Chapter 14: Blood Mission Part 1
Warning: This chapter contains intense fantasy violence. Recommended 13+
Kite's words hung in the air.
"It's a Titan. Which is hiding under this dungeon."
Jack looked at the kids. His face did not change, but his eyes got sharp.
Luis stepped forward. "What happen? What does that mean?"
Rio looked straight at Kite. "Is that titan dangerous?"
Before Kite could answer, the girl standing at his side stepped forward. She had short silver hair and a staff on her back.
"That titan is special class rank," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm.
Jack heard that and his mind clicked.
Special class. In the whole world there are only seventeen special class titans.
He looked at Kite. "So why is a special class titan here? You know the reason?"
Jerry Pullman crossed his arms. His three stars shined. "Artesik government is trying to find out why a special class titan is here. That's why both squads were sent."
Kite looked at the three kids behind Jack. "Bringing kids here is not safe. Not anymore."
Jack was quiet for a second. Then he nodded. "I know that. I never thought there would be any special class here."
He looked at the kids. Then he looked at all his officers.
"So what should I do now?" he asked, but he was already answering himself. "I will take them inside. You all don't scare. I will sacrifice myself for the kids if any problem comes. But I will save the kids."
Jerry frowned. "But then also, kids can't enter. You understand that, right?"
Kite stepped between them. His voice was cold. "You know, sir. You are arguing with a government special badge officer."
Rio watched the whole thing. His eyes went wide. He leaned to Jack and whispered, "Master, I knew it. You're not a normal guy."
Lily giggled and nudged him. "Rio, you knew it now? He is not a normal person."
Luis laughed too, nervous. "Yeah. Definitely not."
Jack looked at Jerry. "Do you have any problem, Jerry?"
Jerry looked away. "No. Nothing."
Jack turned. "Then we go."
They all entered the dungeon.
Inside, there were no blood wolves. No monsters. Only the walls.
The walls were covered in minerals and ore. They shined like diamonds in the torch light. Blue. Purple. White.
Lily gasped. "Wow. They are beautiful."
Rio looked around, disappointed. "Here is not any monster."
They walked deeper. The air got cold.
They reached a point where the tunnel split into two paths. Left and right.
Jerry pointed right. "Me and my team will go from the right side."
Jack started to follow. "We are coming with you."
Jerry stopped him with a hand. "Don't come with us. With kids. We don't want any burden."
He turned and left with Neik and Pina and his squad. Their boots echoed down the right tunnel.
Kite watched them go. Then he looked left. "So we should go from left."
They started walking down the left path.
After ten minutes, one officer at the front stopped. He raised his hand.
"Something is coming from front," he said.
All the officers pulled out their swords. Others lifted wands. Blue light sparked.
Lily grabbed Rio's sleeve. "I'm scared."
Rio was shaking, but not from fear. He was grinning. "It's too much cool. I am feeling energetic."
Luis looked at Kite, who was standing at the back with them. "What's coming?"
Kite spoke in a soft voice. "Luis, don't scare. It's nothing. Just a bunch of orcs."
Luis swallowed. "Orcs? They are C class monsters."
Jack put a hand on Luis's shoulder. "Government never takes any weak people. They can kill them easily. So don't scare."
From the darkness ahead, a sound came. Heavy feet. Snorting. Growling.
A bunch of giant pig orcs came running. Tusks out. Eyes red. Twelve of them. Big as bears.
They charged straight at the squad.
Kite shouted, "Front line, shields!"
Three officers slammed their shields down. The first orc hit the shield wall. Its tusk snapped. Blood sprayed from its mouth.
"Now!" Kite yelled.
The second line moved.
One officer swung his sword sideways. The blade cut clean through an orc's neck. The head flew off and hit the wall with a wet thud. Blood shot out like a fountain, painting the shining minerals red.
Kite's assistant lifted her staff. "Wind cutter!" A blade of air flew out. It sliced an orc clean through. The orc dropped instantly.
Lily screamed and covered her nose.
Another orc jumped over its dead friend. An officer ducked, then stabbed upward. The sword went through its jaw and out the top of its skull. The orc dropped dead.
Two orcs attacked at the same time from the left. Kite stepped forward. He drew his sword. SHING.
He cut once. Both orcs fell, their legs cut off. Another officer finished them quickly.
The rest of the orcs fell in seconds. Swords flashing. Magic cracking. Blood was everywhere now. On the walls. On the ceiling. On the kids' shoes.
The last orc tried to run. Kite's assistant pointed her staff. "Bind." Vines of light wrapped its legs. It fell. Three officers stabbed it until it stopped moving.
Silence.
Only the sound of blood dripping.
Rio, Luis, and Lily were frozen. Their faces were white. Lily was shaking hard.
Jack looked at them. His voice was hard. "If you scare here, it means you can't become strong, kids."
Kite wiped blood off his sword. "Okay officers. Clean blades. We are now going to floor number two."
They had reached floor three.
The floor was covered in dead monsters. Goblin wolves with throats torn out. Stone golems split in half. All killed by the officers ahead of them. Blood was drying on the walls. Bodies were piled in corners.
Kite's assistant ran up to Kite. She was breathing hard.
"I didn't find any sign of the titan here," she said. "I feel like it's on team one's side."
Rio stepped forward, fists tight. "Master, we didn't get any chance of fighting."
Luis and Lily nodded quickly.
Jack shook his head. "You're not strong enough to fight these monsters. But you learn by seeing it. That is important."
Rio kicked a stone. "But I want to fight."
Jack looked at Kite. "We reached the final floor now. You know where the titan is?"
Kite nodded. "At team one's side. At path one."
Jack's jaw tightened. "Now we should go there. Because I don't feel Jerry's team will survive."
Kite turned to everyone. His voice echoed. "Everyone listen. We are now going up again and walk toward path one to team one. Because that titan is hiding there.
Right path. Floor three.
Jerry's team was fighting.
The titan was there.
It was huge. Three floors tall. It hung upside down from the ceiling like a giant bat. Its wings were folded around its body. Its skin was black and cracked like old stone. When it breathed, the whole tunnel shook. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Its aura was heavy. Just standing near it made your chest hurt. The air vibrated like a drum. Torches flickered and almost went out.
Jerry screamed, his voice cracking, "Attack! All magic, now!"
His officers fired. Ten fireballs flew. Five ice spears. Three lightning bolts.
They all hit the titan's chest. They exploded. Smoke covered it.
For a second, nothing.
Then the smoke cleared. The titan had no damage. Not a scratch.
It slowly opened its eyes.
They were pure white. No pupil. Just light.
The moment the eyes opened, a wave of invisible fear exploded out.
One officer started to say, "Wha—"
He froze. His eyes went wide. Blood ran from his nose. He clutched his chest. His heart stopped. He dropped dead, standing up.
It happened to all of them at once. One by one. Ten officers. They didn't even get to scream. They just clutched their hearts, blood poured from their eyes and ears, and they fell face first onto the stone. Dead instantly.
Only Jerry, Neik, and Pina remained. They were shaking so hard their swords rattled.
Pina screamed, tears running down her face. "For Artesik!" She pulled her sword with both hands. She jumped high, aiming for the titan's neck while it was still hanging.
The bat titan moved. Just a flick of its right wing.
The air itself sliced.
Pina was cut apart in midair. Her sword hit the ground first. Then her body fell in pieces, hitting the floor with a wet sound.
Jerry and Neik stared. They were shaking.
They turned and started to run back, screaming.
The bat titan spread its wings. The sound was like thunder cracking inside the tunnel. It flew down from the ceiling, fast. The wind from its wings blew out all the torches.
It landed behind them. The ground cracked.
It grabbed both of them in one giant hand. Its claws closed around their bodies.
It lifted Neik to its mouth first.
Neik screamed, "NO NO NO JERRY HELP—"
The titan bit down. Its teeth closed around Neik's upper body. There was a loud CRUNCH. Bones broke. Blood poured down its chin like a waterfall. It chewed once. Neik's legs kicked once in the titan's grip, then stopped.
Jerry was crying louder now. Tears and snot on his face. He was screaming, "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!"
The titan lifted Jerry up to its mouth. Jerry closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from the tunnel entrance, "Assistant, now!"
A blast of pure white magic hit the titan's hand from the side. It was shaped like a spear. It pierced the titan's wrist.
The titan roared. It was the first sound it had made. The roar shook stones loose from the ceiling.
It opened its hand in pain. Jerry fell down, screaming.
Someone caught him mid-air.
It was Kite. He landed and rolled, holding Jerry.
And the magic user was Kite's assistant. Her staff was glowing bright white, her hands shaking.
Team two was here. Jack, Rio, Luis, and Lily stood behind them at the tunnel entrance, staring up.
The bat titan slowly turned its huge head. Its wings spread wide, touching both walls of the huge cavern. The tips scraped the stone, making sparks.
Its white eyes locked onto Jack.
Its aura got heavier. The kids' knees buckled. Luis fell to one knee. Lily grabbed Rio's arm. Rio was breathing hard but he did not look away.
The titan opened its mouth, showing teeth as long as swords, still covered in Neik's blood.
It stared at them.
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To be continued...