From the elevated point where they had set up, Kairo skillfully maneuvered the reconnaissance drone, launching it silently toward the cave entrance. The holographic screen projected in front of his eyes displayed real-time images of the dim interior.
The air was thick with tension, and every movement of the camera revealed the creature's inhospitable and damp lair. However, what truly chilled Kairo's blood was the discovery of multiple small figures moving quickly—offspring. Creatures born from mutation, growing at an alarming rate.
Robert stood beside him, serious.
"If we let these offspring grow," he warned, "they'll become a Rank C threat. We can't allow that. We need to act before it's too late."
Kairo felt the weight of responsibility press down on his shoulders. There was no time to waste.
He carefully brought the drone down, his fingers trembling slightly—not just from the weight of the device, but from the gravity of what they had discovered.
"What do we do now?" he asked, looking at Robert.
Robert clenched his jaw and slowly stood up, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he took a deep breath.
"We'll split up. You'll cover the left flank with the drone and sensors, and I'll move along the right to find a safe entry point. We need to move fast, but carefully."
Kairo nodded, feeling his pulse quicken. Everything he had learned up to now was about to be put to the test.
While Robert moved through the trees and underbrush, Kairo kept his eyes fixed on the drone screen, watching every detail inside the cave.
Suddenly, the drone picked up a fast movement—one of the offspring appeared near the entrance, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
"Robert," Kairo whispered, "there's one right there. I think it's spotted us."
A low growl echoed from Robert's direction. The larger creature had emerged, and the tension erupted in an instant.
The adult creature burst out of the cave with a deafening roar that shook the leaves and made the ground tremble. Its mutated body, covered in dark scales and protrusions, loomed menacingly under Virelia's violet sky.
Kairo gripped the drone's controls tightly, weaving it between branches to keep sight of both the offspring and the main beast. The small creatures, surprisingly large given their rapid growth, moved frantically around the entrance, letting out high-pitched screeches.
"We can't let them grow," Robert said, drawing his weapon as he cautiously advanced. "If those things mature, they'll become Rank C threats. That could mean the destruction of this entire region."
Kairo swallowed hard and adjusted the drone's trajectory for a better angle.
"Are you ordering me to eliminate all the offspring?" he asked, heart pounding.
"No exceptions. We can't take any chances. Time's against us."
The drone fired a small electric shock, hitting one of the offspring and momentarily paralyzing it. Robert opened fire with precision at another, while the rest scattered in a chaotic frenzy.
Adrenaline surged through Kairo's veins. This was the true hell he had been sent into. Virelia's jungle showed no mercy—especially not to creatures born from mutation.
As the battle continued, the orange sun dipped lower on the horizon, painting the clash in deep shades of red.
"We need to finish this fast," Robert ordered. "There might be more nearby."
Kairo nodded, gritting his teeth and bracing for what came next.
The drone buzzed nimbly between the branches, its small light illuminating the frenzied movements of the offspring. Kairo kept his eyes locked on the screen, his fingers tensed on the controls. With each electric shock, another offspring dropped, paralyzed—but more emerged from the shadows with frightening speed.
A shrill screech pierced the air as a larger one—with claws like blades—leaped from a bush, lunging straight at the drone. Kairo reacted quickly, swerving it at the last second, barely avoiding the strike. But the creature had tracked its path and slashed, knocking the drone off balance and sending it crashing into the undergrowth.
"No!" Kairo cried, trying to stabilize the device to no avail.
Robert shouted from the other side, his figure shrouded in shadows, firing accurately at another offspring sneaking up on him.
The ground vibrated with each roar from the adult creature, now fully out of the cave, advancing slowly as if stalking its young.
Kairo rushed to recover the drone, dodging roots and jumping over a rock as the offspring multiplied around him. In a swift motion, he activated the drone's self-destruct function and hurled it toward a cluster of creatures that shrieked as it hit.
A blinding electric explosion lit up the clearing, taking several of them down. But the adult creature, enraged, roared in response and charged at Kairo, who barely dodged in time.
Robert came running and fired a final shot just as the beast staggered back, covered in wounds.
"We need to end this now, or there won't be a tomorrow for Virelia," Robert gasped.
Kairo nodded, gripping the controller tightly, and drew his own weapon—ready for the final fight.