Author's Note: Hey! As always, thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and just supporting. It really makes me feel like a semi-decent writer, ha ha. Also, sorry for the cliffhangers! But I need them to keep you guys tuned to my story *grins evilly*. So anyway, here is Chapter 17! Hope you like it!
Six
The loud blast throws us off our feet as dozens of Mogadorian soldiers pile inside our little home.
I jump back into action and grab a dagger from a drawer. I run towards the army, plunging it into an incoming soldier.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the others scrambling to their feet and fighting off the Mogs as well. Marina is stabbing and shooting with all her might, her face matted with ash. John has coated his entire body in flames, running over Mogs and instantly turning them to ashes. Eight has transformed into some sort of eagle with gigantic horns, resembling those of an ox. Nine is beheading the army with his pipe-staff, grinning to himself. Ella is shooting blasts of light from her hands.
Sam and Malcolm are fighting alongside each other, shooting off as many Mogs as their guns could handle. Adam has run outside before creating earthquake after earthquake. He has also made quite a few tsunamis, using the nearby lake to his advantage.
I've turned invisible for the moment, slashing Mogs and turning them to ash within seconds. I've also created a storm that shocks the Mogs with vicious lightning strikes.
I'm in my element.
The Mogs keep piling in from vans, all of them heavily armed and vicious.
I knee one in the gut, sending him stumbling backwards. I finish him off with a dagger to the head.
My clothes are covered with a thick layer of ash and blood but I don't dare to stop.
The cabin is collapsing, unable to hold the force that's brewing inside of it; its wooden frame crumbling to pieces around us.
A Mog races towards John but Malcolm shoots it before it gets too close.
…
After the seemingly endless wave of Mogs finally disappear, we go over to what's left of the cabin.
Pieces of wood lie all around us, our clothes buried in there somewhere, along with our Chests.
We manage to get a hold of them but the clothes are goners.
"Guess we'll just have to buy new ones." I say, shaking my head and putting my hands on my hips.
Sam stands beside me, squinting in the morning sun.
"That's okay, Six. We have money. Might as well use it."
I smile at him and shove his shoulder good-naturedly. He fake-winces and I laugh again, walking over to the car.
"Is everything good to go?" I ask Malcolm, who's closing the back of our minivan.
"Yep." He replies and gets in the driver's seat.
I climb behind him with my Chest in my arms. I'm not going to lose it again after what happened last time. Sam rides shotgun along with Ella, who's carrying BK in her arms as usual.
The others soon climb in. Marina sits next to me, her hand entangled in Eight's. I raise my eyebrow at that playfully, causing Marina to blush madly while Eight simply grins.
Ella giggles innocently from the front seat as Nine climbs in. John would rather sit in the back instead of being separated from his precious little Sarah.
Malcolm looks somewhat nervous as he revs the engine and prepares to drive off.
I open up my Chest and dig inside it. I haven't really had time to open it because of what happened to Five and whatnot. I really miss her despite the fact that we've only been friends for a short while.
After a while, Malcolm clears his throat. "Okay guys, I, uh, have something to tell you."
We all tense up at his remark, waiting nervously for his announcement.
"I'm Loric." He says. With that, we all gasp.
"What?!" Sam demands, sounding somewhat angry.
Malcolm sighs, expecting that response.
"You see, when I was still on Lorien, I made frequent trips to Earth, for traveling reasons. I fell in love with a human –Sam's mother-, and refused to leave her. So I came to Earth and had a family with her. The other Lorics didn't approve of this except for Henri. He knew what I was and accepted that. He hired me as a Greeter since I've been living here on Earth far longer than any Loric. He told the others that I was human and somehow convinced them. I was supposed to be a Garde, even had a couple of Legacies but I never used them."
We all take in this new information.
"So… I'm Loric?" Sam asks.
"In a way, yes. Well, half-human and half-Loric." Malcolm explains.
"What were your Legacies?" Ella pipes up.
Malcolm frowns before answering. "I used to have water manipulation, telekinesis, intangibility, but the Mogs took them."
"What?!" I gasp.
"Yep. They found a way to take away Legacies. When the captured me, they thought I was just a Greeter, but, in truth, I was also a Garde. They used my Legacies to create way more powerful weapons and machines. For Mogadorian progress, they said." As he says this, Adam is shaking his head, looking more ashamed of his race than ever.
We were all taken aback by this. Our Legacies… our only defense against Mogs… can also be taken away from us?
"Where were you when the Mogadorians invaded Lorien?" John asks.
Malcolm furrows his brow, racking his brain for an answer. His memory is still pretty fuzzy so it's basically a miracle that he even remembered this stuff.
"I was here. On Earth. I didn't even know that Lorien was attacked until I was contacted by Henri." He says, looking ashamed.
Our minds slowly process this new information as Malcolm turns to an intersection, heading for the nearest airport.
…
Five
"Good. You're doing well." Devdan remarks from beside me.
I smile at his comment and flicker my torso on and off.
He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Now, now. Training is done for the day. Go help me hunt deer for tomorrow."
I nod and grab a dagger then head for the woods.
Now that he knows I'm Loric, I'll be able to use my Legacies for hunting.
"Hey Devdan." I say as we walk around.
"Hmm?"
"How did you know that I'm Loric?"
He shakes his head, laughing. "That is for you to find out," he says before dashing further into the forest. I roll my eyes but go after him anyway. He's such a weird old man.
I spot a deer a few yards away. It's not that big and I feel kind of sorry for it but survival is survival.
"Devdan! I found one!" I yell.
"Go shoot it then!"
I grunt, forgetting to bring a gun.
Oh well, I think as I trap the deer on the ground by surrounding rocks at its ankles. It immediately starts squirming as I make the rocks tighter and tighter, wrapping them around its legs and soon, its torso.
I'm sorry, I whisper before finishing it off.
I remove the layer of rocks and carry the deer back at our campsite.
Devdan still wasn't there so I decided to practice with my Legacy more.
I turned the deer invisible and dragged it along the fire.
I made the fire dimmer and made my whole body invisible. It was sort of hard to do it since even the slightest bit of outside influence can make me visible again.
I suddenly hear footsteps and blast back to reality.
"Where is the deer?" Devdan asks, a hare slung over his shoulder, its stomach clotted with dried blood.
I slowly make the deer visible again, receiving applause from Devdan.
"You are a fast learner." He says, setting the hare down and removing its guts.
He sticks some meat into a wooden branch and roasts it over the fire.
…
After we finish eating dinner, we go inside the hut and prepare for bed.
He lets me sleep on the bed because of my injuries.
I lock the door using some wood and settle in. I place a dagger beside me. Just in case.
I blow off the candle. "Good night, Devdan," I say but he's already snoring.
…
Nine
We're in a plane traveling to India.
It's a 14-hour flight so, once again, we're stuck in a small space with nothing to do.
I groan. I want nothing more than have Five next to me right now, to hear her corny jokes about her Cêpan. But noooo, I think. She's stuck somewhere in India.
I blame Johnny.
"What's wrong?" Ella, who's sitting beside me, asks.
I shake my head. "Nothin' much, kid. Just thinking about stuff, that's all."
"What kind of stuff?" she asks, her big brown eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Stuff about Five. About war. About… Lorien."
She looks at me sympathetically. "I miss her too. But we're going to find her. I know it."
I smile at her optimism and slowly drift to sleep.
…
I was woken up by someone shaking me by the shoulders.
"Hmm?" I ask groggily.
"We're here, Nin—I mean Stanley." Ella says.
"Don't call me Stanley." I reply before standing up and getting my backpack from the compartment.
I trudge outside with Ella in tow.
The scenery was beautiful. The people are dressed in colorful native clothes and there are food carts selling delicious-smelling food around every corner. Various kinds of trees surround the airport as we make our way to the cars parked at one side of the landing area.