Yuuto sighed, a look of exhaustion in his eyes. “Well, this was unexpected,” he said.
He turned toward the Union officials and the remaining humans present. His pupils glowed with a clock insignia that seemed to tick with a pulse of its own. He gave them all a cold look then said.
“Seems I can’t let the words of what happened here spread.”
“So I’m going to have to make you all forget.”
The Union commander, still in shock and trying to comprehend the events, took a shaky step forward. “Guildmaster Yuuto, what is this all about-?”
Yuuto didn’t allow her to finish. His eyes glowed brighter, and he raised his hand as silver energy surged outward.
“Clockwork Rewind.”
BOOM!
A massive wave of silver energy shot through the air, rippling outward.
…
BAMM!
The sound of Donnel’s massive aura hammer smashing through a grotesque, creature echoed through the factory chamber, sending chunks of flesh flying in every direction.
Each swing carving a destructive path through the swarming mutants.
“Out of my way, you freaks!” Donnel roared, the raw force of his aura hammer radiating with every blow. The creatures hissed and shrieked as their mutated bodies were crushed, unable to withstand the sheer power of his attacks.
Claus knelt nearby, meticulously examining the twisted remains of a human woman’s corpse… The same woman who had screamed earlier.
The body’s features were horrifyingly distorted, her limbs elongated and her face frozen in an expression of agony. Kira crouched beside him, her gloved fingers running along the strange, veiny growths overtaking the woman’s torso.
“These weren’t simple mutations,” Kira said with a touch of unease, “They’ve been altered on a cellular level. The tissue’s been fused with… something this strenge goow.”
Claus nodded grimly, eyes looking around the chamber. “The monsters… they’ve been harvesting the humans. Whatever process they’re using, it’s not just transforming them… it’s creating something entirely new life from in their flesh.”
“But why is she different… She looks like she was only brought here recently and yet she was already being transformed. Why dose it seem like her change was acellerated?”
Taking a closer look at her body, he noticed what looked like some blood at where her collar was. Taking a closer look, he noticed that that part of her skin was punchured.
“Four holes…” Claus said softly.
Far behind, hidden in the shadows, Seth, Brielle, and Zane watched the bloody scene. Seth leaned against the wall, twirling one of his pistols.
“Okay, so… are we just gonna stand here and watch them play hero, or…?” Seth muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Zane shot him a serious glance. “Stay quiet. We need to figure out exactly what we’re dealing with before making a move.”
Brielle, meanwhile, crouched on the fleshy ground, carefully slicing small pieces of the rubbery, pulsating material with a scalpel. She placed the samples into sealed containers, her plasma bow slung over her shoulder.
“This stuff is alive,” she said softly. “It’s like a combination of organic tissue and… some kind of parasite. Whatever this is, it’s spreading throughout the entire structure.”
“Great,” Seth said, wrinkling his nose. “So the floor is lava, but grosser.”
Back in the chamber, Donnel delivered another devastating smash, sending one of the taller humanoid creatures crashing into a nearby cocoon.
The impact caused the fleshy sac to burst open, spilling a viscous, glowing fluid onto the floor. Inside, a partially transformed human thrashed weakly, its body crushed mid- mutation.
Kira’s blindfolded eyes darted toward the sound, her enhanced senses picking up the faint heartbeat of the creature inside. She turned to Claus, her voice sharp. “That one’s still alive.”
Claus frowned, his hand tightening on the hilt of his blade. “Barely. We don’t have the time or resources to save them now.”
Kira hesitated, her jaw clenching. She hated leaving anyone behind, but Claus was right. The priority was stopping whatever the monsters were planning.
From their vantage point, Zane’s red eyes narrowed as he observed the glowing red portal at the far end of the chamber. “That’s their destination,” he said quietly. “They’re moving the cocoons through that portal. Whatever’s on the other side… that’s where the real danger lies.” Brielle nodded, finishing her sample collection and standing. “If we can destroy the portal, we might be able to cut off their operation entirely.”
“Big if,” Seth said, his pistols at the ready. “I’m betting they’ve got more of those creepy tall guys guarding it.”
BAMM! BAMM! BAMM!
Donnel roared as more aura hammers materialized in a swirling mass of energy around him. Smashing through the grotesque creatures that swarmed the factory chamber. He swung his massive weapon with unstoppable force, clearing a path through the chaos. The monsters shrieked and hissed, their mutated bodies splintering under the barrage.
But then, the air seemed to shift. The pale-skinned humanoid creature stepped forward. Its glowing red eyes fixed on Donnel. It spoke.
“You humans… intruders… you do not belong here.”
The creature lunged at Donnel, its long claws swiping through the air. Donnel countered with a hammer strike, the impact sending a shockwave through the room. Yet, the pale creature dodged with a burst of speed, hissing in frustration.
“Bring it on, freak!” Donnel yelled, summoning even more aura hammers. They floated around him like a whirlwind, striking down any monster foolish enough to get close.
With a wave of his hand, a grin on his face, he said, “I’ll simply have to crush all of you.”
The hamm
then shot forward, the white mister dodged a few,
THUD! THUD!
CRACK!
“Creeeeeee.” the creature screeched as one of its lags was crushed, blood splattered all around, Donnel smiling as he watched the creature squal. “Yes… That’s more like it… Sing for me.” he
said.
Behind, Seth, Zane, and Brielle crept through the fleshy tunnels.
“Stay alert,” Zane said. “We don’t know what else is hiding in this place.”
As if on cue, a roar echoed from the shadows. A grotesque, mutated monster charved at them, its many limbs writhing like snakes.
“Damn it!” Seth cursed, whipping out his pistols. He fired rapidly, the bullets piercing teogh the creature’s thick flesh but barely slowing it down.
Brielle fired her plasma bow, the glowing arrow striking it head and causing the monster to stagger. “This thing’s tough!”
Zane darted forward, his lightweight energy rifle gleaming as he fired at the creature’s legs, tearing trough it’s flesh. “Keep it distracted!”
The monster thrashed wildly, forcing the trio to dodge its attacks.
Seth then charged towards it, his eyes blazing as he activated his talent. Sliding below it’s legs with a smile on his face, he opened fire towards its abdomen.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Claus paused as he heard the distant commotion. He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Those stupid detectives are here,” he said with a touch of frustration. Kira, meanwhile, had discovered something unusual. Embedded in the fleshy wall was a glowing red crystal, pulsating with a red light. Her blindfolded eyes could sense its energy.
“This… it’s some kind of power source,” she said. Carefully, she pried the crystal free.
BRRRRR
The moment the crystal was removed, the factory erupted with chaos. The incubating monsters burst from their fleshy sacs, screeching as they joined the fray.
“Kira, what did you do?” Claus snapped.
“Found something important,” she yelled, holding up the crystal.
Donnel grinned wickedly as he summoned hundreds of aura hammers, controlling them with his mind. The weapons rained destruction on the monsters, obliterating them in a barrage of
hammers.
BAM
BAM
BAM
The pale-skinned creature, now heavily wounded, hissed in rage. It began retreating toward the glowing red portal, crawling towards the far end of the chamber. “Retrieve the crystal!” it commanded, pointing to Kira, making her a target for the lesser monsters.
The creatures immediately turned their attention to Kira, swarming toward her position.
Noticing this shift, Claus yelled, “Donnel!” calling out, but the monsters had swarmed her,
close and about to land attack.
But just then, a voice spoke up.
“I belive this is the part where Prince charming saves the princess.”
Seth leaped forward, his pistols blazing. “Hopefully this prince gets a raise,” he said with a smirk, gunning down the oncoming creatures.
Brielle and Zane exchanged worried glances. “Seth, don’t get reckless!” Zane shouted.
“This is the least you can do after disobeying orders,” Kira said sharply, trying to keep her
voice calm as the monsters closed in.
“Yeah, yeah,” Seth replied, reloading his pistols. He unleashed a flurry of shots, but the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming.
“Kira, throw away the crystal!” Claus yelled from across the chamber.
“I’ll do the honors,” Seth said, grabbing the crystal. He unwrapped a bandage from his right
hand, revealing a strange mark glowing faintly on his skin. With a swift motion, he swung the
crystal through the air.
One of the monsters managed to graze Kira’s leg, drawing blood. She winced in pain but
didn’t falter. Seth shot the creature in the head, killing it.
The crystal soared through the air.
“Donnel, crush it!” Claus shouted.
Donnel smirked, commanding one of his hammers to intercept the crystal mid-air. The
hammer smashed the crystal with a deafening crack, sending shards and energy scattering. The red portal flickered violently before collapsing in on itself.
The pale-skinned creature let out a guttural wail as its escape was cut off.
Donnel advanced, his aura hammer raised for the finishing blow. The pale creature snarled, its
body trembling with rage.
“You will never prevent the wolf from swallowing the moon,” it hissed, its voice echoing.
Donnel’s hammer came down, obliterating the creature in a burst of light and force.
With that, the factory grew quiet. The monsters lay on the bloody floor defeated, and the portal was no more.
“We’ll see about that,” Donnel said, raising his hammer to reveal the bloody mess it made of
the cresture.