[Chapter 38. Howling Caverns]

  Searanox inhaled deeply before he tilted his head back and exhaled through his mouth, looking up into the darkening sky.

  With that, he stepped through the portal and entered the Howling Caverns. Immediately, he found himself inside a dark, musky tunnel. The air was slightly damp, and a cold breeze brushed past him, carrying the faintest scent of blood. One defensive drone materialized right next to him, its shield flickering up in front of him, covering nearly the entire tunnel's width.

  Since there was no immediate danger, he lowered his rifle while summoning the remaining drones. Two assault drones and one offensive drone crowded the tunnel ahead of him.

  Slowly, he moved forward through the damp, oppressive darkness, his boots making soft squelching sounds on the uneven floor. His drones maintained a tight formation around him, their mechanical bodies reflecting the faint bioluminescent fungi except for one assault drone that scouted ahead, its single violet lens cutting through the gloom. After five minutes of methodically advancing through the winding tunnels, the distinctive hum of his barrier drone activating suddenly filled the space behind him. From a side tunnel shrouded in deeper shadows, two massive Dire Wolves erupted simultaneously, their powerful forms launching toward his defensive drone with lethal intent.

  The first one managed to slip through momentarily, but the second was blocked by the barrier that flashed with hexagonal energy upon impact. Searanox pivoted completely around, his training taking over as he raised his rifle and fired off one precise shot. The violet beam covered the short distance in a fraction of a second, striking the first wolf squarely in its shoulder.

  The wolf recoiled with a pained yelp as seared flesh filled the air. Just as Searanox was about to shoot again, a torrent of additional beams streaked from behind him. Crimson and violet lights flashed erratically in the dark tunnel, illuminating snarling maws and glowing red eyes as more wolves emerged from the shadows.

  With his defensive drone now disabled and lying on the ground, there was no real shield cover for him. He kept shooting methodically, the acrid scent of burned fur and metallic blood quickly overwhelming the damp cavern air. Suddenly, without warning, the mental connection to one of his assault drones severed. Without a heartbeat's hesitation, he immediately summoned a new one, its materialization consuming precious Tech-points.

  A slightly taller and thicker wolf—the Alpha—ran directly at him and launched itself through the air. He reacted instinctively, using the butt of his rifle as a bludgeon and slamming it into the wolf's side midair with all his enhanced strength. Afterwards, he shot it twice in quick succession, aiming for the head. The wolf staggered momentarily but did not seem to care one bit that it had just been shot twice, its eyes burning with unnatural malevolence.

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  It shook off the impacts with terrifying resilience and let out a howl that resonated with primal power, the sound echoing and magnifying through the narrow tunnels until it seemed to come from all directions at once.

  The howl was deafeningly loud, vibrating through Searanox's bones and threatening to split his skull. He had to close his eyes briefly as dizziness washed over him, and he staggered back against the cavern wall. As he opened his eyes again, after what was just a second at most, he was already being tackled to the ground by a third wolf that had used the disorientation to its advantage.

  Frantically, he shifted his rifle between himself and the massive wolf, the metal groaning under pressure as he barely managed to prevent its jaws from closing around his head. Violet light filled his entire field of vision as a particularly thick beam shot from further down the tunnel—his remaining offensive drone acting autonomously—tearing through the entire length of the wolf on top of him.

  The heavy wolf collapsed onto him, its hot blood soaking through his clothes as the echoes of battle slowly died down.

  As he struggled to push the dead weight off him, he looked down at the massive wolf that had almost bitten his head off, noticing for the first time its unusual size and the faint glimmer in its eyes. A system window opened next to its still form, displaying information that made his blood run cold.

  "A fucking Greater right from the start, this dungeon doesn't pull any punches."

  A bit further to the side, another wolf lay dead. He looked at both of them; the size difference was apparent. Another window opened slightly above it.

  He checked the state of his drones, their glowing lenses flickering in the darkness like dying stars. While he had lost four of them in this brutal battle, the remaining ones did not look anywhere near fit. They were still operational, but one had a deep gash in its front that cracked its lens, spiderwebbing across the optical sensor. Another assault drone listed slightly to one side, its stabilizers clearly damaged.

  He resummoned that one, just to be sure it would not become an issue later. The scent of blood filled the air around him, thick and coppery, his mouth watering at the smell. Suppressing the primal desire to tear into them, he walked further down the tunnel, keeping a close eye out for any side passages, his rifle sweeping left to right.

  Inside the tunnel, he encountered three more of them, their eyes glowing like embers in the gloom. Still somewhat paranoid from before, he scanned every wall for possible ambushes and found none, the rock faces solid and unyielding. With an order to his defensive drone to keep its barrier as close behind him as possible, he opened fire shortly after the wolves noticed him themselves, their growls turning to snarls.

  This fight was not like the one before.

  The wolves fell shortly after without much of a struggle compared to the earlier encounter, their bodies crumpling to the stone floor with a final, wet thud.

  Searanox was about twenty minutes in when he saw that the tunnel was opening up, the darkness ahead giving way to a faint, diffused light. After making sure he was in a relatively safe spot, a small alcove that offered some cover, he dismissed his drones and let his TP recover, the silence of the chamber broken only by his own breathing.

  The entire time, he stood with his back against the cold, damp wall, his rifle drawn and ready to unload if necessary, his senses on high alert. It took a few minutes to regain his lost TP, the slow crawl of the number rising in his vision a test of patience. After it was full once more, he resummoned his drones, their familiar forms materializing with a soft hum, and entered the chamber, the vast space opening up before him like the maw of some great beast.