Hey guys! So I know, it's been a really long time since I've actually posted an update, but it's finally here. I've had my exams and on top of that, we went away for holidays, and by the time I came back, I'd kinda lost some of my motivation to update, but the update is finally here, and it's a long one!
Anyways, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter!
John
"The exit shouldn't be that much further" Eight shouts back to us over the sound of gunfire. Nine and Corvan are complete beasts, destroying the Mog soldiers that come streaming towards us.
I send a few more rounds down the corridor before I reload again and pass my assault rifle off to Sarah, who takes it, slightly shaking but still readying herself for the next wave of Mogs. The next wave comes soon after as we push towards the exit of the base. I light myself up with my Lumen and charge the Mogs with my dagger, the combination making short work of my group of Mogs.
I quickly glance over to where Six is, she's invisible so I can't actually see her, but the Mogs bursting into ash is kind of a dead giveaway. A Mog is about to take a swing at me when Corvan teleports above it, impaling it with his greatsword on the way down. The Mog instantly bursts into ash and a nod to Corvan in thanks before he teleports away, continuing his slaughter.
We manage to easily take down the Mogs and we keep moving through the base, Sarah, Ella and Lucas are slightly slowing us down, but they're going as fast as they can, and we're sure as hell not gonna leave them behind.
"Everyone down!" Corvan and I get to the ground as fast as possible. Suddenly, an explosion rips through the corridor and fire rushes over my head.
Without another moments delay, Nine and Corvan are ripping apart the group of Mogs while Marina and I heal the people who were injured by the fire. I gained healing during the fight with Setrakus and the Mog army. So far, it's been a major blessing, I've saved Sarah's life and now even when I'm not in the fight, I can still be a huge help to the group.
I jog over to where Sarah is and take her hand, both to comfort her and to check for any injuries. I roll up the sleeves of her tattered fleece jumper to see if she's burned but luckily, she isn't. My blood boils with rage as I see the signs of torture. Three deep scars line her left arm, running the entire length of her lower arm. Sarah obviously catches my looking at her scars as she quickly pulls her sleeve back over them and looks down.
"I'll make them pay for what they did to you" I mutter angrily and Sarah pulls me into a calming embrace. For a split second, it's just me and her, things almost start to feel like they used to, when it was just Henri, Sarah and I. That is until Nine makes a low wolf whistle.
Sarah quickly pulls back, both of our faces red with embarrassment. I hear Eight, Nine and Ella laugh slightly while Corvan just rolls his eyes and keeps moving. I start off again, returning to reality.
Surprisingly, the Mogs don't throw any more troops our way, and we reach the ladder we used to get into the base. We may not have found our ship, but we were still successful. We met up with the others, saved Sarah, Six and Corvan's Cepan; Lucas, I gained a new legacy and on top of all of that, we showed Setrakus that we are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
I climb out of the base and immediately shield my eyes from the blinding desert light. It's not actually all that bright outside, but after a few hours down in the base, it feels a million times brighter than it usually would.
"So, what's our next move?" Six asks when everyone gets to surface and I just shrug before Sarah comes over to me and links her hand with mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Six stiffen up at this but I quickly shrug it off.
"I think we should head back to my penthouse in Chicago" Nine announces proudly but Corvan shakes his head, "We have a place in New York" he counters but this time, Nine shakes his head, "Chicago has far less Mog activity, plus, my place is probably nicer" he says proudly and Corvan and Lucas look at each other and share a smile but say nothing.
"It's settled then, we'll head back to Chicago and from there, we can plan our next move" he concludes and a couple of us nod.
"Now that we know where we're going, does anyone happen to know where we can get a car?" I ask and unsurprisingly, no-one speaks up.
"I guess we'll have to walk until we can find a vehicle or a freight train to get to Chicago with" Eight says with a sigh and starts off out of the desert and towards the road.
"I missed you so much" Sarah whispers to me as we walk and nuzzles her head into my neck, "I missed you too" I say back and lean into her. We may be touching, but she still feels so distant, like she could disappear at any moment.
As if she can read my thoughts, Sarah grabs my hand and squeezes it, lacing her fingers with mine. From behind us, I can sense Six's tenseness but I just shrug it off, Sarah is the one for me, she always has been. Whatever may have gone on between Six and I was in the past and I love Sarah, not Six.
Five
They know I'm here. They haven't arrived yet, but I know the Mogs know where I am. I was just going to the shops when I started developing a new legacy. A shelf had been falling down. It was about to fall on me when I put my hands out to stop it, but instead of stopping the shelf, it went right through me. Of course people saw it, and I ran.
That was only ten minutes ago, but I know how fast the Mogs work, they'll be here any minute now and I have to move. I quickly shove some clothes and my Chest in a backpack and grab the keys to my car, I'm heading off to the airport, I managed to book a last minute flight over to America on the bus back to the house.
America seems to be the hotspot for alien activity. Laura and I used to laugh at how everything is set in America, but now, I can start to see why. If you're looking for any supernatural activity or alien sightings, start in America. Apparently that's where both the last of the Loric and the Mogs have decided to call home from what I've seen.
Out of everywhere I've been, I think I'm gonna miss Russia the most. Sure the people may not have been the nicest and the weather is terrible half of the year, but it was peaceful. I settled down in a small town just outside of a city to avoid any unnecessary attention. I guess that didn't work though.
I quickly jump into the car, throwing my things on the passenger seat. The flight leaves in just over an hour and a half and it'll take around fifteen minutes to get there. It may seem like I'm cutting it close, but the less time I spend there, the better. I start the car and I'm about to pull out of the driveway when someone else pulls into the driveway.
Shit.
They got here quicker than I thought they would. I have two options, stay and fight, or get to the airport and board the plane. Soon enough, Mogs start streaming out of the black van parked in the driveway. There's just enough room between the next house and the van for me to squeeze through, I'm gonna take my chances.
I put the car into reverse and floor it, running down one of the Mogs too stupid to jump out of the way. After I get out of the driveway, I quickly spin the car around, slamming it into drive and speeding down the street. I head towards the freeway and luckily, I can't see the Mogs anywhere.
After a few tense moments of weaving in and out of traffic, I reach the airport. The place is huge, but I know exactly where I'm going. I've practiced this a million different times, Laura was always a huge believer in always being prepared for the worse. Her training drills may have been annoying at the time, but I'm hugely thankful that I didn't stop doing them even after she died.
I park the car in a free spot close to the main building and jump out, grabbing my backpack as I do. I'm semi-sprinting to the terminal I need to be at until I bump into someone, knocking them over.
"Watch it" the man says aggressively in a thick Russian accent, "Sorry" I mutter before running off to the terminal, the Mogs could be here any second now, and I need to be on that plane before they get here.
Check-in is fast due to my almost complete lack of baggage and soon I'm already sitting at a chair at the boarding gate, waiting anxiously to leave.
"What's up with you?" I hear someone ask me, "I'm really excited to go to America, I've never been before" I lie quickly and the girl giggles slightly, "Shaking your leg like that isn't gonna get us there any faster" she jokes and I laugh despite my situation.
"It's a habit" I reply light-heartedly and she laughs again, "I guess you just have to, shake it" she jokes and I roll my eyes, "I'm Madelyn" I tell her, holding out my hand. Madelyn was one of the names I had in Brazil, it was the only one I got to choose.
"Candice" she says, shaking my hand, "Oh, looks like I've gotta go" Candice says a second later, beckoning to an older man and woman calling her over, they're probably her parents.
"It was good to meet you" I say before she leaves and she nods and goes over to her parents. Some days, when it was just Laura and I living in Brazil, I had wished that we could be like that. That we could just be tourists visiting a new country. Now I realize just how good we had it back then, before the Mogs found us.
"Now boarding flight 27A to America" a loud speaker announces and I head over to the boarding gate. That's my flight. Soon I'll be in America and the Mogs will be none the wiser about where I am.
Boarding the plane goes without a hitch and I take my seat. It's directly next to the aisle, which'll make it easy to get up if any Mogs get on the plane. If they do, there's only one option, I'll have to fight. The Mogs won't be able to kill me, but they can sure as hell kill the humans, and I can't have their blood be on my hands.
Luckily for me, it's a full flight, which means that I'll definitely know if a Mog is on the plane. The last person gets on the plane and I immediately know that there's something wrong. He's way too pale to be a human, that, and his features are definitely not human. A large tattoo covers his face and part of his shaved head and his nose is flat and wide with a piercing going right through it.
I quickly look down before he sees me and start rifling through some of the magazines in front of me, pretending to be busy. He goes past me without a second glance and takes his seat three rows behind me. The captain makes his announcements and we all strap in, ready for takeoff. Luckily for me, no other Mogs get on the plane and we take off.
I wait for about half an hour before getting out of my seat to go to the bathroom. I'm gonna lead the Mog into their and then kill him, I can't have any civilian casualties. As I walk to the back of the plane I make sure to bump into the Mog to get his attention.
"Oops, my bad" I say sweetly and he gives me a look before shrugging it off. He knows who I am. I guess his orders were to be discreet as he doesn't get up and attack me, instead, he stays seated and bides his time.
I walk past him and a few moments later, can hear him get up and follow me. I walk to the furthest stall and head into it, making sure to leave the door unlocked. Only seconds later, the Mog enters too, brandishing a fierce looking knife. Immediately, I can tell he isn't taking any prisoners.
The Mog swings the knife at me, but I easily duck under it. I don't retaliate however as I don't want him making any noise, the kill need to happen in one blow. He swings the knife again, but this time, I stop him mid swing and rip the knife out of his hands with my telekinesis. I discard the knife to the side and grab his face with my hand.
Before he has time to react, I start to drain his energy. His body starts to go limp, but I hold it in place with my telekinesis and continue to drain him, both killing him and gaining energy at the same time. Suddenly, the Mogs eyes close and he turns into a pile of ash, which I pick up with my telekinesis and flush it down the toilet. I grab his knife it freeze it with my cryokinesis before I shatter it and flush down the toilet.
Those two legacies work perfectly together. Cryokinesis, energy manipulation, electricity manipulation and my telekinesis makes me incredibly deadly in a fight. Just my energy manipulation alone can turn the tide of a battle because I can also transfer that energy to other people. It essentially give me unlimited energy, which is also surprisingly useful for pulling all-nighters.
I brush myself off and leave the stall, returning to my seat to enjoy the rest of my journey. I absentmindedly check my phone before putting down and closing my eyes, to get some sleep. Despite the noise of the engine roaring, I manage to fall asleep almost instantaneously, making the rest of the trip go past seemingly instantaneously.
Corvan
If I have to spend one more minute with John and Sarah, I'm going to blow my own brains out. We've only been walking for a few hours, but those two seriously don't stop. They're so romantic it almost makes me sick.
"How much further is it?" Eight complains but I just roll my eyes at him, "We've still got a few more miles to go" I reply and he groans. We're heading to a freight train route that runs straight to Chicago.
Six seems pretty annoyed for some reason. I suspect it's got something to do with John and Sarah, but I can't tell for sure, she hasn't exactly talked all that much in the past few hours. I haven't really talked to Lucas all that much during the walk, but we'll have our time to catch up. I'm sure he'll want to know what happened after he got captured.
Nine is an incredible asset in battle, he's probably as strong as me, but I'm not about to let him win any competitions. Right now however he seems intent on stirring up John and Sarah, which is actually pretty funny, it's a nice breakup from their constant romance.
"You okay?" I ask Six, walking over to her, "Yeah, I'm fine" she snaps at me and I reel back slightly, surprised at her anger at me.
"Are you sure? Because it really doesn't sound like you're fine" I reply and she gives me a cold glare, "I said I'm fine, now could you please stop asking?" she hisses off me and I back off. She is definitely not okay.
"What's up with her?" Lucas asks curiously, but I just shrug my shoulders. At this point though, I'm certain that it has something to do with John and Sarah.
"Apart from meeting up with the other Garde, did anything interesting happen while I was… Away?" Lucas asks but I just shrug my shoulders, "Not really, Eight and I really just trained while we waited for the others to arrive" I reply and he nods.
"Wait, is that the pendant from the painting?" he asks, pointing to the large pendant around my neck and I nod, "Six had it on her when they came" I say and hold it in my hand, a slight warmth radiating from it. I let it drop back down to my chest and we all walk in silence for a bit before John and Sarah start at it again.
"When we get to your penthouse, I'm taking the room furthest from them" I groan to Nine and he laughs, "You reckon they've had sex yet?" Nine asks loudly and I see both John and Sarah's faces go completely red.
"Maybe I should ask" I say, playing along, "Hey Johnny, Corvan has something to ask you" Nine calls and his face goes even redder and everyone laughs. Everyone except for Sarah, John and Six that is.
We get to the freight train line within the hour and wait for it to come. The plan is to break in and ride it all the way to Chicago. Since the train won't be stopping for us, we're waiting at a bend, where it'll hopefully slow down enough for everyone to get on.
"Here it comes" John says, the headlights of the train obvious in the darkness of the night. We all prepare to get on the train, Ella gets on Marina's back and Sarah on John's. Soon enough, the train reaches us and I grab hold of one of the doors, snapping the lock and opening it.
"All aboard" I announce and everyone quickly piles into the carriage. Once everyone is on, I teleport into the carriage and shut the door, cutting off the little bit of light we had.
As soon as the door closes, everyone finds their own spot in the carriage while I head to the back of the large carriage and lie down, eager to get some sleep. Despite everything that's happened recently, I manage to fall asleep almost instantly, letting everything fade into darkness.
"Rise and shine" Nine says and I slightly open my eyes to see him leaning over me. I rub my eyes and sit up, "Are we there?" I ask and Nine just laughs.
"We've only been on the train for half a day" he says, "We'll be here for at least another full day before we get to Chicago" he explains and I nod.
"Why are you waking me up then?" I ask and he grins and rubs his hands together, "We're starting training" he answers and I nod eagerly.
"Sounds fun to me" I reply and stand up, still half asleep but ready to start training.
"The first round will be Corvan and Nine" Lucas announces and Nine's eyes light up. This should be a fun fight. I'm assuming it'll be no legacies, using legacies in this tight of a space could lead to some problems.
"The rules are, no legacies, tap out to stop and oh, no killing each other" Lucas jokes and I laugh slightly, "I'll try not to" I reply and everyone clears a space, ready for the fight.
"3… 2… 1… Fight" Lucas says and we start.
Nine immediately rushes me, but I easily sidestep it and swing at him. The punch hits him square in the stomach and he reels back. I quickly throw another punch at him but he catches my fist and uses my momentum to throw me into the back of the carriage. I recover quickly but Nine's already closed the gap.
Nine throws at punch at my face but I just manage to dodge it and he punches the wall, making a hole where my head would've been. He pulls his fist out of the wall and swings it at me, but I grab his arm and throw him into the door of the carriage. I sprint to him and throw a quick punch to his stomach. The punch meets its mark and Nine reels back slightly again.
He recovers quickly and tackles me to the ground where we roll around trading blows, each of us struggling for control. I manage to get on top of Nine, but he pushes me off him and swiftly gets up. Nine once again lunges for me but I roll out of the way and grab his leg, sending him back to the ground. I use my advantage and pounce on him, wrapping my arms around his arms and neck.
Nine struggles to escape but my grip is too strong for even him. As if conceding defeat, he goes limp and I relax my grip slightly. Taking advantage of my loosened grip, Nine breaks one of his arms free and elbows me in the stomach, causing me to loosen my grip entirely. Nine delivers a few more punches to my stomach before I regain my composure.
I quickly sweep his legs from under him and he goes tumbling to the ground. Nine's about to get back up, when I quickly jump on him and pull him into a headlock. He struggles against my grip before I stand up, Nine still in my headlock and lift him slightly into the air.
"You wanna tap out?" I ask and he struggles some more before relaxing, "Fine, I tap out" he concedes and I let go of him, letting him drop to the ground.
"Better luck next time" I joke and he laughs slightly, "Just wait until we can use legacies, then you're going down" he replies and I grin, I really wasn't expecting him to take loosing so well.
"What happened Stanley?" John jokes and Nine just shrugs his shoulders, "I'll kick your ass any time, remember what happened on the roof Pittacus?" Nine retorts and John goes silent and his face goes slightly red.
"I don't think we should do any more fights here" Lucas says, examining the dents and the hole in the carriage and Nine nods, anymore fights in here will probably tear the whole carriage apart.
"Do we have any food? I'm starving" Marina says, it's the first time she's spoken since Dulce and if I'm being honest, I was kinda getting worried about her.
"I have my sustenance cube" Nine replies, digging through his Chest. He eventually pulls out an orange cube and hands it to her.
"I think I'll pass" Marina replies and Nine offers it around before putting it in his mouth and sucking on it.
"Maybe I have one" I say to Lucas and he slides my Chest over to between us and places his hand on the lock. I do the same and the lock comes off the Chest and falls to the ground.
I immediately look through my Chest, moving taking some things out and just pushing others aside. There's all sorts of things in here, several different stones, a few rings and various other items, but no sustenance cube. I put all the things back into my Chest except for a heavy but intricate silver and black bracelet, which I slip onto my wrist.
"Do you know what that does?" Lucas asks me and I shrug, "To be honest, I have no idea, but it can't hurt to keep it on" I reply and he grins but doesn't say anything. I'm starting to have second thoughts about putting this thing on.
"Anyways, maybe we should think about getting some actual food sometime" John says and I see a few of us nod, my stomach rumbling slightly in response.
"Well, I have my sustenance cube, so I should be fine, but unless you guys are willing to share it, John's right" Nine adds with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Maybe Nine and I can jump out at a town to get some food, with our super speed, we'll be able to rejoin you guys on the train" Marina suggest, "And you can use the Xitheris for invisibility so you don't attract any unwanted attention" Six concludes, and Marina slowly nods along.
"So it's settled, Marina and Nine will get out at the next town to get food" I say and I see a proud smile form on Marina's face.
So I really hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter! I hope it was worth the wait (It probably wasn't, nothing is worth that wait).
But anyway, if enjoyed the chapter, please review as it really gives me the motivation to continue, and on top of that, it lets me know where I can improve!
Until next time, bye!