Joy Pursuit: Steel Dragon [Sci-Fi Fantasy | Horror | Action]

Outside, Serfet engaged the Fulgurjaw in a vicious one-on-one exchange. He knew well that if anyone but him fought the beast, they would die. So even as exhaustion crept along his spine, he held his blade tight.

But amidst his deadly dance, something gnawed at his thoughts—the violent surge of Kyyr. Was it that red guy from before? He contemplated as he expertly weaved in and out of the lightning-infused slams of the Fulgurjaw.

As the Fulgurjaw became increasingly agitated, it shifted its focus to the handful of rangers trailing behind. But just as the Fulgurjaw lunged toward them, Calli and Morotov ignited it with a burst of flames, searing its hide. The Fulgurjaw let out a furious, guttural roar, thrashing wildly, only for Serfet to slash deep into its flesh, further enraging the lightning-clad beast.

Simultaneously, on the northern front, Siegwick was exchanging blows with an increasingly amped-up Anomaly. To his shock, the Anomaly was excelling at combat, moving with unnerving speed and precision. The creature's long, lanky body was nimble as it spun around, slashing at everything as its tongues spewed out the strange gas.

Siegwick dodged in and out of the swirling miasma. With each ice-bound strike, his ice-cold Kyyr frostbit the Anomaly's body, causing cold tears on its body as the temperature dropped.

The abyssal condensation around them began to freeze, turning into a storm of icy needles that pierced the Anomaly's flesh. Yet, despite the frozen onslaught, the Anomaly seemed to slowly adapt, matching Siegwick's tempo with increasing precision.

Its slashes grew so heavy that cracks began to spider across Siegwick's armor, each strike straining the frozen plates. Tendrils burst from the edges of the Anomaly's claws, lashing violently at his defenses. With a snarl, Siegwick ignited more of his Kyyr, shattering the creature's hand with a crushing blow.

Siegwick felt his strength waning, his body stinging, and his Kyyr fading. Yet the realization only fueled his rage, as he began to strike the abomination with his raw strength.

In contrast, the Anomaly's movements became fluid—almost regal—as it grew stronger with every passing moment, feeding off the chaos.

Inside the Medical Wing, Denver and the others worked tirelessly to stabilize Lucas, their efforts becoming increasingly desperate.

Still lying on the floor, Gira weakly began to drag his hand beneath himself before shifting his weight to his side. He scraped his hands against the shattered floor, pushing himself up, and shifted his body back onto his knees. His voice was gone, but his conviction wasn't. He staggered to his feet, resembling a zombie, his eyes flashing crimson as he approached Lena slowly from behind.

Lena, too focused on her brother, didn't notice Gira reaching for her belt and pulling a Kyyr booster free. When she realized what was happening, panic flickered in her eyes, but Gira, blood-soaked and weak, gave her a faint smile before stabbing the booster into his neck.

His muscles rippled painfully, but the surge of hunger and the right concoction of chemicals flooded his brain, dulling the burning pain.

The boy then simply walked away without a word, disappearing out the door, his fluttering Kyyr sending ripples through Lena's body.

She found herself lost in those bloodstained footprints for a second. She wanted to say something but she didn't.

Gira stumbled down the hallways, his stomach churning, his mind consumed by the uncontrollable thirst for blood. He began to sweat and salivate, his weary body crashing into the walls as his vision blurred. He stumbled forward until he came across Saul's half-eaten body, the corpse seeping with Kyyr. Gira's eyes widened, filling with tears as his Coarseblood fangs emerged. Unable to resist, he tore into the flesh, driven by the horrid craving for Kyyr-rich blood. With each bite, his jaw and claws grew grotesquely, extending as he devoured more and more.

In a daze, he moved away from Saul's corpse, painting the white walls with streaks of blood as he meandered down the hallway. His nose caught another foul scent, sending a maddening shiver down his spine and guiding him to the Rak'da's writhing body, crucified against the wall. With all the mercy of a starved dragon, he dug into it, ravenously eating away at anything that moved.

With each bite, his form grew larger and more powerful. The sound of crunching bones and ripping sinew filled the air as Gira's Coarseblood form blossomed again, feeding hungrily off the twisted power of the Rak'da's flesh.

Outside, the group on the southern front felt trapped, caught between the thunderous clash of the Fulgurjaws and Serfet, the freezing, ominous cold radiating from Siegwick's battle with the Anomaly, and now the unsettling, violent Kyyr emanating from the Station.

"Where are we supposed to even take the wounded?" Sey asked as she tended to Will.

"Not in there!" Will hissed, wincing as he pointed toward the source of violent Kyyr. "I've got a feeling the new Kyyr is coming from the creepy, crimson-faced freak."

"Crimson-faced freak?" Zoya asked as she used her Kyyr to form small walls of dirt around them.

"The red thing that attacked the Fulgurjaw when it was about to turn you into a red stain?" Will replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Oh, sorry," Zoya said awkwardly before twisting her tone into sarcasm. "I was a little preoccupied with the bright blue glowing monster that was trying to turn me into a red stain," she finished with a distant, spite-filled smile.

Carmela looked at the building concerned. "Other than disrobing Will, it hasn't attacked anyone else so far. Let's just keep an eye out for it."

"Right…" Will sighed, glancing around. "Actually, now that we're all here, where the hell is Shan?"

They looked around in confusion—Shan wasn't with them. Will quickly checked the vitals on the small screen on his wrist. She was still alive, but her heart rate was spiking violently.

Inside Trant station, Shan sat frozen, her back pressed tightly against the wall as she watched Gira gore the Rak'da's writhing corpse. She watched his body growing larger with each bite. His crimson form shimmering ominously as he began to bloom into the monstrous form of a Coarseblood.

Shan's eyes welled with tears, and her legs buckled beneath her, paralyzed by fear. She tried desperately not to make a sound as the snapping of bones echoed through the station. Gira shattered the Rak'da's bones with every bite, seemingly savoring the grotesque feast. His long, bladed tongue coiled around the remains, his saliva hissing as it melted the flesh.

Shan watched until Gira finished his meal. Now standing nearly two and a half meters tall, he had once again become a menacing monstrosity. His body cracked and snapped as he turned to face down the hallway. Spotting the terrified Shan. He lumbered over to her and tried his best to give her a comforting smile, but instead, a warm puddle formed beneath her as tears cascaded down her mortified face.

Ohhh…Am I that scary? Gira asked himself.

"You do recall our appearance from the mirror, right?" Savagrios mockingly cackled, his voice echoing through Gira's thoughts.

Shan shook and mumbled incoherently as Gira cracked his neck, his senses locking onto the presences of the Anomaly, Fulgurjaw, and something else. He snapped his body in the direction of the Fulgurjaw. Disregarding all barriers, he crashed through the station's interior—ripping through walls, furniture, and anything else that dared stand in his path.

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His crimson body erupted from the side of the building as he collided with the Fulgurjaw, sending the massive beast hurtling into the southeast tower.

The rangers all started in shock as the crimson-clad Gira emerged from the cloud of debris. His roar boomed through the battlefield, a deafening sound that sent shivers down everyone's spines. His monstrous presence was overwhelming as he locked onto the Fulgurjaw that was crawling out from the hole it had left behind.

Gira stood under the shattered sky bathed in crimson, his movements exuding a feral intensity as he charged the confused Fulgurjaw.

"By the Symbols, what is that?!" Morotov shouted in excitement. His energy not matching the shock of his fellow rangers.

The Fulgurjaw reacted by igniting itself in Draconic Kyyr, its body discharging a thrashing blue electric energy, but it did nothing to deter Gira, who powered through the electric surge as he bore down with unrelenting force. With a savage snarl, Gira sank his jaws deep into the Fulgurjaw, tearing away a messy chunk of flesh.

The Fulgurjaw panicked, thrashing wildly as it struck at Gira over and over to no avail. Gira, consumed by his crazed hunger, was too fixated on devouring the beast to notice his armor chipping away under the relentless slashes.

Amidst the struggle, a blind strike from the Fulgurjaw smacked Gira across the face, interrupting his savage feast. Enraged, Gira plunged his claws deep into the beast's body, tearing through flesh as he searched for the source of its frantic flailing. With a brutal yank, he violently ripped the Fulgurjaw's spine from its body.

The creature howled in agony, its body collapsing in a twitching heap as Gira continued his grisly feast. Splinters of bone flew in every direction as he gorged himself on the blood and flesh, lost in the violent hunger consuming him.

Will watched in disgust, his eyes glued to the unnerving carnage unfolding before him. The beatdown was so one-sided that even he felt pity for the wingless dragon. However, he caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. "What in the world is that?" he muttered.

From the roof of Trant Station, Shredder's mangled snout emerged, revealing the battered but regenerated Pelamüs. Its hide was now cracked, revealing glowing marks that lined its body like veins. Its claws were also wrapped in a similar spiraling pattern, their bladed tips surging with abyssal Kyyr glowing a vibrant purple. In a swift, predatory motion, it lunged toward Gira, closing the distance in a flash. With a powerful strike to the side of Gira's head, Shredder sent the Coarseblood flying into the southwest tower with a thunderous crash.

Gira snarled from the shadow of the tower as Shredder loomed over the fallen Fulgurjaw. The Rak'da weakly screeched, its tendrils reaching out from its massacred snout in a desperate plight. The Pelamüs tilted its head, almost grinning, then brought its foot down with brutal finality, crushing the Fulgurjaw's skull with a sickening crack. Spiraling tendrils curled across its face, twitching in twisted delight.

"What the hell is that, friends!?" Morotov asked, but no one answered.

Only Calli seemed to recognize the creature. It was Luca's pet—the very one Siegwick had warned them about.

The Pelamüs ignored the rangers; its enmity focused solely on Gira. It let out a throaty howl into the night, its throat shaking as abyssal Kyyr surged through its body. When—from the shadows of the tower—a crimson blade surfed across the ground, forcing the Pelamüs to dodge, only to be met with another that sent it retreating diagonally. Crimson tendrils followed, lashing out viciously at the beast.

The flurry of ranged attacks was followed by the Coarseblood emerging in a red flash as he rushed the Pelamüs head-on. Their claws clashed violently as they both slammed their heads into each other before a swift exchange of heavy blows caused resounding waves of Kyyr. The Pelamüs's resentful filled ire was met with an overbearing violence as crimson blades were now emerging more and more often.

The blades slashed deep into the Pelamüs's hide, but they shattered just as easily as they cut. Shards were sent flying everywhere as the two monsters clashed.

Zoya noticed the shards of shrapnel flying toward them and quickly used her Kyyr ability to mold the ground upward, creating a protective wall. The rangers ducked behind it for cover, but Serfet was caught out in the open. Blades of shrapnel dug into his arms and sides as he tried to shield himself, grunting loudly in pain. Falling to his knees, he struggled to protect his vitals, gritting his teeth through the onslaught.

Gira's feline-like ear probes twitched at the sound of Serfet's pained grunt, prompting him to scan his surroundings. Sensing the wounded man, he abruptly halted the flurry of blades and shifted to more controlled, straightforward strikes at the Pelamüs, focusing his aggression with precision.

Seizing the new window of opportunity, Shredder shifted its strategy, retreating swiftly into the dark nothingness. Gira, driven by instinct, pursued it into the darkness, vanishing from sight and leaving the scene of carnage behind. The rangers collectively exhaled, relief washing over them as the immediate threat passed.

"Wh-what was that thing?" Calli asked, her voice trembling.

"It's that crimson thing from earlier! It's a lot bigger now though." Will replied.

"It was a friend!" Morotov interjected confidently. "It felled the lightning beast, no?"

"It did. It might be... no," Carmela replied, shaking her head. "All I can say is that it was probably human." She added, unsure.

"Hu-human?" Calli mumbled, trying to process the revelation.

Will removed his helmet, exhaling. "Earlier, the top half of its face was human, but the lower half... a crimson jaw. I sent the bastard flying, but it managed to steal my Kyyr booster in the scuffle. I'm guessing that's what let him fully transform into that thing."

"Did he hurt you?" Carmela asked, concerned.

"No—just ran at me and caused this little incident," Will said, pointing to his ripped belt and uniform.

"So that's why you sent him flying." Carmela narrowed her eyes as she judged Will.

"I'll admit that thing is probably on our side." Will said, pausing briefly. "It saved Zoya's life earlier, and it's been targeting the abyssal aberrations so far." He pulled his light brown hair back and turned to face the rest of the rangers. "My question is, what is it?"

Serfet jumped into the middle of the group, taking off his helmet. Revealing his dark blue-green hair that contrasted against his crimson-red eyes. He slumped down, exhausted. "Ugh…" he groaned.

"S-serfet!" Calli exclaimed, rushing over to help him.

"Thanks…" he muttered, wincing slightly.

Deep gashes marred his armor, with some blood dripping lightly from his dark uniform.

"Are you alright?!" Zoya asked as she hurried over to help Calli hold him up.

"Just a little tired." Serfet answered, offering his fellow rangers a weak smile. His expression then relaxed into a more somber look. "We've lost some good people tonight. But we're not done yet… Fate has granted us some hope, though. It seems we've been blessed by Calamity."

"Calamity?" Morotov asked, puzzled.

"I'm not exactly sure where he came from, but I'm pretty sure that crimson creature is a Coarseblood." Serfet explained.

"Are you sure?" Carmela shouted, eyes wide. Serfet nodded. "He must be the kid Bern mentioned to me.

"Wait, you knew about it?" Will asked, shocked.

"Well—Bern mentioned that the Russo kid found a strange person in the forest tod—I mean yesterday." Carmela replied.

"W-wait, that's G-Gira??" Calli stammered, her voice trembling.

"You know it!?" Will interjected, clearly unhappy.

"I met him earlier in the lobby... He arrived with Lucas. He was the sleeping guy t-that Saul carried to the counseling room." Calli answered awkwardly. "We chatted for a bit before all this happened," she explained, her voice uneasy.

"Can it be trusted?" Will shouted.

"I believe so…" Serfet replied calmly. "While he was exchanging blows with the other creature, I noticed he stopped his attack when his Kyyr splashed against me. Coarsebloods don't see like we do; they use Kyyr. When he noticed me within the range of the fight, he stopped attacking with his Kyyr constructs. I'm inclined to believe he did it out of empathy for his fellow man."

"You're inclined? How can you be sure he stopped for your sake?" Will asked.

"My gut says so," Serfet answered with a smile.

"Ugh…" Will muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"Regardless of our opinions, he's fighting the anomalies for us," Carmela interrupted. "Let's head into the station to get you guys some help."

The rangers all nodded in agreement.

Will exhaled in frustration, glancing toward Siegwick's battle. "What about the old man? That Gira thing and the Pelamüs are heading his way."

Serfet looked wistfully towards the northern front, cold wind splashing his face. "Master Siegwick will be alright; he's well aware of Coarsebloods so he'll be quick on figuring things out."

"I hope…" Will murmured, concern lingering in his voice.

"Friend, being gloomy doesn't attract the ladies." Morotov teased with a hearty laugh as he slid over to help the wounded Will walk.

Will clicked his tongue, blushing as he glanced at Calli. "I get it. I get it. But laughing in a situation like this is inappropriate!" he snapped.

"That's just how I cope, friend!" Morotov replied with a chuckle, unfazed.