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
I pressed the end of my rifle and repeated the question to the mage. “Tell me or this will not end well for the two of us.”“I don’t care what you do to me. As long as I can protect my people, that’s all that is to it.”After hearing the mage’s resolution, I gingerly lifted my gun and aimed the barrel at the mage’s head. I lightly tapped the rifle at the wizard and flashed him a snicker.“Last warning. Tell me what you know. And tell me why the FUCK DID YOU NOT HELP US!”I tried scaring the mage and forced him to answer me. But instead of scaring the wizard, the survivors who met me well had seen a different picture of myself. It wasn’t what they had expected. Even though each of them felt betrayed from the mages in front of us, these survivors still had a kind heart that seperated mine.The boy who I also spoke with hid behind his mother’s figure. He refused to meet my gaze, even though we had a thousand conversations with each other. The temporary leader of the group had also deduce
As my group headed towards the stairs, waves of portals seeped through the place. Hundreds of golden circles appeared outside the village we left, belonging to the swarm of monsters. A few minutes after, the creatures materialised and hunted down the nearest target. It was the structures that acted as the mages’ temporary shelter. But even though I left the place unprotected, I knew that the mage’s “Master” would protect them. I also had a group to escort upward. And this party of mine placed their trust on me. People could call me bias, but I offered the mage’s help with my abilities. However, two reasons stopped me from siding with them: one was their ignorance on helping us in our situation, while the other was their representative’s full-hearted rejection of my help. I didn’t lose anything when the mages pushed me away. And since they cared about their pride more about their people, I guessed leaving them alone to defend themselves would be the wisest thing to do. Besides the afo
As the scene slowly disappeared in front of me, the invisible panel slid me upward at the waiting hands of my group. When I arrived at the apex of the staircase, a panel materialised in front of me. It told me that we finally arrived at the third floor. I opened my eyes to confirm my surroundings. Within a few seconds, the environment changed, together with the survivors. Almost in a second, the people I knew and had travelled with disappeared right in front of my eyes. I didn’t even have the time to say goodbye. It was as if the portal tested my patience and took every hard work from me. After a few seconds, my ears caught someone clapping behind me. I turned around and greeted Vulcan’s figure, standing in front of me. He leisurely clapped his hand as if the old man watched a marvellous movie. The two of us were the only ones inside this room. From the looks of it, this place was just a studio nothing different from the ones advertised from various apartments. The only exit and entra
“The improvements I would place on your rifle are upgraded accessories that will enhance the damage of your bullets. I will also improve your two bullets and turn them into one, so you don’t have to switch shells between matches. It’s a hassle. Don’t worry. I won’t touch any attributes related to your bullets.” “Oculus will also have an upgrade where your device can aid you in battle. The amount of damage your machine could deal will be related to your health points and arcane. Basically, the more equipped you are for battle, the deadlier your drone could be. And your levels will be Oculus levels. But if Oculus transforms into a living weapon, then Oculus cannot fuse with you and turn into a jetpack. Come on, Aoi. This is common sense.” I nodded my head. “Carry on.” Vulcan continued, “As I was saying, if Oculus can now hit with you, there would be lesser monsters approaching your fore. However, that would limit your mobility, especially when you can’t move freely in air or water. Oc
“You two! if you continued fighting on the portal’s exterior boundaries, you might’ve already caused some disturbance and commotion from my patients. And maybe they would’ve summoned the two of you on court,” a voice so familiar echoed at the side. After a few seconds, the figure who spoke to us eventually revealed himself, which was Doctor Maruki all along. “And you, Aoi. I thought you’re hiding your identity from the real world? I thought that the Crimson Guild is looking for you and the person who has a sniper. If word comes out someone who has a sniper is found inside this hospital, your sister and you would’ve been so screwed.” Doctor Maruki continued, while crossing his arms. “Oh, crap… Now that you’ve said it, you’re right, Doctor Maruki. I should’ve been careful,” I uttered. “And that reminds me of something. How the hell did you place us inside the portal without any pre-cast magic circles, chants, or even notification to my system?” While I was at it, I had forgotten tha