Volume 2 – Chapter 12
The colony trembled.
Cracks spread across the stone floor of the governor’s hall as black mist poured from beneath the earth.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The sound grew louder.
Finn slowly looked at Raimer.
“…I don’t suppose that’s another cat?”
Kael smirked.
“If it is, it’s the biggest cat in history.”
Even in the face of danger, the squad couldn’t help but grin.
Raimer tightened his grip on his sword.
“Formation.”
The laughter disappeared instantly.
Years of training took over.
Mira stepped to the rear, an arrow already nocked.
Finn positioned himself on the left flank with his twin daggers.
Kael stood at the front with his shield raised.
Alyra remained just behind him, her silver eyes scanning every shadow.
Raimer took the center.
Five hearts.
One squad.
The floor finally gave way.
A deafening crash echoed through the hall as a massive hole opened beneath the fountain outside.
Darkness swallowed the square.
One by one, crimson eyes appeared below.
Then came the screech.
A chilling, inhuman cry erupted from the pit, making every soldier’s skin crawl.
The first creature emerged.
It stood on four elongated limbs, its skin as black as ash.
Jagged bones protruded from its back, and its mouth stretched impossibly wide, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.
Then another.
Soon, dozens of Shadow Crawlers climbed from the depths.
“They’re faster than the report described,” Alyra said calmly.
Raimer nodded.
“No unnecessary risks.
We only fight if they block our escape.”
The first crawler lunged.
Kael slammed his shield forward.
BOOM!
The creature was thrown back into a crumbling wall.
“Move!”
Raimer dashed in, his sword flashing through the air.
One clean strike.
The crawler collapsed, dissolving into black ash.
“One down!” Finn shouted.
“Only ninety-nine to go!”
“No counting!” Mira replied, loosing an arrow that pierced another creature’s eye.
The squad moved like a single body.
Kael held the line.
Mira covered every opening with precise shots.
Finn darted through the battlefield, drawing enemies away from the others.
Alyra’s wind magic sliced through advancing shadows, slowing their charge.
Raimer struck wherever the line threatened to break.
Commander Varick had been right.
Strength alone meant nothing.
Trust won battles.
The fight continued for several minutes.
Then…
The crawlers suddenly stopped.
Every single one retreated toward the hole.
Finn blinked.
“Did we scare them?”
Alyra’s expression hardened. This story is hosted at g.com.
“No.”
“They’re making room.”
A deep rumble echoed from below.
The entire colony shook violently.
Pieces of stone rained from the rooftops.
Something enormous was climbing upward.
A claw the size of a carriage gripped the edge of the pit.
Then another.
A monstrous head slowly emerged, covered in black crystal armor and crowned with twisted horns.
Its glowing crimson eyes locked onto the five soldiers.
A pressure unlike anything they had ever felt crushed the air around them.
Even breathing became difficult.
Finn’s usual smile vanished.
“What…”
“…is that?”
Mira whispered a single sentence.
“A Colony Guardian…”
According to every military record…
They were extinct.
The beast opened its jaws.
A roar exploded across Nocthollow, shattering windows and sending flocks of black birds into the sky.
Raimer stepped forward.
His hands trembled.
Not from fear.
From determination.
He raised his sword.
“We don’t have to win.”
“We just have to survive.”
His teammates stood beside him without hesitation.
Five soldiers.
One impossible enemy.
The battle for Nocthollow had truly begun.
End of Chapter 12