Chapter 36: An Encounter with a Monster

Chapter 36: An Encounter with a MonsterAnd it was— A roar. Not the piercing shriek of the wyverns they had fought, but something deeper. Heavier. Like thunder rolling across the peaks. Lyra’s head whipped upward. Her eyes widened. "No," she breathed. "That’s not just another wyvern." Inigo followed her gaze—and saw it. Far above, gliding with monstrous grace through the wispy clouds, came a beast three times the size of the ones they had faced. Its wings were broader than a ship’s sails, its scales darker than slate, and its maw opened with a guttural snarl that echoed across the cliffs. "Ancient," Lyra said, voice tight with dread. "It’s an elder wyvern. We’ve stirred something far worse." Its golden eyes locked onto them—and then it dove. "Ride!" Inigo shouted, spurring his mount forward. They galloped down the ridge trail, hooves pounding like war drums. The wind screamed past them, but the creature’s roar drowned out all else. A shadow passed overhead, enormous and fast. "Inigo, split!" Lyra cried. Without thinking, he veered right as Lyra bolted left, the massive beast crashing down between them in a storm of wind and claws. Stone shattered, debris flew, and one of the horses screamed as its legs were torn from under it. Inigo leapt from his saddle just in time. He hit the ground hard, rolling through gravel and dirt, coughing dust. The monster turned toward him, its nostrils flaring. Blood-red membranes unfurled beneath its wings as it took a slow step forward, teeth bared. He drew the M4A1 and opened fire. BRRRRRRT! The shots hammered its face and chest—but the bullets bounced off or buried shallow. Scales like forged plate deflected them with ease. It snarled, enraged. He ducked behind a boulder just as a tail slammed into it, exploding the stone like it was made of chalk. "Inigo!" Lyra’s voice echoed distantly, but he couldn’t afford to answer. The beast lunged again. Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He sprinted, zigzagging along a ridge. The sniper! It had longer range, heavier impact. Maybe it could— He dove behind another outcrop and pulled the M110 from his inventory. Slammed in the mag. Scoped up. The wyvern turned, charging up the slope now, wings tucked to its side as it barreled toward him. Inigo fired. The round hit its eye—and it blinked, only stunned for a heartbeat. No penetration. Too thick. He ducked, heart pounding. "This isn’t enough," he growled, backing up quickly as the creature roared. Then he did something he had never done during a fight before—he opened his system store. [Freedom Shop – Open] His fingers flew over the interface. [Search: Anti-dragon weapons] Thousands of entries. Too slow. He narrowed it— [Search: RPG-7] One entry blinked into view: RPG-7 Launcher + 1 HEAT Round Cost: 5000 Tokens One-use launcher with a shaped-charge warhead designed for maximum armor penetration. His eyes widened. "Expensive..." He looked up—just in time to see the wyvern leaping from the cliff edge, wings half-folded as it aimed to crush him beneath its full weight. "Buy it." [Transaction Complete – 5000 Tokens deducted] [RPG-7 + HEAT Round added to inventory] A shimmer pulsed in his hands as the weight of the launcher settled into his grip. He dropped to one knee, yanked the trigger grip into position, and shouldered the weapon. The wyvern landed in front of him with a deafening impact, kicking up a storm of dirt and stone. Its head rose, jaws opening with a roar. Inigo aimed. "Smile." FOOMP. The launcher kicked like a mule, but the rocket streaked forward, trailing white smoke. It struck dead-center in the creature’s open mouth. A heartbeat. Then— BOOM. The explosion lit up the sky. Fire and scale erupted midair as the creature wailed in agony, its massive body twisting from the blast before plummeting into the canyon below in a thunderous, wing-snapping crash. Silence. And then a soft voice. "Inigo?" He turned. Lyra emerged from the rocks, dirt on her cloak, bow in hand. He exhaled hard. "You alright?" "I should be asking you that," she said, blinking. "What in the gods’ names was that weapon?" He paused. Then shrugged. "Something I don’t use unless I really have to." She stared at the smoking canyon below, then back at him. "Remind me never to ask what else you’re hiding." He laughed. "Deal." They stood there a moment longer, watching the smoke rise from the gorge. Then Lyra reached up, brushing dust from his collar. "You’re an idiot," she said quietly. "I get that a lot." She smiled faintly, and for now—just for now—the danger had passed. "Is it dead already?" Lyra asked. Inigo shook his head. "I don’t think so." "How can you tell? It was blown and crashed hard," Lyra said, tilting her head to the side. Although he could answer that question by simply stating that the system didn’t notify him about the kill. But of course, that would be a very weird inference. "I don’t think it’s dead. That’s why we have to look." Lyra frowned, stepping forward beside him. "You’re not serious. That thing took an explosive arrow to the face and fell off a cliff." Inigo didn’t respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the smoke curling upward from the gorge, the acrid scent of scorched flesh and sulfur lacing the wind. He adjusted the sling on his M4A1 and motioned silently. "Come on. If we leave it alive and it recovers, it won’t just come after us—it might head straight for Elandra next." Reluctantly, Lyra nodded, pulling her hood back up and drawing another arrow from her quiver. "Fine. But if it twitches, I’m not waiting for a clear shot." They picked their way down the jagged path, boots crunching on loose stone and charred debris. The ground was warm with residual heat, small embers still glowing between cracks. Eventually, the path widened—and they saw it. The elder wyvern lay broken across the rocks, its wings mangled, its chest heaving shallowly. It was still alive. Barely. The flesh around its face was mangled from the explosion, one eye completely missing. It wheezed through a ruined snout, its limbs twitching feebly. It wasn’t just breathing. It was suffering. Lyra lowered her bow slowly, her voice unusually soft. "It’s in pain." Inigo stood over the dying beast, looking down at it with unreadable eyes. The wyvern lifted its head weakly. Its remaining eye—bright gold—locked onto Inigo. And for just a moment, it didn’t look like a monster. It looked like something that had simply lived long enough to see its end. But—there’s more important things in this world. "Do you think this would fetch us a lot of money?"