Chapter 44 — Sudden Thunder in the Trees

They waited.

More than fifteen minutes passed with nothing but the low idle of the Armado’s engine and the occasional quiet shift of weight inside the cabin. The forest ahead remained unnaturally still. No birds. No small animals. Only the fading traces of the panicked herd that had fled earlier.

Ren’s eyes narrowed. He opened the driver’s door and stepped down onto the dirt path.

“Stay ready,” he said into the radio. “I’m checking.”

He faced the dense tree line and activated both Perfect Targeting and Appraisal at the same time. The combined skills pushed farther and sharper than either could alone. Information returned in clear fragments.

Seven signatures.

A pack of tiger-type monsters lay hidden among the undergrowth and low rises of earth. Their levels ranged from 15 to 56. The strongest presence sat slightly deeper than the others.

In Ren’s mind the comparison formed automatically. The six smaller ones were roughly the size of the adult tigers he remembered from his previous world — powerful, sleek, and dangerous. The largest, however, was on an entirely different scale. It was nearly the size of an elephant, far beyond anything that had ever existed on Earth.

He raised the radio.

“Lyra. Silvia. There is a pack of seven tiger monsters waiting in ambush ahead. Six younger ones and one much larger adult. Levels from 15 up to 56. In my experience tigers almost never hunt in true packs unless a mother is teaching her young.”

Silvia’s voice came back low and focused.

“I still cannot see them clearly yet. Activating my sensory skill… yes. I see them now. They are extremely well hidden.”

A short pause followed.

“The six smaller ones have dark coats with sharp black stripes and a faint wind shimmer around their claws. The large one has silver-blue fur and glowing cyan markings. Wind mana constantly gathers around her front claws. She can launch wind slashes from a distance.”

“Understood,” Ren replied. “We treat the large one as the primary threat. I’m going to point out every position first. Memorize them. After that we attack together.”

He carefully indicated each hidden shape among the trees and low earth. The six Windfang Tigers were spread in a loose arc. The Stormclaw Matriarch lay slightly deeper, partially screened by a thick trunk.

Only after every position had been marked did Ren continue.

“Lyra, you will hit the Stormclaw Matriarch with your strongest lightning stun on my signal. Silvia, the moment the stun lands you open fire on her with the MAG 58. Short controlled bursts. I will take the Windfang Tigers with the AK. Lyra, after the stun you also switch to the smaller ones. Once the opening volley is done, Lyra and I climb back into the Armado immediately. Silvia finishes anything still moving from the turret. Clear?”

“Clear,” Lyra answered. Mana was already gathering around her wand.

“Understood,” Silvia said. “MAG 58 ready.”

Ren raised the AK-47 and settled the sights on the strongest of the Windfang Tigers after the Matriarch.

“Lyra — attack.”

Lightning exploded from the tip of Lyra’s wand in a thick, coiling lance of blue-white energy. It crossed the distance in a heartbeat and slammed into the Stormclaw Matriarch. The massive tiger convulsed as the current locked her muscles. A deep, choked roar tore from her throat. Confusion and sudden pain flooded her senses — one moment the forest had been quiet and her cubs had been in perfect position, the next her entire body refused to obey her.

At the same instant Ren and Silvia opened fire.

The sudden thunder of guns shattered the forest silence. The Windfang Tigers jerked in shock. Prey was supposed to come closer. Prey was not supposed to strike first from nowhere with deafening noise and invisible fangs.

Ren’s first bursts were clean. One Windfang Tiger dropped, then a second, then a third. Beside him Lyra’s lightning snapped out again, killing a fourth and heavily wounding a fifth.

From the turret Silvia’s first shots with the MAG 58 went wide. The heavy weapon bucked differently from any bow she had ever used, and the vibration of the vehicle threw her aim. Bullets tore through leaves and bark around the Stormclaw Matriarch. The enormous tiger felt the air scream past her head and flanks — sharp, burning lines of danger she could neither see nor understand. Rage and maternal fear mixed with the lingering lock of the lightning. When the stun began to fade she tried to rise, only for later, better-aimed bursts to smash into her legs and shoulders. Blood sprayed across the undergrowth. One front leg buckled.

“Moving!” Ren called.

He and Lyra turned and climbed quickly back into the Armado. Ren dropped into the driver’s seat and kept the engine ready. Through the open turret hatch Silvia adjusted her grip, jaw tight with concentration as she forced herself to adapt to the unfamiliar weapon.

Two of the remaining Windfang Tigers broke cover at full speed, powerful legs tearing up the dirt as they charged straight toward the vehicle in desperate aggression. The last injured one staggered after them, still dangerous despite its wounds.

The forest edge had become a killing ground, and the real fight was only beginning.