Three days passed. Roako's burns scabbed over, and the bruises faded from blue to yellow. By the third day, he could move without the constant sting of pain. He grabbed the gauntlets, trying them on for the first time.
He flexed his fingers, steam venting from the gauntlets. They clenched down, fitting his hands perfectly, like extensions of his body. Soft on the inside, pure steel on the outside.
Roako stepped out of his room. The smell of smoke, sweat, and wood hit him as the inn's noise reached his ears. The strike team waited by the door. With each step, his fear grew, his heartbeat tightening his chest. He slowed his breathing, taking a deep breath, pushing through it.
He flexed his fingers, imagining the beasts he'd face. The gauntlets felt heavy, but expectation felt heavier.
This mission wouldn't wait for hesitation.
The strike team stood ready, equipped with unique sets of armor and weapons. Roako's fist clenched in nervous anticipation.
Their eyes locked onto his, faces serious. The twins didn't bicker like normal. They stood in silence, waiting, preparing.
Roako stood beside Kael, dressed in a thin black cloak with a belt filled with gadgets. Lyssa stood behind him, a steel mask covering her mouth, as she tightened her silk arm. Everyone waited for Baron's words.
Baron carried a heavy presence, stern-faced, clad in lightweight armor, steel boots with boosters jutting from the heels.
"Strike Team. Let's go."
His voice cut through any trace of chatter as he turned toward the exit.
No one spoke. They simply nodded and followed.
The wooden floor creaked under their boots. Every eye seemed to follow them as they left, but no one said a word.
Wind rushed past as the doors swung open, fresh air filling Roako's lungs.
They moved through the city, widened eyes tracking them. Roako caught fragments of whispers.
"Diamond Tier Baron and Lyssa?!"
He lagged slightly behind, glancing at Baron's back, as expected. His eyes then shifted to Lyssa, brow lifting in surprise at her Tier.
They reached the edge of the city. Tunnels stretched ahead, the air heavy.
The caves extended for what looked like miles. Water dripped from the ceiling, breaking the silence.
"Kael," Baron said, voice low.
Kael nodded, pulling a small sphere from his belt and tossing it upward. It unfolded midair, transforming into a drone before vanishing from sight.
He produced a flat rectangular screen. It flickered, displaying a live feed, matching the cave ahead.
Roako nodded in approval. So the drone scouts while we watch.
Green light outlined the tunnel as the drone advanced along the mapped route.
No sabertooths yet. Only dripping water and insects crawling along stone.
The cave forked, separating the sabertooths from the beavers. The drone veered left.
The passage narrowed before opening wide.
A den.
Over ten fully grown sabertooths followed by five cubs. Chunks of ore surrounded them. Some beasts gnawed on the metal, reinforcing their canines.
Silvery-white fangs gleamed. The largest stood six feet tall and was nearly as long as a truck.
Rustling sounded behind Roako. Lyssa worked a few steps ahead, spinning silk into traps, nets, and vantage points.
The twins stayed back, securing a fallback point. Mo waited until Lyssa finished before climbing to high ground, testing it.
Baron exhaled. "We've got a problem. There are more than ten adults. Their teeth are fully plated in platinum."
Shock rippled through the group, the twins most of all.
"I know you want to rush in," Baron said, eyes on them, "but we do this slow. Axel and Mo, you guys draw them out one at a time."
They nodded.
"Roako, do you have a rune that can kill without alerting the rest?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah. I think so," Roako stammered.
He etched a rune into his gauntlets. Blue light flared. Frost crept along the metal.
"I can freeze them?"
"That'll work," Baron said flatly. He turned. "Axel, you corrupt them and lead them out. Mo, shoot venom into the ones Axel misses."
Then to Loxus.
"Don't move unless I say so."
Loxus nodded.
They advanced toward the crevice.
Bats scattered overhead. Water droplets splashed against armor.
At the fork, Baron gestured to the right. "Cover the beaver path."
Lyssa fired silk, sealing it with a thick net.
She nodded. Baron returned it and waved the team forward.
A roar thundered through the cave.
They squeezed through the crevice one by one.
Lyssa finished constructing Mo's perch. Kael redeployed the drone.
Mo handed Baron and Kael three vials each, filled with venom, before taking position.
Metal screeched as sabertooths crushed ore with their jaws.
Roako pressed himself against the wall, every heartbeat loud in his ears.
Kael spoke out, his words directed at Axel, "Don't forget the cubs can alert other sabertooths locally, adults first, then the cubs."
Axel nodded understandingly.
"Everyone ready?" Baron whispered.
The worm's screeches echoed in Roako's mind.
He shook it off.
"Ready."
Axel fired first. Specks drifting slowly into two sabertooths' hides.
Moments passed.
They turned, eyes unfocused, walking toward the team.
Mo spat venom into the left one's eye.
It dropped to the floor, paralyzed.
Roako lunged, slamming his gauntlet into its face. Ice exploded outward, freezing its snout and neck.
The beast retaliated.
Baron rocketed forward, boosters flaring, intercepting the strike. Steel rang as claws scraped his shoulder.
Lyssa followed, silk snapping tight, binding the creature completely.
They looked at Roako.
Then toward the remaining sabertooths.
Baron signaled Axel to run the plan again. They repeated the plan, slowly whittling their numbers down to eight adults and the five cubs. Never killing them, only restraining or paralyzing them.
Axel fired once more, striking the largest sabertooth. It took almost a minute before the virus worked its way into its system. The sabertooth looked toward the group, slowly walking toward them.
"Take this one slow. Just the one." Baron calmly held his arm out, directing Axel.
Kael kept his eyes on the other sabertooths before a brow raised. "Wait. A cub is missing. Everyone, stay alert, get ready to disappear." His eyes drifted from the screen, looking around for the cub.
He controlled the drone, looking all over for the cub, before spotting it.
"We need to kill this one. The cub is on the back of it. We can't get found out." Kael urged the team, a worried look flashed over his face.
Axel retorted quickly, "Wait, we can't kill it! If they die, a plume of virus will emerge, attracting them all anyway!"
Baron held out a finger, commanding them to wait. "Axel never infected the cub. We can kill it and restrain the large one." The group stood in silence, waiting for the beast to approach.
The sabertooth slowly advanced, nearing the wall by Roako. He unconsciously held his breath.
"Lyssa." Baron pointed forward.
Threads of silk lined up against the wall, closing in on the cub, instantly slicing it apart.
Blood spluttered out, and pieces of the cub rolled onto the floor.
The sabertooth continued, not noticing the dead cub. It took another step forward before it paused. It stood in place, different from the other sabertooths.
Their eyes all focused on the sabertooth, waiting for it to get behind the wall's cover.
"This is different… platinum isn't just on its canines, it's in its bloodstream too," Kael muttered.
It shook its head before clawing at itself. A huge claw slash appeared across the face of the sabertooth. Its eyes began to dilate, looking directly at Axel.
Axel's eyes dilated in confusion before clenching his jaw in irritation.
Its veins began to harden, white-silvery blood flowing down its face. Its pure silver canine shone brighter than the others. Black viruses came flowing out of the blood, its body rejecting the virus.
The sabertooth let out a low growl before a roar emerged, alerting the other sabertooths.
Mo shot out venom, the sabertooth quickly reacted, swiping its mouth. The venom landed on the platinum canines, resisting its corrosion.
"It's resistant to the toxins! Mo, Axel, back off!" Kael shouted, recognizing the patterns.
Roako dashed forward, punching into its leg, freezing it in place.
"Guys! The others are coming! We need to go!" Kael screamed out, pulling a gadget from his belt and throwing it past the large sabertooth. It exploded in the air, releasing a pool of Mo's venom.
The sabertooth swiped forward, its leg stuck in place as it tripped. Its head turned toward Roako as it bit down, its canines chomping down.
Silk wrapped around the neck of the sabertooth, slowing it down enough for Baron to dash forward, slamming the canine, veering it off course.
"Loxus! Kill this one!" Baron shouted out, his voice shaky, in desperation.
An oily-black tendril shot out from his arm, grabbing onto the walls, as he swung forward. Releasing it mid-way, he plunged, standing atop the sabertooth. He struck down, his hand enveloped in the black spear seen before. Crimson veins bulged from the spear, and a rotting iron smell struck Roako's nose, oddly sweet.
A loud, subsonic screech emanated, striking directly into the ears of the team. The ears of the sabertooths perked up as they charged forward.
"The cubs! They're calling out to more of them!" Kael screamed out, his focus pinned to the screen.
Rumbling, the cave shook, and dust began to flow through distant tunnels of the cave.
Loxus continued to strike down, black tendrils wrapping themselves around the sabertooth. It shook its body, attempting to fling him off, struggling to do so.
Loxus jumped forward, the spear transforming into a sharp machete as it sliced down, severing the sabertooth's head.
A plume of black viruses emerged, covering their vision.
Baron yelled out, "Fall back! Lyssa kill the sabertooths and store them!"
Roako tightened his fist, pain still coursing through his wounds. He exhaled, a chilly breath exiting, his heart steeled.
He stepped forward, smashing the ground, a floor of ice appearing in front of him. He struck down a second time, a wall of ice covering part of the chokehold.
Mo jumped off the ledge, stumbling as she struggled to land.
Kael and the twins ran back, toward the crevice. The parasites attached to the twins transformed into a hammer, smashing into the crevice, creating a larger gap.
Lyssa swiped her hands, sharp silk coming out, slashing the necks of the previous sabertooths. A cloud of black viruses puffed into the air with each kill. Lyssa reached down for her bag, absorbing all the dead sabertooths.
Baron stood firm, waiting for Lyssa to fall back.
A sabertooth jumped through the cloud of viruses, striking down at Baron.
His body turned to iron, metal sprouting out of his legs, clinging to the ground. He stood firm, unwavering, slamming his shield into the side of the sabertooth, causing it to stumble.
A spit of venom flew past Baron, striking into the sabertooth's hide.
Roako swiped his finger, his gauntlet glowing a deep crimson-red. A ball of fire shot forward, burning the face of the beast. He shot out another, the sabertooth narrowly dodged, biting down at Baron.
Baron swiped his shield up, blocking his bite.
A loud clang as the metals clashed.
The fire whipped past, striking into the black cloud of viruses, instantly evaporating them all.
Roars began overlapping, shadows behind shadows emerged behind the black cloud.
Kael began to sweat. His eyes widened, staring at the shadows.
"We can't take them! There are over forty more of them, some with even stronger teeth! Something must've amplified the cub's sonic screech!" A gadget covered his eye, his focus unwavered as his eyes glanced over every single sabertooth.
Lyssa flexed her fingers upward, a silk trap, pulling up and trapping a few of the beasts. They dangled over the trap, over fifty feet in the air.
She swiped her finger again, creating a net that blocked the monsters off. They swiped and bit at the silk, creating gashes on their pads and slices on their tongues.
Mo shot out another spit of venom into the eye of the sabertooth. It winced in pain, allowing Baron to bash it, shoving it back.
Baron stood up, retreating into the crevice.
Roako charged his fist, shooting out another ball of fire, engulfing the sabertooths as the ceiling collapsed.
Roars followed, rocks continued to get pushed through, their canines biting through the rocks.
Loud crunching, the sabertooths chewed their way through the rocks.
"Get back to the city. NOW!" Baron's overpowering voice echoed through the cave.
The team dashed toward the exit.
Mo tucked into Baron's arm, his boosters blasting off full speed.
Roako dashed forward, his legs glowing white.
The twins shot out black tendrils, shooting them forward.
Lyssa held onto Kael, her silk allowing her to swing ahead.
Water drops hit the ground.
The rush of flowing water hit the walls, stopped by a wall of silk barely holding it together.
The team rushed by, leaving the camp the twins had set up behind.
They exited the cave with haste. Lyssa jumped back, filling the entrance with silk.
"Those damn Guardians. They tried to kill us! They gave us false info, there were over fifty sabertooths in total!" Mo screamed out, getting increasingly angrier.
"Calm down, they couldn't have known forty more would appear from out of nowhere." Baron attempted to reason with her.
Loxus sat down, Axel next to him, their breaths heavy, struggling to breathe. They pressed against their scars, shaking profusely.
"No, it wasn't the Guardians… the monsters, they're evolving…" Kael spoke, his breath faltering, struggling to breathe. He stood hunched over, his hands trembling uncontrollably. "Platinum has an incredibly high corrosion resistance…I should've known…" He held his head, punching the ground.
Lyssa stood beside him, shocked as her body shuddered.
Roako dropped to the ground, cold sweat dripping down his body, his breath unsteady.