Reckoning (2)

Opening the door warily, Evan glanced at Finn, who had a serious expression plastered on his face. Motioning him in, Evan sat on the bed as he awaited for Finn to begin speaking.

Clearing his throat, Finn hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.

"There has been a sudden change of plans regarding the mission for the foreseeable future. Since Commander Vanderson is currently away from the outpost, probably dealing with a threat which suddenly appeared. As such, they, the military, have requested for Otto to take the helm until the Commander returns. As he is the strongest one here and the only one who can hold down the fort in case of emergencies."

Staring deep into Finn's eyes to judge whether this was the truth or just a fabricated lie weaved to catch him unawares, Evan used his experiences to determine which one was the case.

After a few moments of tense silence, Evan nodded, showing that he understood as he saw his fellow squad mate heave a visible sigh of relief.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Otto gave us specific instructions in the case of an emergency, which is to flee if necessary, as we are not bound by any restrictions like the soldiers who enlisted in the military. It is better to keep our lives and then avenge the fallen at a later date."

"Ok."

After that, an awkward silence ensued between them, as neither side had anything else to add.

"Right, I'll go inform the other members of the squad. Stay safe," Finn said.

Watching Finn exit the room with languid eyes, Evan narrowed his eyes at the unexpected turn of events.

'So the commander is away from the outpost, leaving an opportunity for a disaster to grow. Is this the source of my unease? Or is it something much, much greater that I can't even fathom due to the craziness of such an event?'

Ruffling with his hair, Evan continued contemplating for a few minutes before getting up from the bed and exiting his room, locking the door behind him as the clicking sound of the door reverberated deep in his heart.

***

In another region of the mountainous area, a trio of humans were seen running with all their might each in different ways. The one who had a scar travelling down his face caused afterimages to be formed as he used nothing but his own body's power to propel his acceleration to new heights.

Adjacent to him was a stocky male who was draped in red clothes with the insignia of a dragon embroidered on them. A blue hue appeared beneath his feet with every step he took, increasing his speed as he stayed level with the scar-faced man.

Finally, the last one remaining of the trio was a male who had a thin frame, clad in hooded robes which concealed his features as he carried a staff with a gem embedded on the top of it.

The hooded male was the slowest of the group, as he had to cast buffs on his figure every so often. Which delayed his pace by a little.

As the group of three continued running forwards, paying no heed to the surrounding scenery, they occasionally gazed backwards as if a powerful monster would attack them any second now.

And attacked they were. As a huge monster appeared high in the skies, its wings cast a shadow that loomed heavily over them, causing grim determination to surface on their faces.

Swooping down, the huge monster roared, announcing its presence in a domineering fashion as it spat out a mana-imbued attack from its mouth, which hurtled with great speed toward the escaping trio.

As Commander Vanderson and the others sensed the incoming attack, expressions of great alarm appeared on their faces as they hurriedly moved their bodies out of the way.

Boom!

As the attack from the Wyvern smashed into the ground, a deep crater the size of a house materialized as the sound of the explosion rang out far into the distance.

'God dammit! Why do I always have to be right? That monster's attacks right now can kill the strongest of rank 3's multiple times over. Who was the shitty fucker who said that it only had the capacity to release attacks which won't kill us?!'

Looking to his right, Commander Vanderson noted that Vincent's bodyguard as well as the hooded figure came to the realisation at the same time as him.

As soon as he understood the perilous situation that the trio were currently in, the bodyguard released a wave of mana as he snapped his fingers in the direction where his young master was.

'Sigh, I hope you can achieve what you wanted in getting the wyvern's egg, young master.'

Turning around, the bodyguard came to a sudden halt as he gazed at the wyvern, which was right on their heels in hot pursuit. Gazing at the enemy with deep hatred, he released a torrent of mana from his body as his figure became engulfed in flames.

***

Seeing the flare light up in the twilight sky, Vincent and the rest of the servants rushed into the dark cave as darkness engulfed them like a rapid wave. Snapping his fingers, a tiny ball of flame appeared in his palm, lighting up the way ahead as his party headed deeper into the cave.

Gazing at the cave walls, which were sculpted by the natural erosion provided by time, a pensive expression weaved itself on his face.

'Since the wyvern has left its egg unprotected, that means that it is confident enough that nothing will be able to harm it.'

Walking forward surrounded by his servants, Vincent continued travelling deeper as he followed a winding path of a tunnel which led deeper into the base of the mountain, as the small flame in his hands barely illuminated the darkness which loomed up ahead.

After a few more minutes of travelling, the narrow tunnel broadened into an expansive space with several floor-to-ceiling pillars stationed methodically around the place. Beneath one set of pillars was an obsidian-coloured egg with several purple lines etched on its surface.

Gazing at the unfamiliar lines, it struck Vincent with a striking sense of awe as he carefully walked closer to the egg in hopes of gaining a closer look at the esoteric lines.

Alas, just as he neared the obsidian egg, a deep rumbling sound rang out in the chamber.

The rocky ground beneath the group of humans quaked as a cloud of dust rose up and engulfed the party as the loose rocks hidden in the chamber's ceiling were dislodged, crashing down onto the floor below.

As the cloud of dust parted, the reason for the sudden quaking of the chamber was revealed, as only two words remained in every one of the servant's heads.

'Oh, shit!'