Chapter 4: Battle begins

Captain Orion's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Alright, teams! Let's get started. Please step into the simulation pods."

Kelly, Jake, Sage, and Chase eagerly stepped into their pods, their confident chatter filling the air.

Ivan, Luna, Desmond, and I exchanged glances. We knew that this simulation was going to be different. Captain Orion had hinted that we would be facing real monsters, not just virtual ones.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Desmond whispered, his eyes wide with fear.

Ivan's expression was neutral. "We have our orders."

Luna's gaze was fixed on the forest ahead.

I nodded. "Let's get this over with."

We stepped into the pods, the doors closing behind us with a hiss. The simulation began, and we found ourselves standing in a dark and foreboding forest.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the trees, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the distance.

"What is that?" Desmond whispered, his voice trembling.

Ivan's eyes narrowed. "Monster."

I remembered Jonathan's words: "If you see a monster, kill it like your life depends on it."

I gripped my weapon tightly, my heart racing with anticipation. "Let's move out."

Luna and Ivan nodded, their faces set in determined expressions.

Desmond swallowed hard, but nodded as well.

Together, we crept forward, ready to face whatever monster was lurking in the shadows

We crept forward, our eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. The trees seemed to loom over us, their branches creaking ominously in the wind.

Suddenly, the glowing eyes appeared again, this time closer. We could see the outline of a massive creature, its body a twisted mass of scales and flesh.

"Move!" Ivan shouted, charging forward with his sword at the ready.

Luna followed close behind, her daggers flashing in the dim light. I brought up the rear, my gun trained on the creature's head.

Desmond hesitated for a moment, then followed us into battle.

The creature roared as we attacked, its body thrashing wildly as it tried to shake us off. Ivan dodged its claws with ease, striking back with precision blows. Luna darted in and out of range, her daggers slicing through the creature's scales.

I fired my gun, the bullets ricocheting off the creature's hide. Desmond joined in, his own gun firing wildly as he tried to find his target.

The creature stumbled, its legs weakening as we pressed our attack. Ivan struck the final blow, his sword slicing through the creature's neck.

The creature collapsed, its body crashing to the ground with a deafening impact. We stood panting, our chests heaving with exertion.

"Nice work," Ivan said, nodding at us.

Luna smiled, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "That was fun."

Desmond looked pale, but relieved. "I didn't think we'd make it."

I grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline. "We make a good team."

But as we stood there, catching our breath, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. That there were more monsters out there, waiting for us.

As we stood there, catching our breath, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. That there were more monsters out there, waiting for us.

And then, we heard it. A low rumbling noise, like thunder in the distance. But it wasn't thunder. It was the sound of monsters, lots of them, coming our way.

"Look," Luna whispered, pointing into the darkness.

Five pairs of glowing eyes appeared, each one belonging to a massive creature like the one we had just killed.

"More of them," Ivan growled, gripping his sword tightly.

Desmond's eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

I grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline. "Time to get to work."

The five creatures charged towards us, their bodies a blur of scales and flesh. We stood our ground, ready to face them.

"Take cover!" Ivan shouted, as the creatures attacked.

We scattered, seeking shelter behind nearby trees. I fired my gun, trying to pick off the creatures one by one. Luna and Ivan fought with their blades, dodging the creatures' claws and striking back with precision.

Desmond joined in, firing his gun wildly as he tried to find his target.

The battle was intense, the creatures relentless in their attack. But we fought on, determined to emerge victorious.

And then, just when it seemed like we were gaining the upper hand, one of the creatures landed a lucky blow, sending Desmond crashing to the ground.

"Desmond!" I shouted, rushing to his side.

But before I could reach him, one of the creatures raised its claws, ready to deliver the killing blow...