North-West of Veilwood Forest
The forest did not want them there.
Five kilometers from the bunker, the trees grew so close their canopies locked together, filtering sunlight into thin green shafts. Roots as thick as a man's torso broke through the mossy ground, and every step sank slightly into soft humus. The air was cool and heavy with the smell of decay and growth at the same time. Insects the size of sparrows buzzed between ferns that came up to a man's chest.
Sgt. Anderson Ford, call sign Falcon, moved at point, his Mk.VII exosuit whining softly with each step. He was former Anti-Machine Combat Force, blond, late twenties, face still tight from cryo. Behind him, four Marines in matching dark armor kept a loose diamond formation, rifles low but active, sensors sweeping.
"Raven, left. Viper, right. Bulldog, rear. Spartan, on me," Falcon said over short-range comms. "Science team, stay inside the diamond. Don't touch anything until Zhang clears it."
The science team was in the middle, five people in white thermal suits that were already stained green and brown. Dr. Zhang Liang led them, a scanner in hand. Beside him was Dr. Maria Rodriguez, Spanish archaeologist who had retrained as a botanist after the virus, quick-eyed and curious. Dr. Marco Rossi, Italian geophysicist, kept looking at the ground like it offended him. Dr. Rachel Kim, Korean-American biologist, was taking pictures of everything. And Dr. Rohan Desai, Indian systems tech, carried the heavy relay pack that linked their scanners back to the bunker.
"It's remarkable," Rachel whispered, touching a leaf that was bigger than her torso. "These species — this is not Earth flora. Or at least, not Earth from our time. Cellular structure is denser."
"Breathable atmosphere, but background energy is off the charts," Rohan said, watching his readout. "Like we're standing inside a low-level reactor field. Talia was right. This whole forest is emitting."
Ford stopped and raised a fist. Everyone froze.
"Contact thermal, hundred meters ahead," he said quietly. "Large, stationary. Could be a boulder. Could be something else. Raven, check?"
Corporal Lisa Nguyen, call sign Raven, switched her visor to thermal. "Confirmed. Massive heat signature, about eight meters long, low to ground. Hotter than us by forty degrees. No movement."
"Could be geothermal vent," Marco said hopefully.
"Geothermal doesn't have a shape," Zhang said, but he was already moving forward. The team followed, pushing through ferns until they entered a small clearing.
In the center of the clearing was a mound covered in thick moss and dotted with pale mushrooms. It was almost perfectly round, about the size of a Terra Mauler cab, and vines had grown over it. It looked like a rock that had sat there for centuries.
Dr. Maria crouched beside it. "Look at these fungi. They look edible. Similar to shiitake, but with bioluminescence." She pulled her handheld scanner from her bag and ran it over the mushrooms. The scanner chirped.
Then it screamed.
"Dr. Zhang, over here!" Maria called out, voice sharp. "I discovered this rock but the scanner is picking up massive heat from inside! It's not a rock!"
The research team rushed toward her, gathering around. Even the Marines closed in, rifles still up but curious.
Deep inside the mound, something breathed.
The irritation that had been building for hours finally broke. The Great One had been sleeping for ninety years, healing the wounds left by that lightning-striped tiger two hundred and fifty years ago. He had tried to devour a small human city in the north, a mere snack, when the tiger had interfered, its claws full of storm. He had fled to this quiet part of Veilwood to sleep, to heal, to dream of revenge.
And now wretched small things were chattering over him, touching him.
A cold touch on his nose jolted him awake.
His eye opened.
It was not a rock. It was an eye, amber, as wide as a dinner plate, slit-pupiled, staring directly at Dr. Maria. The moss cracked. The ground trembled. The mound rose.
"How dare you disturb the Great One?" The voice did not come from a mouth. It resonated directly in their skulls, ancient and furious.
The clearing exploded into motion.
The serpent's massive head rose on a neck as thick as a tree trunk, scales black as coal and crusted with centuries of lichen and moss. Its body uncoiled behind it, as long as a school bus, displacing earth and ferns. Its gaze locked onto Maria, who had touched it, its head coiling back to strike, fangs as long as a man's arm dripping clear fluid that steamed.
"Dr. Maria, watch out!" Falcon yelled.
He sprinted, exosuit servos screaming, and grabbed her thermal suit, yanking her backward just as the serpent's jaws snapped shut where her head had been. The fangs hit soil and left two smoking holes.
"What the hell is that thing?" Viper shouted, already bringing his KPR up.
"Contact! Contact! Exosuits online! Weapons free!" Falcon roared.
The five Marines' exosuits flared as combat power kicked in, joints locking, strength multiplying. They raised their Kinetic Pulse Rifles.
"Engage! Kill that snake!" Falcon ordered.
The forest was filled with the sharp crack of KPRs firing in unison. Magnetically accelerated tungsten darts left blue trails, hitting the serpent at Mach 5. Some darts ricocheted off the ancient scales with sparks, but the relentless barrage found gaps between plates, punching black blood that hissed when it hit the ground.
The serpent roared, a sound felt in the chest more than heard. "Insolent fools! I will devour you all!"
It lashed out, tail sweeping like a falling tree. Bulldog and Viper dove, the tail smashing a massive fern trunk behind them to splinters.
Raven fired in controlled bursts, aiming for the head. "Scales are deflecting! Need heavier!"
"Focus weak points!" Falcon shouted. "Eyes, nostrils, gaps!"
Raven's KPR suddenly whined and vented hot gas. "Raven down! Overheat! Cover!"
"Covering!" Viper and Bulldog provided suppressive fire, darts sparking off the serpent's snout, forcing it to recoil.
The serpent, scorched and bleeding, realized these small metal things hurt. It changed tactics. It saw the five white-suited scientists fleeing toward a shallow trench to the south and lunged for them, jaws wide.
"Protect the research team!" Spartan yelled.
Private Tom Bradley, call sign Spartan, sprinted directly into the path of the charging serpent. He lowered his shoulder and activated his exosuit's impact bracing. The two collided with a crushing impact that shook leaves from trees. Spartan was thrown ten meters, his exosuit's integrity alarm howling, his visor cracked. Blood dripped from his mouth inside the helmet.
"Spartan, this is Falcon! Status!" Falcon shouted over radio, dragging Maria toward the trench.
"Alive! Suit compromised! I can still fight but not long!" Spartan coughed, forcing himself up, rifle still in hand.
Ford shoved the scientists into the trench. "Stay down! Stay hidden! Wait for signal!"
Raven had rebooted her rifle. She assessed quickly. "It's weakening! We need to end it now! Concentrate fire on its head!"
The Marines concentrated their fire on the serpent's vulnerable spots. The creature's thrashing began to slow, its massive body heaving, black blood pooling. Its movements became sluggish under the relentless barrage of science-made weapons.
It should have died then. Any Earth animal would have.
But this was Veilwood.
The serpent's throat began to glow. First dull red, then bright orange, then intense, blinding white. The air around it distorted from heat. Moss on nearby trees began to smoke without being touched.
Rohan's relay pack, still linked to the bunker, screamed a warning that Talia in Command would hear seconds later.
"Massive energy buildup in its throat! It's not biological! It's charging something!"
Ford saw the glow and understood instantly, even if he didn't understand how.
"Incoming! Take cover! Take cover now!"
The Marines desperately threw themselves behind fallen logs and roots as the Great One opened its jaws.
Dragon's Breath was about to fire.