Chapter 26 – Escape

"Daaamn it! Why does this take so much energy? Fill up already, PLEASEEE!"

Running through the narrow path formed by the canyon's towering walls, the three women wore expressions of distress and desperation. Sonia, the least composed of them, sincerely hoped that this was all a bad dream or some kind of hallucination.

In her hand, she clutched a metallic gray thread about 20 cm long and 0.5 cm thick, into which she was incessantly channeling her aura in an attempt to reactivate it.

This was the Command Wire, a device designed to transmit a single command at a time to an Aura Beast equipped with a Command Receiver. In this case, Sonia was desperately trying to issue a attack command to Windor, who was flying overhead, keeping eye on them and the enemy.

Tsss-tsss-tsss

The same enemy that was stalking the women leisurely, as if playing a cruel game. Every time they relaxed even slightly during their escape, that unmistakable sound warned them that the predator was near.

After running so far without seeing any trace of the predator, they were certain the snake was camouflaged in the desert sand—or perhaps even right beneath them. But even using their aura detection abilities, they couldn't sense its presence.

Even Windor found it difficult to pinpoint the serpent's exact location. His highly acute vision could detect its movement, but when the snake stopped and camouflaged itself, he could only guess its position.

Moreover, when he left his home, his master had commanded him not to interfere in battles. Therefore, he could only intercept the predator if given another order. After all, his master wasn't present, so Windor had no reason to meddle in affairs that didn't concern him.

Aura Beasts that evolved from birds of prey generally possess deep pride and selfishness. They are solitary creatures, rarely socializing with others Beasts, even of their own kind except during mating season, when pairs stay together until their offspring are fully grown.

Although Windor held genuine affection for his master, he rarely extended those feelings to others, even those close to his master. A testament to this disposition was the current situation: he merely observed and waited for a command, despite the imminent danger.

Of course, He had already done more than most other Beasts of his kind would do in warning them of the threat. Otherwise, If his master were here, however, Windor wouldn't hesitate to neutralize the threat as soon as it was detected, regardless of the cost.

KYYYYAAAAAAAA

For now, he intended to wait for the command…

"Sonia, HURRY UP!" yelled Mahara, the slowest of the three, as she carried Hendrina, unconscious and deathly pale, on her shoulders.

"I'M TRYING… But this damn thing won't fill up. Daaamn it!"

"STOP!" shouted Anya, who was leading the group.

"What?? What happened?" Sonia, entirely focused on imbuing the Command Thread with aura, didn't stop in time and ended up several meters ahead.

"It's leading us into a dead end… We need to climb. We can't let it trap us."

"Are you crazy? It's over 400 meters! And it's not even a sloped mountain—it's a straight-up vertical wall!" Sonia exclaimed indignantly, gesturing repeatedly at the canyon walls surrounding them.

The walls were steep, with sharp angles, most at 95 degrees or more, and some at barely 85 degrees. So high that, despite it being just past 2 PM, the canyon floor was as dimly lit as late afternoon.

The only good news was that the cliffs were entirely composed of irregular, extremely rough sedimentary rock, with numerous cavities and protrusions that made climbing somewhat easier.

"I'll climb ahead and mark the route. We don't have time to waste, and our only hope is that Command Thread, which is far from being useful right now."

Saying this, Anya pulled a thin but extremely long rope from the same belt pouch she had used to retrieve the three bombs earlier. Not stopping there, she also took out three pairs of black gloves with claws at the fingertips.

"Our time is short. The Crotalus Desertignis will attack the moment it realizes our intent," she asserted, putting on the gloves and approaching the wall.

"And who's going to distract that damn snake while we climb this godforsaken wall, huh? Or do you think it's just going to patiently wait for its tasty prey to escape?" Sonia, still indignant, donned her gloves as she voiced her complaints.

"That's your cue, potty mouth," Mahara responded with a slight smile as she tied Hendrina's body to her own using a small soft rope that Anya had just taken from her bag..

"What??" Stunned, Sonia was momentarily at a loss for words.

Once satisfied that Hendrina wouldn't fall, Mahara donned her gloves and began scaling the wall, following the path Anya had marked with her glove claws.

Anya had already climbed over 40 meters up the steep wall, with Mahara about 15 meters behind her. At this rate, they would reach the top in less than two minutes.

Meanwhile, Sonia was still on the ground, frozen and bewildered…

Tsss-tsss-tsss

"Ohhh damn… Damn… What the hell…" Brought back to reality by the sound of the serpent, Sonia immediately felt the crushing weight of her situation.

She was alone, utterly unprepared, and tasked with distracting an apex predator in its natural habitat. It didn't take a genius to see how dire her circumstances were, and panic and fear overwhelmed her.

Pacing back and forth, scratching her head with both hands, kicking sand, and ranting… Sonia had no idea what to do.

Thompp. Thompp. Thompp.

As if Aura's own tears were falling from the heavens, Sonia regained her composure upon noticing three bombs, similar to the ones Anya had used earlier, tossed down from above.

She wasted no time and ran to pick up the devices, clutching them as if her life depended on them—which, in truth, it did.

Because right after grabbing the bombs, Sonia was forced to look behind her…

Tsss-tsss-tsss

In the distance, about 150 meters away, the cunning, malevolent predator finally revealed itself.

A massive serpent rose from the sand where it had been partially submerged. Its vibrant yellow scales, polished to a dazzling sheen, perfectly matched the desert sands.

Its flat, triangular head was covered in small, rigid scales, with massive horns protruding above its eyes. Its small eyes, with vertical pupils, stared directly at Anya and Mahara, who were nearly halfway up the wall.

The loreal pits between its eyes and nostrils began to emit dry vapor, as if declaring that the game was over. The serpent then opened its mouth, revealing retractable fangs connected to venom glands.

Sonia immediately understood the serpent's intent. The moment yellowish liquid began to drip, she bolted in a random direction, screaming and lighting one of the bomb fuses.

"Heyyy, I'M RIGHT HERE… You filthy snake… Disgusting creature, come get me, you coward!" she shouted, trying to get the attention of the Beast that was about to fire a dose of its venom.

The snake paused briefly but soon refocused on its escaping prey.

"Hehe, look away and you lose… That's how it works, you idiot."

Thankfully, the brief distraction gave the bomb's fuse enough time to burn down, and Sonia hurled it at the serpent with remarkable precision.

BOOOOMMMM

The explosion was massive, producing a thunderous roar and causing rocks and sand to collapse from the canyon walls. The fireball rose several meters, and the heat was enough to crystallize the nearby sand.

"TAKE THAT, YOU BITCH!" Sonia celebrated the direct hit with a victory dance, swaying her hips side to side and clasping her hands behind her head.

SSSSSSSSSS

Unfortunately, her celebration was cut short when the snake let out a loud, threatening hiss, signaling that it was still alive and well.

Fear and surprise gripped her again, but once more, hope fell from the sky.

Thompp.

In the same spot where the bombs had landed, the end of the rope was tossed down from above.

"Don't just stand there, idiot! Light the next one and start climbing!" Mahara, now more than halfway up the wall with Hendrina on her back, yelled down at Sonia.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT?!" Sonia retorted as she ran to grab the rope, and prepared the next bomb to throw at the snake.