Chapter 103

A rare sentence came from her, causing Dreadus to drop some pretenses. He cheered and felt this was a good start of something great.. “Alright. I promised. If you wouldn't go, what's the point in promises, right? You can keep it. Sure.”

“Why?” she asked, worried.

“Why promise? We call it a goal. It makes a better journey and destination. However, not every destination has a journey. Sometimes, things make no sense when it sounds simple. Making some purpose might be another thing. Wandering around without aim might get boring really quick.”

She didn't know what to tell him. It seemed she needed some promise to herself, but what kind was fine? So far, it was survival, survival, and another survival. Food? Kill everything that moves? There were some simple goals with food, injuries, and some form of pain and meetings. Monsters were various and she met a lot of them and never died, while her voice and anger and... well, everything helped her out.

She definitely had one goal in mind. She hated monsters and had very little control over this choice herself. Those were two goals, or one? It was about strength and power and living, so she decided to wait it out first. Perhaps these people could guide her like one promised.

Thinly, a starting goal was coming to her mind as she looked at Hound and those people. That went on until they finally decided to leave and give everything to Reaz and Dreadus.

Esten approached Dreadus, giving him something. “For you. Don't even mention it, I dare you.”

“Oh.” Dreadus chuckled and was glad to see five survivors behind him. Esten gave him his cloak, which he lost in the chaos of those helicopters and spreading Rifts.

Silent, Dreadus turned and grabbed the girl. He pushed his cloak around her and clutched her tightly after securing it around her and Hound. She took it by surprise and didn't think this cloak was this good.

”It might be windy and hard, but clutch that dog like you do my arm and never let go. We are going on a run and you need to be close to me. Do you know what that means?”

She didn't realize she was already doing both things at the same time when Dreadus pushed her up, securing the cloak tightly. Handling Hound was easy, and that hand was close and sturdy. Surprisingly, something else came closer and she was shocked. The cloak was warm and clean, smelling wonderfully, and was softer than any clothes she ever possessed. She rested on Dreadus's chest, with Hound as close as this chest because Dreadus fixed his cloak and secured them like two babies.

Reaz approached them next. “It is good to be safe. We are ready and--” she questionably looked at Dreadus who had that girl knotted in his cloak and on his chest like a big baby. It was far too strange considering that Hound endured this two-way hug a bit worse, gnawing at Dreadus's arm, and didn't mind him too much because of it.

Dreadus shrugged at her weird and questionable look. “I can see that and work the same. Traveling needs to be quicker than slow, so I will take care of them because every hand counts.”

“Them?” Reaz pointed at that Hound specifically.

“I am taking them. I promised.” Dreadus said simply.

Reaz sighed upon seeing this maddening bastard for a captain. “You will fight, right? There is no clear line out of these regions besides going through some nasty places with this Sea. We will have to go through some dangerous perimeters like Cata Zones and others. We are bound to go through Named Territories, so... injuries will happen.”

“That's fine. Everyone is in your care. You took care of the communication with... whom again?”

Reaz knitted her brows and knew what was coming. “Doesn't matter. I will protect and lead us to where we have to go. The Federation made its call and support will come. We just have to get closer to one place. Vanguard's position is mine. Will you get our back, even with them on your chest?”

“Back and one side is good. Esten will take care of the people, right? The other side will... well, Maria?”

“I will try my best,” Maria said with less certainty. She was of Rank 5 but her talent was good, but a far cry from Rank 7 that Dreadus possessed. She was approaching the limits of her Rank for a long time and she wasn't weak. It was a matter of time for her to get stronger, but this upcoming trip wouldn't be fine.

Esten groaned and long knew his task and Maria knew her risks. There were three wounded soldiers and a pair of others in good shape. Esten will grab them and run like a maniac with no stops or fights.

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Reaz accepted everyone's position, including the siblings. “Siblings have it worse and dirty. Maria can take care of that girl and that dog, so why are you like this? I am sure you can allow it. We need you to secure our assignments.”

“We need that crystal. As for my promise and responsibility, that won't change in the slightest. I will protect us.”

Reaz was in disbelief and familiar with his stubbornness. But like him, she was also stubborn and very much unwilling to change her mind. Seeing him like this and protecting, was it coming from Dreadus of all people? Such a promise felt bizarre. These words were ridiculous, so was the end coming? Were more Rifts already spreading?

Reaz wished to cry over this former Holy Land. Rather than being silly, she turned to everyone. “Alright. We are more than three hundred miles from the backup target. It's still an ongoing effort to make it work, and whether it will move closer or further depends on our activity and what will happen in the next couple of hours. The Federation thinks it is unlikely to be calm, so our time might get doubled if things are moving quicker. If we are completely uninterrupted, good. If not...”

“I will give it four hours and my legs.” Dreadus offered.

“Four? Do you think siblings have the stamina for that? We will have to rest every once in a while, or they won't make it. Think about their Cycles and what they are even holding.”

“They might sip some tea or something.” he glanced up at the mountain of water around the crystal, but the siblings only scuffed at that because they were feeling an immense weight on their shoulders as is.

“I can keep going all day,” Vern argued.

“Night. No sleeping... Oh, no...” Vera slapped her face and the whole mountain wavered until she fixed herself.

Reaz bitterly agreed and set the latest orders. Soon, they departed, leaving the cave alone yet not entirely barren. It might be more than met the eye, similar to this whole crashed Holy Land.

The girl hugged Hound and Dreadus's hand. Snuggled between the comfort of that cloak and fur, she never felt cozier in her life. She was getting out of here in the most shocking vehicle possible. Creeping expectations and light escaped her Emblem, shining against Hound and her little cave made of a cloak. She could thinly hear the whispering moans that she took for reverence, ensuring her that this was correct. Then, the other argued back, making her doubtful.

She was barely able to look out of this cocoon, but when the gust of wind dashed inside when the group began to run, she was gone out of her home, feeling the wind and senseless gravity like a bad reminder. This travel was well beyond her expectations, yet that wasn't what shocked her. It seemed this man could do it as well.

Dreadus was quick like everyone else, which she wasn't seeing all that well because of her position. He wasn't even that quick because the siblings were the only ones pushing that crystal forward and trying to run alongside it without tripping or weakening their flow. It was unsurprisingly difficult and full of complications for their Emblems and bodies.

Glancing just past the fur crashed the girl's expectations of what was considered speed. This was no running. They were straight up flying on their feet and leaving the surroundings blurry. They were running, but to her, it was nowhere near that level of freedom.

Not only was she not that quick, but her flexibility, hiding, and fleeting blended into a good tool-set. As for speed and running, she didn't think she was that good. Running took a lot out of stamina, which wasn't good for food management, heat, or anything to do with some Darks who might be better than dozens of her tries.

As for how fast these people were, she couldn't tell how quick were they. What was even speed? The girl was unaware of the right terminology, so she didn't speak up.

Time blurred equally as comfort, shock, and speed. She was unaware of any battle, as even sounds became a mess with the wind. Hound assured her with its tongue and whimpering noises, while the weight over her shoulders decreased dozens of times after leaving the Coban Region.

Dreadus and his voice didn't come to her very often, but Hound gave her some hope she wasn't deaf from the wind. And some tremors pointed that Dreadus was doing something, hitting, kicking, and trembling in vast shocks. His chest convulsed, and she swore his gem was closer than ever, shining and literary resting right beside her head.

Oh, there were fights. Not one, or two. A full-blown warring Hordes came out at them at the end of the Coban Region because their great Holy Land was no more. The same might happen in the other places, for there was something they had felt that no Holy Land could have. Destruction was secondary. Holy Land could return, but the matter of a Sea was precarious.

Reaz charged into whole Hordes in vast deserts or rocky plains, and even Dreadus made many moves with his legs alone or quick waves of his safe hand. It was as he promised and fleeting wasn't a terrible choice as long as their goods were secured and their care for killings was quick.

Thanks to the fleeting priority, the first hundred miles were over in less than an hour, which was inhuman, yet slow if it hadn't been for Darks or slower siblings.

Unfortunately, they had to rest their legs and Arcana. It took a lot of effort to keep the flow going, the crystal intact and nothing leaking. In these situations, Dreadus let go of the girl, who was then able to watch them fight and see the surroundings because they didn't run when resting.

Reaz also thought of suitable resting positions and four Walkers—Dreadus, Esten, Maria, and Reaz—were enough to guard the circle of people and one Hound. Darks were close, looking and sounding crazy, so the girl realized they were far from her home.

It was an intense view, as well as an incredibly dangerous and thrilling feeling. She felt thuds, noises, and tremors around the air and ground. She hugged Hound just to pass this time, unwilling to get involved and close to the siblings and five survivors. The rest fought around them and battled Darks around a mile-wide perimeter. It was no simple time, yet it was the first time she had seen such a maddening close battlefield made of humans and monsters.

They rested and kept their bodies intact, and as long as they didn't run at a speed that Reaz considered devious and necessary, the siblings were fine. They gave her many snarky comments yet couldn't do much about her head or the glaring insanity brewing within her. Whenever Reaz dived into the Hordes, she wouldn't sound or look physically well afterward.

Bearing with the pain of her tone, and drinking some vials, was all that the siblings could muster.