The silence of the city was deceptive. It wasn't true silence - it was the absence of human life, replaced by the hushed whispers of shifting ruins, the distant chittering of unseen creatures, and the ever-present breath of the wind filtering through collapsed buildings.
Ray and Effie moved with purpose, keeping close to walls, their steps soundless against the cracked stone. The mist had begun to lift, but the streets still lay draped in shadow. Somewhere in the distance, a faint screech echoed, and both of them instinctively froze.
Ray exhaled through his nose. "Think it's the one that ran?"
Effie nodded, gaze sharp. "Wouldn't be surprised. Raptors don't panic like that unless they have a pack nearby."
That wasn't good. If the survivor had found another pack, then the element of surprise was no longer in their favor. The best-case scenario was that the raptors were still unaware of their exact location. Worst case? They were already being hunted.
They kept moving, but more cautiously now. Effie led, occasionally pausing to check the ground for fresh tracks. Eventually, she crouched beside a series of overlapping footprints, running a hand through the dirt.
"This is bad," she murmured.
Ray leaned over. "What?"
"These tracks aren't just fresh. There are too many. Two packs met here."
Ray frowned. "Are they still together?"
Effie glanced at the ruins around them. There was no sign of movement, no unnatural sounds… but that didn't mean they weren't being watched.
"Can't be sure," she admitted. "But the trails lead further in. If we keep going, we'll find out soon enough."
Ray exhaled and adjusted his grip on his halberd. "Then let's keep moving."
They continued, pushing deeper into the ruins. The further they went, the worse the atmosphere became. The air felt charged, like a storm about to break. Ray couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
Then Effie stopped.
Ray nearly walked into her before realizing what had caught her attention. Ahead of them, the ruins opened into what had once been a small square - now overgrown with dark, twisting vines. Statues of forgotten figures loomed over the area, their stone faces cracked and eroded by time. And scattered throughout the clearing were bodies.
Not fresh ones.
Several partially devoured carcasses lay strewn across the area, their bones picked clean, their flesh long since torn apart. Some were raptor remains. Others? Sleepers.
Ray's stomach tensed. "Looks like a feeding ground."
Effie nodded. "Means they'll come back."
As if summoned by her words, a faint clicking reached their ears. Then another.
Ray tensed, his eyes flicking to the rooftops, the alleyways, the darkened corners of the ruins. Shadows shifted in the mist. Figures began emerging - first two, then five, then more.
The escaped raptor had indeed found another pack. And now they were surrounded.
Effie clicked her tongue. "Figures."
Ray lifted his halberd, steadying his breathing. "Plan?"
Effie's eyes flicked around, assessing their positions. The pack had them cornered against the ruined statues, forcing them into a defensive stance.
"They'll try to tire us out first. We hold position until they commit," she murmured.
Ray nodded.
The silence before the attack was suffocating.
Ray and Effie stood with their backs against the ruined statues, their weapons raised. Shadows flickered within the mist, circling, waiting. At least fifteen raptors. More than either of them had fought at once.
Effie summoned her round shield, its surface scarred and battered but as solid as the day it was forged. She slammed it against her armored forearm, adjusting her grip on her spear.
Ray rolled his shoulders, steadying himself. His halberd, [Stormpiercer], hummed faintly in his hands, the air around it subtly shifting. It was eager.
Then the raptors struck.
They attacked in waves, the first five lunging in unison.
Ray reacted instinctively, stepping into motion. The first raptor's claws came for his throat - he turned intangible, the attack phasing through his body. As he rematerialized, he pivoted on his heel and brought Stormpiercer in a sweeping arc. The halberd clashed against a second raptor's side, the impact sending a sharp pulse through his arms. The weapon drank the momentum, absorbing the force into its core.
Effie intercepted another, raising her shield just in time. The creature's talons scraped against the ancient metal, its strength formidable - but Effie was stronger. She shoved forward, sending the beast stumbling, then drove her spear through its chest with one brutal thrust.
The pack didn't retreat. They adapted.
More raptors rushed in. One darted low, aiming for Ray's legs - he leapt back, but another came from the side. Too close.
His armor, Sentinel's Embrace, flared to life. The hit connected, but the force dispersed, the impact dulled by the armor's protective aura. Ray barely lost his footing. He twisted, swinging his halberd in a tight spin, cutting deep into a raptor's shoulder. Stormpiercer absorbed the energy again.
Effie, meanwhile, was a force of nature.
A raptor lunged from above, claws outstretched - she raised her shield, catching it mid-air before slamming it into the ground with bone-shattering strength. Before it could recover, she drove her spear through its throat. Another beast attacked from the side, but she pivoted, bashing it across the skull with her shield.
Ray could barely keep track of her movements. She was a brawler, her sheer physical power overwhelming anything in her path. But the raptors were relentless.
They coordinated, attacking from multiple angles at once.
One raptor climbed a ruined wall and leapt onto Effie's back. She snarled, twisting to throw it off - but another seized the opportunity, darting in low.
Ray saw it.
He reacted without thinking.
With a sharp exhale, he swung Stormpiercer downward, the accumulated energy releasing in a violent shockwave. The force rippled through the battlefield, kicking up dust and knocking the raptors off-balance.
The one on Effie's back faltered - just long enough for her to slam it against the ground with her shield.
Ray didn't stop. He moved like a storm, twisting, sidestepping, striking in fluid arcs. Each swing built up more energy. His exhaustion tried to creep in, but his Guardian's Shackles dulled the strain, allowing him to push further, strike harder, move faster.
A raptor lunged. Ray turned intangible just before impact, let it pass through him - then as he rematerialized, he unleashed another charged strike, the force ripping through its ribcage.
Effie fought like an unstoppable wall, while Ray was the unpredictable storm, his every movement building upon the last.
But even they couldn't fight forever.
Effie's breathing grew heavier. The weight of battle was wearing on her, even with her absurd endurance. Ray could feel his own stamina slowly dwindling, despite his shackles' effect.
Still, the raptors weren't running.
These ones weren't just hunting. They were testing them.
A guttural screech echoed through the ruins. The remaining raptors, six in total, spread out, their dark-feathered bodies blurring as they circled their prey.
Ray tightened his grip on Stormpiercer. Effie shifted her stance, shield raised, spear steady.
Then the final wave came.
One raptor leapt for Ray's back - he felt the shift in the air and spun, bringing Stormpiercer up in a brutal rising slash. The halberd's stored energy unleashed in a flash, the strike carving through bone and sinew. The beast fell in two pieces before it even hit the ground.
Another lunged for his side - he twisted, turning intangible for just a heartbeat. The raptor's claws passed through empty air. As he solidified, he drove Stormpiercer into its skull with a single downward thrust.
Effie roared as she bashed her shield into one of the raptors, sending it skidding across the stone. Another pounced, but she ducked low and skewered it mid-air, twisting the spear with a sickening crunch before tearing it free.
The last two raptors hesitated, clicking their beaks in frustration.
Effie didn't wait. She lunged forward, shield raised, smashing into one with her full weight. It crumpled beneath her charge. With brutal efficiency, she stomped down on its throat, silencing it forever.
Ray dealt with the final one.
He shifted into a low stance, Stormpiercer humming with stored power. The raptor charged him, shrieking in rage.
Ray exhaled and swung.
The halberd cleaved through the beast's chest, the force splitting it apart with a final, echoing crack.
Then, silence.
Ray exhaled sharply, planting Stormpiercer into the ground to steady himself. His arms ached, his legs burned, and his lungs screamed for air. Effie was in a similar state, though she wasn't doubled over like he was.
"That… was way too many."
Effie wiped blood from her shield, rolling her shoulders. "Yeah. But we won."
Ray gave a breathless chuckle, lifting his gaze. Around them, the remains of the battle were clear. The pack had been completely wiped out.
Effie eyed the corpses. "Let's get to work before something worse shows up."
Ray didn't argue.
The hunt was over. But something told him this wasn't the last time the raptors would test them.