The group came to the conclusion that they should scope out the casinos at night. Logically, a monster would most likely hunt under the cover of darkness. As the sun set and the moon rose, Luna and JJ marveled at how well-lit the city of sin truly was. The neon signs illuminated the entire city, casting a vibrant glow. They decided to split up—JJ and Jamal would work together, while Sunny and Luna formed the other team.
Originally, JJ offered to go with Luna, but Sunny insisted on pairing with her. She didn't want Luna getting lost or overwhelmed by everything. Sunny approached one of the casinos, while Luna stared in awe at its grandeur. However, as they stepped inside, Luna's excitement quickly turned to dread upon seeing how packed the casino was. Her joy was replaced with anxiety. Sunny, noticing this all too well, placed a comforting hand on Luna's shoulder.
"Calm yourself, partner. Remember, we're on a mission," Sunny said reassuringly.
Luna gingerly nodded, standing closer to Sunny as she tried to compose herself. Though the pretty lights caught her attention, the smell of cigarettes and booze hit her like a truck. She almost gagged.
"What is this? The movies and TV shows made it seem so much cooler!" Luna exclaimed.
Sunny burst out laughing. "Yeah, Hollywood is good at that, partner!"
As the two women walked through the casino, they didn't notice anything overtly suspicious. However, Sunny's sharp eyes caught something off in the back halls of the casino, past the restaurants. They made their way down the halls, where the overwhelming smell of cigarettes and booze began to fade. There, they found a row of vending machines.
Sunny stared at one of the vending machines and enhanced her vision using psycho waves. Her ability allowed her to detect something unusual about them. Luna, noticing Sunny's focus, unraveled her arm and let her threads explore the vending machines. She carefully felt around and eventually detected a hidden flight of stairs.
After some precise maneuvering, Luna pulled a hidden lever, causing the vending machines to part and reveal a secret passage. The two descended the flight of stairs. As they walked, they heard the vending machines close behind them. Sunny raised a hand in front of Luna, signaling her to stop, and pointed a finger down the stairs. A small ball of light formed at her fingertip, which she fired down the stairwell, illuminating the space.
The stairs were a generic set of iron steps that seemed to stretch endlessly downward. As they continued their descent, they eventually reached a long, dimly lit hallway. The corridor was lined with several metal doors on each side.
Luna approached one of the doors, surprised to find that there was no doorknob or any crack beneath the door. "Sunny, wha—" she started to ask, but Sunny quickly placed a hand over her mouth, motioning for her to be silent.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway as someone began approaching them. A man and a woman came into view.
The man was dressed in an expensive-looking suit, with a Rolex on his right wrist. His face was flawless, without a single blemish, and his neatly kept brown hair was almost unnervingly perfect.
The woman, on the other hand, was stunning. She wore a striking red dress, her figure akin to that of a supermodel. Her black hair was silky and long, cascading down her back, and her gorgeous blue eyes seemed to shine unnaturally.
"Hi! How are you two doing?" the man greeted them in a friendly voice, his tone almost too pleasant.
Sunny snaps her fingers, and a revolver materializes in her hand. She points it directly at the man. "Alright, listen here. Who are you, and what is this place?"
The man, still smiling, replies calmly, "How about you two leave this place and forget it ever existed, hmm?"
Sunny shakes her head, her grip tightening on the revolver. "Nah, nah! I asked the first question—who are you?"
The man's smile becomes sharper as he glares at her. "No. My name isn't important."
Mana begins to flare around Sunny as her right eye glows bright green. "Nah, I think it is important."
The woman accompanying him shifts into a combat stance, preparing to charge. Before she can move, Sunny pulls the hammer back on the revolver and fires with lightning speed, her trigger finger quicker than the woman's movements. The bullet strikes the woman's leg, and almost immediately, Sunny and Luna are hit with a putrid stench—something even fouler than the casino floor.
Rotting flesh.
Sunny scowls. "Fucking wendigos. Now, what are you two ugly sons of—" Before she can finish, the woman recovers unnaturally fast and tackles her to the ground. The man, still calm and motionless, locks his gaze on Luna.
Luna pulls out her knife, her focus narrowing in on the man. With precision and speed, she leaps toward him. The man raises his hand to strike her, but he feels something wrap tightly around him, constricting his movements. Looking down, he sees threads extending from Luna, now tightening around his body.
"You little—" he starts but is interrupted as Luna slashes at his throat. She lands at a safe distance, observing him carefully. The man turns to face her, clutching his neck, blood dripping from the wound. However, to Luna's shock, the injury begins to heal rapidly.
In one swift movement, the man escapes Luna's threads.
"What the—?" she exclaims, her voice laced with disbelief.
The man smirks. "Shocked? I would be too. You see, most people use magic by reciting incantations in their heads. Me? I don't need to do that."
His smirk widens as his wounds continue to heal, leaving Luna momentarily stunned as she prepares for what might come next.
Gritting her teeth, Luna grips her knife and slams her hand onto the ground. "Pillars of earth, impale him!" she commands. The ground shifts and transforms as jagged stone pillars erupt from below, rushing toward the man. However, with minimal effort, he shatters them, swinging his fists a few times until the pillars crumble into pieces.
Undeterred, Luna unravels her arm, flinging it toward the ceiling and yanking down a large chunk of debris onto him. She stomps her foot, transforming the ground beneath her into a rubbery surface, then bounces upward with precision. Using her unraveled arm as a grappling line, she swings to the ceiling for a better vantage point.
The man rises from the rubble, dusting himself off as if unbothered. "Interesting tactic," he remarks, his tone mocking. Then, with a casual motion, he fires a laser beam from his fingertip, freezing the air around Luna. He flicks his finger, shattering the ice and causing her to lose her grip. Luna plummets toward the ground but lands on the rubber surface, which cushions her fall. However, the bounce sends her careening into the wall.
The man smirks, crossing his arms as he watches her. "Well, go on. What's your next plan?" His voice drips with arrogance, as though toying with her.
Luna groans, pushing herself to her feet. Without hesitation, she begins charging a lightforce attack in her hand. With a sharp cry, she fires the glowing blast directly at the man. He dodges with ease, smirking triumphantly—until he notices Luna has already fired a second shot. This one doesn't target him but the ceiling above.
The beam strikes, sending another cascade of rubble crashing down. The debris creates a thick cloud of smoke, temporarily obscuring the area. The man stands still, scanning his surroundings as the dust settles.
As the smoke clears, he looks around—and realizes Luna is gone. She's nowhere to be seen.
The man's smile fades as he notices the scorched, lifeless body of the woman he was with, thrown before him. Her corpse is completely burned.
"Wendigos all die the same—by fire," Sunny says coldly, pointing her blade at the man and glaring. "Now, devil, why are you here?" She spits on the ground, her disgust evident.
The man's smile vanishes entirely. "What are you talking about? I'm clearly a wendigo," he replies, trying to return his smirk.
Sunny narrows her eyes and points her revolver at him. "Listen here, devil—" She pulls the trigger, the bullet hitting him square in the head. Without hesitation, she fires the remaining five rounds into him, quickly reloads, and empties another six rounds into his body.
Luna suddenly descends from the ceiling, landing beside Sunny. "Is he...?" she begins to ask.
Sunny shakes her head. "No," she mutters before unsheathing her sword. With swift precision, she carves strange kanji-like symbols into the ground. Several of the glowing symbols now surround the man. Sunny points her blade at him.
"Listen here, devil. Get lost and don't come back, or I'll call the Priest Corps from Sanctum. And trust me, if Father Frederick gets here, he'll tear you apart in ways you can't even imagine. Got it, bucko?" she shouts, her voice filled with authority and venom.
The man begins to laugh, his body starting to fade. "Oh, I know you already called him. I can tell when someone's lying, woman," he says mockingly. As his form begins to dissipate, he fixes his gaze on Luna.
"I'll be back, don't worry. And Luna..." His voice takes on a sinister edge. "Tell Alterina I said hello."
With that, his laughter echoes through the space as he vanishes completely, leaving Sunny and Luna standing amidst the eerie silence.