Ignavus : City of Blood

Act 28 : Invisible Horde

~tap-tap-tap~

“I’m going, fellas. Wait for me here.”

Shanice strides past the cave entrance ahead in brimming confidence. She obtained extra supplies of explosives within the backpack for her extensive firepower against the invisible monster across the north. Gads Gilmore also handed down three pairs of his chain-reaction detonators for aiding her escape alongside various other devices within the bag.

~bzzt~

“It’s two kilometers from your direction, now. Hold your breath if it’s necessary, but don’t take too long in hiding.”

The bearded man guides her way forward throughout the radio receiver and goggles on both eyes. Shanice fitted on her durable armor suit in respect of their extra-ordinary beast up ahead. Based on her knowledge about the project, the invisible kitten were determined for extermination of outer-space threat whose technology are beyond comprehension of human sense. It is undetectable and hidden under the veil of its advanced camouflage for ganging up the opponent with its horde.

“These redwood trees made me uncomfortable. It’s too hard to make a good cover out of them.”

~beep-beep~

Shanice deployed the last surveillance drone that the bearded man has given. She smeared her blood onto the two explosive grenades that were latched onto its available compartment at the bottom. In her own deduction, the beast will react towards any weapons that were interacted with the contestant’s DNA, therefore her ideas to stain them up before flying it airborne,”Okay, you can handle them all, now. Unload those bombs when they shown up before me.” She commanded.

“ It’s my technology, sis. Consider it done.”

The drone flutters upwards to unreachable heights that the invisible kitten would have no interest about. One positive note regarding the small creature that they have known is related to its maneuverability. Because of their tiny composure and petite legs that has no certain climbing capacity, they could never be able to scale the redwood trees and decimated the flying drone above. Towering structure of the tree stems also helped them making such method difficult to manage. There are no branches or rough patches to take a jump upon in any way imaginable.

~zuu-zuu-zuu~

Once reaching the desired altitudes, Gads Gilmore activated its auto-pilot mechanism and programmed the drone to follow Shanice onwards. By the crosshair that appeared at the middle of her goggles, she could order the drone to glide downwards and unloading its equipped explosive grenades once hitting certain heights down under.

The leader could even ordered them to do suicide dive, as well, added one other options to versatility that the drone has offered.

”It’s on you now, sis. Good luck.”

A few hundred meters left.

Shanice sensed shudders on either arms. She was once a supervisor for the invention of the invisible kitten. In her management, Aldo Meridic has ordered the branch of WIC company to develop them out of local myth that was passed on from generations to generations. It is a blend of genetically engineered kitten and a large number of rabies-infected rats around their vicinity. Based on ferocious characteristics of the rats that were driven from its illness and incredible rate of reproductions, the invisible kitten could multiply up to a hundred specimens after one hour in the latest experiment they have enacted in the past.

It was occurred years ago. Shanice has no information pertaining its recent potentials that brought them into the real world today. Aldo Meridic could be using them for becoming his rabbit on the test, as no one have known of his intention on the game and its reason in a whole.

~clack-clack~

Shanice gently slapped her F-2000 assault rifle on its sideand checking on the magazine despite her being keen on replacing them at the beginning of her advance. It is overwhelming, indeed, for the bravery of the leader to be tried out once more,” I can do this. Please, make this work for me.” The curly-haired woman stroked her chest to slightly console the beating heart within.

She peeked across the battleground at the north from behind the gigantic composition of redwood tree. As estimated, the curly-haired woman perceives thousands in her discernment. Enjoying cat-like behavior over this distance, they were licking on the fur all the time to squash away malicious critters and took a bath in constant period.

But then, such sightings enacted another ideas into her mind. Her eyes sparkled before the herd of the invisible kitten and shook herself in disbelief,” It’s true, guys. I can see them clearly like sunrise from here.” Shanice informed her colleague in whispering whiff. She was overjoyed a bit by such findings, thus increased prolific amount of adrenaline and goes instilled within her veins. Without further ado, the curly-haired woman prepared explosives grenades within the left hand at the side of her F-2000 assault rifle on the other.

“Fire in the hole.”

~swoosh~

She throws one grenade by revealing her left hand slightly and does them sideways in low-powered fling. It is the smoke shells that Shanice has tossed to the battlefield, a shrouded entry for the woman to unleash her wrath upon the invisible kitten subsequently,” Go to hell, you bastard!” she clamored while throwing another grenades from her trembling grip, facing the risk in the open afterwards.

~boom-boom~

~shrieking noises~

They let out screaming voice of a cat when explosive grenades bombarded their grounds in random direction. Shanice placed the fall at their center to warrant mass killings in every count of her available shells. The goggles exposed each and every invisible kitten that were scurrying away from the core despite white clouds of smoke grenades that was deployed earlier.

~tap-tap-tap-tap~

They sniffed their way forward to seeking the cause of such tragedy that befalls them in this period. Shanice heard squeaking voice of a rat rather than the cat ones they have been emitted before,”Oh no, they started to locate me...” Shanice muffled her voice a little. She retreated back in rapid motion to prevent being caught by the malevolent crowd, but the groups were seemingly faster in discovering their prey once startled.

~bang~

She laid out a barrage towards the jumping kitten and killing them instantly in large numbers. Their adaptable instinct will eventually learnt of such petty trick and created their own assault pattern as the next one on the line,” Die, die, DIE!” She yelled ahead of the impending creatures that were continuously jumping headfirst to catch her off-guard. From that close of a distance, Shanice witnessed their vicious fangs twitching out of thirst for blood. It is fairly outrageous to behold of such abomination in direct combat. Their roughness structure and raggedness on its surface brought her skin to bathe in tremor. One would think of how violent it was to be bitten once being pressured to the edge, especially when dealing against those monstrosity up front.

~click-click~

“Damn it!”

Before another fray managed to bite her face off, the curly-haired woman activated crosshair targets on her goggles for unleashing the next strategy at hand. The drone dives forward when her goggles locked their objective in the forefront picture,” Boom it, Gads!” called Shanice into the radio receiver straight away.

~bwoosh~

The drone dropped the bomb shells in-between Shanice and the pursuing beast. It explodes and separated them from one another in an instant. By the force of outward detonation, Shanice goes blasted out of their sight and being tossed away under tremendous energy that was produced.

“Argh!”

~bam~

She crashed onto the redwood tree. However, her consciousness still intact due to spine-protection technology that goes buffed up when detected possible injury-caused tragedy on the torso. It acts in similar manner to the airbag within the steering wheel of conventional vehicles. In less than miliseconds before impact, the inflatable fibers will absorb most aftershocks caused by the contact and reduced chances of death into zero.

In this occasion, Shanice could rise up and running away straight after. She drifted past the dead trees on the ground and slide onto its watery exterior in subsequent manner. They were splitted up into more than twenty meters of space in-between following the impending knockback that occurred. But then, the monster packs in front of her were restless and having endured those outbursts already, no matter of how powerful that flares soared up back before.

“You okay, sis? It’s a little tad blurry on the radar.”

Gads Gilmore voiced his concern towards the risky actions that his sister was taken. Shanice was panting heavily on the radio transmission, leaking her frustration that was visible on the recurring breathe sequence that the curly-haired woman appeased so far,” It’s not important, Gads. What’s the status of our threat, now? It should be reduced hefty this time.” Questioned the curly-haired woman towards her fellow members inside the cave.

The bearded man was humming in response to the query posed. He viewed the whole diagram and compared them to the earlier statistics that he had captured. From Shanice’s perspective, however, such inactions made the woman goes fuming afterwards,” I’m in the middle of dangerous task, and you’re there mocking me somehow.” She worked up her fury into the radio received and released them whole.

“It’s half vanished, thanks to you, sis. I’m looking at the statistics awhile back, there, so don’t be so feisty on me, will ya?”

~guru-guru-guru~

Listening to the horde on the opposide flank of the fallen tree, Shanice gasped,” I’m going, now. If you have any good ideas for me, please let me know real soon.” She muttered into the receiver. Waiting for no response from her teammates, the curly-haired woman sprints away from the dead tree in speed. The invisible kitten was unable to cross the fallen trees by simple climbing, so they roam around the trunk and approached the other side of the dead trees after its detours.

~bzzt-bzzt~

“Use the sphere bomb as a trap, sis. Hope it can help you much. I see that small critters were unable to rout you forward, so I think there must be an obstruction between you and them.”

Gads Gilmore proposed. Shanice nodded towards the plan and devised them on the double,” I know this diversion will work for a good minutes, at least. Thanks, Gads.” She mumbled, then deployed two pairs of sphere metals on each flanks of the dead tree.

~beep-beep~

Shanice rests one foot forward and kneeling one-legged in twenty meters space from the dead tree. Her eyes fixated onto the scope towards the possible area that would be overwhelmed by those monsters first. In Shanice’s deduction, the beast sees her jumping across the dead tree near the root, which was located across the left flank in her horizon,”i’ve got five hundred bullets, now. I guess it won’t do much to annihilate the kittens, but I’ll make enough for us to pass.”

~bzzt-bzzt~

The radio transmission suddenly breaks and ringing fuzzy in her reception. It is weird, since their latest conversations were occurred in utmost clarity than rippling up and down in transmission. She bites her lips and twitching them under impulsive distress whilst maintaining her attention towards the front,”Hey, you read me? What’s going on?” She asked, with her own voice noted apprehension within the throat.

The next ones made her eyes tearing up.

“That rats attacked us in the cave, sis!”