Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 28: The Leader Beast

They didn’t have to wait long—within moments, the sound of flapping wings and piercing screeches filled the air. The creatures were coming, and they were coming fast.

Marcus groaned, his face twisting in disgust. "I fuckin’ hate these creatures."

"Shut up and let’s do our work," Jason snapped, rolling his eyes as he adjusted his stance.

Liam’s sharp eyes scanned the sky, pinpointing the dark shapes rapidly descending toward them. The daughters of the farmer, Nadia and Celeste, along with their father, stood by the window, watching in silence. The old man’s expression was unreadable, but the two girls looked both worried and intrigued.

Liam wasted no time. "Alright, listen up! Form a circle—Sophia, stay in the middle. You’re the archer, so focus on taking them down from a distance. We’ll cover you."

Without hesitation, they moved into formation, each person preparing for the incoming battle. The flying beasts, now visible in the morning light, resembled giant mutated vultures, their grotesque wings stretching unnaturally long, their sharp talons ready to rip into anything in their path. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

As soon as the creatures locked eyes on their prey, they let out ear-splitting screeches and dove straight toward the group.

Sophia was the first to act. Without wasting a second, she drew three arrows at once, nocking them expertly onto her bowstring. Her breathing steadied, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. As the first wave of beasts came within striking distance, she loosed her arrows.

All three found their marks. One arrow buried itself into the throat of a beast, sending it spiraling down into the dirt, its wings twitching before going still. The second arrow struck another in the chest, causing it to stagger mid-air, flapping wildly to stay afloat before crashing to the ground. The third arrow embedded itself in the wing of another creature, making it shriek in pain as it struggled to stay airborne.

"Nice shot!" Eleanor called out, already preparing her own attack.

But there was no time to celebrate. More beasts swarmed toward them, their numbers overwhelming.

"Here they come! Hold your ground!" Liam shouted.

Marcus cracked his knuckles, grinning despite himself. "Let’s make this quick!"

As the beasts descended, the real battle began.

Jason was the next to spring into action as two beasts dove straight toward him, their talons outstretched. He didn’t hesitate. With a firm grip, he yanked the axe from his belt—a hefty weapon he had taken from one of the orcs they fought earlier. As one of the creatures lunged, Jason caught it mid-air with his left hand, gripping it by the neck. The beast shrieked and flailed, but Jason didn’t flinch. With a sharp exhale, he swung his axe in a brutal arc, cleaving through the second beast in one powerful motion. The blade tore through its body, splitting it in half.

A spray of thick, dark blood splattered across the battlefield—unfortunately, right onto Marcus’s face and armor.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake!" Marcus roared, staggering back in disgust. He wiped at his face furiously, but the sticky black substance only smeared worse. "Jason, you piece of shit! That’s it, I’m throwing you to the next one!"

Jason barked out a laugh. "Suck it up, princess. This is battle."

Meanwhile, Liam was already in motion. His sword flashed in the sunlight, cutting through the air with deadly precision. He weaved through the chaos, sidestepping a swooping beast before driving his blade into another’s throat. A quick turn, a fluid slash—three more fell before him in a matter of seconds.

But then, something made him pause.

A powerful presence loomed nearby. Perched atop the wooden fence at the far end of the farm, a larger beast observed the fight. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Liam’s, filled with a sinister intelligence. Unlike the others, this one didn’t screech wildly or attack on instinct—it was watching. Calculating.

Liam gritted his teeth. "We’ve got a leader."

Sophia had already taken out more beasts than anyone else, her arrows striking true each time. She reached back for another set but paused just long enough to see the massive creature staring Liam down.

"Shit... that thing looks different."

"Yeah, no kidding," Eleanor muttered, flipping her daggers in her hands. "Looks smarter than the rest. More dangerous."

Marcus, still wiping at his armor, scoffed. "Oh, great. As if these fuckers weren’t annoying enough."

Eleanor rolled her eyes before driving her dagger into another beast that got too close, her movements sharp and elegant. "Maybe if you focused on fighting instead of whining, we’d be done by now."

"I’m fighting!" Marcus shot back. He swung his sword at a passing beast, clipping its wing. The creature spiraled to the ground, screeching in pain before he stomped on its head, silencing it. "See? I’m doing my part."

"Barely," Jason muttered, landing another axe strike to a beast’s skull.

The farmer and his daughters watched from the window of the house, their eyes wide with awe. The old man, who had initially doubted them, now grunted in approval.

"Damn... they’re actually good," he muttered.

His twin daughters—whom Marcus had been flirting with earlier—clasped their hands together as they watched the fight unfold. "They’re so strong," one of them whispered, her cheeks slightly flushed as she watched Liam move with precise efficiency.

Her sister nudged her playfully. "You’ve got that look in your eye."

"Shut up," she murmured, still watching Liam.

Back outside, the air was thick with the scent of blood and battle. Most of the lesser beasts were either dead or wounded, and now all that remained was the leader and 5 more beasts. It flexed its massive wings, releasing a piercing screech that sent a shiver down Liam’s spine.

"Alright," Liam exhaled, gripping his sword tighter. "Let’s finish this."

The advanced-ranked beast screeched again, a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the farm, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. Almost instantly, the five remaining beasts responded with their own screeches, their eyes glowing with a predatory hunger as they surged forward in a synchronized assault, wings beating furiously against the wind.

Liam didn’t hesitate. He lunged straight at the leader, his sword flashing as he aimed a powerful slash at its side. But the beast was fast—unnaturally fast. It twisted its body with a sharp movement, dodging the strike with an almost mocking ease. Liam gritted his teeth, attempting another attack, only for the creature to evade once more, its piercing eyes locked onto him with a knowing intelligence.

"Damn it, hold still!" Liam growled, frustration creeping into his voice as he adjusted his stance for another attempt.

Meanwhile, the five lesser beasts swooped aggressively toward the group, their talons extended and their sharp beaks snapping as they targeted different members. Jason barely managed to duck as one beast dived at him, the wind from its wings nearly knocking him off balance. Sophia had already drawn back her bowstring, quickly firing two arrows at the leader. The arrows struck its body with pinpoint accuracy—but instead of piercing through, they shattered upon impact, the sound of breaking wood echoing loudly.

The group froze for a moment, shock registering on their faces.

"What the—?!" Sophia blurted out, her fingers already reaching for another arrow.

Liam clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on his sword. "Its feathers... they’re like iron."

"Of course, because why not?" Marcus spat, dodging an incoming beast that nearly clawed at his face. He swung his weapon wildly, missing, before groaning in frustration. "I fucking hate flying things!"

Eleanor, who had been slicing through the lesser beasts with her twin daggers, breathed heavily. Sweat beaded at her forehead as she barely managed to sidestep another attack. "We can’t keep this up forever."

Sophia fired another arrow, this time at one of the five lesser beasts, striking it directly in the eye. It let out a horrible screech before spiraling to the ground. But even as it died, another took its place, lunging toward her with relentless aggression.

Jason readjusted his glasses, his keen eyes darting between Liam and the leader beast. "Liam," he called out, dodging to the side as another beast snapped at him. "Please tell me you have a plan, because this isn’t looking great."

Liam exhaled sharply, his mind racing. He needed to figure something out—fast. The leader beast, still perched arrogantly, flared its iron-like feathers and let out a screech that sent a powerful gust of wind their way, forcing everyone to brace themselves.

This was going to be difficult.