Chapter 8: Croquitos

Three days, three days of laying low from those who are after them, but it is also three days of planning and preparing. It's time to take out the second demon, Croquitos.

From what they learned, the demon bug wasn't kept in the facility connected to the botany gardens in Unity Park. Conveniently a local high school organized a field trip with the botany gardens, and luckily Alden was asked to be their tour guide and Shinonome was to assist him. Crowe and Sara are to be sent to this mission Daphne ordered school uniforms and makeup for disguise, Shinonome provided the essential needed like antidote for it's poison, and bombs and weapon maintenance from Akindele, now it's time to be in the field.

Crowe and Sara was walking with a large group of high school students, wearing their trademark uniform, black blazer, white shirt with red tie and black trousers with dress shoes for boys and black blazer, white shirt with red ribbon and black skirt with either black or white socks and dress shoes for girls. To commit to the disguise, Sara had to have her mask off, revealing normal lips and freckles.

"Good morning students, Welcome to the Unity Park's Botany Gardens." Alden says, posing as their tour guide. He gives them a welcoming speech until Shinonome invites them into the building.

Everything is going smoothly, thankfully none of the students noticed the two strange students in disguise. Alden has shown them various different plants and flowers while Shinonome monitors the security and CCTV. Hearing through her earpiece Daphne successfully hacked the CCTV so she gave a signal to the two. Crowe and Sara separated from the group when and where the security wasn't looking, using the crowd to mask their movements and headed for the back door exit. They came out, fully dressed back to their signature clothes, the black and grey clothes, red tie with black cloak with hood up for Crowe and khaki hoodie with shorts and boots and her iconic green-halved gas mask.

There they'll use the back door of the facility where the demon was kept. They reached it but found there a guard by the door, this needs to be stealth Crowe looked at Sara signaling a message for teamwork attack, she nodded.

Crowe speeds to the guard, before he could notice Crowe jumped over him while kicking him in the back which caused him to stumble towards Sara only for her to hit his head with the butt of her pistol, effectively knocking him out, knowing Daphne can hack the surveillance cameras the bunny gamer gave them a clear through their earpieces.

The two entered and proceeded to the center. You see the two of them have different missions, Crowe is to kill the demon in the greenhouse area and Sara is to get to take out the security room and trigger the evacuation alarm, then find as many harvested samples she can and destroy them. The two nodded to each other before parting to their separate ways.

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(Crowe POV)

I ran and killed any guards that attempted to stop me, until I reached to the greenhouse. I breached in the room and saw there where five people in hazmat suit are present, and they made a choice to stop me. They are so asking for it

I used my scythe in kama form and sliced down the first guy by his shoulder before digging the blade to the second guy to his head, then I punched the third to keep him away for a sec. Taking my kama out from the second guy I lopped the fourth guy's head off and kill off the third guy. The fifth guy had a syringe in his hand attempted to stab me with it, I stopped it by grabbing arm and throwing him over to the ground. Using the syringe he used I stabbed him in the eye and pushed it deep to kill him, now that's done I looked out the window they were viewing and saw a garden, and shrubs big enough to hide in it but the demon was nowhere in view, but I know it's there because I can sense it.

Not going in there immediately I went ahead to signal Sara, Daphne and Shinonome.

"I'm in position, standing by for the evacuation alarm."

Now I just have to wait.

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(Sara POV)

After I separated from Crowe, I made my way, sneaking through the guards and finally reached the security room.

"I'm in position, standing by for the evacuation alarm." Crowe said through his comms, it's time I do my part.

I can't have any noise so I took out a silenced pistol, breached into the room and shot two guys who present. I closed the door behind me and viewed the monitors. It seems Daphne did a good job messing with the surveillance but she could not trigger the evacuation alarm, I have to do it manually.

"I acquired the security room, initiating the evacuation alarm now."

So I went ahead and activated it. The alarm went off not just the facility but also botany gardens.

Now that's done, time to find the harvested samples.

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Alden and Shinonome kept the tour going smoothly, then the alarm went off.

"Alright students! don't panic, line up accordingly."

Thankfully no one panic....much and started lining up to the exit.

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Crowe heard the alarm, which gave him a go ahead signal. He entered the gardens and moved deeper within.

He couldn't see the demon so he moved cautiously, he could feel its eyes stalking him. This is a predator and prey moment, and he is the prey, he wished he was wrong.

In a burst of moment he was suddenly pounced on, he couldn't see much of the demon in all this chaos but he dodged his head sideways to avoid it's claws then moved his head in the opposite direction to avoid another, and another.

Needing to get out of there, Crowe pulled out a pistol and shoot the stomach. The monster reacted to the pain so he took this opportunity to roll back then back hand spring to get some distance, puts away his pistol and get a good look at his assailant.

It is indeed a giant beetle like appearance, purple with green insect wings, tall legs, large mantis claws, six green eyes, sharp teeth, and a large abdomen in the back protected by armored wings. Knowing bugs have hearts in their abdomen, that's where he'll have to go for.

Readying his scythe in polearm form, he sprints towards it and raise his scythe overhead before slamming it down but the bug raised its claw to block the strike then he reels back to slash its side only to be blocked again. Then it used its other claw to swipe the scythe out of his hands then slice his chest which causes the reaper to jump back, Crowe ran back to his scythe. He retrieves it but when he turns, it's gone.

Crowe moves slowly and cautiously trying to find the demon, he looked down saw a shadow growing rapidly beneath him. He instinctively jumps back before the attack would hit him. But he caught something, its back legs are transparent at first then materialized to its appearance, almost like... invisibility.

He landed on his feet with a frustrated look on his face that this demon had to have a camouflage ability, he runs toward it to swordfight with its claws. When he found an opening he struck its face making it stumble before using its wings to levitate, he leaped into same level and prepared to slash the bug but it quickly recovered and it suddenly bursted purple fumes at his face before he fell to the ground.

Just when he recovered, his vision begins to blur and his body slowly becomes heavy. But now's not the time to stop, he dodged the incoming attack and retreated to the bushes. Croquitos chased after him and found he disappeared so it went on the hunt.

Crowe was hiding behind a tree as he slowly becomes weaker, struggling to fully breathe. However, he doesn't come unprepared, thanks to Shinonome provided the antidote, he took out the syringe and injected himself. After a while his vision began to clear and his body returned to normal state. He took a deep breath before jumping out his hiding spot and hitting Croquitos.

He hits its claws repeatedly before slicing off the exposed elbow part of its mantis claw, he then reposition his scythe and the same with the other claw. Croquitos screamed in pain before Crowe slices off the legs, this prompt the bug to fly into the air and released its poisonous fumes. But Crowe is resourceful, he notice there were ventilation fans around the dome of the greenhouse and the bug was conveniently flying at the same level as the fans.

So he pulled out the pistol and shot control panel that connects to the fans, the fans activate and blew off the fumes clearing a open path to the bug. He jumped off a branch of a nearby tree and boosted himself up to the demon bug, using his scythe blade to hook himself by the remaining leg to swing himself up so he stands on it.

Unfortunately for the bug, the armored wings that protected the abdomen was also needed to fly and left the abdomen exposed, so Crowe stabbed the abdomen where its heart is located. The demon bug was struggling to fly steadily as it descends and crashed to the ground.

For good measure, Crowe kept hacking the abdominal flesh repeatedly until he exposed the heart, he sliced the heart finally putting Croquitos out of its misery. He puts away the scythe and the demon bug turns to ash.

He exited the gardens after he threw in the incendiary grenade and he walked away as the gardens burn.

He wondered if Sara completed her mission but right now he needs to get out of there.