Chapter 40
After a tense ten-minute walk through the dark, twisting tunnel, I suddenly spotted movement ahead. My eyes sharpened, and I tensed instinctively.
"Twenty steps forward, there’s a pack of Veralune waiting for us," I warned, my voice steady but urgent.
"How many are there?" Whitney asked, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the area.
"At least twenty. They’re all adults," I replied, my voice calm but alert.
Jason Briggs, one of our close-range fighters, stepped forward, cracking his knuckles with a smug look. "Let’s get this started."
"Wait! We need to form a plan first!" I shouted, trying to halt their rush, but my words fell on deaf ears.
Without hesitation, they surged forward, charging straight at the Veralune pack, blades flashing and aura ready.
I watched in disbelief, muttering under my breath. "Even Whitney? Wow! They just wouldn’t listen to me."
I watched as the pack of Veralunes emerged from the shadows, their crimson fur gleaming eerily in the dim light. Each of these beasts was a terrifying sight—twenty feet long, twisted and elongated bodies moving with unnatural speed and agility. Their razor-sharp claws glinted menacingly, and their glowing, bioluminescent eyes pierced through the darkness.
The pack was relentless and vicious, attacking as a chaotic swarm rather than coordinated hunters. Their instinct to strike from surprise was evident, and their ferocity made them formidable foes. Each wolf’s powerful bite could crush steel and shatter bones, and their claws could slash through flesh and bone with ease. They targeted from the neck or throat, aiming to incapacitate with devastating precision.
I kept my gaze on them, assessing my options. Their bioluminescent eyes made them deadly in low-light environments, but their tendency to attack without coordination could be their downfall—if we played it right. I knew their weak spot: their glowing eyes. A precise shot or strike to those could disable them, but with their ferocity, getting a clear shot would be tricky.