The dim light of the setting sun bled through the cracks in the broken windows, casting long shadows across the abandoned classroom.
Myles leaned back against the cold wal with arms crossed. He wasn’t as tired as the others but right now he was thinking about the weight of the upcoming battle.
Nadine sat across from him while stealing occasional glances at Lilian. Showing how she still didn’t trust the woman.
Lilian, on the other hand, looked entirely at ease. She sat on top of an old desk, one leg crossed over the other, playing with her long black hair.
The contrast between her and the rest of them was clear. While everyone else bore signs of fatigue from the day’s hunt, Lilian looked untouched.
Myles could hear Ryan and his party murmuring, their voices low but filled with anxiety. He didn’t need to see their expressions to know what they were thinking, clearly it was the battle tomorrow.
Myles had also heard their words and saw their looks earlier. He can tell that they were a little bit envious. Myles had two beautiful women with him. But beside that, they were curious about Lilian in particular. Unlike Nadine who had come with Myles, Lilian was someone who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Her beauty was undeniable, but there was something about her that kept them at a cautious distance but also can’t help but glance at her figures that look so alluring.
When Myles had introduced her, he kept the explanation simple. He said that she’s a friend who was traveling alone and happened to pass through the area where Vilegnaw is lurking.
Thankfully, none of them pressed him for details.
"Can’t we get any weapons from the creatures we killed?" Myles asked with frustration.
Lilian lazily twirled a strand of her long black hair around her finger.
"Weapons are a rare drop," she said. "If you manage to get one from killing a creature, it means that weapon came from a higher dimension. Something far stronger than anything naturally found in this world. That’s why they’re rare."
Myles exhaled sharply, leaning his head back against the cold wall. He had suspected as much but hearing it confirmed was still irritating. Nadine, sitting across from him, sighed as well, shaking her head slightly.
The fact that he hadn’t found a single weapon after all the monsters he had killed only proved just how difficult it was.
In the novels he used to read, loot drops were frequent, getting stronger gear was just a matter of grinding. But reality here was different. Turns out, acquiring a weapon was even harder than getting new skills.
Lilian tilted her head, watching his expression shift between irritation and thoughtfulness.
"Frustrated?" she asked with amusement.
Myles clicked his tongue. "Annoyed."
She smirked but said nothing, letting the silence stretch between them. Then Myles and Nadine eat a simple dinner of bread that Myles had carried in his backpack.
After they finished, Myles turned to Nadine. "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be hell."
Nadine nodded, though she still cast one last wary glance at Lilian before adjusting her position against the wall.
Myles closed his eyes, forcing his body to relax. Tomorrow, they would face that monster called Vilegnaw. Somehow right now he feels excitement instead of fear.
---
They arrived at the old industrial complex. The crumbling structures loomed over them like skeletal remains. The place was eerily silent except for the distant groaning of shifting metal and the occasional drip of stagnant water echoing through the ruins. No mutated creatures here.
Ryan, Kade, Nia, Elias, and Markus stood at the forefront with their rifles held firmly in their grips. Their eyes scanning every shadow and darkened corridor in the buldings. Their combat knives hung at their side.
Myles and Nadine stood behind them. Their makeshift weapons were crude but they thought it was pretty decent.
Myles wielded a reinforced metal pipe wrapped tightly in cloth to improve grip, its end sharpened into a deadly point. Nadine carried a modified crowbar, its hooked end wrapped in barbed wire to maximize damage. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
A strange growl echoed from deep within the complex.
Everyone froze.
A cold shiver ran down Myles’ spine as the sound reverberated through the rusted halls. The Vilegnaw was here. And it possibly already knew they were here too.
They all looked at each other, exchanging silent nods. Fear was evident in the eyes of Ryan and his squad and even Nadine. However, there was no turning back now. They had come too far.
Myles was the only one who showed no hesitation. His eyes were sharp and ready. His body tense but steady.
Then it hit him. He felt an intense tingling sensation at the back of his neck. A warning. His instincts screamed at him.
"It’s coming! Run!" Myles shouted.
The others barely had time to react before a fast movement lashed out from the shadow.
They sprinting toward the nearest cover. The air behind them whistled as something massive sliced through it.
But Kade who was just a step too slow, wasn’t fast enough.
A black tentacle with a serrated tip shot out from the shadows and wrapped around his leg in an instant.
"ARRRGHH!!" Kade’s scream was heard.
The jagged edges of the tentacle dug into his flesh, blood spurting onto the ground as he was yanked off his feet. He hit the floor hard, his rifle clattering away as he clawed at the appendage constricting his leg.
"Kade!" Ryan shouted, turning back, but before he could even raise his weapon another tentacle shot out, this one slamming into the ground just inches from him, forcing him to stumble back.
A sickening crunch followed. Blood spurting from Kade’s leg.
From the depths of the complex, a growl echoed. The Vilegnaw appeared.
--