Reconnaissance
The two of them lowered themselves to the weathered alloy, looking cautiously over the edge. Far away, in the middle of the ruined city, an enormous body of a ghastly creature was hidden between the rubble, long swathes of it submerged into the water.
The creature resembled a monstrous centipede that was at least a hundred meters long. It was encased in pale chitin... no, not chitin. Bone. The giant centipede seemed to be covered in countless thousands of human skulls, all of them stuck together to form a morbid carapace.
Its horrid maw was large enough to swallow an armored APC and full of grotesque, hone-white teeth. On its head. two tall, dead trees grew from the carapace of skulls like skeletal horns.
Taking care to not fixate on the grotesque creature directly, knowing that some abominations could sense when they were being watched, Sunny couldn't help but feel a chill.
"That thing's going to be a nightmare."
Silence was the key, and thus, Sunny used the mystical [Blessing of Dusk] to communicate his thoughts, avoiding speaking aloud. Jet, receiving his silent message, responded in kind, her voice echoing in his mind against the backdrop of deathly stillness and the mournful wind.
"Examine its mouth."
Sunny did as she asked, his eyes widening at the sight below.
The monstrous centipede writhed, its long neck contorting as it gagged and then retched up a mass of wet, slime-coated bones. It seemed for a moment as if the creature was having difficulty digesting its last meal, but then the pile of bones began to shift, slowly forming into a twisted, nightmarish figure.
Rising unsteadily, the abomination stumbled away and vanished beneath the water's surface. Sunny's brow furrowed in disgust. How many of these abominations had the centipede spawned?
After a brief pause, he turned to Jet, his voice grim.
"It's one of those Corrupted Tyrants."
Jet's face twisted into a frown.
"It does seem that way, doesn't it?"
Moving swiftly, Soul Reaper retrieved several bulky devices from her backpack. These were sophisticated sensor arrays and recorders, supplied by the army and crafted using intricate spelltech technology. l?ghtnоvеlcave?c~оm. But despite their complexity, they proved useless in the face of interference from a nearby Gate.
Minutes passed, filled with futile attempts to gather information, until Jet finally sighed and shook her head at Sunny.
He simply shrugged.
"Guess we'll have to contact Army Command."
Without a word, Jet moved to a safer spot and activated her military communicator. Despite the harsh static, she managed to convey a message:
"HQ, this is Recon Four and Recon Nine. Target sighted, threat level core-five. Requesting analyst backup."
A brief wait, and Jet signaled they needed to wait three more minutes.
'They're moving fast. Must be important,' Sunny thought, his mind racing.
The situation seemed critical, and he could sense the urgency. He summoned a Memory, a rare and valuable tool that connected them to the army headquarters through a twin circle of patina-covered bronze, allowing diviners to extend their senses across vast distances.
Minutes later, as Jet rejoined him, a mental message reached Sunny.
"They're watching now."
As the ghastly centipede continued its grim work below, both Sunny and Jet held their breath, fear dancing in their eyes. Time seemed to stretch as they watched, their minds racing.
Eventually, the connection with headquarters was severed, and Jet looked at Sunny.
"They're concerned about that monster. We need to stay put and observe. Report if it moves."
Sunny's heart sank as he looked around, the wind biting into his flesh, the acrid smell lingering.
"Guess I'll catch some sleep."
Jet's eyes widened in shock.
"What? I get to sleep first! I haven't slept in ages!"
A gloomy stare from Sunny, another sigh.
"Alright, you go ahead. I'll watch over our friend here."
'Why does she even need to sleep? She's not even alive!'
Hours passed, shifts changed, and the Tyrant continued its macabre work. When it finally moved, Sunny and Jet were quick to action, reporting to Army Command and preparing to follow.
Two entire companies were dispatched to face the abomination: the Wolves and the Nightsingers. Sunny's face twisted into a crooked smile at the thought of reuniting with old comrades Effie and Kai.
The battle to come promised to be one for the ages.
