The trail of destruction wasn't exactly subtle. The boss monster, or anomaly, or whatever the hell it was, had caved in walls pretty much everywhere it went, which made following it dead simple. Chunks of concrete littered the floor, and there were claw marks gouged deep into what remained of the walls.
They bumped into more of those Plague Hounds as they went, sometimes a couple at a time, sometimes just one wandering alone through the wreckage. Nox mostly let the girls take care of them now. He'd only step in if it looked like one of them was about to get seriously hurt, but honestly, they were actually holding their own pretty well at this point.
Their levels kept going up steadily. Kendra and Vasa both hit Level Five, which seemed to be some kind of threshold because their abilities got noticeably stronger after that.
Even Yeda, who was still just whacking things with her metal pipe and didn't have any real powers yet, made it to Level Three from the shared experience points. Nox himself was Level Ten now. He didn't feel a massive change each time he leveled, just a little bit stronger, a little quicker, his reactions a little sharper.
All the trashed hallways eventually led them right to the main gymnasium. The big double doors were just... gone, completely ripped from their hinges and thrown across the hall like they weighed nothing. One door was embedded in the opposite wall, the metal twisted and bent.
'The gym, huh?' He thought, looking at the destroyed entrance. He wondered for a quick second if Ava and that jock, Jax, were still kicking around in there, or if they'd managed to bail after their last encounter. 'Probably left,' he figured. 'They have no reason to stay here at all. Smart move, honestly.'
"Whoa," Kendra said, stopping a ways from the entrance and holding up a hand to signal the others to wait. "Whatever's in there, it feels... heavy. Like, seriously bad news."
Vasa nodded, her face unreadable as always but her posture noticeably tense. "The air around here is different. Thicker somehow. Something powerful is definitely inside."
Yeda just clutched her metal pipe tighter, her knuckles going white, looking like she'd rather be literally anywhere else in the world right now.
They weren't wrong. Nox felt it too, a kind of pressure in the air that hadn't been there before, like the atmosphere itself was warning them to stay away. But he wasn't about to let some other thing, or some other person, take out his main objective. This anomaly, this boss, whatever it was—it was his to deal with.
"Yeda," he said, turning to look at her. "Let me borrow that pipe."
She looked a bit thrown by the request but handed it over without a word. "Why? What are you gonna do with it?"
"You're staying out here," he told her flatly, testing the weight of the pipe in his hand. "Kendra, Vasa, you're with me. Stay close, and try not to get yourselves killed. This is going to be a real fight, not like those small fry we've been dealing with."
Kendra didn't look thrilled about the prospect. "Are you sure about this? If it feels this bad just standing out here..."
"It's the best way for you to get stronger," he cut her off before she could finish. "You want to survive in this new world? You fight. Simple as that. No other way around it."
Vasa just gave a short nod, already looking focused and ready. "He's right. We need the experience. And better to face it with him than alone later."
Yeda looked like she wanted to argue, like she wanted to say she could help too, but she kept her mouth shut. She probably knew he was right about this. Against something really dangerous, she'd just be in the way, another person to worry about protecting.
Nox took the pipe, giving it a quick test swing to get a feel for its balance. It wasn't a sword or anything fancy, but it was heavy and solid. Better than going in with just his fists. He then led Kendra and Vasa through the ruined entrance into the gym proper.
The inside was a complete disaster zone, way worse than the last time he'd even glanced in here. Equipment was scattered everywhere, the bleachers were collapsed in several places, and there were holes in the walls that definitely hadn't been there before.
And right in the center of it all, sitting on a massive pile of bodies—students, teachers, even some of those Plague Hounds all stacked up like some grotesque throne—was something new.
It was kind of human-shaped, at least it stood on two legs and had arms, but that's where the similarities ended. It was covered in dark fur, had a long, dog-like snout filled with teeth, and sharp, pointed ears that twitched at every sound.
Its hands ended in nasty-looking claws that looked like they could tear through steel, and it was big, easily seven feet tall even sitting down. It was just sitting there, almost like it was a king on a throne, waiting for them to approach.
"Holy shit," Kendra breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. "What the hell is that thing?"
Before Nox could answer, the dog-creature turned its head towards them slowly, deliberately. Then it spoke, its voice a low, rough rumble that seemed to shake the very air around them.
"More little insects have wandered into my nest, I see."
The girls just stared, their mouths hanging open a bit in shock. The fact that this monster could actually talk seemed to freak them out more than what it looked like. Monsters were one thing, but intelligent monsters that could speak? That was something else entirely.
The creature stood up slowly from its pile of bodies, brushing some dust off its dark fur like it didn't have a care in the world, like they weren't even a threat worth considering. Standing at its full height, it was even bigger than Nox had first thought, towering over all of them by at least two feet.
"How brave of you little insects to come all this way," it said, its voice easily carrying across the destroyed gymnasium. "I am impressed by your courage. Or perhaps it is merely stupidity. Hard to tell with your kind."
Then its expression, if you could call it that on such an inhuman face, shifted, became more intense, more focused. "Kneel."
The word hit them like a physical punch to the gut. Kendra and Vasa immediately dropped to their knees, their faces going suddenly blank, completely compliant, like puppets with their strings cut. Nox felt his own legs start to give way, a weird numbness creeping up from his boots, spreading through his muscles.
He fought against it with everything he had, his muscles screaming in protest, but even he couldn't fully resist. He ended up on one knee, his teeth clenched so hard his jaw hurt as he struggled against whatever power this thing was using.
'What the hell?' he thought, trying to force himself back up but finding his body wouldn't respond properly. The floor felt like it was miles away even though he was touching it. 'This might actually be a challenge for once.'
The creature noticed him trying to stand and let out a sound that might have been an amused laugh, deep and rumbling.
"Oh, interesting. Very interesting indeed. You have some resistance to my command. Good, good. I was getting bored sitting here waiting. I think I will play with you a little longer before I kill you. It has been so long since I had proper entertainment."
Nox finally managed to shove himself back to his feet, though it took way more effort than it should have, like he was lifting a car instead of his own body. He could still feel the creature's power pressing down on him like a heavy, invisible weight trying to force him back down, but it wasn't enough to keep him pinned anymore.
That's when he noticed something else moving in the gym. Behind the main boss, partially hidden by a pile of wrecked bleachers and gym equipment, was another creature.
It was bigger than the regular Plague Hounds they'd been fighting, with more scars covering its hide and a generally meaner, more aggressive vibe. An alpha version, kind of like the one Jax had fought before.
"Hey," he said to Kendra and Vasa, who were still on their knees but seemed to be slowly shaking off whatever that command-spell was. "Once you can move again, you guys deal with that thing over there." He pointed the pipe at the alpha.
Kendra looked where he was pointing, her expression shifting from dazed to annoyed as she processed what he was asking. "Are you serious right now? That thing looks like it could eat the other dogs for breakfast."
"Yeah, and you need the experience," he said, still keeping his eyes locked on the boss. "Plus, I'm going to be busy with furry over there. Can't fight both at once."
Vasa was already getting to her feet, a thin layer of ice starting to form around her hands as her power activated. "He's right. We can handle it. We're Level Five now."
The boss monster was watching this whole exchange with what looked like total amusement, like they were putting on a show just for it. "You think your little friends can defeat my pet? How amusing. Very well, let us see what happens. It has been too long since I've seen humans struggle for their lives."
It gestured lazily with one clawed hand, and the alpha dog lifted its head from where it had been resting, a low growl starting in its chest as it spotted Kendra and Vasa.
"This should be fun," Kendra said, her skin already starting to turn that familiar gray color as her armor ability kicked in. "I've been wanting to punch something bigger than those regular mutts."
The alpha was definitely bigger than anything they had fought so far, but Nox had a feeling they could handle it. They were Level Five now, and their powers had definitely gotten stronger. Plus, they'd been practicing working together.
The boss monster cracked its knuckles, a sharp, unpleasant sound that echoed through the gym, and grinned at Nox, showing rows of pointed teeth that looked like they could bite through bone easily. "Now then, shall we begin our dance, little insect?"
Nox adjusted his grip on the pipe and rolled his shoulders, feeling his muscles loosen up.
"Sure."