Following her command, Rox swiftly placed Gelhyne down, letting her feet touch firmly on the ground before finally kneeling in one swift motion.
She then swung her rifle into position, her eyes from beneath the mask narrowed as she looked upon the reticle of the scope of her gun, aligning it towards the grotesque figure of the beast.
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang
She then squeezed the trigger, making her gun roar powerfully as it unleashed eidric infused bullets.
Once,
*Bang!
Twice,
*Bang! *Bang!
Several times,
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
The bullets—with tracer-like energy trailing behind it—travelled through the air in almost instant manner, whistling as they made their way towards the beast.
*splat! *splat! *splat! *splat!!!
Each shot successfully landed on their designated targets with great precision, each point of impact creating a grotesque explosion of black tar-like blood that splattered towards the ground.
One to the head, two for each arms and legs, and the rest of the bullets that remained from the gun's magazine were fired towards the beast's torso without mercy.
*Shrieeeeeeeek!!!
The beast shrieked, its voice filling the air as the very ground vibrated in response—it was clearly in pain as the bullets that Rox just shot proved effective.
A full second then passed as the beast began to tremble, the bullets that pierced through it remained inside its body, working its intended mechanism as it began to break down, unleashing its eidra within the beast's body.
The bullet's eidra then began to mix with the corrupted eidra that swirled inside of the beast, mixing before creating a violent reaction that completely restricted the flow of eidra within the beast's body.
As a result, the beast's bodily functions were completely halted, leaving its fate dependent on Rox's actions.
And during that moment, Rox was already on her next move.
Without letting up, she swiftly inserted another spare magazine onto her rifle,
*click! *chack!
Priming it before pressing another button present on its side, making the gun whirr even more powerfully before beginning to glow brighter with the color of blue.
Rox released an exhale, her hand firmly gripping her gun as she focused and aimed towards the beast.
"Eat this motherfucker,"
Before she finally pressed the trigger.
*crack!
*BAAAAAAANG!
With one powerful roar that shook the nearby grass, the gun unleashed one singular powerful beam condensed with all the eidra that were inside the bullets of one full magazine.
The beam travelled instantly, completely eviscerating the head of the beast, piercing through the flesh and destroying fauna directly behind the beast.
"Shit." Rox's arms trembled slightly from the power of her last shot, her rifle humming faintly as it cooled down.
She exhaled sharply, steadying herself, keeping her eyes fixed on the dark mist ahead.
Even after what she had done, her posture showed she knew the fight wasn't over yet.
"Prepare yourself, Gelhyne," she said, dropping the spent magazine with a clank before reaching for another attached to her belt.
She reloaded in one quick, practiced motion and cocked the weapon again, the faint blue light of charged eidra flickering along its frame.
"Umbral Beasts don't attack alone, you see." Her voice was calm but her tone sharp, her eyes narrowing through her helmet visor as she scanned the mist's edges for movement.
"I already know that," Gelhyne replied, pressing several buttons on her datapad.
A steady beeping sound followed as data streamed across the device's screen.
Then, the air began to fill with the sound of shrieks—
*shriek…! *Shriek…!
*SHRIEEEEK!!!
low at first, then multiplying into dozens, echoing from every direction.
The ground beneath them vibrated lightly as the screams drew closer, carried by the rippling black mist that churned and expanded outward.
"Ten minutes," Gelhyne said, her tone firm but her breathing steady.
"We only need to stay alive for ten minutes." Both her hands glowed faintly as eidric energy gathered, swirling up her arms and forming a shield of light in preparation for the incoming fight.
"That's easy," Rox replied with a smirk.
She shifted her stance, turning her head toward her ship standing a few dozen meters away.
"Thron! Provide cover fire!" she shouted.
A booming, rough voice echoed from the ship's comms.
"Raah! I've been waiting for a fight!"
*tsssssssss!
Panels along the Nightjarr's hull hissed open, and several turrets rotated into position.
*click! *clack!
Their metallic limbs clicked and locked as their sensors whirred to life, glowing red and ready.
Then, the first figures emerged from the mist—slow, twitching forms of corrupted creatures stumbling forward, their bodies half-dissolved and dripping black ichor.
Behind them came the real threats—massive monstrosities, their shapes warped and uneven, claws like blades dragging across the ground as they roared.
The sky darkened from the thick mist as more shapes poured out.
Dozens of beasts filled the field ahead, some climbing over each other just to reach the open clearing where Rox and Gelhyne stood.
Rox tightened her grip on her rifle. "Looks like ten minutes is gonna be a long time."
Gelhyne's eyes glowed faintly with violet eidra as she stepped beside Rox.
"Then let's make it count."
The two women stood their ground as the Nightjarr's turrets began to turn, their barrels heating up.
The silence that followed lasted only a second before the ship unleashed a storm of blue energy bolts, tearing through the first wave of beasts and lighting up the battlefield.
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
Several beasts fell instantly under the storm of blue energy fire, their bodies burning and twisting as they collapsed to the ground.
But before the smoke could even settle, another wave came surging from the mist—larger, louder, and even more relentless.
The dead were trampled without pause, their remains crushed beneath clawed feet as the next horde climbed over them to continue the assault.
It was like an endless sea of creatures spilling out from the darkness, their roars echoing across the field as the mist behind them pulsed and rippled, birthing even more shapes.
Every time one fell, another took its place—stronger, faster, angrier.
Rox adjusted her aim and fired again, each shot finding its mark, yet the numbers didn't seem to lessen. S
he gritted her teeth as she reloaded, her mind racing even as her hands worked automatically.
Whatever this rune of Veristalzes was, it had to be something truly ancient—something powerful enough to draw out hordes of corrupted creatures to guard it.
No normal ruin could ever inspire this kind of madness.
"Damn it," Rox muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing behind her visor as she steadied her weapon.
"Just escaped a shithole just to land on another!" her voice was muffled by the encroaching horde of beasts.