Bab 31: The Second Descent (1)
One fateful evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, enveloping the cursed campus in darkness, the group sought refuge in an abandoned building. They had become accustomed to the routine of fortifying their makeshift shelter, always on high alert for any sign of danger.
As they settled down for the night, Enzo and Rose took turns standing guard. The others, exhausted from the day's trials, tried to find some semblance of rest despite the ever-present fear. But something felt off to Enzo, a gnawing sense of unease that refused to be ignored.
In the distance, he thought he heard a faint rustling sound. Enzo's instincts immediately went on high alert, and he nudged Rose, who was resting nearby. She opened her eyes and followed his gaze, sensing the tension in his body.
They both knew better than to take any sound lightly in this perilous place.
Enzo motioned for Rose to stay with the group as he cautiously ventured out to investigate. The night was eerily quiet, and the shadows seemed to deepen around him. He tried to quell the rising unease in his chest, but the feeling of being watched persisted.
As he rounded a corner, his heart sank at the sight before him. A group of monsters, larger and more menacing than any they had encountered before, had surrounded the building where the survivors sought refuge. These creatures had not just stumbled upon them; it was as if they had been led here intentionally.
Enzo quickly realized that this was no random encounter. The monsters were organized, working in tandem to trap them. Panic surged within him, knowing that he was outnumbered and outmatched.
He wanted to go back to alert the group of survivors, but it was already too late. The monsters caught a glimpse of his scent and snarled at him, before running frenetically toward him.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Enzo cursed repetitively under his breath at the sight of the fifteen or so monsters running at him.
Enzo's heart pounded in his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins. He knew he couldn't defeat this many monsters alone, but he couldn't abandon the survivors either. His mind raced for a plan, trying to find a way to buy enough time for the others to escape.
Without hesitation, Enzo called his butterflies forth, releasing them in a flurry of glowing wings. The creatures acted as a distraction, swarming the monsters and diverting their attention away from the building where the survivors huddled. Enzo's agile movements allowed him to dodge the monsters' lunges, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.
Meanwhile, inside the building, Rose sensed the impending danger. Her instincts kicked in, and she urged the others to make a run for it. "We have to go! Now!" She called out urgently, her voice echoing through the dimly lit interior.
The survivors, terrified but trusting in Rose's judgment, scrambled to their feet and followed her lead. They moved as silently as they could, praying that the monsters wouldn't notice their escape.
Outside, the situation was growing more precarious by the second. Enzo's butterflies had managed to disorient some of the monsters, but the others were relentless in their pursuit.
Moreover, Enzo was being way too careful. He didn't want to lose any butterflies as it would be a terrible loss to him. After all, his strength resided in the number of butterflies he had. And if too many of them died, things will go dear for him.
That was why Enzo used mostly the butterflies that could attack from a distance, that is to say, the sand, illusion, and poisonous butterflies.
The sand butterflies made a lot of quicksand to slow down as many monsters as they could, but the latter just needed to jump away from them before it could even bother them.
That was why the poisonous one waited for the monsters to act like this. Releasing cloud of poison after cloud, they blocked their views and dealt heavy damage to them.
The purple clouds were quite big as well, making it hard to see through.
Finally, the illusion butterflies were used to make the clouds so thick and deep that it would be impossible for the monsters to come out, at least without exterior interference.
As the poisonous and illusion butterflies worked in unison, the battlefield was shrouded in a thick, purplish haze. The monsters roared and howled, disoriented and unable to see through the dense clouds. Enzo knew that this wouldn't hold them off for long, but it bought enough time for the survivors to put some distance between themselves and the encircling beasts.
"Keep moving! Don't stop!" Rose urged the group, leading them through the buildings with urgency. Their hearts pounded with fear, but the hope of escaping alive pushed them forward.
Enzo, having successfully created a diversion, decided to join Rose and the survivors. However, even before he could take a step away, something unexpected happened.
The wind picked up, dissipating all the poisonous clouds.
Enzo frowned at this sight, wondering what could have caused such a sudden change. As the purplish haze cleared, the monsters, now free from their disorientation, let out furious roars. They seemed even angrier now, their eyes fixated on Enzo, wanting to tear him apart.
However, it wasn't the end of this hell.
Before the monsters could even take a step ahead, a sudden tremor shook the ground beneath him. No, not only beneath him. The whole campus shook violently, sending off balance everyone, even the survivors who were now out of sight.
It was no ordinary rumbling, nor was a ferocious monster's approach; it was a different kind of quake, one that seemed to emanate from the very core of this cursed campus. Or maybe the world.
The ground continued to quake, the violent tremors growing in intensity. Enzo struggled to maintain his footing as he glanced around in alarm, trying to make sense of the inexplicable phenomenon. The monsters, too, were affected by the shaking ground, their roars blending with the chaotic rumbling.
"Why the hell is an earthquake appearing right now out of all the time it could have appeared!" Enzo cursed as he tried to get away from the group. He didn't know if it was his fight with the monsters that cause this phenomenon, or if something deep in slumber suddenly waking up, but it couldn't be a good omen.
No, it was impossible.
Since the start of the apocalypse, Enzo's luck wasn't even bad, it was worse than anything he could even imagine.
Sure he could defend himself, but the turn of events started to get more and more annoying as time passed. And above anything else, deadly.
Enzo's mind raced with possibilities as he attempted to comprehend the cause of the earthquake. It seemed more than just a coincidence, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something beyond their understanding was at play. The ground continued to tremble violently, and the structures around them groaned under the strain.
And indeed, something beyond what he could even fathom was at play.
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