"Where did it go?"
Kaoreish moved cautiously. Whenever he stepped on dead branches, fallen leaves, or loose stones that made a piercing sound, he silently cursed, because he felt like a fool blundering about with his head down.
He had not gone far before he heard something, and immediately stopped to look around.
The ruins were divided by trenches and shell craters into countless deep, dark shadows. Tiny insects danced amid the dust, while the shadows cast by withered leaves resembled shriveled membranous wings.
Soon, he heard that sound again.
Flapping. Wings flapping, somewhere nearby.
Then came a faint commotion.
The flapping came again.
The next second, a frenzied burst of violent struggling rang out without warning, then abruptly stopped.
A flowerbed less than ten meters away rustled and crackled as something tore through it. He immediately lowered himself and raised his weapon.
Soon, some inhuman creature let out a brief, harsh shriek, accompanied by a deep growl.
From deep within the ruins behind him came a cry of pain.
Kaoreish knew that was Sato's voice.
He straightened up, knowing that the priest was injured and in danger. He could not just...
Then he heard the rumbling throat sound of a predator, and his body instantly froze.
The sound was almost right beside him. He could not tell which direction it had come from.
Cold sweat of fear slowly ran down his spine. He raised his blade, preparing to strike, then stepped forward and edged around a broken marble pillar. The pillar rose from the collapsed rubble like an upside-down mushroom.
He pressed his back tightly against the pillar and slowly, slowly poked his head out for a glance.
He saw the creature.
Or perhaps he had only half seen it.
It was merely a shadow, a nonhuman shadow, a