The cave entrance collapsed with a thunderous roar, sealing Naran and the unconscious boy inside. Dust and debris choked the air. For a moment, there was only silence then came the snarling and gnashing of corrupted wolves just beyond the rubble.
Naran stood frozen, staring at the pile of stone where Ji Ung had been moments ago. His hands trembled, the dagger still wet with wolf blood. Beside him, the child stirred weakly, but Naran barely noticed.
"Ji Ung… you bastard," he whispered, voice breaking.
"RUN YOU FOOL."
Ji Ung's final words echoed in his mind like a curse.
Grinding his teeth, Naran scooped up the boy and turned deeper into the cave. The path ahead was dark and filled with the bones of the fallen but he pressed forward.
He didn't look back. Ji Ung had given him one last order And this time, he wouldn't fail him.
Eventually, he reached the exit they had used to enter the den. Looking down, he saw the rotting corpses of wolves, now serving as a feast for vultures. The path had been cleared likely by the attack unit and Naran realized they must have reached the location of the LANSING
He clenched his jaw.
He had to reach them before the corrupted wolves did.
Elsewhere...
"How long has it been?" Bonnds asked suddenly.
Micah blinked. "What?"
"I said how long has he been doing that?" Bonnds gestured toward Sir Coroules.
Micah looked up. Coroules stood a distance away, motionless, sweat dripping from his brow, surrounded by a faint glow of mana.
Bonnds couldn't feel it he wasn't Awakened. But Micah could. The mana in the air was thick, oppressive. Corrupted energy from the Lansing by Coroules' own overwhelming mana.
The Lansing wasn't just any metallion. It was one of the most sensitive, perceptive mana-forged artifacts ever discovered. It absorbed and mirrored surrounding energy including corrupted mana.
Micah knew what Coroules was doing. He was sealing the Lansing. Cleansing it. And the closer he came to success, the more mana it demanded. If they were attacked now…
Coroules would be defenseless.
Suddenly, the black metal glowed a flash of pure mana light and the Lansing stabilized. The energy pressure vanished.
Cheers erupted as Ji Ung rose beside the artifact, staggering forward, his clothes torn, his face pale but triumphant. A wave of relief washed over the team.
Micah called out, "Bonnds bring over the last working metabus!"
Bonnds jumped into action, driving the rugged transport toward them. Coroules placed the sealed Lansing at the rear of the metabus, collapsing to his knees, gasping for air. The team rushed to his side.
Micah smiled. "You did it. And we weren't even attacked."
Coroules gave a weak nod, then looked at him. "Call Ji Ung's unit. They must be exhausted. I want them out of there."
Micah pulled out his radio.
"Unit 1, please report."
Silence.
He tried again. "Unit 1, do you copy?"
Nothing.
Coroules furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"
"I... I'm not getting a response," Micah said, voice tight.
Bonnds walked over, grinning wildly. "Come on! We're rich now! Time to kick those raor bastards in the teeth and go home!"
Bonnds noticed that Micah and Coroules didn't laugh but where with a serious face
"What's going on?" Bonnds asked. "Let's move out."
"We're waiting on Unit 1," Coroules said quietly.
"Then call them," Bonnds replied.
"Micah already did," Coroules added.
Bonnds frowned. "Then try again."
Micah shook his head. "I just did. No response."
The celebration died instantly. A wave of dread passed through them all.
"No… maybe it's your radio," Bonnds said quickly. He fumbled for his own and tried hailing Unit 1.
Still nothing.
"What the hell could've happened to them?" Bonnds whispered.
Coroules, trying to calm them, offered, "Maybe the signal's blocked. They're probably fine."
Back in the cave…
Naran slid down a slope, the boy still in his arms. He paused, panting, and looked up—his blood ran cold.
Ahead, an army of corrupted wolves marched. Dozens… no, hundreds. All heading somewhere.
Then it hit him.
They're are heading to the back of the den, where the Lansing and where the scavengers where are
His heart dropped.
But then a question struck him:
"Why are they going around there den and not straight through it."
They were beasts. Creatures of instinct. But they weren't taking the most direct path. That meant only one thing:
" There where following the scent of the attack unit."
If that was true, then the only way Naran could beat them there…
…was to go through the wolves' den.
Right through the heart of the pack.
He looked ked down at the child in his arms.
The scent he carried. The blood on his blade. The fear tightening in his chest.
"They'll recognize my scent," he muttered. "They'll chase me."
But that didn't matter.
He adjusted his grip on the unconscious boy and stepped forward.
I have to reach them first.
Even if I die trying.
Naran stood still, heart pounding. He knew the corrupted were heading for the attack unit.
He had to warn them. He had to get there before the wolves did.
But how?
How was he supposed to get past them?
How could he possibly get past the wolves without them picking up his scent?
His eyes dropped to the unconscious boy in his arms. Then, slowly, he raised his head and spotted it a pile of dead wolves being picked apart by vultures.
It clicked.
The blood.
He could use it. Use the blood of the dead wolves as camouflage.
Holding the boy tightly, Naran carefully descended the steep slope. At the bottom, he came face-to-face with the mess of death corpses of both humans and wolves, tangled together in silence and decay.
He scanned the pile, found a torn shirt on a fallen scavenger, and stripped it off. With quick hands, he wrapped the boy to his body, tying him securely against his chest.
Then he bent down, scooped a pile of wolf blood into his hands, and smeared it all over himself arms, neck, face and over the boy, now strapped to him.
It reeked. But it might be his only hope.
Nearby, he found a rusty blade clutched in a dead man's hand. He pulled it free, gripped it tightly, and turned toward the den.
He stepped inside, moving slowly.
The deeper he went, the more corrupted wolves he saw. Dozens of them, sniffing the floor, twitching, growling softly. All of them were leaving the den in the same direction drawn to something.
There were more than he could count.
It was a horde.
Naran ducked behind a rock to avoid them. His heart thundered in his ears.
But something shifted. A few wolves stopped. They lifted their heads.
Their noses twitched.
They could sense something.
Naran froze. He clamped his hand over his mouth and held his breath. Panic tightened every muscle in his body. He prayed.
The wolves stepped closer.
Sniffing. Searching.
Then they turned away.
One by one, they moved on.
When the last corrupted wolf vanished from the den, Naran finally moved. He slipped out from behind the rock, walking slowly, carefully.
As he crept forward, memories surged.
He and Ji Ung had been here before. Together. Fighting side by side. They had killed one of the corrupted wolves right in this place.
A flash of Ji Ung's smile struck him before he forced the memory down.
Focus.
He started moving toward the direction of the attack unit.
Until he felt it.
A weight. A pressure,Too familiar.
Then came the growl.
Not loud. But deep. A silent roar that sent a chill down his spine.
Naran's breath caught.
The mutated lycan.
The same beast that had cost him his entire unit.
His heart skipped a beat. He dove behind another pile of rocks, hand covering his mouth again.
The growl returned louder now. Wrong. Monstrous.
Naran peeked.
It was moving.
The beast massive and twisted walked slowly but surely toward his location. Its movements were unnaturally calm, deliberate, and terrifying. Its breath came out in long, ragged huffs.
Please no. Please no...
Its paws hit the ground like drums of death. The growl grew louder, vibrating in the air around him.
Naran's heart pounded. His body trembled. The hairs on his neck stood straight.
The beast was close. Too close.
Please no... please no... please no...
Thenit stopped.
Right in front of the rock he hid behind.
It sniffed.
Its mouth opened.
A long string of drool fell landing right on Naran's head.
Naran shut his eyes. His body screamed to run, to move, to fight but he didn't.
He couldn't.
PLEASE NO. PLEASE NO. PLEASE NO. PLEASE NO.
Then, the beast turned.
It didn't see him.
Didn't notice him.
It walked away exiting the den following the corrupted wolves toward the scent of the attack unit.
Silence returned.
Naran dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as the overwhelming dread finally began to fade.
He looked up.
The blood-red moon loomed overhead, casting its crimson glow across the sky. Dark clouds thickened above, swirling like an omen.
He couldn't stay here.
Gritting his teeth, Naran pushed himself to his feet. His legs trembled, but he forced them forward. With the boy still tied to his chest, he made his way toward the back of the den.
Each step peeled away the fear slowly, but surely.
He had no time left.
He had to reach the unit.
Before the corrupted did.