"... I'm good, although my head really hurts."

"Then we're advancing."

Having spent the last 30 minutes waiting for Lilly to regain her consciousness after fainting due to the spirit possession, Lux was starting to become eager to move from their current location. As it was now, with only a single entrance and exit it was just as easy to defend as it was to trap anyone inside.

"Mare, what are we up against exactly?"

While Alice had tended to Lilly, Mare had examined some of the dead monsters who had managed to fall inside their room.

"About 1 and a half meters tall with stab proof scales. The main threat is their sharp claws and razor like teeth, the long tail which they use to swim could also become a problem in a brawl."

Taking in Mare's a.s.sessment Lux still felt like something didn't quite add up, there was something wrong about these monsters that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"... Eos, what do you think about these monsters? As an archangel that has lived for some time, you must have plenty of experience dealing with monsters. How do these compare?"

"Hmm, that's a bit of a tricky question…"

Resting her chin on her own hand Eos closed her eyes for a few moments while her wings slightly fluttered around.

"They are strange indeed. Although I know of some monsters that live in the sea, there shouldn't be any this far under the surface… And for a species that built a nest like this, they're acting awfully dumb charging at us in a blind rage."

Voicing out her thoughts without considering the way she put them, Eos simply stated whatever came to her mind, something Lux valued in her underlings.

"Agreed, they don't really appear that smart. But all that can wait for later, for now, we need to move. New formation: I'll be spearhead with Eos while Alice acts as navigator, Lilly, and Mare will act as rear guard. Let's move before they regroup and box us in."

Having lost their Lantern cla.s.s drones that would map out the area around them, Lux group now moved considerably slower through the maze consisting of countless tunnels and chambers that served unknown purposes. Although the monsters mostly left the group alone there was still the occasional attempt at a surprise attack, but even as they dealt with those without issues Lux's intuition still told her that there was something wrong, even though she didn't know what it was. While the rest of the team did somewhat okay, considering that they were trapped inside a nest filled with monsters and didn't know their way out, Mare was starting to show signs of fatigue. Such a thing was only normal, as Mare was the person in the group with by far the sharpest sense of hearing, the young beastkin could clearly hear the monsters around them which seemed to stay just outside of their sight, like an ever present fog which constantly threatened to eat them up without warning. To protect the rest of the group from that, Mare's ears constantly moved about to observe everything the monsters were doing, keeping on a constant alert was something which quickly wore on the young beastkin's nerves.

"Mare get up here."

"Mmm."

Not able to keep looking at that Lux called Mare away from the rear guard, switching her attention to the beastkin while they slowly moved through a tunnel Lux's hand quickly found itself on top of her head.

"How are you doing?"

"... No problem."

(Yeah no, if you continue like that you'll become a nervous wreck I won't be able to trust with a firearm.)

Deciding not to voice her complaints at Mare, Lux chose instead to quietly scoop the beastkin up in her arms, carrying her like a princess as she let her own rifle hang by its sling.

"Take a rest for a second."

"But-"

"No but's, that's an order."

Placing a hand once more on top of Mare's head, Lux started gently caressing her head and ears, making it so she couldn't keep up with what the monsters around them were doing.

"Even if my hearing isn't nearly as good as yours I still have plenty of experience to close that gap. Leave detecting hostiles to me for a moment and relax your mind."

Showing a 'warm' smile which signalled that her polite suggestions were not of debate Lux continued patting Mare's head until she finally closed her eyes and started relaxing.

"That's how it is I'm afraid. Alice, while Mare rests you'll do double duty."

"Yes Ma'am~"

Continuing onwards Mare was eventually released from Lux's clutches after she had winded down a few levels, meanwhile, the rough cave tunnels were eventually replaced with uniform square hallways, signifying that the group had made it past the monster nest into the central structure where their goal was located. Still, the area was still infested with the fish scaled, vaguely humanoid monsters.

"Well, this is slightly more like it."

Reaching a ma.s.sive hall with a series of old statues flanking them on each side and faded wall paintings depicting long lost history, Lux once more felt like she was exploring a lost city instead of a monster nest, although there were still clear signs of monsters all around them.

"These are the first angels…. And that painting over there is the story of all creation."

As the leader of a sanctuary Eos was quite familiar with all the legends and culture of the angels, so she was understandably in awe when she saw stories and monuments of her race all around, there were even things she had never seen before.

"Alice's and my own eyes are recording everything so you can look at it later Eos, we have a job to do. Besides, when all this s.h.i.+t is over with and the elders have been exterminated I promise to take you down here again."

"Really? That's a promise I'll hold you to then… But it seems we'll have to survive this first of all."

While Eos had been admiring the priceless works of art all around her, the monsters which nest they were still deep inside once more started their incoherent screaming, signalling that an attack was coming.

"Yeah, although it should be no problem at all. Mare, Alice, and Lilly guard the rear, I'll take the front with Eos."

As they were currently in a room with only two points of entry and a ma.s.sive balcony to the side which overlooked the city, Lux figured that their current location would be vastly easier to defend than the one they had to take down in the tunnels about an hour ago.

"In case they overwhelm us we can repel from the balcony, Alice, set up the rope, double time."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Finding her own firing position behind a collapsed stature Lux aimed her rifle at the entrance she was supposed to cover which was located atop a wide staircase, then she disengaged the safety on her rifle as she gave out the last directives before the fight.

"Mare, keep your trigger discipline if you run out I want you in between us sitting still. We're not starting a melee before I say so. Same for you Alice, in case the two of you both run out of ammunition we're retreating to the balcony, then I'll order the AEHWP transport to blow this joint as we retreat back to it."

"Bu-"

The very idea of destroying this place which contained countless artefacts of her race was something Eos could not stand for, but sadly she wasn't the one in command.

"No but's Eos! I'm placing our survival on top of both completing this mission and whatever cultural heritage is in here, now quit the chatter!"

Hearing the scratching of claws and screaming of the monsters closing in Lux decided to cut the debate short as she started to open fire, cutting down the attacking monsters with pinpoint headshots or centre of ma.s.s shots in an almost machine like, calm and collected fas.h.i.+on.

"Reloading in 3 shots, Eos!"

"On it!"

As Lux quickly emptied her first magazine of the encounter Eos stepped in and created several arrows made of fire that she unleashed against the charging monsters. As the arrows. .h.i.t the smell of burned flesh quickly started blending with the smell of gunpowder and guts.

"Reloading!"

"On it!"

Working with coordination which was a tad better than the last firefight Mare, Alice and Lilly had gotten better at supporting each other while also becoming increasingly more adept at reading the monster's movements so their hit rate had improved. Sadly the group failed to notice something important, the same thing that had been nagging Lux ever since they had repelled the first attack.

If the monsters are so unintelligent and don't seem to have any semblance of higher brain function then why didn't they attack the moment Lux's group set foot inside the city? Why did they wait until they had them completely surrounded? And why could they even build a nest so complicated, containing numerous food stores?

The answer to those questions was slowly creeping in through the balcony, its eyes locked at the piles food which had so conveniently walked all the way to it.

"!!! f.u.c.k! HOSTILE INSIDE THE WIRE!"

The first one to realize what was wrong was Lux, not even Mare with her keen sense of hearing had noticed the 3 metres tall, 8 metre long lizard humanoid hybrid covered in black fish scales. Shouting to alert the other members of her party, Lux turned her rifle's fire select slider to fully automatic while selecting the maximum penetration mode on the coils as she turned to face the ma.s.sive creature, squeezing the trigger all as she reached for a frag grenade. In response to the sudden attention it was getting, the large lizard unleashed a truly deafening scream as it ducked behind a column of stone statues, avoiding Lux's barrage of fire as it called for its subordinates to charge.

(Not so f.u.c.king fast!)

Having somewhat predicted the monster's action Lux pressed down the trigger on the frag she had prepared, allowing the 10 second fuse to almost expiring before she tossed the grenade at the monster as Lux's training and experience momentarily failed and she did the worst possible thing one could do in such a situation.

Acting on instinct.

(Fuc!-)

Realizing her mistake as the grenade flew through the air, Lux noticed how the monster's dull grey eyes clearly tracked what she had been doing, acting with intelligence which betrayed its primitive looking exterior.

The monster did exactly what Lux feared it would, as the grenade flew towards it the scaled monster turned to show its side, then it hit the grenade with its long and powerful tail in mid air, returning to where it came from.

"DOWN!"

As the grenade's fuse had almost expired Lux had no time to throw or kick it away to a safe distance, so instead she grabbed Eos by one of her wings and jumped over the collapsed statue the pair of them had used for cover. Not even a second later the deafening sound of an explosion rang out as the fragmentation grenade detonated, living up to its designation as countless tiny metal fragments flew out in every direction. While Lux and Eos had been temporarily forced to stop repelling the smaller monsters, the situation was way worse for Alice, Mare and Lilly. Having had no time to take cover from the frag that had been well inside its effective range of them when it detonated, the trio were all hit by metal fragments which tore through clothes, skin and flesh like it all was wet tissue paper. Among the three, Lilly was by far the most unfortunate one as a large fragment tore off a large part of her right ear as it narrowly missed her head while countless smaller fragments. .h.i.t her back and legs, rupturing organs and major arteries before going out the other side of her body or embedding themselves in her bones, whichever came first. Meanwhile, Alice was. .h.i.t in her arm near the elbow, suddenly making her unable to hold onto her rifle while other smaller fragments. .h.i.t her in the back and legs, embedding themselves inside her body while Mare was. .h.i.t in her right leg, cracking the femur and making the leg unable to support her body.

With the one flank instantly silenced the monsters rushed at the opportunity while Eos was forced to deal with attacks from both sides and Lux charged the large monster to distract it.

"You f.u.c.king overgrown Lizard!��

But closing the range proved an extremely poor decision on Lux's part, as she was. .h.i.t in the chest by the monster's whip like tail, sending her flying across the room and cras.h.i.+ng into the stone wall on the other side, the impact instantly reaping her consciousness, the last thing she heard was the wet snap like sound of something inside her body breaking.