The morning mist clung stubbornly to the cracked asphalt as Leah, Marcus, and Aria advanced through the north road. Marcus led the group, blade gleaming faintly in the dim light. His stance was fierce but disciplined, each swing clean and deliberate as he cut down the shambling corpses that stumbled too close.
"Three more to the left," Aria whispered from the rear, daggers drawn. She moved silent, quick, almost invisible, her eyes sharp beneath her hood.
It had been almost an hour since they'd left the gym, clearing block after block. The path toward the gate was slowly taking shape, the number of undead thinning with every fight. Then, a sound. A low rumble, deep and guttural, rolled through the street. Not the hollow moans of the dead, something else.
Marcus froze. "What the hell was that?"
Aria stiffened. "That wasn't human."
The sound came again, closer this time, followed by a rush of air and a blur of black cutting across the edge of their vision.
Leah gasped. "Did you see…"
A crash interrupted her, a body was flung into a nearby car with bone-snapping force. The zombie's corpse slid to the ground, cleaved neatly in two, its upper half still twitching.
Marcus tightened his grip on his sword. "Positions! Eyes up!"
The blur reappeared, landing lightly on the hood of a ruined truck. It was a cat, or at least, it had once been. Now it was something else entirely. Its fur was black as pitch, absorbing the light around it. Its muscles rippled beneath its sleek body, large as a tiger's, and its eyes burned with a dim crimson glow. Each breath it took steamed in the cold air heavy, deliberate, predatory.
Leah's voice trembled. "It's… it's huge."
The creature's tail lashed the air like a whip. Then, without warning, it vanished.
"Move!" Marcus shouted, too late. The cat was already on him, a black streak tearing through the air. He barely managed to raise his blade before the creature's paw smashed into him, sending him tumbling backward through the dirt.
Aria moved instantly, blades flashing. She darted in low, cutting along its flank, but her dagger barely scratched the hide.
"Leah!" she yelled. "Run"
Leah wasn't the fighting type. She was strong but her expertise wasn't close combat.
"Alright," Marcus growled, spitting to the side. "Round two."
The creature turned toward him, eyes narrowing, its low growl vibrating through the pavement. This was no mindless zombie. It was a hunter, intelligent and fast. Leah could feel her pulse hammering in her ears.
"Marcus we can't fight that thing head-on!"
Marcus smirked grimly. "We don't have a choice."
The beast lunged, a blur of black death cutting through the street. Marcus barely managed to twist aside, the creature's claws ripping across his arm instead of his chest. The blow still sent him spinning, blood splattering the cracked pavement.
"Marcus!" Leah's voice cracked as she threw her hands forward, green light flaring from her palms.
"Lesser Heal!"
The wound began to knit mid-motion, the flow of blood slowing just as Marcus steadied himself. He gritted his teeth, flexing his arm which was still sore, but functional. The cat hissed, its crimson eyes narrowing as it circled them. Every step it took was deliberate, silent, calculated. It wasn't attacking blindly; it was testing them.
Aria melted into the shadows, her breath steady. "It's tracking movement," she whispered, barely audible. "Don't give it a pattern."
Marcus grunted, nodding. "You flank. I'll keep it on me."
Before Leah could protest, he charged forward, dragging his blade across the asphalt to spark the creature's attention. The cat's ears twitched then it lunged again. This time Marcus was ready. He twisted, using his blade to parry, and the impact echoed like thunder through the empty street.
"Now!" he shouted.
Aria appeared behind the beast like a phantom, her Silent Mirage skill triggered for the first time. She plunged both daggers deep into its hind leg, earning a guttural roar that rattled the air. It turned on her instantly, tail whipping out. Aria ducked, barely avoiding being decapitated. The blow still sent her sprawling.
"Damn it!" Marcus roared, slamming his sword into the ground to block the creature's counterattack. Claws screeched against steel. Sparks flew.
Leah's heart pounded. She could feel their exhaustion. Her mind raced.
"If I could just…!"
Her hands glowed brighter. "Lesser Heal!"
The healing wave expanded outward, stronger than before, an improvement she hadn't realized she could make. Marcus's cuts sealed faster, his stance firmed, and even Aria, still on the ground, felt her dizziness fade. The beast faltered, sensing the shift. Marcus saw his chance. With a deep growl, he charged again. The blade carving a glowing arc through the air. The impact cracked through the ground. The creature staggered back, howling, its front leg severed. Aria reappeared behind it, driving a dagger into its neck. The cat screeched. Blood, black, spraying across the ground.
"Now, Marcus!" she yelled.
With a roar, Marcus raised his sword and brought it down, cleaving through the creature's skull. The street went silent. The massive black cat collapsed in a heap, its body twitching once before going still. The crimson glow in its eyes dimmed to nothing. Three flashes of light came from the creature. Two of equal brightness went to Marcus and Aria, while the slightly dimmer went to Leah.
While the two rested, Leah moved to pick up their spoils. Two yellow orbs. Gently squeezing them, she called Marcus and Aria over.
"A hammer and twin daggers." Leah said while quickly losing interest as those weren't her choice of weapons.
Marcus was the first to move. He crouched beside the weapons, his eyes drawn to the massive hammer. Even resting on the ground, it radiated weight and presence. A weapon that demanded strength just to touch it.
"Looks like it was made for me," he muttered, wrapping his fingers around the handle.
A small window flickered before his eyes, translucent purple.
[Rare Grade: Titan's Grasp; Increases physical strength by 40% for two minutes when in battle. Cool down,10 minutes.]
Marcus let out a low whistle. "Now this… this is something."
He swung the hammer experimentally, the air cracked with the motion, a shockwave rippling outward.
"Careful!" Leah yelped, shielding her face from the dust kicked up.
"Sorry," he grinned,
Aria, meanwhile, crouched beside the second weapon, the sleek, twin daggers. Unlike the hammer, they were quiet. Subtle. She reached for them, fingers brushing their hilts. Her pupils dilated as text flickered into her vision:
[Rare Grade: Venom's Kiss (twin blades); Attacks inflict minor poison, stacking with each consecutive strike. Critical hits amplify poison potency. Adds 20 agility points when equipped]
Aria's lips curved into a rare smile. "It's perfect," she whispered.
Marcus glanced at her. "Poison, huh?"
"Poison," she confirmed, twirling the dagger with practiced ease
Aria sheathed her dagger and turned to Leah. "You should rest. Your mana's low."
Leah shook her head, her soft voice steady. "We should keep clearing this path, Garrets expects much from us"
With the new weapons, they felt even more powerful. They had survived their first true battle.