Chapter 58

Here Goes Nothing

Adom, Zara, and Valiant were in full sprint, their feet barely touching the ground as they raced towards the location of the gankers. The landscape blurred into streaks of green and brown, the wind howled in their ears, and the rush of adrenaline made their hearts pound like drums of war. Adom, leading the charge, moved with an elegance that belied the speed at which he traveled, each step calculated and precise, conserving energy while maximizing velocity. Zara, a step behind, matched his pace with a fierce determination, her eyes focused on the path ahead, her mind locked onto their target.

Valiant, however, found himself in a less-than-graceful position. Clinging to Zara's back with a grip born of desperation, he was a stark contrast to the fluidity and poise of his companions. "Hey, could we... maybe... slow down a tad?" he gasped, his words whipped away by the wind.

Zara shot a glance over her shoulder, her expression as sharp as a blade. "Slow down? Now?" she retorted, her irritation clear. "We're on the tail of those gankers, and you want to slow down?"

Valiant, jostled by the relentless pace, grimaced as he fought the rising discomfort in his stomach. "I'm not saying we stop, but—oh, boy—it's coming up!"

"You better not," Zara warned, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"It's coming!" Valiant squeaked, his face turning a shade paler.

"Swallow it back, Valiant. Now's not the time," Zara snapped, pushing herself to go even faster, if that was even possible.

Valiant, eyes wide with the effort of keeping his stomach contents in check, managed a weak nod. "Trying my best here!" he managed to squeak out.

Adom, sensing Valiant's discomfort, glanced back. "Valiant, hold it together just a little longer," he encouraged. "We're almost at their location. You can let loose as soon as we arrive, I promise."

Valiant managed a weak burp, a distressing harbinger of the turmoil within. He grimaced apologetically, mumbling, "I'm trying, really."

With his [Aetheric Echo] humming softly in his mind, Adom's senses stretched out like tendrils into the surrounding landscape, honing in on their quarry with military precision. "North East, four hundred meters and closing," he announced, his tone firm and commanding, the voice of a seasoned strategist rather than a boy. "They're hunkered down in a small clearing, unsuspecting."

As they neared their destination, stopping just 200 meters shy of the gankers, Adom's heightened senses counted five adversaries, none boasting a level above 10. A plan began to form in his mind, a chessboard laid out before him with each piece ready to be moved.

Adom's mind working through scenarios, discarding one strategy for another, refining their approach with precision. Valiant remained grounded beside him, trying to compose himself after their rapid approach. Adom, noting the beastkin's discomfort had ebbed, gave him the nod, "Feel free to throw up now if you need to."

With a sheepish chuckle, Valiant waved him off. "Turns out, the moment's passed. Stomach's as steady as a rock now," he said, a hint of embarrassment lacing his words.

Zara's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing through Valiant as if she could unravel the very fabric of his intentions. Her lips, previously set in a line of concentration, now twitched with the unmistakable rhythm of irritation. Her fists clenched at her sides, not unlike a storm cloud ready to burst, conveyed a silent yet potent fury. It was as though each muscle in her body tensed in unison, a physical embodiment of her burgeoning annoyance.

"Convenient," she muttered under her breath, the word dripping with a sarcasm so thick it could have been cut with a knife. The word hung in the air, showing her disbelief in the timing of Valiant's miraculous recovery.

Valiant shuffled uncomfortably under her glare. His hands fluttered in the air, crafting invisible shapes as if they could weave an apology out of thin air. "I swear," he stammered, his voice cracking like a poorly tuned lute, "it wasn't on purpose. The urge just... vanished."

Zara's response was a scoff, sharp and dismissive, cutting through Valiant's flimsy defense with the precision of a well-aimed arrow. Her eyes rolled skyward. "Forget about it," she huffed, turning to Adom.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Rey, I'm aware," she began, her voice carrying a new weight, "that in my current condition, taking on the gankers alone is beyond me. Thank you," she continued, the words seemingly carving themselves out of her with effort, "for agreeing to this." She added " Since earlier, you seem to have a grasp on what needs to be done, so I'll follow your lead. For now."

Adom merely nodded, his focus razor-sharp as he surveyed the area. Within moments, he had the positions of the three closest gankers firmly in his mind's eye. He crouched, drawing Valiant in for a hushed conference, their heads nearly touching as he laid out his plan.

"Here's what we'll do," Adom began, his voice a whisper, "We'll use the element of surprise to our advantage. Valiant, you and I will create a diversion on their flank. I'll manipulate the surrounding Essentia to mimic the sounds of an approaching force. It should draw their attention and pull them out of position."

Valiant nodded, intrigued by the ingenuity of the plan.

"As they turn to face the nonexistent threat," Adom continued, "Zara, I think it would be best for you to be our shooter. The trees here offer a perfect vantage point. We need eyes on them to eliminate those who try to escape, you will take out the one furthest from us with a ranged strike. The moment you fire, we move in. Valiant, you'll target the one on the left with your speed. I'll handle the one on the right."

"And the others?" Valiant asked, his eyes darting to the unseen foes in the distance.

"Zara will keep them pinned down from above. If any try to escape or come to their comrades' aid, she'll intercept. We need to keep them disoriented, divide their focus."

The plan played to each of their strengths and ensured they remained in control of the battlefield.

Turning to Zara, he issued his next directive with a calm assertiveness. "Zara, please take the high ground now."

Zara nodded, understanding the importance of the tactical advantage the high ground offered. With the agility of a cat, she scaled the nearest tree, her movements silent and swift, disappearing into the foliage like a wraith.

From her elevated position, Zara surveyed the clearing below, her keen eyes missing nothing. The gankers, oblivious to the impending storm, continued with their activities, unaware of the three predators circling them.

Adom gave Valiant a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Stay sharp and follow my lead. Once we engage, things will move quickly."

Without another word, Adom began to weave Essentia, his hands moving in precise, intricate patterns. The air around them shimmered, and distant sounds of rustling and heavy footsteps began to echo through the forest, as if an army marched just out of sight.

The sound grew louder, drawing the gankers' wary eyes away from the true threat.

Valiant clutched his diminutive sword, a weapon as comical as it was deadly in his skilled hands. "Time to dance," he murmured to himself, determination and whimsy in his voice.

As the first ganker turned towards the illusory noise, Zara struck from her perch, a silent arrow finding its mark with lethal precision. The ganker crumpled without a sound.

Seizing the moment of confusion, Valiant surged forward. His small stature belied his swiftness as he darted towards his target. The ganker barely had time to register the blur before Valiant's sword, small but razor-sharp, sliced through the air. With a deft move, he delivered a swift, clean cut to the ganker's Achilles, bringing him to his knees before delivering the final, merciful blow.

Adom, invisible and silent as a shadow, approached his target from behind. With a fluid motion , he summoned a condensed bolt of Essentia, directing it with pinpoint accuracy. The ganker's demise was instantaneous, a painless transition from life to death, as Adom preferred.

With the first three gankers dispatched with chilling efficiency, the remaining two were thrown into disarray, their attempts to regroup thwarted by Zara's unerring aim from above. Their attempts to flee or fight back were futile against the orchestrated assault of Adom's team.

Valiant, despite the grim task at hand, couldn't help but interject a light-hearted quip as he rejoined Adom, panting slightly from the exertion. "You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this. Maybe I should get a bigger sword, though. Something that matches my enormous courage."

Adom, reappearing from his cloak of invisibility, allowed a small smile to grace his features at Valiant's comment. The tension of the moment eased slightly, a brief respite in the shadow of their necessary actions.

Zara, her feet firmly on the ground once more, turned to Adom. "Was that the last of them?" she inquired, her gaze searching his for confirmation.

Adom, whose senses remained extended through the lingering resonance of [Aetheric Echo], offered a nod of confirmation. "The coast is clear," he affirmed, his voice steady, betraying no hint of the adrenaline that had undoubtedly surged through him moments earlier.

Valiant heaved a sigh laced with both relief and a tinge of disappointment. "Well, that was a rush! Haven't had that much excitement in ages," he quipped, attempting to infuse the air with a semblance of normalcy, though his humor found no foothold in the mood that had settled over the group.

Zara's focus, however, remained unwaveringly on Adom, her intention clear as she opened her mouth to voice a question that had been lingering on the edge of her thoughts. "Rey, you—" she began, only to be met with Adom's gentle but firm interjection.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to provide the answers you're looking for," Adom stated, his tone polite yet resolute. The unspoken weight of his experiences and secrets formed an invisible barrier between them, one that he was not aiming to dismantle. "It would be best for you to return to the village now that the danger has passed," he suggested, his words not only a dismissal but also a subtle shield.

Zara's initial reaction was a pause, a moment of hesitation where her eyes locked with Adom's, a silent conversation passing between them. Then, with the firmness that characterized her, she said, "No."

Adom, taken aback, arched an eyebrow in question. "No?" he echoed, seeking clarification.

Valiant, never one to miss an opportunity for levity, chimed in with a grin, "Ooh boy, Here goes nothing."