"What the fuck is that?" Edgar said, his face pale as he involuntarily took a step back, prompting the others to retreat in unison.

In the midst of the sea of darkness surrounding the lonely fortress, a single creature can be seen standing, bathing in it. It's face was far more grotesque than any fell beast they have seen before, so foul it sent fear into their hearts.

The creature had a grotesquely long neck with a large face. It's eyes were uneven and had neither pupils nor whites; they were simply hollow and empty, along with the uncanny crooked smile it wore. It's hair was long yet appeared wet and thin in numbers, as though it were losing hair, and its skin was pale yet stretched.

"What manner of ancient horror is this?" Raegan said as he subconsciously coated his arms in steel.

Everyone around them felt an inexplicable amount of dread envelope their hearts, along with a sense of loneliness and uncertainty. The more they stared at the creature, the more it intensified.

Then it spoke.

"Come... friend..."

The Nightwalkers faces turned grim as they unsheathed their blades. Claire herself started casting.

From the depths of the eerie darkness, multiple clattering sounds echoed, rapidly approaching them.

"STAY BACK!" Desmond roared as he gritted his teeth.

"HOLD!" Michael bellowed, yet to no avail. The fear was slowly overcoming everyone present... except Samael.

"You want to play with fear? I'll show you fear," Samael said, his voice enhanced by his skill encompassing voice.

The status effect [Lure] has taken effect! All enemies will feel great loathing towards you!

Unsheathing Crimson Raven, a wave of blood-red miasma surged from the butt spike of the axe, devouring the great hall in no time.

As the miasma engulfed the Nightwalkers, they broke out of their trance, their eyes gaining the clarity they had lost.

"Wh-what...?" Lilith said.

On the other hand, when the crimson fog struck the shifter, its face morphed to utter rage as its elongated mouth fell and its eyes furrowed, followed by the incomprehensible plethora of voices that thundered in the air.

"What in the shit?" Rhian muttered as she huddled closer to the group.

It didn't take long before the beast opened its mouth to lengths no human can achieve before releasing a bloodcurdling scream.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" It said without stopping, repeating like a broken record.

"That's your problem," Samael said as he flicked his wrist.

"Void Cleave."

Without warning, the creature's face halted its absurd movements before it fell in two separate ways.

"Get your shit off the gutter; we have work to do," Samael said, waking up the rest of the squad members as they clenched their jaws. Seeing Samael kill one made it seem more realistic for them. There was no time to dawdle.

"Move! They're coming!" Michael roared as everyone hastily went in position.

First came one, then two, then four, and then they surged like waves of water from a violent river. Each and everyone is as grotesque as the rest.

"Claire! Now!" Lilith shouted as Claire gave a nod.

"Swarms!"

Upon mention, the wind began to speed up, gathering in the air as it slowly converged, forming multiple tornadoes that ripped through the horde of shifters.

"Raegan!" Lilith shouted as the man rushed and smashed his fist against the solid ground, shattering the steel floors beneath them and sending chunks of shrapnel that were dragged by the tornadoes.

Stepping forward, Sergio raised his hand as the steel walls separated, forming a large barrier that protected them from the shrapnel.

"Be sharp; this isn't the end of it," Michael said as he too drew his blade and coated it in his blood.

When the winds had died, Sergio shot a look at everyone before Michael nodded. Bracing themselves, Sergio dropped the barrier.

"DIE!!!" A shifter screeched as it lunged at Sabbath. However, a pair of daggers embedded themselves in the temple of the creature.

Going ahead, Michael sprinted as he gracefully swung his blade without stopping. Every single abomination he passed fell down, headless and dead.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Meanwhile, Samael went forward without fear as he hacked and slashed, shattering bones and tearing the flesh of the shifters using Crimson Raven.

Edgar and Raegan went ahead of the group, serving as a shield against the raging onslaught of creatures.

Igniting his spear, Edgar thrust without stopping, the tip of his weapon seamlessly penetrating the flesh of the monsters hurling his way.

Raegan, on the other hand, formed a pair of gauntlets as he smashed the skulls of the shifters.

Lilith made sure not a single one went through as she kept pacing back and forth, covering the holes in their defence.

One by one, bodies fell, mangled and were ripped to shreds. Samael raised his hand as the sky was filled with thin spikes.

"Needle rain."

As his hand fell, so did the needles. The thin spikes crashed down with reckoning fury as the abominations wailed in pain. But there was no mercy as their skin melted and their organs disintegrated ever so slowly.

Forming a claw in his hand, Samael increased the intensity of his attack as he clawed and cleaved through his opponents, leaving nothing but a mess of blood.

Michael, too, kept his intensity high as he slashed a dozen beasts in a second before muttering.

"Release."

Those infected with his blood swiftly exploded into a mess of organs and flesh, scattering around and staining the walls.

Seeing they were losing, the beasts scurried into the dark, but a large wall of steel rose from the ground, trapping them.

Soon, screams of pain and torture thundered in the sky as the sound of flesh being ripped from the bone echoed.

One by one, bodies fell as the ground was bathed in red and the scent of iron permeated the air. Organs and bits and pieces of flesh were scattered at random.

Wiping the blood off his face, Samael shot a look at the rest of the squad. Everyone huffed and hungered for air, their faces covered in blood and sweat, along with cuts and bruises. But they were alive and breathing.

Claire slumped on the floor, her face pale and her eyes deep. She was drained from casting without stopping; her ethos must have dropped near rock bottom.

Seeing this, everyone allowed themselves to relax as they sat down and ignored the chunks of brain matter near them.

Resting there for some time, the group eventually moved on as they reached the end of the fortress, where a giant steel door stood untouched. There were plenty of scratches on its surface, along with dried blood stains.

"We have arrived," Michael said. "Now, you guys rest up, and I'll collect what we came here for."

Without complaints, the students sat down as they wiped away the blood and grime. Meanwhile, the other members rushed to treat their wounds, while Michael went ahead and opened the giant vault door.

The steel gate slowly opened with a creak as dust fell from the ceiling, revealing a room filled with large shelves containing all sorts of stuff. Some were machines, while others were documents.

Following the man, Samael went in as he inspected the room. Judging by the dust gathering inside, it has been a long time since anyone has stepped in.

On the far side of the room were multiple scattered black stones and black powder. Upon asking the Codex, it was revealed that it was the remains of dead Mellaguns.

After some time of searching, Samael soon found a stack of blueprints lying inside a box. Carefully, he opened them, revealing their contents.

There were multiple things inside the blueprints, such as a guide to creating the machines needed to make a forge and some weapons way ahead of their time. One of said weapons can fire a plethora of arrows at once, and each and every single arrow can take down a winged beast without issue. There were also blueprints for weapons that are beyond even Crimson Raven's rank.

What they speculated was correct; these charts would change the tide of the war.

"Michae—" Samael's words were cut short as he saw the man standing still, a glass sphere present in his hands.

Walking closer, Samael saw a video play in the sphere. There was what appeared to be a creature of small stature with black skin that glittered like gems. Could these be the famed mellaguns?

Watching closer, the sphere seemed to show the events that occurred during the attack.

There were shouts of fear and screams of death in the background before a large shockwave struck the entirety of the city.

"Sir! The machines have been deactivated! What do we do?!"

"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"We don't know, sir! Some shockwave passed by and then everything went offline!"

"Damn it! Call those that remain and take this recorder; go to the bunker and lock yourselves!"

"But sir!"

"NO! GO NOW!"

The next scenes were of the man bringing the ball inside the bunker as he gathered as many mellaguns as he could. Unfortunately, they soon encountered the shifters in their original form as they clawed through the mass.

It was brutal and savage how they gutted the Mellaguns before dragging them to the depths of darkness.

The recorder also detailed the last few weeks of survival the mellaguns endured, thinking the surrounding cities and kingdoms would help them. But little did they know that those kingdoms had also fallen victim to the same horrible fate. There was no one coming for them. And so they died, alone and cold in this small bunker, surrounded by foul creatures taunting them to open the doors and let them in.

"The blueprints weren't the only thing you're coming for, weren't you?" Samael asked.

"Yes," Michael answered.

"Were you going to tell us?" Samael asked.

"No," Michael said. It would probably be best to hide from them the gut-wrenching fate of the mellaguns and their final moments. They have already endured enough.

"I understand," Samael said as he went out. "We've found the blueprint!"

Everyone's faces beamed as they gathered to inspect the blueprints.

"It truly is something."

"Now I understand why this is a secret mission. These things can change the scales!"

"Hey! Don't be too rough! You might damage it!"

Stepping out, Michael saw the commotion as he stepped in. "Hey! Enough of that."

"I'm sure everyone is tired from the recent battle, but we have no time to waste. I'm sure many of the abominations out there have already noticed the absence of the shifters in this area, and soon this place will be swarmed by hundreds of them. So I suggest we get going," Michael said. "Follow me."

Without any choice, the group followed the man closely as they traversed deeper into the bunker, where Michael revealed a hidden door.

There they walked without stopping in a dark tunnel without lights. Fortunately, it was one-way, so there was no need for directions.

As they reached the end, they emerged inside a camp where dozens of warriors awaited them.

Some of those people were from the academy, and they took the blueprints and recording device while the rest assisted the exhausted Nightwalkers to their tents. The injured were taken to the medical bays, where they were treated by professionals.

Samael refused their offer as he sat down beside Lilith. "How's your first time going on an adventure?"

"Tiresome... but worth it," she said as she rested her head on Samael's chest.

"That's good to know," Samael said as he watched the rising sun.

Their first journey finally met its conclusion.