“But you’ll die trying to fight them. Why fight even after that?” I asked.Another representative from the group of survivors stepped up and answered, “It’s because we don’t want you to do everything, Aoi. You’re the adventurer who has superpowers. Even though we don’t have any abilities, we still want to help each other out. This is still for us, no matter how far we look at it.”The survivor was right. And when that person voiced his concerns, everyone who listened nodded in agreement. What Vulcan told me earlier came back at me and amplified the lesson. I wasn’t alone. If I was the only one who fended off those monsters while the rest saved themselves, maybe I would’ve seen myself wounded and on the floor - maybe at the brink of death. And maybe, those people I wished to protect had already died or severely injured as soon as we escaped. If the worst had come to the worst, maybe we wouldn’t even reach the forest’s end line. “Thank you, everyone. I… we wouldn’t have done this witho
“Wait…” I said, and gestured my hand for the entire group to see. “Whatever you do, do not make a sound and do not move a muscle.I knew that idling around for the figure to show up was a risky move. But either way, when that monster decides which way it would go, we would be screwed. Maybe it was best for us to come up with a decent plan before that could happen. For now, I sensed the place and tried marking the unknown entity swimming below our feet. I had thought that this was the optimal way to face our problem. However, something happened. After a few minutes of waiting around, the old man on the back groaned in pain. Everyone present on the viaduct tried covering his mouth. But as soon as the survivors reached out their hands, the bridge quivered and slightly disrupted our balance.There was only one word that my mind had thought of. And that was,,“RUN!” I shouted, and led the charge.We sprinted as fast as our legs could on the moving viaduct. Most survivors handled the bridg
Before anything else could go wrong, I activated Oculus and immediately used my jetpack to dive straight downward. Those survivors who saw me gasped and became worried about my well-being. But they knew that I had not given up and just flew below ground. And when those same people witnessed me flying across the clouds, those fearful murmurs became cheers of delight, hoping I could put an end to our hardships. However, I knew that I couldn’t defeat the Feather Kraken. No matter how hard I would try, those Pests created by Vulcan were too much for one adventurer to handle. I even tried it before by shooting my magical and physical bullets at the flying creature. But my efforts were put to no avail. So the only thing left for me to do was to distract the hovering beast and lead it somewhere far away from the group. And that was what I did. The creature was a hundred times my size, so it wasn’t easy for me to get its attention. Even so, I did what I could and went straight ahead towar
Fortunately, the group of survivors were already near their destination. For about a few feet away, those people would be free from any conflicts facing this serpent. So I had to survive before the inevitable could happen. Because if I die, this creature would devour me within seconds and hastily return to the crowd.Oculus and I tried our best to side step every attempt that the Feather Kraken made. When the serpent went left, I went right. And when the slithering creature zoomed onward, I went upward. I didn’t let the flying snake do as it pleased and used the fog as its cover. I noticed something odd every time the serpent and I travelled through the thick white smoke. It seemed that the Feather Kraken’s speed gradually increased when its skin touched the fog. And when I rose towards the sky or descended every time I dodged the serpent’s attack, the beast’s speed remained the same. And the pace it had accumulated before slowly disappeared.This description of the Feather Kraken wa
It was a matter of “who reaches who first?” type of scenario where the beast attacked the survivors while the people tried running away from the creature.If i had to guess it right, the seven survivors would reach the viaduct’s end around ten minutes. The group of survivors were close to reaching the finish line. And if these people made it out on the other side of that bridge, the Feather Kraken would not lay its fangs on them. And the same would happen to me.Oculus, theoretically, could not carry anyone with me. However, I defied all means and forced my device to bring, at least, one person behind my back. This old and wounded me couldn’t walk any further, and if I tried forcing this old man to crawl to the bridge, the survivors would take more minutes for them to reach the other side of the bridge. Those survivors would gladly accept that proposal, but the serpent had already eyes on the group. And slowing down even for a minute would greatly affect our future.While the serpent
With the old man behind my back, my movements were sluggish. And I had to be careful to take sharp turns and consider the health of the old man clinging on my shoulders. But I did not complain about it. This was the only time for me to save the old man while giving a chance for the survivors to escape. That was my job. And I wished to protect each person in my party, especially those who believed in me.The old man knew that also, as we hovered across the foggy sky. Behind us was the monster that continued chasing our tails. Fortunately, the Feather Kraken pursued our figures instead of the survivors. It was a good thing for the survivors, but not for myself and the old man. We still had three minutes left before the people could reach the other side. My mind knew that one hundred eighty seconds were not enough for me to outspeed the serpent. But I didn't give up just yet. I didn’t want the old man to die, especially when I volunteered to save him. And I… promised that I will save ev
I focused my eyes on the prize and dove straight onward to the land. I didn’t care if I crash landed on the place. As long as the old man and I were safe and sound, everything should be okay. The two of us were going to make it. We had to. Even though the monster was near my feet, I believed we could reach the end line. I didn’t know what to do if I failed this time around. My body became lighter. And from the looks of it, I could finally reach the other side without facing another challenge. I was about to make it. However, the sudden increase of speed told me one thing.Something… or someone was dropped off my shoulders. There was only one thing that added more weight to my body. And that was…“The old man…” I uttered, and quickly turned around to check for the bloke. But when I glanced at my side, the old man wasn’t slouching behind my back. He was already falling from the sky.“Aoi… It’s fine.. Go save yourself,” the man whispered.I honestly didn’t know what the old man mention
After a few minutes, my emotions were already swollen. I had already cried a river. And I knew I had already drained the bucket of tears stored inside me. Just as when I had thought I had wept enough, another set of emotions wished to stir my thoughts. Thankfully, before that could even happen, the mother and her child - two survivors - went to my side and comforted me.The child sat beside me and uttered nothing. He knew that I had been going through a lot and remained silent while keeping me company. For a kid his age, he knew how to handle the situation well. If he was a different child, maybe I would’ve accidentally lashed my emotions to him.The mother also sat on the opposite side. She held my hand without hesitation and met my solemn gaze. When my eyes stared at the woman, the mother caressed my head as if I was her son. Even though I was a stranger in her eyes, the mother treated me as someone dear to her life.“Losing something is normal. We need to move because life has more