NOVPUB
Chapter 64: A Gate In The Sky?!
It hovered there, unnatural and looming, suspended in the air like a rip in reality itself.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen one, but dungeon gates were unpredictable.
They could appear anywhere on the planet — on the ground, within forests, even inside buildings if fate willed it.
But this?
A dungeon break from the sky.
The rain fell harder, slamming against the rooftops below, and the wind howled through the trees lining the road.
Tobias exhaled slowly, gripping the window frame.
"Shit."
The glow intensified.
And then, without warning, the sky split open.
Tobias ran downstairs and asked them to look out the window, Zayn being curious opened it to check.
The storm showed no sign of letting up.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the darkened town below in brief, violent flashes. But none of that compared to what was now unfolding above them.
The clouds churned, swirling unnaturally, parting to reveal something massive and unnatural — a gate.
Unlike the usual dungeon gates that appeared at ground level, this one hovered in the sky, a gaping white vortex spinning with chaotic energy.
It pulsed, almost as if it were alive, its presence an unnatural tear in the fabric of the world.
Zayn’s breath caught as he stared at it from the window. The others had gathered behind him, and their mouths were agape.
Even Bran, usually one of the most calmest among them, had his jaw set in a hard line, his hand gripping the axe at his hip.
"Gods," Elisse breathed. "It’s huge."
Kara exhaled sharply. "No kidding."
Tobias, standing closest to the window, muttered under his breath, "This is worse than I thought."
Then, before anyone could react, the first monster fell.
It was a sickening sight.
The creature — a massive, fur-covered beast with long, spindly limbs — had no wings, no way to slow its descent.
It tumbled through the air, flailing wildly, before slamming into the stone road below.
CRACK.
The sickening sound of bones shattering rang out even over the storm.
The monster’s body crumpled upon impact, limbs bent at unnatural angles, its lifeless form twitching once before going completely still.
A moment of stunned silence followed.
Then another fell.
And another.
Some of them died instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the sheer force of the fall.
Their corpses littered the street, forming grotesque, motionless heaps against the rain-soaked cobblestone.
But not all of them perished on impact.
Two, in particular, were different.
As they plummeted toward the earth, they twisted their bodies in midair, extending long, curved claws.
The talons scraped against the sides of buildings, carving deep gashes into the stone as they desperately slowed their descent.
Sparks flew as clawed fingers dug in, tearing chunks of wood and mortar from the structures.
And then — they landed.
The first one hit the ground in a crouch, its claws still embedded in the walls it had used to slow its fall.
It was tall, at least seven feet, with an elongated, almost skeletal frame.
Its skin was a sickly gray, stretched too tightly over its body, and its eyes — black, empty voids — gleamed in the darkness.
The second landed nearby, its talons clicking against the wet stone as it straightened.
This one was bulkier, with a hunched posture and bony protrusions jutting from its back like deformed wings.
Its mouth, lined with rows of jagged teeth, parted slightly as it took in its surroundings.
Then, slowly, they looked up.
Zayn’s stomach twisted.
The creatures weren’t just mindless beasts. There was intelligence in their movements.
The way their heads tilted, how their clawed fingers flexed, the way their bodies tensed as if assessing whether the things around them were prey.
"We need to move," Bran murmured, voice barely above a whisper.
Tobias was already reaching for his glasses. "Agreed."
Zayn forced himself to tear his eyes away from the creatures.
His pulse thundered in his ears.
If monsters were falling from the sky, this wasn’t just a random dungeon break — this was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
"What do we do?" Elisse asked, already pulling her staff from its strap.
Kara scoffed. "We do what we do best."
From outside, a guttural, inhuman screech rang through the air.
The creatures had spotted movement — someone outside.
A lone guard, likely out checking the disturbance, had unknowingly walked right into their sights.
He barely had time to react before the leaner of the two monsters moved.
It vanished.
No — it didn’t disappear. It moved so fast it was a blur, closing the distance in an instant.
One second, it was standing by the corpses of its fallen kin.
The next, it was inches away from the guard.
The man barely had time to scream.
The creature lunged, claws slashing.
Blood sprayed across the cobblestone, mixing with rainwater as the guard crumpled to the ground, his body twitching once before going still.
"Shit," Tobias hissed.
Zayn didn’t hesitate.
Ignoring the others’ warnings, he bounced out of the window.
His body moved on instinct, his feet barely making a sound as he landed in a crouch.
The moment he hit the ground, he shot forward, his sword clutched tightly in his grip.
Golden soul energy crackled from the blade, spiraling like living fire, illuminating his intense gaze.
The first monster hadn’t noticed him yet.
It was still feeding.
Zayn’s stomach twisted.
The guard’s body lay limp in the creature’s grasp, lifeless, blood pooling beneath it.
The monster — thin, sinewy, its bony fingers stained with red — tore into the corpse with unnatural ease, its jagged teeth sinking into soft flesh.
Zayn took a breath.
His muscles tensed — then he moved.
He surged forward, his blade slicing through the rain-soaked air.
The golden glow of his soul energy trailed behind him, illuminating the darkness for just a moment.
His strike was aimed directly at the monster’s exposed back — but the creature reacted.
With unnatural speed, it twisted, its hollow black eyes locking onto him.
Its long, spindly fingers shot up, claws crossing over its chest in a blur — clashing against his sword.
CLANG!
