"Corridors with the illusion of escape fills their cages, entities prey on despair after all...That's why it can't hurt to be hopeful, I made these devices as protection, but it's more of a reminder that no matter how dark it gets in there, small flickers of hope still linger on. Persist, Survive, do whatever it takes to come back home."
- Celia Eojin
Ex-Magus, Founder of Eojin Industries
In a low-lit corridor, the intermittent flicker of fluorescent lights hums a gentle, rhythmic pulse, orchestrating shadows that dance along the edges of the peeling blue wallpaper of a school. Resting on the floor were banners with bold eye-capturing designs, a mosaic of colorful confetti, posters of a school fair, and the mangled corpses of numerous students, their unrecognizable faces laced with scratches, intestines laid bare on pools of blood of countless lifeless bodies.
The distant echo of sneakers cautiously navigating the concrete floor reverberates, heralding the arrival of a group of four, armed with artillery. Precision and caution articulated their every movement.
Their attire, a harmonious blend of civilian clothing and covert defenses, snug gas masks affixed securely to their faces and low-profile plate carriers seamlessly integrated into their urban ensemble. The muted clinks of their equipment resonate in the dimness as they move, each step a deliberate cadence in their synchronized operation.
Strategically mounted on their backs, dark metallic cylinders emit a subtle blue glow, casting an enigmatic aura around them. Lines of covert wiring connected this device, to a contraption on their napes. The rhythmic pulsation of the illumination mimicked the pace of a heartbeat, some sort of electric, pulsating energy rested within these devices, lying dormant waiting for an unknown purpose.
As they cautiously navigate corners, a distant shriek holds their operation to a standstill as they move towards a corner, a tense pause ensues. The shadow of a creature could be seen in the next hallway, it looked animalistic, and its grotesque silhouette made some sort of resemblance to a fox.
The group, bathed in the ambient blue radiance, readied behind the corner, the pulsating devices mirroring the heightened anticipation in the air.
The man nearest to the edge of the corner, presumably the leader of the group cautiously peeks over the corner, his eyes locked towards a small creature on the ground feeding on the innards of a carcass. At first glance, the creature looked like an ordinary fox, but upon further inspection, its tail had grey flora-like appendages that held deadly toxic spores and affixed between its pointed ears was a set of four eyes, glowing with an eerie, malevolent red hue, each eye autonomous, from the other as it cautiously scanned its surroundings. Stygian fur camouflaged every inch of its body absorbing the surrounding ambient light, rendering it almost invisible to the naked eye, this was further complemented by its miniature predatory figure which could barely be noticed in dense landscapes.
The leader signals with his hands that he confirmed a visual on the target and the group behind him readies their rifles. The team leader then swiftly raised his hand, fingers forming a tense, unmistakable gesture—index and middle fingers extended; a signal to use a flash bang.
With a swift motion, the member behind the leader quickly threw a compact flash bang, from their vest. The person's arm snapped forward, releasing the device into the air with a seasoned throw. It glided through the air, spinning gracefully before detonation.
A blinding burst of light erupted, accompanied by a concussive shock wave that reverberated throughout the immediate vicinity. The members swiftly push in and a barrage of bullets lay waste towards the general direction of the fox-like entity.
Though the creature's senses were dulled by the sudden light and the concussive noise, it managed to instinctively dodge the incoming projectiles rendering their ambush useless. Suddenly, the flora-like appendages on its tail began to rattle, immediately releasing a cloud of toxic spores into the air. The thick clouds of the released spores dazed the group, as they found themselves plunged into a disorienting realm of swirling obscurity. The once well-defined battleground became an abstract canvas of chaos, each step shrouded in a surreal dance of perplexity. Within the dense veil of illusion, the piercing sounds of gunfire echoed, each muzzle flash illuminating the obscured figures of the group engaged in a chaotic firefight.
Amidst, the chaos the entity struck, using the spores as a smokescreen to conceal its actions. It bounced around the ceilings and the walls using the momentum to spin in the air using its body to strike one of the members of the group. After the forceful impact, the individual was propelled with a sudden velocity, hurtling through the air but moments before receiving the impact from the wall the blue device on his back emitted a force field of blue energy behind him lessening the damage of the blow.
"James!" A feminine voice screamed out in concern. One of the members turned to look at their injured teammate but the entity used this to its advantage as it leaped towards the person's face. Without delay, a blue bubble of energy blocked its ambush but it was not long before it shattered into pieces due to the creature's vicious swipes. Panic filled the woman's mind as she tried to fight back but it was too late, The entity had already mounted onto them violently scratching their mask destroying the air filters, leaving the person vulnerable to the toxic spores.
It was not long before the poison worked its course within her body, sudden convulsions followed by foaming of their mouth rendered them vulnerable to the razor sharps claws of the creature, and an endless barrage of swipes and slashes mangled the victim's face barely resembling a human after the attack.
As the creature was busy brutalizing its victim, its blood thirst temporarily overruled its instincts. For a fraction of a second, its senses dulled, making it unable to notice the stealthy approach of one of the members. "Ka-chink" The sound of a shotgun's click was immediately followed by a sudden barrage of bullets piercing the entity's flesh, alerting it to instinctively leap away, in retaliation to the ambush it leaped towards its shooter but a few precise shots rendered its assault useless, halting its movements mid-air.
The creature limping from its wounds tried to recover after the failed attack but was unable to do so as the individual continuously unloaded shrapnel of lead on the creature.
Alerted by the succession gun shots another team member swiftly approached the member, to eliminate the threat but their tense posture was released as they noticed the creature's unflinching body on the floor.
"Good work Elise" A deep male voice spoke underneath the snug mask, patting Elise on the shoulder afterward
"It got Helen"
The other member looked at the torn face of their companion, with their jaw barely hanging onto their face he glanced away in disgust "Shit"
"Can a magus help her?" Concern fills Elise's voice
"I don't know just…d-don't move her yet I don't want anything coming off"
"What about James?"
"He's lucky… Daimon device saved his ass"
In the aftermath of the harrowing event, the spore clouds, which had ominously veiled their vision, dissipated from the area with an air of reluctant retreat. The creature's carcass, now only a grim reminder of the preceding menace, slowly dispersed into blackened ash.
Elise pulled off her snug mask as she let out a sigh of relief. Revealing her face, which gave off an aura of captivating dangerous beauty, her almond eyes held a sterile but alluring, piercing gaze, as she removed her mask her short black wolf hair fell graciously flowing through the chaos of the battlefield.
The man beside Elise clicks the radio on his plate carrier and it bursts to life with numerous voices speaking on the channel.
"This is Holtow, entity exterminated one man down we need immediate medical attention"
"Confirmed Holtow, good work"
As Holtow switched off his radio, a haunting silence descended upon the once-thriving school. What was once an institution of education and innocence now stood transformed into a desperate battleground for survival, viciously marred by the malevolent actions of an unknown monstrous force.
The distant echoes soon broke the silence,
Marching boots and the bursts of bright white lights drew closer; it was back up.
Elise stares at the fragmentary flickers of beautiful light. She thought to herself if perhaps, it was the fragility of this temporary peace that made it so beautiful.
Like a calm before the true storm.