Carnage #33

Hiding behind a dead tree, I watched Elena, who was wildly firing her shotgun at the soldiers as they scrambled for cover. Her fierce determination and relentless aggression were a sight to behold. I called out to her, my voice barely carrying over the cacophony of gunfire, "Elena! What's got you so riled up?"

She didn't look at me, her focus entirely on the soldiers. "It's personal," she shouted back, her voice filled with venom. "If you don't want to help, you're welcome to stay where you are!"

I grimaced, feeling torn. Just then, Vito appeared beside me, his presence a familiar and unwelcome distraction. "So much for getting away from stress," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "This is by far worse than anything you encountered back home."

I peeked from behind the tree, my heart pounding. The stocky bear-like creature lunged at one of the soldiers hiding behind cover. With a swift, brutal motion, it impaled the man with its long claws, lifting him high above its head before tossing him aside like a rag doll. The soldier's screams of agony cut through the air, and I had to fight the urge to retch.

I'd already been forced to take a life when Manfredi's subordinate assaulted the warehouse, but the scene before me was nothing like anything I'd ever seen.

The horrified screams of the PDF soldiers and the sight of the massive creature tearing into them sent chills down my spine. I wanted nothing more than to call back my Vanwyrm and high-tail it out of here.

And yet, glancing at Elena, I let out a resigned sigh. She was my ally, my friend, and I couldn't just leave her to fend for herself. Taking a deep breath, I peeked from my cover and aimed my crossbow at the nearest soldier.

The soldier noticed me, his eyes widening in surprise, but it was already too late. The crossbow bolt flew through the air and embedded itself in his shoulder before he could even aim properly. He cried out in pain, dropping his weapon and clutching at the wound.

"Nice shot," Vito commented dryly. "But you're going to need to do better than that. Aim for the head next time..."

Ignoring Vito, I knocked another bolt into the crossbow, my hands slightly shaky. I poked my head from behind the tree, preparing to take another shot. Just as I steadied my aim, my Vanwyrm, sensing my intention to fight, swooped down with incredible speed.

It pinned the injured soldier to the ground with its talons and then, to my horror, bit into his neck, killing him instantly before taking to the air again as the other soldiers began to target it.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. Watching my Vanwyrm kill a man so brutally made my stomach churn. I knew I'd never look at it or any other Pal the same way again. Forcing myself to focus, I took aim and fired another bolt, hitting a soldier squarely in the chest.

The battle raged on, with Elena shooting relentlessly, the Vanwyrms circling overhead like vultures, and the bear-like creature tearing through the soldiers with savage ferocity. Despite their best efforts, the last of the soldiers soon fell, leaving only the large, very angry creature.

It turned its gaze toward me, its eyes filled with a terrifying intensity. With a grace that belied its size and stocky build, it lunged at me. Alarm bells rang in my mind, and I quickly threw myself to the side, just in time to avoid its deadly claws. The creature's attack missed me but cut cleanly through the tree I had been hiding behind, slicing it in half.

Breathing heavily, I watched as the creature raised both of its hands into the air, its gaze still glued to me. Electric arcs began to dance around its body, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, creating an electric trail that sped toward me.

There was no time to dodge. Instinctively, I crossed my arms in front of my face, bracing for the impact. The attack struck me with immense force, but instead of feeling the searing pain of electrocution, I felt a strange, tingling sensation. My energy shield absorbed the brunt of the attack, crackling with power as it deflected the lightning.

My energy shield absorbed the brunt of the attack, crackling with power as it deflected the lightning. The sheer force of the impact left me gasping for breath, but as I lowered my arms, I saw the creature momentarily stunned. It seemed incredulous that its attack hadn't killed me.

Before it could recover, one of the Vanwyrms swooped down, talons digging into the creature's shoulders. The beast screeched in fury as the Vanwyrm unleashed a fiery breath directly into its face. But the creature remained unphased, its muscular arms gripping the Vanwyrm's wings with crushing force. Electricity began to dance around its body, signaling another devastating attack.

Acting quickly, I recalled the Vanwyrm into its sphere just in time. The creature's claws closed on empty air as a massive pillar of electricity shot out of it, splitting the sky. Seizing the opportunity, Elena charged forward, firing her shotgun with every step. Each blast of buckshot staggered the beast, driving it back.

I didn't stay idle either. Taking out another Pal Sphere, I hurled it into the ground, summoning Tombat. The feline humanoid let out a loud meow, raising its hands to the sky. Ice erupted from the ground beneath the bear-like beast, quickly engulfing it in a frozen prison.

For a brief moment, I allowed myself to hope, but the iceberg began to tremble almost immediately. Arcs of electricity danced along its surface, and with a mighty roar, the beast shattered its icy confines. I ducked behind a boulder, watching in grim anticipation as the creature turned its rage-filled eyes on Tombat.

The bear-like creature lunged, claws outstretched, but Tombat floated gracefully out of reach. Bringing its hands together, it created a dark sphere of energy and hurled it at the beast's face.

The impact made the creature roar in pain, and Tombat let out a mocking meow, clearly taunting it.

Although the dark energy ball didn't seem to do much damage, it was enough to slow the beast down, making it visibly uncomfortable. This seemed to draw its ire, and it focused its attention on Tombat, who was more than happy to continue goading it around, mocking it at every turn.

Seizing the opportunity, Elena and I continued to fire from a distance. Each bolt from my crossbow and each buckshot from her shotgun staggered the creature further, slowing it down with every hit.

The Vanwyrm swooped in occasionally, breathing fire on the beast or hurling a fireball from afar. The air was filled with the scent of scorched fur and ozone, the creature's roars mixing with the crackling of flames.

Tombat continued to dart around the battlefield, hurling its dark energy at the beast whenever it had the chance. Each hit seemed to sap a bit more of the creature's strength, its movements growing increasingly sluggish.

Despite its fury, the bear-like creature was on its knees soon enough. It struggled to stand, but the combined assault was too much. Seeing my chance, I retrieved an empty Mega Sphere from my inventory, my heart pounding in my chest.

 I hurled it at the beast, watching with bated breath as it transformed into blue light and was encased within the floating sphere.

Fully expecting it to escape, I prepared another Mega Sphere, my fingers itching to draw it. Yet, much to my surprise and relief, the sphere in the air didn't falter. It remained steady, and with a final satisfying click, it floated back into my hand, signaling the successful capture of the creature.

I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Elena approached, her shotgun slung over her shoulder, a smirk playing on her lips. "Nice work," she said, her voice laced with exhaustion but tinged with satisfaction.

I frowned at her, shaking my head. "Don't 'nice work' me. You could have gotten us both killed."

Vito appeared beside me, an amused grin splitting his face. "You tell her, John. Show her whose boss."

Elena shrugged, her expression unapologetic. "I did say it was personal, and you were free to watch from the sidelines."

I scoffed, not buying her nonchalance for a second. "We both know that's not an option."

Pausing, I took in the aftermath of the battle. The once serene landscape was now a scene of devastation. Battered boulders and dead trees snapped in half littered the area. The bodies of the PDF soldiers lay scattered, their forms twisted and broken, a sight that made my stomach churn. The acrid smell of burnt flesh and ozone hung in the air, an odor I won't soon forget.

I turned back to Elena, my expression hardening. "Now would be a good time to tell me what the hell that was all about."

She sighed, a long, weary exhalation that seemed to carry the weight of a thousand burdens. "It's a long story."

"We've got time..." I replied, crossing my arms and fixing her with a steady gaze.

...

I'm motivated by praise and interaction, so be sure to leave a like, power stone, or whatever kind of shendig this site uses, and more importantly do share you thoughts on the chapter in the comment section!

Want more chapters? Then consider subscribing to my pat rēon. You can read ahead for as little as $1 and it helps me a lot!

 -> (pat rēon..com / wicked132) 

You can also always come and say hi on my discord server 

 -> (disc ord..gg / sEtqmRs5y7)- or hit me up at - Wicked132#5511 - and I'll add you myself)