AC: I want to thank FollowerOfAnhamirak for his work in this chapter and the previous ones.
Milla'iin was furious. Their search for the spy had led nowhere. They had searched everywhere in the city, trying to feel the thoughts of anyone who wasn't under their control. His tendrils were tense as he couldn't do anything to change that failure. What didn't help was that Bahrakatan was gone. The Chieftain had disappeared and was nowhere.
They had searched for him and found no traces of him.
Milla'iin wondered if Bahrakatan was the spy. However, it made no sense. If the Coralsmith was a spy or a traitor, he wouldn't have helped them reach the Cothica.
"That damn spy surely ambushed him and imprisoned him," he muttered out loud. He did block the mind of Bahrakatan from the rest of the tribe. It was better to prevent any leaks.
Still, it went on for too many days. The search was too long and it had affected the morale of his tribe. The time for inaction was over. They needed to focus on one task. It didn't matter if the spy was around or not, they had to conquer the Cothica.
Still, he had an idea. The spy surely couldn't read their minds. He could give false information with his voice and tell the truth in their minds.
(Everyone! Group up!) He ordered his tribe.
Chapter 125: Chaos
Milla'iin observed his soldiers, the females who weren't warriors and the children who came to the Cothica. He looked at the younglings and noticed they weren't in their best health. Still, it was a price to pay to isolate themselves from the creatures and only having to deal with weak humans. He stopped when it came back that the humans captured Aval'par and spied on them. He clearly underestimated them. Not anymore. He would treat them as something as dangerous as Chaor in a bad mood.
"Everyone listen to me!"
(I'll give the instructions in your minds! We will not let the spy get any intel about our plan!)
"We spent too much time hunting for that spy and have nothing!"
(We will track the four humans who escaped us last time!)
Milla'iin carefully looked around, as if he was searching for the spy. His large eye shined brightly. He saw nothing. Whoever was the spy, he was extremely good and dangerous to his plan, "We will follow the river to the south and invade the towns! If there is no one, we keep going and we don't stop!"
(Tom, Sarah, Peyton and Kaz escaped on those strange battlegear used by other humans. They obviously didn't go that far. They might move away, but we will find traces of them. A few of the humans are talented on those com…thing.)
"The map shows many cities in our way. Even if they escape, they cannot run forever and we will catch on to them."
(We will begin the search from the land where we found them. Maybe Aval'par left clues to guide us around. I won't count on it though.)
"We will not stop until we get more humans under our control. We will eventually have an army of civilians. I wonder if the human's military will try to fight them? They swore to protect them."
(We will also target the cities on the way. We have to make them believe we are following this plan. A few of us will discreetly split up as we go south to search for any traces of the humans. Those who saved them were obviously soldiers. There is surely a base close to there. If the humans can use those things to find intel, maybe the locations of those soldiers can be found and the four humans with them.)
"I expect everyone to follow my orders swiftly," his gaze went to the soldiers.
They all put their hands on their chest and nodded at his command.
(We will succeed in the mission!) They replied.
Still, Milla'iin noticed a few of them were less enthusiastic on the matter. The lack of victories and how the humans managed to slow them down affected the morale. Not only that, but the defeat from the previous war still took a toll on them. The chieftain had to admit he still felt a bit of that weight on his chest and shoulders. The loss of Aa'une still claimed a toll on his soul. It crushed him that the impossible happened. It wasn't even human intervention in the matter. It was the creatures themselves who turned this around. Not a miracle from the Messenger of the Cothica like last time. Still, he couldn't show any weakness. They would be victorious this time. They were at the source of all of their problems. He squished two of his tendrils together, "The Cothica will fall under our tribe!"
That didn't raise that much, but the spirit was in there for the mission. He had the feeling that they had to succeed, no matter what.
Sarah was on her scanner and talked with Queen Aszil. She was on her own while her friends and Remi went to take a shower. As a girl, she had to wait her turn. She didn't mind as the queen called her alone, "There is still not much going on."
"That is good news. The progress for the portal is quickly advancing. It will only be a day or two before the portal is functional, according to the Codemasters."
"Where are the others?" She asked.
"Busy overseeing everything. Also, they are trying to get some intel out of the two prisoners. There are many things they can't do since they are in Chaotic. If it was in Perim, it would have been more brutal," she let out a small smirk.
To Sarah, it was clear Aszil preferred a brutal approach. Probably because it would get information quicker, "Unless the torture forces them to lie to stop it," she commented.
"We would have turned them into Danians and then they will be much more open in the matter," she replied.
The human had to admit that it was a good idea. Still, she wondered why Aszil called it brutal. Maybe the Danian was self-aware that it was a brutal tool. She didn't comment on that though, "Can't disagree with that."
"There is one thing I am curious about. Since it is just you and me, you can answer this."
"Tell me?" She wondered what the question was. She guessed the Danian queen realized the opportunity she had now.
"Why are you a 'Danian Player?' From what my soldiers gathered, most female humans dislike 'bugs' and we look like them," she asked.
That was a question with an easy answer. Many people didn't like bugs, some more than others. It was mostly girls who disliked them, "I like them. Not all of them, but I found your tribe to be intriguing," she didn't add that the gameplay style of the Danians was the one she preferred the most. She also liked the design of many of them. Wamma wasn't among her favorites until she met the creature. She considered the chubby bug one of her best friends in Perim.
"That's it?" The queen expected more from her.
Sarah elaborated a little, "I tried to play with the other tribes in the Chaotic game and they didn't click with me. I didn't have that many wins and mostly lost. I tried the Danians and I had a much better time. That's how I managed to get a code to enter Chaotic and visit Perim," she answered.
"That's good and-" Aszil turned around as there was a commotion in the room, "What's going on?"
"Something is happening on Earth. We are warning the military right now," Codemaster Crellan answered.
"What are the M'arrillians doing?" Sarah asked.
"They are on the move. They are going south. The military are preparing counter-measures and the evacuations of the city have already begun," the Codemaster replied.
Imthor added, "There is nothing to worry about. You are out of the path they will follow. The military are keeping an eye on them."
"I'll tell my friends once they are here," Sarah told them.
"The others are coming soon. Stay safe," the Danian queen ended the communication.
The teenage girl sat on a chair and waited for her friends to return. She might have to explain what was going on. Unless they were told first. She heard someone entering the room and saw her brother.
He noticed her worried face, "You heard what's going on?"
"Yeah. M'arrillians are on the move," she replied.
Alexander sat by her side, "Parents are coming here soon. They are a little farther away."
"They are going south. Not exactly where we are, but they are getting closer."
"Looks like our home is still safe for now," her brother told her. He chuckled quietly when she noticed a small smile.
"But not us."
"For now. They won't be a danger forever."
"Yeah. The portal will soon be fixed. The tribes will come here soon…" Sarah gazed at the side, "So many questions about what happens later."
"You mean after this?" He asked.
"Yeah. If we stop the M'arrillians, what will happen on Earth? I know the M'arrillians are known around the world by now. I checked the internet and there are many pictures and people talking about it. A few are dismissing it, but they have proof backing them up," she crossed her arms.
Her brother thought about it. He put his hand on her head, like when she was younger, "That's not our problem. It's the others," he smirked, "You are too young to care about that and as long as I can tease Odu-Bathax, I won't mind."
"You are trying to piss him off," she replied with a deadpan voice.
"Because he is so easy to get a reaction from."
"Yeah."
They two were quiet for a while. Alexander also thought about what would happen after this conflict. He couldn't really call it a war right now. He also knew that the world wouldn't be the same anymore. He was rather worried about that himself.
The other teenagers came as they asked what was going on. The two explained what they learned and the mood turned heavy.
"So, the M'arrillians are finally back in action," Kaz commented. He crossed his arms and asked, "Think they found someone who might be a 'spy' for them?"
"I don't think so. They will check his mind and find nothing," Sarah remembered him.
"Unless they lie about it," Tom countered.
"I wouldn't be surprised. They could increase morale with that lie," Agitos said as he came back.
Wamma came with a bit of tears coming down his eyes. He was obviously forced to exercise once again, "Not only do I have to train, but the M'arrillians are on the move."
"You are way too lazy," Odu-Bathax grumbled in annoyance. He noticed Alexander and took a step back from the man. He didn't want the human to slap his abs again today, "Anyway, any idea what the M'arrillians are doing?"
"They are going south, following the river. That's all I know so far," Sarah replied.
"And she just explained it to us bro," Peyton said when the gaze of the bug came to the others, including himself.
Rothar grunted, "Then we need to wait," he crossed his arms in annoyance. He hated waiting. Especially since there was nothing they could do.
Intress heard the sound of a helicopter approaching, "I hear something," she checked outside and what she saw confirmed her suspicion, "There is one of your loud flying battlegear approaching."
"A helicopter?" Remi wondered.
Tom quickly recognized it. Still, it did sound a little different than those at the base, "It is."
They went outside and saw the helicopter fast approaching.
Tom quickly realized it wasn't a military one. He noticed his father stood still. He didn't point his weapons at it. It was something scheduled.
"Dad. What's going on?"
"We got the basic material we need. The missing parts will come later," he replied.
The helicopter landed and the door opened.
The teenagers observed it in anticipation. Someone came to the door, as a platform came for the person to climb down.
Tom and Kaz noticed who it was and said, "Reggie!"
The blond teenager in question noticed them and let out a relieved smile.
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: Reunion.
Reggie came to see his friends and explain how he found them. He also brought someone else with him.