Owen picked one up. 

The walk was rather brief. A fleet of stone stairs led them in a downstairs spiral, leading to a cold, ground floor. Ahead lay a winery, parallel shelves lined with rows of meticulously arranged wine bottles and barrels. A centre path was all there remained and in that path was the source of all the negative energy.

This was no Beast of Bray Road or a lizard man or primate. "What the hell…?" Masafumi muttered.

They were confronted by a Hodag, its large four-foot form sitting on a blood-red circle. A dark green creature born of nightmares. The Hodag's bull-like horns gleamed in the dim light, its curved spines bristling with menace as it snarled, its eyes burning with primal fury.

A beat passed where neither side moved. The Hodag was sitting in the middle of the winery, sleeping until their presence was known. 

The torch in his hand flickered and lost some of its light. The Hodag growled and lunged forward with a deafening roar, its powerful jaws snapping with enough force to crush bone. Owen dodged to the side with lightning reflexes, narrowly avoiding the creature's deadly bite as he countered with a swift kick to its flank. The Hodag recoiled, its fury unabated.

Its head and teeth were rectangular and it very briefly reminded Owen of a bulldog. Any comparisons were rendered useless as it attacked with a ferocity that a loyal dog could never display. This thing was a beast. As fast as a Cheetah, as ruthless as a lion, and with a bite force rivalling a tiger's.

Masafumi had circled behind the creature and seized the closest weapon at hand—a bottle of wine from the nearby shelf—and hurled it at the creature. The first throw missed and Masafumi cursed loudly when the creature turned its attention to him. The second throw would have been interrupted if not for Owen smashing a foot into the exposed neck of the Hodag.

The second wine bottle throw did not miss. The glass shattered upon impact and sent a cascade of crimson liquid splattering across the Hodag's face. The Hodag let out a ferocious growl of pain and rage as the wine dripped into its eyes, 

"Now!" Masafumi cried out.

Owen came in close.

Bad move. Fighting humans and fighting mythical creatures were two very different things. A desperate punch from a human could be easily read. A wild animal could not. Pushed by fear and its greater sense of awareness, the Hodag struck Owen across the chest, tearing through his clothing and leaving a deep gash in its wake. Owen staggered back, clutching his fresh wound with a grimace of pain, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he fought to stay on his feet.

This was…this was certainly new. It hurt almost as much as getting shot. 

"Owen—shit!"

His voice was like a beacon and the Hodag lashed out with its massive claw, catching Masafumi off guard and sending him crashing into a barrel. He remained there, blood trickled from the gash on Masafumi's arm.

Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, Owen spotted a nearby bottle on the ground and seized it with a swift motion and hurled it towards the creature, the glass shattering upon impact and momentarily dazing the Hodag.

'The barrels,' he thought. He didn't sweat the details of its weight and wasted no time in grabbing it, his muscles straining with effort as he hoisted the heavy object above his head and launched it towards the Hodag with all the force he could muster. The barrel crashed into the creature with a resounding. Accompanying the shrapnel was a waterfall of red liquid.

This was it. Owen leapt into the air and delivered a powerful axe kick directly to the creature's skull, breaking its limbs and body into the ground. He panted and listened to the trickles of his own blood.

'That thing better not get back up.'