The street was a desolate expanse, devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of daily life.
The curfew had cast a pall of silence over the area, the only sound being the distant hum of engines and the soft crunch of gravel beneath the wheels of approaching vehicles.
The dim streetlights flickered and suddenly, military vans emerged from the darkness, their headlights casting an eerie glow over the empty street.
The vans moved with a deliberate slowness, their tires rumbling over the pavement as they pulled into position.
Soldiers poured out of the vans, their movements swift and practiced as they fanned out to secure the area.
He softly exhaled, and he breathed in the cold air.
As a member of the infantry team, Reed and his friends were deployed first to secure the perimeter.
All armed with their rifles, ready to open fire at any living threat.
Their eyes scanned through the street and the street was bathed in the harsh, unforgiving light of the vans' headlights.
The soldiers' shadows cast long and ominous on the ground. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the sound of the soldiers' boots on the pavement and the distant crackle of radios.
"Any signs of terrorists?" A voice echoed from the walkie-talkie hung securely from a soldier's waist, clipped to their belt with a sturdy clip or strap.
The walkie-talkie's radio cracked to life, emitting a burst of static that sounded like a mixture of white noise and distant thunder.
The sound was punctuated by a series of sharp, high-pitched squeaks and chirps as the device turned into the correct frequency.
Leon swiftly pulled out the walkie-talkie to answer.
"Negative Captain" Leon answered "No signs of any movement within the perimeter" He added.
"Very well then. Keep being vigilant" Captain Arnold instructed from the military van he sat in, he observed from the window.
"Infantrymen are to scatter deep to scout the streets. The terrorists are aware of our presence and they're waiting"
"We need to figure out where they are to strike," Captain Arnold stated, "Do you understand? Infantrymen?" Captain Arnold questioned.
"Aye, sir," Leon answered.
He's the leader of the infantry team, upon receiving the orders from the captain in charge of operation 'Egghead'
He waved his hand forward, signaling his team to scatter across the streets and they went deeper into the slums.
Other units awaited a response. All geared up and armed with their rifles, they waited in the military vans.
Once the Infantry team has gathered enough information regarding their scouting activities. They will be unleashed.
Minutes went by, and there were no words reported.
Silence reigned absolute. The air grew tense as everyone awaited a response.
Reed followed the team leader from behind. Firmly holding onto his AR-15 as they walked through the streets in groups.
Searching every corner, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from above.
Present on a cliff of a massive building were two Ragnars. With mana emitting from their bodies, they had no reason to hide their essence.
The fierce wind blew, with dust scattered across the sky, and out of the three Ragnars present on the cliff, only one was sitting.
With an eye-patch covering his left eye, he chuckled softly.
"How pitiful" He chuckled, "To think the United States government would send humans to take down three Ragnars"
"Do they have no regard for human life?" The eye-patch Ragnar questioned with a chuckle. He licked his lips.
His fellow Ragnar exhaled a soft sigh. Clad in a black trench coat, he glared down at the moving soldiers.
He scoffed. "Humans are insignificant pests, they're whole existence depends entirely on our mood" He declared.
"It shouldn't be surprising if the government decides to dispose of some useless humans, sending them on a suicidal mission against us," He continued.
The eye-patch Ragnar wore a lopsided grin. "How amusing" He chuckled, "So what should we do about them?" He asked.
The third Ragnar gently stroked his chin, observing everything from above.
"We were sent here for a reason" He voiced out, "the boss wanted us to assassinate the mayor of this city and we've completed the task"
"Our presence in this city was leaked, and that's why these weaklings were sent out to wipe us out. How repulsive" He growled. "If they wanted to take us out, shouldn't they have sent a Ragnar?"
He asked.
He slowly took off his glasses, and his eyes flickered.
"We'll kill this trash. Everyone of them" the third Ragnar declared. His voice was etched with hatred towards the human race.
The eye-patch Ragnar clapped his hands, his chuckle became even louder. "Bravo, Bravo….this is becoming more interesting" the eye-patch Ragnar giggled.
"But you know we can't insult ourselves by wiping them out all at the same time right?" The eye-patch Ragnar asked.
"Only one of us will go down and kill them all" He continued.
There was reticence in the air for a few minutes.
"Hmmm," the second Ragnar sighed. "And who will go down there?" He asked.
"I will" the eye-patch Ragnar raised his head. "It's been a while since I shed some human blood, so I'll kill them myself," He stated.
The third Ragnar breathed in the fresh air. "Very well then," He sighed, "You have five minutes to kill them all, and we'll leave this city," He stated.
"Sure…sure…" the eye-patch Ragnar chuckled. He slowly rose up to his feet, dusting off his butt, he stretched his arms around.
"I'll kill them all in a heartbeat" He declared.
And with that, the eye-patch Ragnar descends into the streets. His teammates watched him from above.
His landing was without sound. After all, he's an assassin, trained for this type of operation. He chuckled.
By this time, the infantry team was already moving toward the deeper areas of the streets. Areas shrouded in darkness.
And that was when they met him.
***
Leon had his eyes searching through the night, his fingertips anxiously caressing the trigger button, ready to open fire.
He organized the team perfectly as they went deeper. The faster his heart kept pounding, he was already sweating intensely.
And so were his friends. Reed was no exception.
While moving, they noticed sound movements within the shadows. Leon raised his hand and everyone stopped moving.
They had their rifles all pointed in a certain direction.
"Who's there?" Leon questioned. "Show yourself or we'll open fire" He warned.
But no answer was given. "Show yourself or we'll open fire" He warned again.
No answer was given.
Just then, a being with an eye patch covering his left eye emerged from the shadows. Everyone positioned themselves at the sight of this man.
A lopsided grin escaped the lips of the eye-patch figure as he had his hands lifted in the air, a sign of surrender.
"Who are you?" Leon questioned.
The eye-patch figure chuckled softly. His right eye flickered, unveiling the emerald hue.
Reed's eyes widened at the sight of this brimming power. For some reason, he sensed it before everyone else.
"LOOK OUUUTTT" Reed screamed out.
He swiftly moved away but before everyone could react to his screams. A surge of mana was unleashed.
The fiery blast sent everyone crashing, and they reached out for their rifles, with swift motion, they opened fire.
But against a Ragnar of his caliber. It was ineffective.
Blood splattered across the ground as the first infantryman fell. Beheaded by the eye-patch Ragnar.
"Soldiers!!" Leon screamed out, he regained his stance when he swiftly cocked his rifle. "We've gotten our hands on a terrorist"
"We must not go down without a fight" Leon roared out loud. Seeing his bravery, his team followed suit.
The eye-patch Ragnar took a step forward. "Terrorist?" He asked, "You break my heart, we're not terrorists," He stated.
A lopsided grin escaped his lips.
"Rather, call us freedom fighters" He chuckled. And with just a single snap of his fingers, a humongous sandworm emerged from his shadows.
The monster's attack was swift and merciless, its jaws closing around the soldiers with deadly precision.
In a blur of motion, the creature's teeth sank deep into its victims, tearing their flesh and crushing bones with ease.
The soldiers' screams were abruptly cut short as the monster's maw closed around them, their bodies disappearing into the darkness of its maw.
Reed was the only survivor.
He sat down on the ground, his eyes laced with fear. His body quivered at the sight of the horrors he had witnessed.
"Nooooo" He screamed out.
His friends were all devoured by the sandworm. None were even given the chance to react, his instincts pressured him to run.
But his body had already given up.