The beast’s roar sent a shiver down their spines. Though neither had heard such a sound before, in that moment, they felt like prey before a true predator.
A primal fear paralyzed them. They exchanged a glance, hoping the noise was just a Mobling’s call in the night. But deep down, the truth was undeniable, reinforced by the screams that had followed the roar.
"Nova, we have to escape now!" Katya didn’t think; she acted, her voice trembling as she grabbed her belongings, took hold of Nova’s arm, and pulled him toward the tent’s exit.
"Move! If we stay, we’re dead!" Panic had seized them both, but while Katya scrambled, Nova remained frozen, cold sweat dripping down his body.
"This feeling is all too familiar," He had felt it countless times since arriving in this world: the night he slept on the streets, when he first met Angelo, when he was injured, and when he faced the Alpha. Every instinct told him to run.
But his legs felt like they were anchored in cement, weighed down by the memories of the past weeks, of those who had inspired him, of the promises he had made.
"Katya." Nova gently placed his hand on hers, still gripping his arm."Go. Run as fast as you can and don’t stop." He couldn’t blame her—he was just as terrified, then he released her hand, giving her a chance to escape.
"I’ll try to lead it away from the village. It was really nice meeting you. I hope you find your grandfather." With those words, Nova bolted from the teepee, seeing chaos unravel before him.
"Nova..."
The scene was frantic, Moblings fleeing in every direction, the village bell ringing loudly, yet Nova was the only one running toward the danger.
Another roar shook the air just as Nova reached the cave’s entrance.
A massive lion, towering ten feet tall, bellowed with fury. Its eyes gleamed blood-red, and its crimson claws shimmered like rubies. Veins of red minerals coursed over its shoulders, giving the appearance of horns, while a crown-like jewel protruded from its forehead.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrwaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"
Nova had never seen a creature so magnificent and terrifying. For a moment, he stood in awe, until his gaze fell on the little girl standing frozen for fear at the lion’s feet, the same one who often watched him train.
The lion's predatory eyes locked on the girl. Without thinking, Nova sprinted toward her as the beast's claw rose, ready to strike.
"Nooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh!"
Nova's desperate scream was drowned out by the explosion of the lion’s claw slamming into the ground. Dust billowed into the air from the impact, and as it cleared, the lion assumed it had finished the job.
But to its surprise, a few feet away, a human lay sprawled on the ground.
"Kuuk... are you okay?" Nova asked, loosening his arms to let the small Mobling free herself from the sudden grip that had just saved her from certain death. She was safe. But as she looked at Nova, her eyes filled with concern—three long cuts streaked across his back, left by the lion’s claws.
"Uk uk uk uk!" The little Mobling whimpered in distress, her eyes wide with fear, as the lion turned toward them, baring its sharp teeth.
"Go! Run to your mother!" Nova sensed danger, but no matter how hard he pushed, she clung to him as the beast’s heavy footsteps drew closer.
"Shit... I don’t want you to die too, please understand..." Nova gritted his teeth, struggling to get up from the ground. The beast was already closing in, ready to end them both with a single bite.
"Shit!" Nova instinctively hugged the girl, bracing himself to take the hit. But nothing happened.
A brilliant flash exploded before the lion’s face, forcing it to recoil with a furious grunt, slamming into the cave entrance as it tried to regain its sight.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
The beast thrashed, shaking its head violently, crashing into the rocky walls as it struggled to adjust to the darkness again.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
"Nova! Are you out of your mind?! You said you were going to lure the B-Synchro away from the village! Was your plan to just come here and die?!" Katya’s voice rang out as she rushed over, helping him to his feet when she arrived.
"You okay?" Katya asked.
"Katya... Yeah, I’m fine. I thought you’d escape..." Nova replied, rising with the little girl still in his arms.
"...Well, I was going to, but the B-Synchro’s blocking the road, and I’m not heartless enough to let a friend die. Besides, it’s your fault for not getting it out sooner." Katya glanced away, visibly irritated by the situation.
In that moment, Nova realized that Katya wasn’t just trying to escape. She was a true friend and ally.
"Thanks, but now we need a plan to get this thing away... and we need to get her to safety with the others." He glanced at the Mobling child, still trembling in fear, her head buried in Nova's chest.
"We better think fast because it’s already regaining its senses..." Nova said, as the creature began to open its eyes, licking its fangs.
"I’ll handle it." A new voice cut through the tension. Katya and Nova turned to see Elder Mobling approaching them.
"Quick, give her to me." The elder Mobling extended his arms, his voice urgent.
"Right." Nova handed the little girl over, watching as the elder took her into his arms.
"Thank you," Nova said, offering a grateful smile. The old Mobling took the child, his face etched with sorrow and gratitude.
He retreated into the distance, silently cursing the circumstances that had forced them into this peril once more, but he paused to say a final word.
"My name is Sagax. I hope you make it out alive..." Without another word, Sagax turned and fled with the girl, his heart heavy with helplessness at leaving the two humans behind to face the danger threatening his village.
Katya then reached into her bag, pulling out a small metal rod. With a press of a button, it extended to seven feet, revealing a spear with a glowing, razor-sharp tip.
"You know how to fight?" Nova asked, surprised by the weapon in her hands.
"Yes," she answered, her tone steady.
"Then why the hell did you make me fight the Moblings?!" Nova snapped, frustrated by the revelation. If she to fought, maybe he wouldn’t have suffered so much facing the Alpha alone.
"I didn’t want to fight an Alpha! Are you crazy? It would have killed me with one blow! Stop complaining; everything’s fine now. We need to focus. I have a plan to get us out of this..."
By this time, the beast had recovered and was glaring at the two humans who had dared to confront it.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrawr!"
The B-Synchro’s roar interrupted their preparations, but judging by the determined expressions on Nova and Katya’s faces, they had clearly used the time to consider the girl’s plan.
"Are you ready?" Katya asked.
"Yes. See you on the other side," Nova replied with a smile.
Bound by fate, they prepared to face their greatest challenge. To prevent the beast from attacking first, they raced to encircle it from different directions.
Katya dashed to the left, her spear whirling in her hand. Just as she approached the B-Synchro's attack range, she thrust the spear into the ground, abruptly stopping its rotation. Using the spear as a pole vault, she catapulted herself upward, narrowly avoiding the lion’s swipe and nearly grazing the entrance cave’s jagged ceiling.
As the lion's massive paw swiped through the space where she had been, it was suddenly blindsided by a boulder, about four feet in diameter, that Nova had hurled from the right. The rock crashed into the beast’s face.
“Grrrrr!” The lion roared and directed its fury toward Nova.
With the B-Synchro now focused on him, Nova sprinted as fast as he could from the right side, trusting Katya’s plan.
Meanwhile, Katya’s feet struck one of the rock protrusions on the entrance cave’s roof. Before it gave way, she bent her legs and made a second leap, using the stalactite to aim for the exit.
Her leap caused a chain reaction; several stalactites crashed down with the largest one hitting the B-Synchro just as its jaws were about to snap down on Nova. The impact drove the beast to the ground.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
Without pausing for a second, Nova leaped with all his strength to catch Katya and pulled her out of the way of the falling stalactites.
They both hit the ground and bounced several times, causing Katya to release the spear to avoid an accident.
"Ugg..." Katya groaned, lifting her head from the ground as she looked toward the entrance.
"Take that! I told you it would work!" She shouted triumphantly, standing up almost immediately. Her plan had always been to use the stalactites above the entrance, leveraging Nova’s speed to outmaneuver the beast.
Nova rose from the ground, his face showing a hint of annoyance.
"What’s wrong?" Katya asked.
"Why didn’t you come up with this idea when the Moblings attacked us?" Nova retorted.
"Come on, Nova, let it go! It’s in the past. We need to get out of here; I want to be as far away from that thing as possible." Katya moved toward her spear, but a sudden chill ran down her spine.
Nova grabbed her tightly just in time to prevent a fully enraged beast from seizing her. The creature lunged at her with such speed that there was barely a moment to react.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
The B-Synchro turned back toward them, having destroyed some trees on its way. It slowed down to a stop about 15 feet away. The lion had emerged from the cave with barely a scratch, and it looked angrier than ever.
"I...it...is...impossible...it looks...as if nothing..." Katya's face was a mask of disbelief. Her motivation evaporated at the sight of a creature seemingly unscathed despite the rocks that had battered it.
"That doesn’t matter," Nova said, tugging at her arm to regain her focus. "We need to use another light grenade. If we use it to cover our escape, we might lose it in the forest. It won’t be able to maneuver through the trees as easily!"
Nova’s urgent tone brought her back to reality. She nodded quickly, appreciating his support despite the tremor in her grip.
"Yes, you’re right. We still have some grenades." She pulled out another and aimed it at the beast.
The grenade sailed through the air in slow motion. Both Nova and Katya watched anxiously, averting their gazes to avoid being blinded.
This might have prevented them from noticing a strange expression on the B-Synchro’s face, almost like a smile.
With a swift movement, the beast’s tail intercepted the grenade, sending it skyward and sealing their chances of escape.
When the explosion echoed in the sky, Katya and Nova saw the beast approaching them with an unnerving calmness, its eyes fixed on their desperate faces.
"Katya, go! I’ll hold it off. There’s no point in both of us dying here!" Nova stepped in front of her, positioning himself between her and the beast.
His body trembled uncontrollably. He knew he was no match for the creature, but if they both perished, the consequences would likely fall on the Mobling's village.
Katya’s fear rendered her immobile, her expression devoid of any will to fight.
"Katya, please, run!" Nova’s pleas went unanswered. She remained frozen, her life flashing before her eyes as the towering beast loomed closer.
In her desperation, Katya turned her fear and frustration toward Nova, blaming him for their dire situation despite his innocence.
She began to pound Nova’s back with her fists, her voice choked with tears.
"You fool! If we’d just left in the first place, none of this would have happened! Why is this happening to us? We did everything right! We tried to protect everyone! So why must we die because of a single race’s hatred? I don’t want to die! I want to see my grandfather again! I want to live!" Her punches were fueled by her anguish, cursing her fate.
"I’m sorry, Katya... I was so obsessed with changing things that I thought I could stop running and gain strength..." Nova’s tears flowed freely as the lion loomed closer, its snarl a grim prelude.
The Grim Reaper had arrived, its sickle poised to sever their heads as the beast prepared to claim its prey.