Chapter 13: Slaughter in the Tunnels

Two savage auras violently clashed, rocking the cave to near collapse as multiple large cracks could be seen spreading through the cave. A fiery-red, bloodthirsty, savage, and powerful aura clashed with a strong and sharp golden-yellow aura that managed to hold its ground for a short duration before both aura's slowly diminished from illuminating the entire cave to merely lingering on the bodies of both savage beasts.

The few rats that were still conscious were utterly terrified though it was unknown if what struck primal fear in them was their Alpha casually devouring one of his own or a beta wolf managing to generate an aura strong enough to match an Alpha's. The aura was much a testament of their power as it was a deterrent as multiple rats couldn't handle the suffocating pressure and had fled for their lives, the outcome of the brawl a lesser concern.

Daniel's wolf form looked no different from before except he now had a golden yellow glow enveloping his entire being similar to the berserk Alpha. His eyes were giving off a piercing golden yellow glow that seemed to penetrate deep into one's soul. He slowly stretched his claws, this tiny movement caused his aura to converge at his claws causing them to glow. A clear plume of steam escaped his mouth as he slowly exhaled, his entire form heaving along.

The berserk Alpha stood a couple meters away, his fiery aura as strong as ever. It was clear his minor snack had slightly recovered some of his energy, and he seemed a lot more level-headed as his eyes no longer held absolute madness behind them though they were still looking bloodshot. His spiked tail slowly swayed behind him as his muscles tensed, highlighting their well-defined build.

The ground beneath them both suddenly cracked as they sped forward. They simultaneously swiped their claws, the wind howled as their claws seemed to be ripping the very air apart, releasing a fiery red and golden yellow energy that extended from their claws aimed at the other. Their energy violently clashed, both trying to gain an advantage over the other as sparks erupted from the collision. The exchange lasted for a short moment before they both extinguished in a violent burst.

The Alpha lightly growled at the sight, it was a grim sign the beta wolf's energy could match his. How was still a question that baffled him though that did nothing to deter him as he continued his charge. The Alpha went in for a horizontal swipe, his claws pulsating with his fiery red aura while Daniel went for a downward vertical strike. Due to how fast they were going dodging seemed impossible, not like they would attempt to as they were both tired of the game of cat and mouse and wanted to end this right here right now.

The sound of ripping flesh was heard as their claws met their marks. The Alpha's claws managed to draw five deep horizontal lines on Daniel's chest, his aura could be vaguely seen lingering on the wounds. They both backed away a couple steps, the Alpha briefly glanced at his chest to see five deep lines on his chest with a lingering golden-yellow glow that caused the pain to intensify.

The break lasted no more than a second before Daniel pounced once more, his claws already aiming for the Alpha's head. The Alpha narrowly dodged the swipe before kneading Daniel in the stomach with his knee. The hit should have been enough to throw him a considerable distance but he only shifted back a couple steps. Daniel's claws struck out once more with lightning speed, drawing lines across the Alpha's face and knocking him back a little.

The Alpha narrowly avoided having his head bitten off as a large mouth covered in fangs snapped shut less than an inch from his face. The air shrieked as his spiked tail struck out with insane speed for its size but the wolf had easily retreated beyond its reach. The Alpha took this short moment to truly observe his opposition and he noticed to his delight that while the beta wolf's energy could match his own, his body couldn't as his fur seemed to be ripping apart from the pressure he was putting his body through, and a sweetener was the wolf seemed to have lost control as his eyes held no sign of the earlier cunning that made him wary but primal anger.

The Alpha gave off a sinister chuckle at the thought of ripping and devouring this wolf once his body finally broke down. While he hated to admit it, the wolf was not an easy opponent even for his berserk form.

"And he's only a beta, how strong would he be if he was an Alpha?" The thought chilled the Alpha to the very bone.

Zoning out in a life and death battle wasn't the smartest idea especially when your opponent isn't going to sit around while you gather your thoughts, this ain't power rangers. The Alpha was brought out of his daydream (or is it nightmare considering it was nighttime?) as his instincts warned him of danger but he was too late as the young beta wolf had long dropped down on all fours and pounced, his rows of sharp teeth on full display.

But being an Alpha was never up to luck as it involved rising above the corpses of others, either human or shifter. His arm had crossed in front of him by reflex as the full weight of the wolf crashed into him, knocking them both down. The wolf savagely bit his right hand, its teeth digging into his flesh and drawing blood. The Alpha quickly regained his composure as he flung the wolf aside but underestimated how strong its grip was as its teeth were still firmly attached to his hand.

The Alpha growled in pain as the teeth were starting to dig into his bone. He pulled on his hand to draw the wolf closer before opening his mouth, impressively decorated with rows of sharp teeth noticeably larger than his wolf counterpart, and bit down hard at the base of his neck.

*Yelp*

The wolf let out a yelp and roared in pain at the sudden attack, his claws struck fast in retaliation at the sides of the Alpha's face. His claws slowly dug into the Alpha's head, while also clawing down as well.

*Roaaaar*

As expected the Alpha let go almost immediately as a painful roar escaped his throat and with a burst of strength violently threw the wolf off, its claws dragging the side of his face before dislodging. His head was bleeding badly and looked to not be healing as good, courtesy of the invading aura left on it but the same could be said for the young wolf as he had a disturbing amount of blood pouring out of his neck alongside flickers of a fiery red aura.

They exchanged glances for a moment before baring their fangs and roaring at each other as they once more pounced at each other like two couples in heat...wait no, like mortal enemies who had their families murdered by the other.

All form of reasoning was thrown out the window as they attacked each other clawing, scratching, and biting like the hor...savage beasts they are. Wounds soon started to accumulate on their bodies causing pools of blood to start to accumulate. It was probably a good thing most of the rats had died or fled leaving no one to witness this brutal fight.

****************************************

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

The team immediately came to a stop as Ian quickly raised his right arm signaling them to stop.

"Combat formation! We have company." Ian quietly said through the comms installed in his helmet.

Like a well-oiled machine, they smoothly adjusted their positions with Ian and Sam taking the vanguard while Amelia backed up the rear. They soon formed a V formation, giving each other about 2 feet spacing.

The thuds gradually became louder and from how loud it was becoming, it became obvious whatever they were weren't human and were in a hurry. Multiple furry beings appeared in their view a moment later.

"It really are these damn rats." Sam commented as over a dozen of the furred creatures blocked their path ahead.

The creatures stopped a good distance away from the hunters with confusion, hesitation, and fear on their faces. Their hesitation only lasted a moment later though as they recalled the horror going on behind them and apparently would rather take their chance fighting these Hunters than face that frightening wolf.

*growl* *shriek* *roar*

They let out a cacophony of noises as they fearlessly charged forward, crossing the distance in moments.

"Minimize noise and switch to melee." Ian ordered as he stuck his gun to his back, it stayed put like iron to a magnet and pulled out his curved sword. The others followed his lead and kept their guns and drew out their daggers, swords, and hammer.

"Finally some action!" Sam nearly yelled as he swung his hammer at the rat in the forefront. Despite its large size and heavy weight, his large strength made it no different from swinging a sword.

*Crack*

The hammer explosively smashed into its intended target, bashing its skull so hard it caved in and sent it crashing into a wall. It was obvious it wouldn't be getting back up ever as its body had turned limp even before it hit the wall.

The brutal death of one of their own did nothing to dissuade the rest as they pounced at the hunters, their eyes bloodshot either from anger or fear.

Ian slightly sidestepped, easily dodging a claw aimed at his head, and in one smooth motion effortlessly swung his katana, slicing its hand clean off and with another twist of his arm, its head slowly slid from its body as blood spurted from its neck. He was on the move the next moment as the rats had charged into their ranks, a sorry mistake.

Amelia had retrieved her bow from a pocket located on her right thigh and with a light shake, the small semi-circular object expanded to form a 30-inch-long compound bow. She quickly nocked an arrow to the bow and pulled it a couple inches. Just before releasing the arrow, its tip began to spin at a rapid rate.

*Whoosh*

The arrow sped through the air and given the short distance it didn't take more than a second for it to hit its mark. The arrow easily pierced through a rat's head, its tip sticking out the back of its head with brain bits slowly gliding off it. It fell with a thud oblivious to what ended its life. Amelia had already nocked another arrow the second the first left her bow and had already locked on to her next target.

Mark flitted between the rats like a ghost, each swing of his daggers either slit their throats or pierced their hearts and the attached chains made retrieving his weapons easy. His high dexterity made the rats' speed laughable as not only could he see their attacks but he had more than enough time to dodge and counter. He heavily threw his dagger at an approaching rat, hitting it square in the throat, and with a slight tug on the chains, the dagger brutally ripped out of its throat, dashing any hope of regeneration.

Chris lightly turned his body easily dodging a mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth that snapped inches from his face. He turned his katana upright and gave it a light thrust, it smoothly dug into its jaw and emerged from its head. He pulled it out and with a slight swish of his sword, its head fell off its body. He lightly glanced at Minnie, in time to see her slicing off a rat's hands before piercing its heart. She lightly glanced at him after and blew a kiss before she heavily swung her sword and split another poor one in half.

"She's so hot." He thought to himself as he mindlessly deflected an incoming claw and slashed at its throat.

Alex's heavy gloves had begun to glow moments ago giving off a faint humming sound accompanied by barely visible steam. He currently had his elbows tucked to his side and was dishing out heavy punches to a poor rat. He dodged left and right as multiple rats angrily swung their claws at him, using a brief moment to counter he went straight for an uppercut that lifted the rat off its feet and smashing into the top of the tunnel. He grabbed onto an incoming claw and effortlessly crushed its hand before tugging it closer for a heavy punch that snapped its jaw clean off.

Jessica was happily swinging her katana and despite being besieged by multiple rats she was able to evade or deflect with ease. Each swing of her Katana sliced off hands and claws like they were made of paper and a thrust aimed for their hearts afterward. They fell one after the other as she effortlessly danced her way through them, claiming their lives like they weren't creatures that would have easily torn normal humans to shreds.

*Bang*

A loud bang was heard causing them all to turn towards Sam who had pummeled a rat beneath his hammer and turned it into a blood painting.

"What happened to minimizing noise." Mark commented while sheathing his daggers that barely had blood on them due to how fast and smooth his attacks were.

The rats were all dealt with by now except one that had simply jumped over the massacre and was trying to escape in the distance.

*Whoosh*

Aaaaand...an arrow just pierced right through its skull, adding to the body count. This was probably one of those frying pan to fire moments as trying to escape from the mad brawl behind led them to encounter Hunters that easily slaughtered them despite their advantage in numbers.

"I counted 19 rats in this little tussle, a meager number compared to a standard horde. Oh! and Mark had the highest kill of 5." Ian commented as he sheathed his katana lightly glancing at Mark, he had managed to kill 3 and would have been 4 if Amy hadn't stolen his kill."I'm catching up." Ian thought as he smiled behind his mask.

"Tsk Mark always gets the most fun." Jessica complained while pouting behind her mask.

"Well, that was fun!" Sam bellowed as he lightly swung his hammer. "And the night ain't over Mark, I'm gonna win this round."

"You only killed 2 of em." Mark snickered as he folded his arms.

"Well, that's because they ran past me after seeing how strong I was haha." Sam confidently claimed which wasn't too far off from the truth cause the rats did try to avoid him after his first strike.

"We still have an entire horde to deal with, you guys can have fun then." Amelia said as she tucked back her bow.

"Alright then let's move, their cave shouldn't be far off." Ian said as he withdrew his gun. They continued to proceed deeper into the tunnels.

"They seemed to have been running from something or was it just me?" Amelia said by his side, a slight confusion on her face.

"I felt so too." Mark commented " They seemed terrified of turning back for some reason and would rather face us instead."

"Whatever it is, it can't be worse than us." Ian chuckled. That comment turned out to be...false?