Free Web NovelChapter 205: A Battle of Two (1)
The ground was still kind of warm, and the alphas were sprinting really fast. Two betas were riding on the quickest psychic incarnations, with Kestrel on an orca and a black unicorn carrying Nicole. In no time, it seemed like the group had zoomed to where the sky meets the land.
The sky got dark really fast, and the hot and sticky feeling in the air was gone. Pretty flowers opened up eagerly one after another on the ground, getting squished under the tough soles of their heavy-duty boots.
Their steps sounded like quick drum sounds; they had to move really fast, not wasting even a moment.
Day turned into night super fast here, and it didn’t follow any usual timing; they said the shortest night only lasted a couple of hours. When the sun came up, the extreme heat would wipe out all life out in the open, nothing could live under that blistering sun.
Only near the central square were there lots of houses close together. the Backbone was situated really far off, and there were just a few isolated shelters available for protection on the way there.
So, Kestrel and her group had to run without stopping to get to the next underground building to hide from the sun before it came up again.
Pein had given them the exact spot, but reaching it safely was up to how good they were at what they do. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Getting to the Backbone was the riskiest route ever. Even the fast Mantidale locals didn’t dare to go there easily. As time went on, the mutants who lived there had moved more and more away from the Backbone, a lot of the new-born mantises didn’t even know what the Backbone was anymore.
They kept running for several hours. From far away, Kestrel saw the first shelter on the map where they could hide, its bright stone roof really stood out on the land.
Everyone felt a little bit calmer and relieved.
Ren got there first, his dark shape zoomed in front of the shelter, quickly checked out the area, and then took off the lid that was on the bright stone roof. Raymond followed, jumping in with his long golden hair shining at the entrance before vanishing; not long after, a message saying it was safe came from down below.
Right then, a spot of white light, the simple of death, appeared far away. The huge white beams moved incredibly fast, where the morning light touched, everything got destroyed: flowers, soft grass, flying bugs, and shiny ants perished under the harsh sun, nothing was left.
In just a moment, half of the land was covered in a white glow, the burning boundary of life and death moved frighteningly closer. But Ren, at the entrance, wasn’t scared at all, with one foot on the open lid, he reached out his hand to Kestrel.
Kestrel, soaring in the sky, leaped off the back of the orca. Ren grabbed her, yanking her hand to toss her into the shelter - it was the fastest way.
Nicole paused for a moment before jumping off too with her eyes shut, she was caught and quickly thrown in.
Rakan and Olivia went in one after the other, really quickly.
As she dove down, Olivia glanced up and saw Ren, tall and slim, still at the entrance, drawing the long sword from his side.
A mutated mantis was speeding furiously from afar, pursued by the advancing death line.
Thanks to its natural abilities giving it incredible speed, the urgent danger brought out its wild side. It kicked up a whirlwind of dust and flower petals as it ran. Its sharp blades moved swiftly, aiming at the person standing at the tunnel entrance meant for survival.
Through the small opening to the sky, Olivia caught sight of the glowing red hue of Ren’s blood-soaked sword. His strike created a red streak among the twinkling stars and fluttering petals. Blood splashed at the entrance, but Ren’s black boots stood firm and unyielding.
Quietly swearing in her head, Olivia couldn’t help but feel a grudging respect for Ren. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Alphas had a sense of dignity, truly admiring only the brave. This was Ren’s first mission with their group, and he hadn’t really gotten to know everyone yet.
The true test of a warrior’s might and trustworthiness wasn’t in training but revealed in real combat.
In dangerous times, one mustn’t lose their head; in chaos, one has to be careful and detailed. He had led the attack, and now during the retreat, he took on the duty of protecting everyone from the back. With his quiet teamwork and a keen understanding of the overall situation, he became someone everyone was willing to trust on the battlefield.
Olivia now realized why Kestrel would stare at the computer screen every day before leaving, waiting for him to join the team.
Standing at the entrance, Ren looked around one last time to make sure nothing would suddenly appear to obstruct the closing of the door before he stepped inside. Then he jumped into the bunker, lifting his hand to close the lid.
The orca hovered outside, its huge shape vanishing just a moment before the sunlight hit it.
A wave of scorching heat rolled over them from above. In the dark basement, they could hear each other’s heartbeat and breathing.
Taking their first steps in this strange place, they were just barely safe.
Outside was a blazing inferno, but this small refuge bunker was smartly built. Nestled at the very bottom, they didn’t feel suffocated or overly warm. But there was no water here, and they had to carefully use the supplies they carried with them. Everyone stopped moving, sitting down and resting against the cool walls.
With quiet settling around them, the dim bunker felt eerily silent. It sounded like something on the surface was burning, the soft noises of crackling flames and burning grass and wood filtering down to them.
Nicole’s mind drifted to Pain once again, that mutant with eyes that sparkled like green gems... They had barely met, and he had died so suddenly. She couldn’t figure out why he kept popping up in her thoughts during their journey.
Mutants were once considered the greatest foes of humans, beings with whom battles to the death were inevitable. When she first met a humanoid mutant on that blimp, Nicole had believed mutants were the most frightening beings in this world.
But as they sat really close to Pain, sharing music with him, they encountered a polite, kind-eyed young guy, his eyes shining with a desire to explore the world beyond.
It was obvious that he was just like them, made of flesh and blood, filled with feelings. Nicole just couldn’t convince herself to think of him as just a monster.
Nicole shut her eyes and rested against the wall, softly humming "The Erlking". The music echoed the courage of a young man fighting against his destiny as death neared.
The sharp, nasty smell of blood from the wedding feast seemed to stick in her nose.
The savage nature that was typical of the mantis species had violently taken and ended the life of that gentle young guy.
