Okay…
I don't really need to fight, right?
The Grimms don't seem to have noticed me yet. As long as I stay calm and don't make any sudden movements, maybe they won't notice my insignificant existence up here.
I can find a window or break through the back wall and get out. Easy. I just need to turn around slowly and—
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!"
Remy's desperate scream exploded right beside me, loud enough to echo through the entire warehouse.
The two Beowolves below turned their heads at the same time, red eyes glowing in the dark. The smaller one let out a growl but stayed focused on fighting the mercenary. The giant slammed its claws into the floor, cracking the concrete.
I closed my eyes for half a second, feeling my blood turn cold.
"You idiot…" I muttered through clenched teeth.
They noticed me, fine, but they're too busy with Kael and the mercenary to come after me.
Without thinking twice, I turned and ran back into the room we had come from. Remy stayed behind, frozen in fear, but I didn't have time to drag him along.
Unfortunately, I'm not a superhero.
A window. There has to be a window.
I ran to the back of the room, past overturned tables and piles of debris. At the far end was a large window, partially covered by rusted bars. My best chance out.
I was almost there when a dark shape appeared out of nowhere, stepping from behind a fallen cabinet.
A third Beowolf.
Because of course there had to be a third Grimm hiding here.
"Just waiting for an opening, huh?"
It was bigger than the smaller one, but much smaller than the giant downstairs. Its red eyes glowed as it let out a low, terrifying growl.
Like, very terrifying.
Before it had the chance to attack, my right hand moved, drawing the gun.
I aimed and fired twice, barely looking.
BANG! BANG!
The shots rang loudly through the enclosed room. The first hit the Beowolf's shoulder, the second grazed the side of its head, tearing off a piece of white bone.
It barely did anything. The Grimm hardly flinched.
"Huh?"
Shit… the Glock was loaded with regular powder rounds.
With a deafening roar, the Beowolf lunged at me. I didn't have time to fire again. Its massive paw slammed into my chest with brutal force, lifting me off the ground like I weighed nothing.
The impact was vicious. I felt my ribs crack and the air blast from my lungs.
My body flew backward across the room and crashed into the rusted balcony railing. The structure gave way with a loud metallic snap.
I fell.
The air cut across my face as I dropped from the second floor.
CRASH!
Pain exploded through my back and shoulder. My jaw slammed shut hard enough to grind my teeth while a sharp ringing filled my ears.
My Aura flared for a few moments before settling again.
"Ah… fuck…"
I tried to stand, but my legs shook. I managed to get onto my knees, coughing. I looked up and saw the third Beowolf still at the edge of the balcony, staring down at me.
To my left, the mercenary was fighting the smaller one. On the other side, the giant blocked the exit like a living statue.
The mercenary looked at me for a second and gave me a crooked, almost amused grin.
"Came down to help, puppy? How kind."
I hate this guy.
I dragged myself back a few feet, using an overturned crate for support. With trembling hands, I ejected the powder magazine from the pistol and let it fall to the floor. I grabbed the magazine loaded with Fire Dust rounds and slammed it into the gun with a firm click, then racked the slide.
I looked up and saw the mercenary still fighting the smaller Beowolf.
That's when I realized.
His Aura was gone.
There was no glow around his body anymore. The cuts on his arm and shoulder were bleeding freely, and the wound along his ribs was getting worse with every movement. He was fighting on nothing but experience and rage now.
He's going to die if this keeps up, and right now he looks like my best chance of getting out alive.
Without thinking any further, I raised the Glock and started firing at the smaller Beowolf.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Fire Dust rounds hit its flank and neck, bursting into bright orange flames. The Grimm howled in pain and staggered, but it didn't stop—it charged straight at the mercenary, claws raised for the killing blow.
The mercenary tried to block with the hatchet, but he was too slow. The Beowolf's paw slammed into his shoulder and threw him to the ground.
At that exact moment, I steadied my aim and fired the rest of the magazine.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three Fire Dust shots hit the Grimm's head and chest in sequence. It let out one final agonized howl, its body catching fire, then collapsed heavily to the floor and began dissolving into dark smoke.
The silence afterward felt almost surreal.
The mercenary was lying on his side, breathing hard, a nasty shoulder wound bleeding badly. He looked at the Beowolf's body falling apart, then turned his head toward me with that same crooked grin, still arrogant even injured.
"No need to worry, puppy. I was thinking of a solution."
"Uh-huh."
I kept the Glock lowered but steady in my hand, eyeing his wounds.
"Your Aura must be weak, if it broke that fast from one Grimm."
I couldn't resist provoking him. He called me puppy.
The mercenary froze. His face twisted into an ugly scowl, eyes narrowing with pure anger.
"Weak?" he repeated, voice low and dangerous. "That big bastard by the door did it. Look at the size of him, damn it. That's no normal Beowolf. Has to be twenty or thirty years old. Older and smarter than most. He caught me off guard."
He spat blood onto the floor and crouched quickly, grabbing the fallen shotgun. He started reloading with quick, precise movements.
Before I could answer, I heard movement behind a stack of crates. Kael stepped out from behind them, pale and shaking, but alive.
The mercenary looked at him with pure contempt and immediately started moving toward the giant Beowolf blocking the exit.
I waited a moment, then spoke.
"There's another one upstairs. It still hasn't come down."
The mercenary stopped mid-step.
Kael, still breathing hard, looked around nervously.
"Where's Remy?"
At that same instant, a wet, heavy sound came from above.
Something fell from the second floor.
Oh… gross.
It was half of Remy's body—head, torso, and one arm. It hit the floor with a sickening thud, still-warm blood spreading across the concrete.
Kael's eyes went wide.
"Remy…? REMY!"
His scream came out desperate, almost a shriek.
That was when the giant Beowolf guarding the door moved. At the same time, the one on the second floor leapt from the balcony, landing beside the giant with a thunderous crash.
The mercenary didn't hesitate. In one quick motion, he grabbed Kael by the collar and hurled him with all his strength toward the two Grimms.
"Distraction!"
Kael went flying, screaming, and slammed straight into the smaller Beowolf's chest.
The mercenary already had the shotgun reloaded. He aimed at the two Grimms and fired.
BANG! BANG!
On the third shot, something different happened.
Instead of the normal sound, an intense orange flash exploded from the shotgun's barrel.
BOOOOM!
A violent blast of high-powered Fire Dust hit Kael head-on and spread into the smaller Beowolf. Kael's body was consumed by flames in an instant, turning into a screaming fireball. The Grimm howled in pain as the flames engulfed it, burning hide and white bone alike.
The giant Beowolf took several steps back, moving away from the blast to observe, its red eyes glowing with caution.
The mercenary slowly lowered the shotgun, staring at the result with a satisfied little smile.
"Nice, right?" he said, almost laughing. "Spent a fortune getting this kind of Dust shell. Almost as pure as raw ore. Didn't want to waste it… but I ended up using one. Tsk… tsk… what a waste."
I stood there, completely stunned.
He… just threw a living man into the fire.
Kael kept screaming for a few more seconds before finally going silent, his charred body collapsing to the smoking floor.
The mercenary looked at me, still wearing that crooked, crazy smile.
"What's wrong, Schnauzer? Why the face? It was him or us."
I'm pretty sure there was a crate next to you that would've worked too.
Before I could say anything, he turned toward the Beowolves. His tone changed, becoming serious and direct.
"I'm taking the big one. Finish the smaller one, then cover me."
He didn't wait for an answer. He was already running at the giant Beowolf, shotgun in one hand and hatchet in the other.
He murdered that guy in cold blood and acts like everything's fine.
And if… it had been me?
I shook my head, pushing the thought away. Not the time.
I looked at the smaller Beowolf still writhing on the floor, its partially charred body smoking and smelling like burnt meat. It tried to stand, growling weakly.
Couldn't let it recover.
I reloaded and aimed.
BANG!
The shot hit the creature in the head. It let out one final weak howl and collapsed for good, beginning to dissolve into black smoke.
One less.
Without wasting time, I ran while trying to keep a safe distance. The mercenary was already in the middle of fighting the Grimm. The creature was enormous, moving with unsettling intelligence for a Beowolf.
Since the start of the fight, the giant Grimm hadn't moved from the main door. It completely blocked the exit, as if it knew that was the only way out.
It seemed like it wanted the two smaller Beowolves to wear us down first, make us bleed and lose strength before entering the real fight.
After seeing the massive Dust blast that incinerated Kael, the monster became even more cautious. Now it partially hid behind metal beams and crates, using the environment as cover.
Every time the mercenary raised the shotgun to fire, the Grimm ducked or twisted away at the last second, as if it had already learned the danger of that weapon.
I stopped behind an overturned crate, raised the Glock, and started firing from a distance.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Fire Dust rounds struck the creature's flank, making it roar in pain and turn its head toward me for an instant.
The mercenary used the distraction and leapt, burying the hatchet into the monster's shoulder.
"Keep shooting!" he shouted.
I didn't answer. I just reloaded the Glock and kept firing.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each Fire Dust round exploded against the giant Grimm's flank and legs, leaving scorched marks on the white bone armor. The monster roared and thrashed, but couldn't shake the man off.
The mercenary tried to raise the shotgun with his right hand while still clinging to the creature's shoulder, trying to fire point-blank.
But the Grimm was faster.
With a violent movement, the monster twisted its whole body and hurled the mercenary away with brutal force.
He came flying straight at me.
I ducked at the last second, crouching behind the crate. The mercenary passed inches over my head and slammed into a pile of debris right behind me.
CRASH!
The impact was hard. He rolled across the floor and came to rest on his side, groaning in pain, the shotgun slipping from his hand.
For a second he tried to get up… then his eyes rolled back and he passed out, his limp body collapsing onto the concrete.
Shit. I'm dead.
The giant Grimm turned its huge head toward me. With the mercenary no longer hanging off it, the monster seemed to decide I was next.
It lowered its body and began to charge.
I raised the Glock and fired desperately, trying to slow it down.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Fire Dust rounds struck its chest and shoulder, making it roar in rage and slow for a moment.
I used those few seconds. I ran to the fallen mercenary, grabbed the heavy shotgun with both hands, and turned.
BOOOOOOM!
The first shot hit the creature square in the chest with brutal force. The blast threw the Grimm backward, smashing it violently against the warehouse wall.
I kept firing.
BOOOOOOM!
The second shot hit the shoulder, blowing open a scorched crater.
The Grimm roared in pain, but still tried to rise.
I aimed again and pulled the trigger a third time.
BOOOOOOM!
The third shot struck directly in the neck. The bone armor cracked with a loud snap. The Grimm let out one last guttural howl, its legs gave out, and it collapsed heavily to the floor, its massive body beginning to dissolve into black smoke.
I lowered the shotgun, hands trembling, chest rising and falling fast.
Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed me by the collar and slammed me into the wall.
PAAK!
My back hit cracked concrete. Before I could react, the mercenary was in front of me, face smeared with blood, eyes wide with pure rage.
"No! No! No!" he shouted, voice hoarse and furious. "Do you have any idea how much each of those shells cost?! And you wasted three of them like they were toy trash?!"
"Fuck! Weren't you supposed to be unconscious?!" I shot back, still out of breath.
The mercenary stepped closer, pressing his forearm into my chest and pinning me against the wall.
"You think I can afford to pass out while I hear my money turning into smoke?" he snarled, almost spitting the words.
He went quiet for a second, breathing hard, then started muttering.
"This was supposed to be an easy job… walk in, grab some crates, walk out. Quick money. And now I'm here, all fucked up, no Aura, and you burned three of my most expensive shells. I'm gonna have to spend a fortune recovering from this shit."
Then he smiled.
A crooked smile with no humor in it.
"Actually… maybe I can still make a profit from this."
He slowly moved a hand toward the hunting knife at his waist.
"Your advance… Kael's… the rat's… none of you are gonna need it anymore. You'll all be dead."
I don't like where this is going.
"Wait!" I said quickly, voice coming out louder than I meant. "Wait! I'll give you the money! All of it! You can take it!"
The mercenary stopped, hand still on the knife handle. He tilted his head, looking me up and down.
"That's very generous of you, puppy…" he said, voice low and dangerous. "But I really need to kill someone right now."
Before he could draw the knife, something inside me reacted.
With absurd ease, I shoved his forearm aside. The movement was so fast and strong it surprised even me. The mercenary's eyes widened.
I didn't stop to think. My knee drove upward, landing squarely between his legs.
The mercenary let out a rough grunt and doubled over.
I didn't stop.
Another kick. Harder.
And another.
I kept kicking, all the hatred I'd built up this month coming out with every strike.
"You don't threaten people when you've got no Aura, you son of a bitch!"
THUD!
"You don't throw people at Grimms like they're garbage!"
THUD!
"And you don't call me puppy, damn it!"
Each kick was harder than the last. He tried to shield himself with his hands, but he was too weak from the earlier fight. His body was already wrecked—deep cuts, blood running from his shoulder and ribs.
THUD!
THUD!
He stopped moving.
I kicked him one more time on reflex… nothing. His body just rocked limply on the floor.
I stopped, breathing hard, chest rising and falling fast. I looked down.
The mercenary lay motionless. Eyes open, glassy. Not breathing. Not moving.
I took a step closer, my leg throbbing.
"…Hey."
No response.
I crouched slightly, heart racing.
"Hey, psycho… stop pretending."
Shit.
Not again…
I moved closer, staring at his face. His eyes were lifeless.
There's no way someone can die from getting kicked in the balls, right?
He was already completely fucked from fighting the Grimms. Bleeding like crazy, Aura broken, exhausted… but still…
I slowly stood, running a hand through my hair, feeling my whole body shake.
"Fuck… I killed him."
I stared at the body for a few more seconds, unable to believe it.
Then I let out a weak laugh.
"Three points for Whitley, zero for Remnant."