Antares'' company barely kept pace with the five raging Rakshasas. They crossed the square and turned left. They reached a small side door hidden under the camouflage canvas cover. One of the spies, Observer E, had informed them that the entrance was the least guarded, and a majority of the Union forces defended the main entrance or exits.


    Two Kehrians ripped the canvas cover from the wall, uncovering the door. They raised their rifles and pulled the triggers. Their weapon made an ear-piercing burr, spewing out large bullets into the hinges and lock. When cracks appeared on the wall, the creatures charged at the barrier. With the entire mass of their hefty bodies, they rammed the door leaves that crinkled under their force. The Kehrians stepped back, and one of them gathered momentum and sprang, breaking the door with a kick. The metal leaf fell to the ground with a dull bump and scuffed up thousand-year-old dust.


    The Rakshasas looked around and ran into the dark corridor, giving a sign to follow them. Antares and the rest of the Celestians took a position at the end of the formation. He did not let the others notice his rage that the Rakshasas had picked up all the glory for themselves again, making him stand back and wait for the open combat.


    Damned Beasts, he thought, my people will die, and they’ll claim all the credit for themselves or celebrate the victory they gained due to our sacrifice.


    Waiting deep in the corridor, a group of the Unions greeted the invaders with a spate of fire and grenades. Their bullets just ricocheted off the Kehrians’ armours and stuck into the walls. In the gloomy and cold interior of the fortress wafted the smell of gunpowder, melting metal and sweat of the horrified defenders. The excruciating clunk of shots, the rumble of exploding grenades and accompanying them, the mechanical roar of Beasts pierced the musty air. Pounding into the walls, floor and ceiling, the bullets and sherds sheared off fragments of the murals and scuffed up clouds of dust until a thick, brown layer of dirt covered the shining Kehrian armours and the ragged Celestian coats.


    Ambushed in the empty tunnel and protected only by bulletproof vests, the Unions could not save themselves from the hail of lead. One by one, they dropped dead, screaming and spilling pools of blood. None of their weapons perforated the Kehrian armour. They ran deeper and deeper into the fortress, passing riddled corpses of their companions.


    Leading the assault group, the Rakshasa fired several times more, then clipped his warm rifle to his belt. Ignoring bullets hitting his armour, he fell to his knees in the middle of the corridor and spread his arms. Metal claws slid out of his gloves like a ravenous creature.


    “Devi!” he roared, and his harsh voice drowned out the exploding grenade. “In your name, I, Jangalee, take the lives of those who stood against you!”


    He rose up from the ground and darted ahead, right at the petrified Union. He sank his claws into the enemy skull and with one move, he slammed it against the wall. Pink-red pulp covered the old murals as if a furious artist had spilt a bucket of paint on his work.


    The Rakshasa raced on. Leaning across, he attacked from below. With a long, smooth move, he caught the stomach of a Celestian girl and ripped her guts out, breaking her spine and several ribs. His prey screamed for a while until the Beast sliced her lungs. Jangalee halted and tilted his head, staring at the scraps dangling from his claws. Red, mushy leftovers of the Union’s last meal drained out of them and dripped on the Kehrian’s boots. He expressed his scorn and disgust through a soft growl and brushed the twisted pieces of flesh away.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Only when one of the Unions cried out, the rest ran for their lives. It aroused even more primitive savagery in the heart of the Beast.


    Jangalee got bored of the pointless carnage. Cutting his way through the Unions with sweeping moves, he caught a tall Ifrit. He wanted to dig his claws into the reptile’s face, but his prey blocked the stroke even when pure terror gleamed in his eyes.


    “A challenge?” whispered Jangalee and smiled behind the golden mask.


    He grabbed the creature’s horn, wrestling with him only for fun. Eventually, he charged and pinned the reptile to the wall. Sticking out of his armour, the golden ornaments pierced the Ifrit’s thick skin. They both roared at once, the Ifrit with pain and Jangalee with fury. The Beast clamped his claws on the opponent’s neck. Slashing through the thin skin in that part, the blades reached the Ifrit’s spine and wedged between the vertebrae.


    “She will reward me for the glory I bring her,” hissed the Kehrian and tore the reptile’s neck open.


    Panting hungrily, he stepped back, letting the body slump over and flood the dusty floor with dense, claret red blood. Fragments of skin and flesh stuck to his gloves, and crimson ooze covered him up to his elbows. He stood astride, raising his head and gazing at the ceiling with an empty sight.


    In his pulsing veins, he felt not only the surging adrenaline but also something that the narrow minds of the uninitiated could not comprehend. It was like a presence of unbodied, otherworldly being, warm and brisk, filling him with serenity and quiescence. He sensed that his Devi herself had permeated his mortal body for several seconds, flooding it with her divine magnificence.


    He dropped his head, and even though his legs became as weak as a new blade of grass, he remained on his feet.


    Thank you, Devi, he thought and turned towards the motionless allies.


    The other Beasts stared at the floor, folding their hands in front of their faces. Only after a prolonged silence, they raised their eyes. The Zetherionian rebels resembled the herd sculptures. Even Antares did not dare to move. The Zetherionians often used violence to solve their problems too, but they had never seen a primordial wildness that harmonised with such precision.


    “Engineer,” Jangalee spoke to Nadee, “what are the orders?”


    The Kehrian woman gulped, saliva blocking her tight throat and with a trembling jaw, she gasped out, “Talvi… Einherjer Kalma’s company from Talvi said to... keep going down this corridor.” She took a breath so silent that even Jangalee could not hear her. “We have to ambush the Unions and…”


    “Told them there is nobody to ambush,” interposed Jangalee. “We’re carrying on the database search.”


    “Yes,” she replied, nodding rigidly.


    The group of rebels marched on, but Nadee slowed down. She grabbed Cerridwen’s hand and pulled her closer. The rebels standing at the front blocked the Celestian girl’s view but listening to the horrifying screams and the crunch of cracking bones, she guessed what had happened to the Unions.


    “Listen now, Cerridwen,” whispered Nadee, leaning over her, “I don’t want you to look at this.”


    Cerridwen narrowed her eyes. “Why?” she asked in a trembling voice. “I’m not afraid.”


    The Kehrian woman gripped her hand tighter. “Just… don’t”


    “Fine… As you wish,” she mumbled and closed her eyes. She lost all the will to pretend to be brave.


    “Don’t open your eyes.” Nadee hugged her and sped up. “What happened here… it terrified us all.” She lowered her voice, and only Cerridwen could hear her. “Except those Beasts.”


    Cerridwen did not see anything but felt the slippery slime under her feet, splashing around with harder, thicker fragments floating in it. The plopping of flesh accompanied her every step. Several times, something crushed under her shoes. Even through the mask, she smelled the fresh meat, blood and rotting remains of the victims’ guts. Her stomach wanted to dispose of the recent meal, but she clenched her teeth and swallowed the sour bile back. Her heart pounded as if it wanted to break her ribs and tear her muscles. Nadee told her every time when to turn or raise her leg higher. The Celestian girl tripped once, but she did not open her eyelids. She could only imagine what had happened with the Unions.


    Even though a deep, petrifying fear cramped her every muscle, Nadee’s warmth comforted her. She felt a bit safer, even when the cold, ancient walls surrounded her and low, mechanical voices of the real-life monsters reached her ears. She cuddled into Nadee’s dusty uniform. The smell of wet wind and sweat did not repulse her; she just needed to be close to the only person who did not want to hurt her.