I crouched silently on a slanting balcony, the thick shroud of night drowning the surroundings in a stifling silence, only broken by my and Song’s breathing. Snow fell almost silently outside.
Looking through its rusted railings, I focused on the dark silhouette of the stadium looming in the distance, but more specifically the dark tunnel serving as its entrance.
I reflexively checked the ti.
[11:50 pm]
Glancing at the red-haired girl watching the stadium beside , I stretched a hand towards her in the darkness.
[It’s almost go ti. Give the bolt.]
There was none of her usual snark or sarcasm this ti, as she silently summoned the red bolt before passing it on to . Its warmth seeped through my gloved hands.
With that done, her gaze turned apprehensively back towards the stadium again.
[Don’t tell you’re scared.]
Sohow, she still managed to glare at through the darkness.
[What would you know, Peasant?]
’Much better.’
I didn’t bother replying to her, instead loading the bolt onto my crossbow. This ti, I pulled the string back as far as I could, even moving beyond the recomnded points along the weapon. The string lay dangerously taut.
I needed as much force as I could get behind the shot.
We were currently positioned among the upper floors of a hotel not too far from the stadium. Although I would’ve loved to have found a perch even farther than this, the snowfall was my main limiting factor here.
With visibility being as horrible as it was, going any further would increase my chances of missing the shot.
However, as a result of that choice, there was now a possibility the predator would straight up ignore Racheal, Maki, and Lily, all positioned in that dark tunnel, and head straight towards .
Of course, it was a possibility I’d already accounted for, and I’d created counterasures. Song was one such counterasure.
I glanced at the ti once again.
[11:58]
I tapped Song.
[It’s almost ti.]
She nodded seriously, before whispering.
"Stay still."
The girl placed her fingers on my back. For a mont nothing changed, then I suddenly felt it, the feeling of a thin layer of intangible energy enveloping , spreading like oil on a water surface.
Soon, it completely engulfed , and the feeling disappeared. I looked at her.
[Are you done?]
[Yes. Our heat should be masked now.]
Song’s first ability was creating illusions. They weren’t anything powerful, and she could only use them on herself or things she maintained contact with.
Still, it would be enough for now.
While the predator could likely easily see through the ability, we would be much less visible in comparison to the much more enticing bait down there.
I leveled my crossbow towards the stadium. Just in ti for my interface alarm to go off.
[12:00 am]
The tunnel below imdiately brightened. Through my scope I could see Lily sitting at its exit, right next to a flaming pyre. Maki and Racheal lay hidden from sight.
Orange flas, mind you, not Racheal’s dark ones. Those would’ve undoubtedly ticked the monster off.
This was my second counterasure. Bait.
I’d initially planned for it to only be a flaming pyre. But having a cadet next to it would better sell the ruse. Together, they’d light up like fireworks in the Predator’s gaze.
Although I couldn’t see it from here, I already knew Maki’s strings covered every inch of the entrance and most of the tunnel’s body, leaving just enough space for our bait to fit at the end.
Light produced by the fla expanded outwards from the tunnel, spilling onto the dark road leading to the stadium.
Seeing as Lily still remained in position, I moved my sight away from her. Instead, I gently traced my gaze along the road, only stopping at the point where the fla’s light died out.
Beyond that lay nigh absolute darkness, and sowhere in that darkness, the predator had started its deliberate march towards us.
I sent a ssage in an open channel connecting all five of us.
[Now we wait.]
There was nothing more we could do. There was no way of telling exactly which direction the Beast would enter the central district from, or how long it’d take to get here.
But given we were still on the district’s outer edges, I reckoned it wouldn’t take long. No, it had to get here quickly.
If it took too long, then the flas would die out, and if we lost the flas, our bait beca much less enticing. Just that alone would be enough to completely derail the plan.
Luckily, it seed the beast was rather impatient as well. Not even twenty minutes had passed after midnight when I heard Lily’s anxious voice over the comms.
"There’s movent."
She seed to regain so composure, sending the rest as a ssage.
[It’s out of the range of my ability, so I can’t say where exactly it’s from. But there’s sothing out there.]
I kept my scope firmly trained on the road, looking for even the slightest signs of movent in the light. The snowfall wasn’t making things any easier.
Just when I’d begun wondering if the movent had co from sothing else entirely, I saw it. Beneath the flakes of falling snow, a massive figure crawled cautiously into the light.
Its pale, stark white skin allowed it to blend in almost completely with the snow beneath it. I might’ve even missed it if not for the eight black orbs lodged firmly in its skull. Those eyes focused firmly on the tunnel and the fla within it.
The bait worked.
I didn’t celebrate just yet, instead I sent a ssage.
[It’s on the road. Get ready.]
I could feel Song’s hand trembling through my cloak, before she forcefully stabilized it. It was then I realized I’d been hyperventilating.
Taking deep breaths, I controlled my breathing before focusing on the Beast again. It had fully brought itself into the light now, illuminating its body in all its grotesque glory.
The beast’s hairless, wolf-like head hung low, a jaw running all the way around its face lay partially unlatched, revealing just a hint of the darkness lurking within.
Trailing right behind it was an elongated, almost snake-like torso with multiple bony spikes propping up from its spine, all the way until it ended in a wickedly sharp protrusion on its tail.
Eight limbs shuffled carefully through the snow with cat-like grace. Unlike the lesser version Racheal had slain, this beast wasn’t made with spare parts. Every inch of its body seed purpose-built for absolute lethality.
Also unlike the other beast, its lower limbs were painted red. A deep, gory red. The kind that could only co from blood. Those, along with its mouth and tail, were all drowned in that color.
It was then I noticed a deep cut on one of its limbs. The only injury I could spot on the beast, and it didn’t take much guessing to know who the culprit was.
Still, the beast moved as though completely unbothered by it, slowly encroaching towards Lily.
I kept my scope locked on it throughout, right at the spot I approximated the ’shoulder’ linking all eight limbs would be. I didn’t take the shot.
There was a high chance of the bastard straight up dodging it if I did. The only way to guarantee a proper shot was following the damned plan.
The beast stopped right between the two parking lots. There was still so distance between it and the tunnel; I had no doubts the monster would be able to cover it in an instant.
It lowered itself further into a crouch, all eight legs silently tensing as its jaw stretched open completely, revealing a set of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
It remained in that position.
The girls down there showed no signs of even noticing the beast, aside from Lily. The beast was definitely in her ability’s range. Yet she’d gone radio silent a while ago.
"It’s right before the tunnel. Lily, start running at my command."
No one said anything in reply, but I knew they’d heard . This was the very mont I’d been planning for all along. The one that would define whether we’d kill the Beast, or just end up as prey. Like so many others.
I activated [Error Sense]. The familiar drone of the ability gave a strange sense of calm. Even the slightest possible mistake in my stance was eliminated.
Through the buzzing haze, I focused on the stationary beast beneath.
Its front limbs suddenly twitched.
"NOW!"
That was all I could say, before the beast blurred, the ground below it exploding due to the sheer force of its launch.
It crashed right into the tunnel, and in doing so, crashed into invisible strings covering it.
They’d only hold it for a mont, but that mont was enough, as the very next second the beast’s body ignited into a black and white fla.
An ear-piercing screech shattered the absolute silence of the city.
I wasted no ti locking my sights onto the burning beast. I was half of a mind to attempt a headshot, but I killed the thought before it could even take root.
Far too risky. Especially with the Beast already free from its restraints. Only the flas distracted it now.
Instead, I hovered just above its right shoulder. No matter how erratically the beast moved within that tunnel, it was wide enough to remain firmly in my sights.
I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
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