Chapter 36: Orders

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Orders

The barrier held for three heartbeats after the hit. On the fourth it cracked like ice under a boot.

Stone and dust blew outward in a hard wave. A clawed arm punched through what was left of the shield and tore at the ground where the party had stood a moment before. Allan was already moving as he grabbed the nearest A-ranker by the collar and yanked him clear as rubble came down in a choking cloud.

One look was enough.

Two A-rankers were down hard, one with a ruined leg, the other bleeding from a deep cut across the ribs, while the mage knelt in the dirt, mana spent and her barrier flickering out in thin blue threads. Only Diva stood a few paces ahead, breathing hard, eyes starting to glow the red that came with Adaptive Aggression. Meanwhile, Lira stayed close behind Allan. The rest of the group was scattered, bruised, and too slow.

No way out now...

He could hear the beast’s growl from the side, gradually turning, head low, tracking them through the settling dust.

[Corrupted Beast]

[Hybrid of Dragon and Alpha Wolf]

[Level: 100+]

We are fucked, this is worse than I thought.

One full swing and half of them would be dead.

"Rell," Allan said, voice flat and clear over the noise.

The adventurer turned to Allan, saw his eyes, and knew what was going to happen.

"You’ll have to be the diversion... Pull it to the left and give us twenty seconds."

Rell, leg broken, blood on his teeth, stared at him. "That’s a death order."

"It’s simple math. You’re already limping and we’re not... Rell, please."

Diva’s head snapped toward him. The red in her eyes flared brighter. "Stop! We can defeat the beast, we are A-rankers, for god’s sake. You don’t have the right to just throw him away."

"I’m keeping the rest of us alive. Now move."

She did not move. Her fists clenched white. For a second Allan thought she might turn on him instead of the creature.

"ROOOAARRRR!"

Then it roared again. The moment broke.

Rell spat blood. Forced himself up on the one good leg. "Tell my sister I finally did something worth a song." He charged left, half shouting, half snarling through the pain. The creature locked onto him at once. Claws slammed into the ground, jumping after him.

Allan looked at everyone else and everyone looked at him, their gaze of judgment very much obvious.

"This is no game we are playing. Go," Allan ordered.

They ran.

The riverbed was narrow and uneven. Loose stones caught at their ankles. Water from the recent rain made the footing slick.

Allan kept Diva in the middle of the group, close enough to speak without raising his voice.

"You’re slower than usual. Look forward."

She stopped glancing toward Rell’s shouts.

When a tendril shot out of the dust at the mage, Diva met it with a full-body strike that cracked bone and flung the limb away. She said nothing. Only a bit of tears flying off from the edge of her eyes.

"That’s twice you’ve saved her," Allan said. "Think about that instead of Rell."

Again, she did not answer, but something in her shoulders eased a fraction.

Lira stayed near the rear. Her new senses were still raw and unreliable, but they worked. She felt the pressure change before the rockfall. Pulled the mage clear of a collapsing ledge. Once she shoved Allan sideways so that a spear of broken stone only grazed his shoulder instead of taking his head. She did not speak confusing words like before. She just kept doing it.

Behind them the sounds changed. Rell’s shouting cut off mid-cry with a wet crunch.

Silence.

Then the heavy thud of something turning its attention elsewhere.

The trail they left was blood, scorched mana residue, and boots on stone. Anything with half a brain would find it later.

"ROOOOARRR!"

They reached a cluster of broken pillars and dropped behind them. The creature’s roar echoed back, still searching.

They quickly hid at the corner of some giant rocks.

Allan checked the group with one glance. The mage was shaking, completely dry of mana. One A-ranker was conscious but barely useful, the other still out cold. Diva sat with her back to the stone, chest heaving, eyes still glowing. Lira scanned the shadows, one hand pressed to the mark on her arm.

A chime sounded in Allan’s mind. Clean blue text rolled across his vision.

[Combat Rage Path – Diva]

[Progress: 41% → 58%]

[Investment Opportunity: Nearing]

He dismissed it without comment.

Diva turned on him the moment the window closed. "You left him."

"I did."

"He could still fight, all of us together, we could still fight."

"He was already dead. The only question was whether the rest of us died with him. You know that, but you refuse it."

"You didn’t even try another way."

"There wasn’t one!" Allan shouted.

"The barrier was gone... It was either all of us, or him, and I chose him. End of discussion!"

She stepped closer. The red pulsed. "You kept pushing me the whole time. You knew what it does to me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it works." He did not blink. "You’re stronger angry. We needed the strength. Just accept it, Diva. You are no ordinary adventurer."

"He asked me to remember his sister," Diva said, quieter now. For a second the red in her eyes flickered, unsure what to do with the words. "You didn’t even write it down."

Allan said nothing. There was no version of that conversation that sounded better out loud.

"Something’s still watching," Lira said.

Both of them turned. Her hand was tight on the mark. Her eyes fixed on the stretch of valley past the pillars. "Not the big one. Something else. It’s been there since the barrier fell."

Allan felt that settle wrong in his gut. The mission, scout, map, extract clean, was long finished. They were deeper than planned, short on fighters, short on mana, and marked.

He stood. "We can’t stay here much longer. It’ll find this spot soon. We move deeper for the time being. Find ground we can hold." He looked at Lira. "You tell me the second that thing gets closer, not after."

Diva did not argue. She stared at him a second longer, then turned. The red had not faded. It burned steadier now. Colder.

Lira fell in beside Allan as they moved. "You did the right thing, Allan. Don’t beat yourself up about it." She said, giving him a hug from behind.

Feeling that warmth, Allan eased down a bit, holding her hand. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know why, but Lira was wrong, he didn’t feel bad about it. The sacrifice. He didn’t feel anything at all.

They kept moving. The valley swallowed the sound of their boots.

The riverbed narrowed further as they pushed on. Walls of packed earth and broken stone rose on both sides, cutting off most of the wind.

He kept the pace steady. Fast enough to put distance between them and the kill site, slow enough that the injured did not fall behind and force another choice.

Diva spoke without turning her head. "I hope you’re thinking about his sister."

"Yes."

"Liar..."

The riverbed curved. Ahead the walls dropped lower. Open ground would come soon. Allan raised a hand and the group slowed. Lira stepped up beside him.

"Still watching. I think it’s the man in the hood," she said. "Should we wait and deal with him before he tries anything else?"

Allan looked at the open stretch ahead. "We take the high ground on the left ridge. Stones for cover. Clear sight lines. If the big one comes, we see it early. If this guy closes, you call it. It’s time to deal with this guy once and for all."

Diva’s voice was flat. "And if both come at once?"

"Then we fight with what we have."

She did not answer. The red in her eyes stayed steady.

They climbed. The ridge was broken and uneven, but it gave them elevation and broken stone for cover. Allan placed the wounded where they could still shoot or swing if needed. The mage sat with her back to a rock, eyes closed, trying to force even a trickle of mana back into her core. Lira took the highest point, watching the valley. Diva stayed near the front edge, fists still clenched.

Allan checked the approaches one more time. Then he sat with his back to a stone and let the system window open again.

Lira’s voice came quiet from above. "It’s closer now."

Allan stood. Diva was already on her feet. The rest of the group tensed.

Allan drew his weapon and checked the edges of the ridge. "Positions. We hold here until we know what we’re dealing with. No one breaks unless I say."

Diva looked at him. The red burned cold. "And if you give another death order?"

"Then you follow it," he said. "Or we all die together. Your choice."