There was an unpleasant reaction coming from the entity. Had there been no warning signs, we wouldn't have come prepared. Jaws the size of an excavator bucket, clamping down on the prey it just caught. We weren't making it out alive today.
I slowly backed away from the creature, trying not to make any noises to aggravate it. There was a reason why this thing was locked up, far away from any signs of civilization. No average military operatives were capable of subduing something of this size. Constant sounds of gnashing on soft tender flesh filled the large containment room.
We were part of a special facility containment camp, dedicated to eradicating any possible threats to the outside world. I was the leader of my reconnaissance squad and the youngest to ever step onto the battlefield. This was enemy territory, or rather was. It's now a barren wasteland that only contains the largest of abominations unknown to the world. We knew some of us wouldn't make it back home, yet had still pushed forward. The sight in front of us was horrendous.
Cordulegaster boltonii, commonly known as the Golden-Ringed Dragonfly. A large dragonfly species found only in the United Kingdom. However, this was no ordinary animal. This was a monster.
The reason for our operation was clear as day. Kill the target. We had thought the mission would be just like every other day, get in and get out once we fulfill the contract. So why was everyone else dead..? Why am I still alive? The whole squad had been wiped off the face of the earth. I fall back and land in a giant pool of blood belonging to my comrades. The horrified faces still etched into their heads even if they were to be decapitated. A surge of emotions flooded into my system, guilt and anger. Why didn't I do anything to help? I stared back at the giant dragonfly still crunching down on the people it just slaughtered. It paid no attention to me, who was struggling to get back up.
This wasn't supposed to happen. I held back the tears as much as I could, but the effort was wasted. An ugly cry from a man that just lost all his friends in one fell swoop. The mask on my face only made the crying sound muffled. Nothing could have possibly warned us for this future event. The communications team told us this would be easy. Why did this happen? My friends would still be alive if the right information was given. Had they known about this monster? It hit me right then.
Jericho.
It had to be him. The rage slowly built up from inside of me. Jericho had always been envious of us. Being able to go out and slay monsters instead of being stuck in a room and giving out slightly helpful information. But most of all, Sari. I guess he, who didn't like how close she was to me, decided that no one could have her if he couldn't. It must have been him. There was no other explanation for this accident. My blood was pumping, almost feeling like I could burst any moment.
My life was never the greatest at the start. Being poor for the first years of my life was the worst experience. Begging out on the streets would at least help me get by for the day, but when the worst would come I'd lose it all in a heartbeat. Tormented by my parents and the surrounding kids, it would have been best for me to just leave it all behind. That was until I was 14, I picked up my first and forever weapon. Narukami. A battle had ensued in my town that left it in complete ruins. I would call it my home but... what was there for me to say that? A person died in front of me and all I did was pick up their weapon.
I was brave, I was strong, and I was compassionate. Now I was just a coward trembling in the face of death. There was nothing I could do except to put up a struggle to at least injure the dragonfly. My life was over and it would be any second now.
However, I knew I had to keep going. It's not like me to just give up like this. If my team was still alive, they would be encouraging me to move on. But that's impossible right now since they're gone and never to be seen again. I grabbed onto my Narukami, gripping it tightly and wrapping a cloth around the handle so it doesn't fall out of my hands. The tears dried up around my eyes and I managed to calm down by breathing.
My eyes locked down onto the dragonfly as it finished feasting on the bodies of my squad. It seemed as if it was ready to strike at any given moment. My Narukami fires up, ready to be used in battle.
"Ranged mode." Narukami begins to shift modes, altering its appearance and firepower. It's been noted that close range attacks at the start of the battle would be useless. I press down on a button near the handle and Narukami begins charging up a golden light in its barrel. The dragonfly must have noticed what was happening as it let out a blood curdling shriek and began to lift off the ground with its wings and flew towards me at swift speeds. The adrenaline in my body had now begun surging intensely. It's now or never… I knew I had no chance at beating this thing by myself, but it was best to think that I could and would need to try my hardest to survive this death battle.
With Narukami in ranged mode, there was a chance. The golden light that was charging suddenly burst and surrounded me with energy. I felt a burst of power inside of me. As the dragonfly came in range of fire, a bolt of electricity emanated from my legs and around the room. In an instant I'm launched upwards, far above the dragonfly's body. Since it's huge I have a slim chance of missing. Gripping onto a side handle on Narukami, I fire five bursts of electricity at its wings hoping I could at least get rid of that fast mobility. There was no way those shots could miss, right? Just then, the dragonfly zooms quickly out of the way from the shots and just barely escapes from being hit.
The five spheres of electricity that missed impact onto the ground causing a massive explosion. I kept shooting spheres non-stop at the dragonfly hoping to hit it at least once but it was too fast for me to keep up. Each sphere would hit the ground, causing the room to crumble each and every time.
Dust and debris filled the area and it was hard to figure out where the dragonfly was. As I was looking around, without any warning the dragonfly pursued me through the dust cloud and slammed into me with a great force causing me to launch into a wall. Way too fast… I can't see anything. My armor was torn, the mask began to crack, and blood splattered everywhere. But right before I was launched, I had spotted a few large metal containers. It was a perfect chance to recover and gain intel on how to beat this thing.
Using the dust cloud still lingering to my advantage, I limp towards the metal containers still clutching onto my side. It was a good thing the dragonfly didn't spot me going into here. The size of the thing was too big to fit into the containers so it would take some time for it to get to me. I stab a syringe into my chest and gain my composure back, feeling better than before now that I'm slightly healed. The dragonfly was still up and about, flying around the room at intense speeds trying to find the prey it had just lost.
I can't win. I can't fight against this thing properly. Doubt filled my head. Was there really a way for me to gain an advantage? It was a lost cause with false hope. Just then, the containers started the tremble. It found me. A loud shriek could be heard from outside the container, as if it's yelling at me to get out of there. What can I do? The thoughts of my fallen friends, the betrayal, and my past all brought more determination to survive. Narukami starts charging up again as I stand up against the container, looking for the right chance to run out and attack.
But then a realization came to mind. A weakness I'd had read about during my research on insects, a dragonflies eyes were sensitive to bright light. If I could temporarily blind the dragonfly, it would give me a crucial advantage. Fortunately, my gear had been equipped with high-intensity flash grenades for emergencies. As soon as the time comes I grab one of the grenades and pull the pin, throwing it out of the container. A loud boom sound is heard and I rush out of the container hoping it worked on the dragonfly.
It's on the floor wiping its eyes. Yes! Now was a good opportunity. I aim for the wings and shoot 2 beams of electricity, burning one and slicing off another. The dragonfly is now rendered useless and needs to walk in order to get me. But just after that, it regained its vision and started charging at me. However, its attempt was useless considering that dragonflies can't walk and needed their wings to mobilize. It thrashed about and flung debris around with its body to no avail. All it would do was struggle and I was watching it do so. Now was the perfect chance to kill it.
Narukami begins charging up one last time, but for the final kill. Large blasts of electricity zip out of Narukami and collide with the immobile dragonfly. A direct and fatal hit. Dragonfly blood splattered everywhere...
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The containment room was silent. No sounds came from the dragonfly nor were there any surrounding noises except for the electricity surging from Narukami. Covered in dirt, sweat, and blood from my friends and the dragonfly, I took the time to properly mourn for the loss of my squad.
Thump. I felt a sharp pain all over my body. What's going on..? I look over at the dead dragonfly's body. Strange green dust particles were emitting from it and were inching close to me. Shit! My mask had broken from the impact of being launched towards the wall. I had been breathing in this mysterious powder this whole time without noticing it. My vision goes blurry, the feeling in my legs goes numb, and I fall to the floor with a loud thud landing in a pool of blood.
This was it. The final battle. Now I'm going to die here and no one will know because Jericho will erase the evidence... Damn it! I wanted to at least kill him before I left this world. Now it will all be in vain and I won't get my revenge... "I'm sorry, everyone.."
It all fades to black. A void of nothingness. A room full of death and debris. The mission had been completed, but at what cost..?
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Flutter