CHAPTER 15: CH 15: THE STORMREND.

L.U.X Adaptive Combat Suit (ACS-9)

Lightweight, reinforced with graphene weave and reactive gel padding.

Absorbs blunt trauma and redistributes impact force.Embedded with UV pulse emitters—short-range bursts to disorient vampires during close combat.

Black matte finish with minimal reflective surfaces for stealth ops. Reinforced collar with bloodflow dampeners to prevent arterial spray if bitten.

Micro-shield tech around jugular and femoral arteries—designed to harden on contact.

L.U.X gear had absolutely everything anyone would ever need for the fight against vampires.

Levi flexed his arms back and forth noticing the vivid details of the gear he was currently wearing after Selene explained it.

He sat in the jet as it cut through the air like it was nothing, sat opposite him was Jace whose eyes were fixed on him.

The rest of the L.U.X Soldiers sat at his sides, one was reconnaissance, he was scrawny with short hair and a face as pale as day, the other two a guy and girl, were mainly just for backup and support.

The plane was silent... Eeriely so.

Well, except for the constant whistling from Jace, the rattling of the strange rifles in the racks above their heads and the soft hum of the jet’s engine.

’Fuck, I hate planes.’

The thought made it impossible for Levi to think clearly, his face visibly green as his stomach churned.

Who would have thought he’d be air sick.

He pressed his lips into a tight line, dragging away the wet hair that merged with his forehead, glancing at the rifles once more.

Jace noticed, stopped whistling, gesturing his hand lazily at the weapons above him without sparing them a glance.

"VX-13 Modular Rifle. Fires standard rounds, UV-tipped bullets, and incendiary shells... Smart scope with thermal and night vision toggle.

Underslung stake launcher—short-range, high-velocity wooden bolts. In short, it could cut through bone and keep going."

He pulled the Glock under his vest,

"L.U.X Viper-9 Pistol. Compact, semi-auto, loaded with silver-core rounds.

Quick-draw trigger with biometric lock keyed to each soldier. Even you."

He pointed at his wristwatch and then Levi’s, "Detects airborne hemoglobin spikes—alerts squad to nearby feeding or wounded vampires...

But highly unreliable, what the watch sees as vampires can also be a human bleeding, blood bags or even just animal blood."

He signaled to his right ear, "Encrypted Comms, bone-conduction headset for silent communication.

Everything money and technology can get, we have it... Pretty sure Selene already covered the rest."

’Damn. They actually do have everything.’

Levi’s silence was both from his perplexity and the bile crawling up his throat.

But Jace continued, placing his arms on his thighs he leaned in, "So, speaking of Selene... Are you two like a think?"

"Wait, what? The fuck is wrong with you?"

He retorted but asked honestly.

Jace slapped his thigh, "oh come on. You two are always together and that ass is—"

"Stop! We’re nothing."

Levi hissed.

Jace raised his arms, feigning a surrender, "Alright. I won’t push anymore, I was just curious."

Levi tugged on his vest, "so how many missions have you been on? A lot?"

"Enough... Enough to know no prayer to any god is gonna save you when you get dropped into the lion’s den" Jace replied flatly.

Levi raised a brow, "So you’re not scared of anything at all."

"Never said that, just saying worst case scenario is you die and for me that’s the best case scenario... As long as they die with me." His face changed expressionless.

’This bastards fucking crazy.’

"We’re here." The pilot’s voice shook them all, they looked dead ahead as the giant slowly came into view upfront.

The greenery of the island thick and relentless just before the mansion came to;

At the heart of the island stands a large, fortified mansion—old stone architecture reinforced with modern tech. Surveillance towers surround it, some active, others rusted out. The structure is partially shielded, making drone recon unreliable.

~BAM.BAM~

Jace slammed his boots onto the plane twice, gesturing for their attention.

"We drop into the ocean and swim into the island, the plane can’t get too close for obvious reasons so when the mission is complete we light a flare signaling for it to circle back and get us.

Gear up."

They all grabbed a rifle from the rack and made their way for the opening ramp.

The ramp slowly lowered, as a rush of air filled the plane, blowing their hair wildly and flaring the silhouette of their gear.

The jet slowly lowered altitude, more and more until you could probably smell the oceanic salt smell in your face.

Jace walked first, inches from the edge, crossed his arms on his chest, held his breath, "See you all in the Stormrend."

He jumped in, the rest of the soldiers followed close behind him before Levi—

Feeling the water spray across his face, he took a deep breath, slowing his breath and regaining composure before jumping in.

Tossed back and forth by the waves before swimming back up, holding his breath until—

"Arghh!"

He resurfaced, pulling his hair back with both hands and guiding himself with his arms spread out trying to control the wave.

The water was freezing cold, drenched every part of him and left him with goosebumps and a shiver.

His eyes turned to the sky as the jet pushed further and further till it was nothing more than a speck of dust in the night— unnoticeable.

Glancing at the others to see they were already swimming for the island, ’These idiots waste no time at all do they.’

He swam after them, with every push feeling his muscles already aching and shivering.

They kept swimming for what felt like minutes until they finally made landfall.

The sand clung onto every part of him, the cold breeze making it impossible for them to warm up and yet none of that stopped Jace.

He dusted himself off quickly with the fluidity of someone who’d done this too many times.

Levi stared at him as he tried to wipe himself off too, breathing into his open palms and rubbing them together— trying to generate any type of heat.

Jace marched ahead, turned around, spread out his arms, "Welcome to the Stormrend, boys and girls."