The rangers had split into small groups, positioning themselves at the corners of the perimeter between the safety of Trant station and the void beyond the lights. Abyssal miasma churned above, the thundering miasma bathing the station in a chilling tension. The alien display thundered and rumbled as the abyssal condensation reacted to something in the dark. The rangers watched the skies in an anxious embrace, waiting—until something stirred.

  “Hey! Look at that!” One of the rangers called out from the southeast tower, pointing toward the sky above the Cau mountain range.

  Blazing against the murky clouds shot a light across the sky, its ardor igniting the night sky. The light trailed like a comet high, burning away at the miasma before revealing the crimson-shattered expanse beyond the clouds.

  The rangers’ eyes followed the phosphorescent flare as it faded, leaving behind the red gloom as their only respite.

  The universal channel of their comms system crackled to life as Radomir’s voice came through: “Multiple anomalous organisms in pursuit; prepare to engage!”

  The rangers tensed up in their positions as the piercing beams of lowglider lights cut through the distant haze as they swiftly maneuvered towards Trant Station.

  Two machines blitz across the fields of flowers before bursting through the chain gates of Trant station before skidding to a halt.

  The passengers dismounted in hurried jerky motions as they gathered around the entrance to Trant.

  “CB Esoteric Protocol X 1-1-23!” Carmela shouted as she dismounted the driving deck of one of the gliders.

  Radomir, with unerring finesse, cradled the unconscious Rimma as he dismounted. Rimma was limp, her head bouncing against his chest as he met with Denver. Gently he transferred her to his arms. “She’s not hurt,” Radomir muttered, his voice strained with exhaustion, “physically…”

  “Right,” Denver answered, as he delicately laid her on a stretcher that appeared to hover off the ground.

  The newly assembled group of rangers rallied and synced with the main comms line of the local squad. Radomir joined the channel, his presence marked by a low grunt before he spoke.

  “We’re dealing with Rak’da infected with an unknown contaminant of abyssal origin; they have shown intelligence—we’re working under the assumption that they’re functioning under the acumen of a third-party entity. There is missing personnel and there’s a possibility they’ve fallen under the influence of the core entity. We have only confirmed four hostiles but their true number is unknown. Every side of the perimeter must be monitored.”

  Radomir had barely finished his explanation when Ranger Sherman interrupted. “ Motion detected from the northeast tower!”

  Another ranger—Serfet—quickly added, “Motion from the southern wall!”

  “How many anomalous threats?” Carmela demanded.

  Sherman answered first, “ There’s two anomalous signatures off the northeastern tower!”

  Serfet then added, “Three more on the southern front!”

  “To positions!” Carmela and Radomir shouted in unison.

  There was an electrifying dread permeating through the air as the rangers split into organized groups and filled out any positions that required support.

  Trant Station was a roughly rectangle facility surrounded by chain-link fences made of steel. Standing tall on every corner were lookout towers equipped with automatic turrets that remained as pristine as the day they’d been installed. These towers were divided into two main groups, the southern towers and the northern towers. With the south facing Cau Mountain and the north facing the Ordovis Sea.

  The main building of Trant Station was a single story tall and featured a large tower in its southern quadrant, outfitted with anti-air weapons and instruments designed to detect abyssal fluctuation. The main building was smaller than that of its sister station, Circh. But the overall number of facilities and overall area it covered was larger.

  Outside of the fence that faced the east lay a grid of special Kyyr sensors that lined the forest’s edge from north to south. These Kyyr sensors were tied to bladed traps that were set to rip anything apart that dared to approach the facility from the forest.

  Yikes, if Gira had popped out in the wrong spot, he would’ve been turned into a some red goo.

  The main entrance faced west and was guarded by sentries and bladed traps, which had to be manually activated after a previous incident with the sensor versions. The Northeast Tower was also of note as it was connected to a garage where vehicles were kept, as well as where Lucas had taken Shredder, the Pelamüs, for safekeeping.

  There were now 21 active rangers on site—15 stationed outside and the remaining few inside the main facility. Along with them were Maurice the Hollow, Gira, Lucas, and Shredder.

  The rangers had finally finished stationing themselves, their movements taut with anticipation. Beams of light cut through the velvet shroud, searching for any sign of the Rak’da or the anomaly, but only taunting shadows swayed in the restless wind. The cool night air, thick with condensation, seemed alive, forming an esoteric reef of crystalline miasma that sprouted like frost across the earth.

  Under the eerie glow of the crimson night sky, petals of the abyssal blossom floated gently downward, settling over the reef. The reddish-pink patchwork they created might have been beautiful—if not for the ominous weight of their origin.

  Out of the void, a cacophany of horrid wails reverberated from beyond.

  The blade traps at the edge of the forest near the northeast end of the station had gone off; the grievous sound pained roars and steel cutting through the tension. The rangers stationed closest readied themselves, their eyes flickering through the interweaving sprawl of red shadows.

  On the northeastern tower, Shan, a ranger in her early 20s, sat rifle at the ready, deftly charging Kyyr mass around the magazine. She stared into the dark, tapping the side of her rifle anxiously but took a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand. Her tower partner, Sherman—a skinny young man—was not as composed. Shaken by the agonizing screams from the forest, his eyes darted frantically, searching for any sign of movement in the shadows. He trembled as he struggled to charge his Kyyr mass, fidgeting uncomfortably as he flung his rifle around, jumping at every shadow.

  Sherman’s fidgeting grated on Shan’s nerves, and she hissed at him, her voice low but sharp. “Calm down, Sherman!”

  “R-right, uh sorry,” he stammered, his breath coming in hoarse and uneven gasps.

  Shan shook her head and put her hand on his shoulder. “Listen, calm the fuck down or you're going to end up doing something stupid!” Her tone softened slightly, though frustration lingered. She let out a long, exasperated breath. “Just breathe, okay? In and out, nice and stead—”

  A flash of metallic shrapnel shot from the darkness, striking Sherman on the side of his head with a vile crack. The impact alone sent him flying off the edge, but Shan lunged, grabbing him just in time. Her grip desperate as she strained to keep him from falling.

  The roar of a Rak’da erupted from the forest’s edge, but it was overwhelmed by the deafening rattle of machine gun fire from the autosentries, their relentless barrage lighting up the darkness.

  “SHERMAN!” She screamed, “Are you okay—?” Before she could finish, the tower shook as something slammed into it. “FUCK!” She roared, gripping the railing as Sherman’s body swung against the tower’s side.

  Below, Carmela and Zoya, began unloading their guns into a Rak’da that was missing its right arm.

  The commotion caught the attention of other squads but—

  “ATTENTION!” Radomir bellowed at the southern teams. “Let them fight their fight! Stay focused!”

  The southern teams refocused, their eyes fixed on the dark hills that were marked with signs of motion.

  The Rak’da at the northeast tower began its ascent, unfettered by the hail of bullets pelting its body. Its twirling tongues stretched upward, searching for victims. Shan was caught between holding the limp body of Sherman and the encroaching vile extremities.

  “Someone catch this idiot for me!” Shan pleaded.

  Popping out of the garage that connected to the northeast tower, Morotov used his Kyyr to climb onto the roof, swiftly positioning himself beneath Sherman and Shan.

  “Drop ‘em lass!” Morotov shouted at the strained Shan. Without hesitating, she let Sherman fall into his waiting arms before turning to face the tendrils and the emerging jaws of the Rak’da.

  Realizing her bad positioning, Shan coated her hands in Kyyr and vaulted over the railing, sliding down the tower’s side just as the Rak’da reached the top.

  Against the crimson glow of the sky, the blood-soaked Rak’da ravished by gunfire looked truly ghoulish. It let out a deep roar into the night, its hollowed eyes locking onto the rangers below that were pelting it with gunfire. It hissed before leaping down unfazed by the storm of gunfire tearing into its body. It smashed into the ground with earth-shaking force, landing dangerously close to Zoya and Carmela. Its talons ruptured from the impact but from the lumps of flesh, spiraling tendrils erupted, lashing out with terrifying speed. Zoya and Carmela barely evaded the disgusting strikes, their movements fueled by panic.

  Morotov, who had failed to resuscitate Sherman, shifted from tending to the young man to engaging the Rak’da. Using his Kyyr ability, he doused the hellish thing in a flammable liquid he could produce in bursts from his hands. Carmela noticed his plan and quickly signaled to Zoya to back away. She pulled out a flare gun from her side pocket, firing at the monster and setting it on fire. The Kyyr-based catalyst for the flame intensified as Morotov poured more of it from his perch on the roof.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Meanwhile, Shan slipped past the blazing monster, carrying Sherman in her arms as she rushed him to the central building.

  Roaring in agony, the Rak’da was struck by Maurice’s mechanical tail, launching into the fence’s sparking embrace. It convulsed in a violent, electrified frenzy, somehow clinging to life. Its tortured screeches pierced the night, rousing the remaining Rak’da into action.

  The autoturrets on the remaining towers roared to life, their synchronized blasts tearing through the darkness as two Rak’da charged the southern front.These Rak’da bore deep burn marks, their grotesque forms further disfigured by the relentless hail of bullets tearing into their charred hides. Undeterred, their massive bodies slammed into the lower sections of the tower, slipping into the tower’s blind spots. Pushing through the electric surge of the fencing, the Rak’da used their claws to tare apart the autoturret’s barrels from below.

  The ranger positioned between the south towers, Radomir and Will quickly split up, each moving to secure a clear line of sight on their respective Rak’da.

  Simultaneously on the other side of the facility, the northwest tower was in a similar predicament, with Rowan and Calli struggling to stop a Rak’da from climbing the tower. Meanwhile, Sey, another ranger, descended their tower, using her Kyyr ability to stab the Rak’da through the side of the fence. She hurled blades, guiding them with her Kyyr, aiming for the creature’s eyes. But it didn’t seem to matter as the thing caught the blades with its spiraling tendrils.

  The Rak’da on the southwest tower grew visibly irritated by the barrage of Kyyr projectiles raining down from the rangers on the tower’s coop. It leaped back, its clawed feet gouging the ground as it gained distance. Then, with a hiss, it charged at the tower with incredible speed; it lunged forward, clearing it, before latching onto the side of the structure. With a swift motion, its tail whipped into the tower’s coop, the ends of its tail grotesquely splitting open like a mouth as tendrils snaked inside, grabbing Ranger Sorduce.

  “DAMN IT! SOMEONE—PLEASE—HELP!” Sorduce shouted into the night as the Rak’da’s tendrils coiled around his limbs one by one. Its tail grotesquely split further, revealing its sharp serrated tailbone beneath. Sorduce’s screams filled the air as he was lowered onto the jagged bone below as he was skewered from his ass up. The serrulated bone, sawing him in half as he screamed in pain, somehow still pleading for help. Before the Rak’da slammed its jaws on its gruesome human kebab. Surprisingly, before it could swallow, something from beyond the darkness compelled the Rak’da to let go of its treat.

  The Rak’da clearly shaken jumped into the perimeter as it slammed its tail, sending bits of Sorduce flying in every direction, his blood reaching some of the nearby rangers who swallowed their puke. Shaking its head, the Rak’da refocused its gaze, setting its sights on the nearest victim—Ranger Will.

  Will was an EX-ORPA Crimson ranger; even with the low Kyyr yield, he was experienced enough to tell there was something wrong with how the Rak’da had just reacted. But before he could process the event in more detail, the Rak’da lunged at him. In that split second, Will instinctively slipped under its maw, and with his palm outstretched, he pulsed pure Kyyr into the Rak’da’s jaw. The Rak’da let out a guttural roar, recoiling in agony as it slammed into the main building with enough force to crack the wall. But it recovered swiftly, its face reassembling as it turned to face Will.

  “By the fucking Fifteen,” Will muttered before he took the opportunity to charge at the Rak’da, using his Kyyr to slam the Rak’da hard against the building.

  Moros, the other ranger that had been up in the southwest tower, stormed out, his chest heaving with fury as his eyes locked onto the Rak’da that had killed Sorduce. “How dare you!” he bellowed, his voice raw with rage. “You FILTHY, FUCKING MONSTER!” His shout echoed into the night, filled with grief.

  “Calm d—” Will tried to calm Moros down as he continued to slam the Rak’da into the wall with more of his pulsing Kyyr.

  The Rak’da shrieked, its howl echoing under the gloom. The creature fought fiercely to rise, but Will kept slamming it with his Kyyr, keeping it pinned against the cracking wall.

  Unsatisfied, Moros began charging his own Kyyr, but before he could act, a thunderous boom erupted from the darkness behind him. In a flash he was gone—only his legs remained, stumbling forward a few aimless steps before collapsing, spilling his guts across the blossom-coated gravel.

  The third Rak’da of the southern front had made its thundering entrance, towering over its monstrous kin. Its head was robust and elongated with a pronounced brow ridge. Its eyes were deep-set, hidden by the shadows created by the flickering arcs of electricity that coiled around its bloodied jaws. Unlike the pale-green scales of the other Rak’da, this one was ghost white, its misty scales shrouding it in elegance. The back of its head was dotted with quill-like protrusions and irregular bony spikes that gave off a faint blue glow.

  Its horrific visage glowed dimly in the sinister blue afterglow as it tilted its head upward to swallow Moros. The ranger's blood dripped down from its long, serrated, and uneven teeth as the Rak’da scanned its surroundings.

  Will's stomach sank as the blue lightning crackled, flickering into fading sparks around the monstrous Rak’da.

  You see, Rak’da are not naturally Kyyr efficient. This inefficiency is the main reason that their species had become nothing more than petty space pirates that were too weak to dare venture into the Translates. But occasionally, a Rak’da would be born with a gift—a special type of Kyyr categorized as semi-pure Kyyr or more colloquially well known as Draconic Kyyr. These Rak’da would be known as Prime Rak’da, and they were all branded with a special mark, the Primer/R/ mark and their birth number.

  Unlucky for the rangers, one of the infected Rak’da was Primer/R/77—a Rak’da blessed by the true dragons. To make things worse, this monster was now in tune with Abyssal Kyyr and could unleash its draconic might on those that dare defy its hunt.

  With a crack of lightning, Primer/R/77 bolted at Will, unleashing a blast of deep blue lightning from its mouth as it crashed into the stunned Rak’da behind Will. Blowing its head and neck clean off as Will narrowly dodged the fury of Fulgurjaw-77.

  “RADOMIR, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” Will shouted as he frantically rose to his feet.

  The Fulgurjaw’s flurry of ebon-flare strikes lit the night sky as it ripped into both the downed Rak’da and Trant Station.

  Inside, everyone who was conscious jolted as the building shifted violently as the Fulgurjaw’s Kyyr discharged.

  Will was forced to use his own Kyyr pulses to bounce away from the beast’s thunderous slashes. The thundering detonation of Kyyr ripping into the downed Rak’da as it pursued Will.

  Radomir turned to face the chaos of the Fulgurjaw. Frowning, he augmented his body with Kyyr as his pose shifted into an animalistic stance. He studied the flickering beast before he burst ahead. Calculating his strike, he drove his knee into the monster’s maw, shattering its skull with the impact, causing lightning to erupt from its entrails.

  The Rak’da blindly fell to the ground, surging vile arcs of lightning around it as its skull slowly reformed. It went on all fours, its massive claws digging into the gravel as it studied the rangers. It’s still dangling eyes flickered as its hollow gaze caught sight of a trembling ranger that had fallen to her knees.

  One of the new rangers, Sam, watched in horror as the creature snapped its head back into shape. She watched as its seemingly dead and overgrown eyes struggled to fit in its skull as it forced everything back into place with a sickening crunch.

  Will noticed its body shift in her direction, “Sam! Get the hell out of there!”

  The Fulgurjaw leaped in her direction, using the roof of the station as a platform. Radomir and Will realized its plan and began to run toward Sam, desperate to reach her before the lightning beast.

  Paralyzed by terror, Sam sat there frozen as the Fulgurjaw surged in her direction and swooped down, its still-misshapen jaw igniting in blue lightning.

  Radomir and Will weren’t even close as they watched the Fulgurjaw fling Sam into the air. Her only response was a faint whimper as the creature’s jaw burst in a fervent flash. Sam’s body convulsed violently, her limbs getting caught on its razor-sharp teeth as her garbled screams echoed through the night. She was fried alive by the blue lighting; her body set ablaze as the Fulgurjaw didn’t even bother to eat her.

  Radomir roared in anger, sliding into a strange fighting stance that mirrored the Fulgurjaw’s monstrous form.

  The azure-clad beast jumped down, slamming its tail in his direction as he dodged the lightning-fast strikes.

  The Fulgurjaw prodded at Radomir with its crackling tail, inching closer as its tail resounded with a lightning-drum melody. Radomir locked eyes with the beast, focused solely on its dance of thunder. Behind him, the other Rak’da began to breach the perimeter from the southeast tower. Yet Radomir stood firm, steeling his resolve.

  Worry sank into Will’s stomach as he turned to face the northern front. “Serfet’s got that one covered. I’m going to check on the northern front.” Will shouted.

  Radomir frowned under his helmet. “Suit yourself! But don’t worry too much over Calli—” Radomir replied, dodging a tail strike.

  Behind Radomir, far off by the southeast, rangers Serfet and Ribbon faced yet another Rak’da. Unlike the others, this one had once relied heavily on its mechanical augments, but after becoming infected, those enhancements had been discarded. What remained was a more serpentine creature, slithering and weaving in with rapid strikes. Its slim pointed jaws snapped at the two, but with unparalleled grace, Serfet cut its lower jaw with a clean slash.

  Much like how the Rak’da had the Fulgurjaw, the rangers had their own powerhouse within their ranks—Serfet, a Vileblood with a Kyyr ability perfectly suited for blade control. His Kyyr ability—Vile Rive—allowed him to augment his vision and weapons with Kyyr, enabling him to calculate and precisely cut almost anything. From steel to dragon bone. This technique, matched with his quick thinking and speed, made Serfet a rising star in the ranger corps.

  In a flash, Serfet deconstructed the Rak’da, leaving poor Ribbon, shocked and honestly more horrified by the guts that were flying in her direction. Despite being cut to pieces, the Rak’da’s bits still twitched and writhed.

  With blind rage, its spiraling tendrils lashed out, attempting to reform its broken form. The wild attack forced Serfet and Ribbon to retreat from the half-corpse.

  Meanwhile, by the southwest tower, Radomir tried to guide the Fulgurjaw into smashing into the remains of the other headless Rak’da. Yet the Fulgurjaw seemed to keep its distance, wary of the decapitated body.

  On the northern front of the conflict, Will arrived to find Rowan, Calli, Sey, and Maurice pelting the northwest Rak’da. It had been set on fire by Morotov and Carmela, but unlike the first Rak’da they had set aflame, this one fought with deranged determination. But amid the blazing chaos, the Rak’da froze. Then, without warning, it let out a piercing screech and bolted from the scene. Its massive body crashed into the northern fence, ripping into the steel with horrid strength. The jagged metal slashed into its blazing body, sparks flying wildly as it thrashed, until its body finally fell limp.

  The north tower squads regrouped, relieved to have avoided casualties, though Sherman’s condition was dubiously bad.

  Will called out to them, “What’s the status?”

  “We managed somehow, but they just wouldn’t die!” Rowan said, gesturing toward the smoldering Rak’da. The creature was somehow still barely moving, trying to move even though it no longer had the muscle capacity to support its huge body.

  “H-how about your side?” Calli asked as she peered around him to see flashes of blue and the sounds of thundering roars in the distance.

  “We’ve lost Moro, Sorduce, and Sam,” Will replied grimly. “They’re dealing with an infected Primer/R/ ; I came here to bring some support and check up on your situation.” Will added.

  “Why didn’t you radio?” Carmela asked, staring at Will through her helmet.

  “Because the boy’s heart is set on this one.” Morotov interrupted, pointing at Calli.

  “NO! It’s not like that—I just.” Will stammered, clearly flustered.

  “Learn some tact, Morotov!” Zoya interjected.

  “Let’s focus!” Shan cut in, “First off, Will, you’re a selfish dumbass; second, let’s go help!”

  “Right.” Carmela said, shaking her head, “ Zoya and I will go support them. You guys keep an eye out for any signs of the core anomaly.” She then turned to the Hollow and said, "Maurice, warn the city about the current situation. With the abyssal storm, nothing is getting through to Krreat Station.”

  Maurice slithered in closer, “Mmm, yes, ma’am, but if I may humbly re-Ku-est somethin’ from you.”

  “Uhh, go ahead.” Carmela replied.

  “Please save my buddy—Gaolbird ain’t kicked the bucket yet.” Maurice’s ear attachments drooped as he made his request.

  Carmella nodded. “We’ll get Gaolbird back!” She said walking over and put her hand on Maurice’s snout. “I promise.”

  “I’ll be. Thanks ma’am! —Then I’ll be off!” Maurice then turned towards Krreat before it propelled itself over the fence and vanished in the dark.

  “Alright, let’s get to work!” Carmela shouted.

  As the groups began to disperse, Will turned to say something to Calli, but she didn’t even seem to register he existed. He hung his head low before Carmela tapped his helmet.

  “Beat it, lovebird!” Carmela hissed.

  Unbeknownst to the rangers on the northern front. Draped in the shadows cast by the Rak’da’s burning corpse, something had crawled its way into the garage. Finding its way to the panicked Pelamüs. The pale figure stretched out its hands, revealing its massive claws, their tips hollow like needles, with tendrils stretching out from within the appendages. With one slash. The night would take a turn for the worst.