They see one of the clergymen sitting outside one of the casinos, who waves the group over. As they approach, they're led to a building off to the side, hidden from public view. Upon entering, they find themselves in what appears to be an old church, though the building looks a little dusty, as if it's been abandoned for some time.
The nun approaches the group. "Alright, let us begin." She walks over to a nearby table and sits, motioning for the others to join her. Once seated, she starts, "First things first: we will handle the devils. We suspect there are three devils here. There was a fourth, but it seems to have left. Additionally, there are four demons and thirty-six wendigos. However, only three of the wendigos are a real threat. If they're dealt with, the rest will either surrender—or, if they don't, well, hunters will do what they do best."
JJ leans forward. "And what exactly are y'all going to do?"
The woman smiles. "We will handle the hellspawn. You four will take care of the wendigos."
Jamal raises an eyebrow. "All thirty-six? And y'all get to fight eight hellspawn? Wow, yeah, I guess to you that's fair."
Luna forces a smile. "So, about these devils and demons—"
The nun cuts her off. "Be quiet. We don't want you anywhere near any of the hellspawn."
Sunny leans forward, her glare sharp. "You'd better not speak to my partner like that."
The nun glares back at Sunny. "Your partner was clearly conspiring with one of the hellspawn. She reeks of a devil's scent and carries a wicked aura."
Sunny slams her fist on the table, causing the room to shake slightly. "That's not her fault! She didn't ask for this to happen to her!"
The nun leans forward, meeting Sunny's glare. "It doesn't matter if it's her fault or not. She's deemed hellspawn by the Church. At first, I thought a minor exorcism would suffice, but now I'm not so sure." She straightens up. "But let's change the subject. We'll deal with the hellspawn, and you'll deal with the wendigos. If we deem it necessary, we may assist you, but for now, return to where you first encountered the wendigos and start from there."
Sunny rolls her eyes, standing abruptly. She kicks her chair against the wall and storms out of the building. Luna quickly follows behind her, with Jamal trailing after. JJ is the last to leave. He turns back to the clergy. "You know, it seems like no matter the era, hunters are all the same—quick to judge. Good luck on your hunt, Sister." He then exits, catching up with the others.
As the group regroups, they head back to the casino where Sunny found the hidden entrance. Already, they can see security guards posted at the entrance. Sunny glances around, spotting a roof entrance.
JJ speaks up. "Me and Jamal should head inside. We weren't with you two before, so they shouldn't suspect anything. While we're in there, one of us can cause a scene so you two can slip in."
Jamal quickly looks at JJ. "And what kind of scene are you thinking?"
JJ shrugs. "I don't know. I could start ranting, break one of the machines, or—"
"We're not fighting," Jamal interrupts with a sigh. "That's for sure."
JJ smirks. "Alright, alright. Let's just get to it."
Jamal and JJ head into the casino, and the security doesn't even bat an eye as they walk in. Once inside, they look around and decide to head to the main floor. However, they're stopped and asked to present IDs. Jamal pulls out his ID, which is checked and approved without issue. JJ, on the other hand, pulls out his ID, and the security officer stares at it, confused.
"What the hell is this?" the officer asks, raising an eyebrow.
JJ crosses his arms. "It's an ID, son."
The man gives him a blank look. "It says you were born in the year 1889?"
JJ nods firmly. "Yeah, that's my date of birth."
The man shakes his head. "Look, sir, I can tell you're old enough, but I need a real ID."
JJ shakes his head in frustration. "No, son, that is a real ID. Clearly, you can't tell. You kids these days—are your eyes not working or something? That's a USA-made ID!"
His voice starts to rise, drawing a few glances from nearby patrons. The man sighs and reaches for his walkie-talkie, but as he grabs for it, he realizes it's no longer on his belt.
"What the—?" he mutters, looking around.
JJ casually tosses the walkie-talkie far behind him, across the casino floor. "It's a real ID," JJ says, his voice now carrying an air of authority.
The man, still patting his belt in confusion, pauses and looks at JJ. "You know what? I don't care—"
JJ cuts him off, slamming his ID on the counter. "No, son!" he says, leaning in closer. "This ID is real. Got it?"
The man hesitates, his confidence shaken. Slowly, he nods. "Yeah, man, sure, whatever. Just go."
JJ says nothing more as he grabs his ID and walks off. However, as he heads deeper into the casino, two security guards approach him.
"Excuse me, sir, can I see your ID?" one of them asks.
JJ crosses his arms and glares. "NO," he shouts, his voice booming.
One of the guards freezes, startled by the force of JJ's response, while the other's face twists into a scowl. "Let me see it!" the second guard demands.
JJ glares at him. "Make me," he growls.
The guard storms forward and grabs JJ by the collar, but before the situation escalates further, JJ spots Sunny and Luna running into the casino, having taken advantage of the commotion to sneak in.
JJ then pulls out his ID and hands it to the guard, who swipes it, checks it over, and hands it back. "See? Was that so hard?" the guard says with a smug look before walking off.
JJ smiles, shaking his head, and slips away to rejoin Jamal. Together, they catch up with Sunny and Luna. The group heads to the location where they had previously found the stairs, but when they arrive, they see that the vending machines that had concealed the entrance are gone.
Jamal and JJ glance at Sunny and Luna, eyebrows raised in confusion. As they stand there, trying to figure out what happened, Sunny steps forward. She begins feeling around the wall where the vending machines once were, knocking on the surface until she hears a hollow sound.
She looks over her shoulder to make sure no one is watching before snapping her fingers and pulling out her short sword. With precise movements, she slides the blade into a narrow gap in the wall, wiggling it around until she manages to hit a hidden lever. A faint click echoes through the air, and the wall creaks open, revealing the hidden pathway.
Sunny steps back, a satisfied look on her face. She makes sure she's the first to descend, just as she did the first time. Conjuring a ball of light, she sends it downward to illuminate the way. As they walk, Sunny carefully checks for traps, taking no risks despite it having only been a day since they were last here.
When they reach the bottom, they spot a guard. Before anyone can react, JJ knocks the guard out with a single blow. "Don't worry, he's not dead—just taking a nap," he says with a reassuring tone.
The group notices that the door Sunny had broken before is already repaired. Sunny shakes her head and sighs, her disgust for the place still apparent, but she knows they need to press forward. Pulling out her phone, she contacts Sanctum once again. "Yes, ma'am," she says before hanging up. Turning to the group, she adds, "They're en route right now to help with civilian evacuation."
As they continue down the hall, they notice a surprising lack of guards, making them all uneasy. The silence feels heavier with each step, and Sunny tightens her grip on her weapon, prepared for anything.
They find themselves standing in front of two large steel doors. JJ cracks his knuckles before channeling psychic energy into his fists. With a powerful strike, he forces the doors open. They're immediately greeted by four wendigos, their gaunt, twisted forms looming in the dimly lit room. The monsters are startled by the group's presence and, before anyone can react, they dart away, turning invisible and disappearing from sight.
Jamal breaks the silence, confused. "Uhh, what the hell?"
The group remains on high alert, still in their defensive stances. Slowly, they move forward, scanning their surroundings. It becomes clear they've entered some sort of science facility. People are suspended in large tanks filled with either black goo or cyan goo. The eerie glow of the room casts shadows across the walls, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
Sunny cautiously approaches one of the tanks, curiosity and concern mixing on her face. As she gets closer, the person inside suddenly opens their eyes, causing her to jump back slightly. To Sunny's surprise, their eyes appear to be slowly transforming, taking on the eerie, predatory look of a wendigo. She stiffens, gripping her weapon tightly, as the implications of what she's seeing begin to sink in.
Then they hear something approaching them. As they all turn toward the source of the sound, they see an eight-foot-tall, fully grown adult wendigo staring them down.