Steven quickly dodged the attack from the creature, its claws slashing through the air where he had been moments before. The sheer force of the swing sent a gust of wind that nearly knocked Fionna off her feet. She stumbled back, eyes wide with terror as the beast snarled, its glowing orange gemstone pulsing ominously.
"Okay, that's definitely not your average guard dog." Steven muttered, rolling his shoulders as he steadied himself. He twirled one of his axes, the dark energy crackling along its edges.
The creature turned to face him. It crouched low, muscles rippling beneath its orangish-brown skin, readying itself for another charge.
Suddenly, the leader soldier throws a grenade at the creature. It explodes, sending the creature backwards.
Steven looks at the soldier with a raised brow. "So now you're helping us, huh?"
The leader sighs. "Don't get me wrong. The orders we received are to take you alive to G.U.N HQ. This thing will kill you and then all of us if we don't stop it. If Commander Graves sent it, she made a dumb move."
Steven smirked at the soldier's reluctant alliance. "Guess even you guys know when the real monster's in the room." He twirled his axe and readied himself as the dust from the grenade settled.
The creature rose slowly from the crater the explosion had created, its horns glinting in the dim light. The orange gemstone on its chest pulsed brighter, sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air around it. The beast let out a guttural roar, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
"Yeah." Steven muttered, glancing back at Fionna. "This just got a whole lot worse."
The leader barked orders to his squad. "Form a perimeter! Just don't shoot the gemstone! We need it alive!"
The soldiers scrambled to form a semi-circle around the creature, rifles trained on it but hesitating to fire. The leader's voice cut through the chaos, his tone sharp and commanding. "Focus your fire on its legs! We need to slow it down!"
As the soldiers fired the beast, Steven used that opportunity to attack the beast with a blast of energy from his axe.
The blast of energy from Steven's axe collided with the creature's flank, sending it stumbling sideways. The force of the impact created a shockwave that rippled through the air, knocking a few of the soldiers off balance.
The creature roared in pain, its glowing gemstone flickering erratically as the blast of dark energy ripped through its side. It staggered but quickly regained its footing, its claws digging into the frozen ground to steady itself. The soldiers, though hesitant, kept their fire on the beast's legs, their bullets tearing through the air, but it barely slowed the creature down. Its immense strength and resilience were becoming more apparent with each passing second.
"Focus, people!" The squad leader shouted, his voice strained. "We need to wear it down! Don't stop shooting!"
The creature, now enraged and reeling from the combined firepower, charged again, its eyes locked on Steven as if sensing the threat he posed. With a guttural roar, it lunged, its claws swiping at him with terrifying speed.
Steven dodged to the side, the creature's claws slicing through the air mere inches from his body. He spun, his energy crackling in his hand as he swung his axe towards the beast's flank. The dark energy hit its target, but the creature barely flinched. Instead, it pivoted and snapped its jaws at him, the sharp teeth gleaming like daggers in the dim light.
"Damn, this thing's tough," Steven muttered, twisting out of the way just in time.
Behind him, Fionna's voice was barely audible over the roar of the battle. "Steven! We can't keep this up! It's too strong!"
He grinned through the sweat dripping down his face, his eyes glowing faintly from the exertion of channeling his energy. "We don't have a choice, Finn. Just keep safe. I'll deal with this thing."
Fionna didn't have time to argue. She kept her distance, moving quickly between cover, her eyes darting around as she analyzed the situation. The soldiers were still firing, though their efforts seemed futile against the beast's sheer size and durability. They needed something more.
The creature lets a wild roar and lunges at Steven with an impressive speed. Steven tries to dodge, but the thing catches him and throws him to the ground.
Steven crashed hard into the snow-covered ground, the impact rattling his bones. He barely managed to twist his body before the creature pounced, its claws digging into the earth beside him as it prepared for another strike.
"Steven!" Fionna shouted and tried to approach to do something, but one of the soldiers held her, preventing her from approaching.
His mind raced at the sight of the creature about to strike again, thinking only about his probable death. He tried to get up but failed. As the creature was about to strike Steven, time seemed to slow down.
Steven looks around with his eyes, his body suddenly so heavy he couldn't move. "T… The fuck?" He manages to mutter.
Without warning, he feels a presence behind him, a hand gripping his cheeks with the fingers.
"Infuse the energy into the ground." A firm female voice says onto his ear.
Steven's heart pounded in his chest, his body paralyzed beneath the weight of the creature above him. The impending strike of the beast was mere moments away, its claws glistening like razor-sharp blades. Then, that voice.
"Infuse the energy into the ground."
The command was sharp, the tone unyielding. His eyes darted to the source, but all he could see was the fog of panic clouding his vision. The world around him felt suspended in time, as if everything was moving in slow motion. The creature's jaws opened wide, its growl rumbling in his chest, but Steven's focus shifted.
His breath quickened. The voice. He knew that voice.
He didn't know who it belonged to, but there was something strangely familiar about the command. It felt like a lifeline. He had no other choice. His fingers twitched as they reached for his remaining axe, still pulsing with dark energy.
"Infuse the energy... into the ground." He muttered to himself under his breath.
He put his hands onto the ground, and they start glowing. As he infuses the energy onto the floor, the energy flows like roots, targeting the ground beneath the creature and exploding under it. The creature explodes in a cloud of mist and the gemstone falls onto the ground alone.
The air was thick with the aftermath of the explosion. The soldiers stood frozen in shock, staring at the spot where the creature had once stood. Their rifles hung loosely at their sides, no longer sure of what to make of the situation. All that remained was the glowing orange gemstone still on the ground.
Fionna, her eyes wide with disbelief, rushed forward despite the soldier holding her back. "Steven!" She cried, her voice trembling with relief. She quickly knelt beside him as he struggled to sit up, his body aching from the collision with the ground. His axe was clenched in his hand, but he seemed more drained than ever.
The soldiers quickly advance to the gemstone of the creature. The leader take a device that transforms into an energy box. He puts the gemstone into the energy box and sigh in relief.
As the leader secured the glowing gemstone in the energy box, the rest of the soldiers seemed to relax, though their eyes remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings. The air was still thick with tension, and the quiet aftermath of the battle felt almost surreal.
Fionna carefully helped Steven sit up, her hands trembling as she checked him over. "You're alive," she whispered, her voice a mix of awe and relief. "I thought... I thought you were done for."
Steven groaned, rubbing his aching side where the creature's claws had grazed him. "Yeah... barely," he muttered, grimacing. His face was pale, sweat mingling with dirt on his forehead, but his grin was as confident as ever. "But you should have seen the look on that thing's face when I hit it with the ground burst."
Fionna chuckled nervously, though she was clearly relieved. She glanced back at the soldiers, who were still processing what had just happened. "You really think they're just going to let us go after all that?"
Steven's smirk faded slightly, replaced with a thoughtful expression as he observed the leader of the squad. The man was inspecting the device holding the gemstone with a wary look, his posture tense as though expecting the gemstone to suddenly react or transform again.
The leader didn't look up as he spoke, but his tone was weary and resigned. "... We owe you. We're not taking you to G.U.N, not this time. Now go away, we're saying you escaped when we tried to capture you."
Steven raised an eyebrow at the squad leader's words, his body still aching from the encounter. "You're letting us go?" His voice carried a note of suspicion. "What happened to dragging me to G.U.N HQ alive?"
The leader glanced at him, his eyes hard but his expression reluctant. "Don't make me regret this, kid. You saved our skins back there, even if I don't like you. Commander Graves may have sent that thing, but it's way beyond what we signed up for. We're cutting our losses."
Steven chuckled weakly, leaning on Fionna for support as he stood. "Guess you guys aren't all bad after all."
"Don't push your luck." The leader snapped, though there was no real malice in his tone. He gestured sharply to his squad. "Move out! We're done here."
The soldiers began to retreat, their boots crunching against the snow as they faded into the misty forest. The tension in the air remained thick, but it was slowly dissipating, replaced by the cold stillness of the wilderness.
Fionna let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Steven, what do we do now?"
He winced as he adjusted his grip on his axe, his eyes scanning the area where the creature had been. "We don't stick around, that's for sure. They might be letting us go, but I doubt this 'Commander Graves' nor Colonel Andrew will be so forgiving."
Colonel Andrew's boots echoed through the pristine, sterile hallways of the G.U.N. HQ, his face twisted in a scowl. Agents and personnel quickly moved out of his way, avoiding eye contact as he stormed toward the operations room. His coat swished with each determined step, and the surrounding air seemed to vibrate with his barely-contained anger.
He quickly enters a room and see a woman sitting on a command chair and eating some chips. He growls and clench his fists. "Commander Graves."
Commander Graves lounged in her command chair, her posture utterly relaxed despite the tense atmosphere. The room hummed with activity, monitors displaying live feeds, schematics, and data streams that filled the air with a soft buzz. A half-empty bag of chips rested on her lap as she lazily reached in for another handful.
Andrew sighs and walks closer to her, trying to contain his rage. "Ashley."
Ashley didn't look up immediately. She chewed deliberately, savoring her snack before finally acknowledging him with a languid glance. "Ah, hi Andy." She said, her tone playful and unconcerned. "What brings you to my humble command room? Don't tell me you're here to criticize my dietary choices again."
Andrew's eye twitched at her casual demeanor. He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice level. "I'm not here to discuss your habits. I'm here to ask why you authorized deploying one of the beasts in the field."
Ashley popped another chip into her mouth, her lips curling into a lazy smirk. "Oh, that." She drawled, brushing crumbs off her fingers. "I figured the team would need help on capturing that guy you're chasing for years. It's called being proactive, Andy."
Andrew's fists clenched tighter, his voice rising despite his effort to stay composed. "'Being proactive'? It is one of the research objects, we can't risk losing it! What if it killed all of our men and Steven? Or do you just not care?" He sighs. "We're lucky the soldiers could retrieve it back without damages."
Ashley leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she lazily swirled the now-empty chip bag in her hand. Her smirk only grew as she tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Oh, come on, Andy. Where's your sense of adventure? The soldiers got the job done, didn't they? And Steven's still breathing. So, no harm, no foul."
Andrew's patience snapped. He slammed his fists onto the control console in front of her, the room briefly falling silent as agents nearby froze in place. "This isn't a game, Ashley! These 'beasts' aren't toys you can throw around whenever you feel like it! Do you have any idea how much damage you could have caused? How close we were to losing control of the situation entirely?"
Ashley's smirk faded slightly, her eyes narrowing as she set the chip bag aside. "Relax, Andy. I knew what I was doing. The team on the ground was perfectly capable of handling it. Besides…" Her tone shifted, dripping with cold confidence. "You've been chasing Steven for how long now? Years? I figured you needed a little push to finally wrap things up."
Andrew stares at her and take a deep breath, trying to calm down. "... You're so lucky we're siblings. I should demote you."
Ashley chuckled, the sound soft but mocking as she casually leaned back in her chair. "Oh, please. If you demoted me, who would you have left to actually get things done around here, huh? Besides," She added, her gaze sharpening as she finally locked eyes with him, "you know I don't do anything without purpose. You might not like my methods, but they've gotten results. And whether you admit it or not, Steven's on your radar now like he's never been before." She takes a tablet and shows it to Andrew. "One of the soldiers put a tracking device on the girl with him, so now we know exactly where they are and where they go."
Andrew stared at the tablet, his jaw tightening as he took in the flashing beacon on the map. His fury simmered beneath the surface, but the glint of opportunity in his eyes was unmistakable.
"You better hope this works." He said through clenched teeth, snatching the tablet from her hands. "If this backfires, I'm holding you personally responsible."
Ashley shrugged, her smirk returning with a playful air. "Relax, Andy. Everything's under control. You'll get your golden boy soon enough."
Without another word, Andrew turned on his heel, storming out of the command room with the tablet in hand. Ashley leaned back in her chair, popping another chip from a hidden stash.
"Always so serious." She muttered to herself, watching the map as the tracking beacon pulsed steadily. "Let's see how this little game plays out."
[TO BE CONTINUED]
