PARALLEL STORY NEW BEGINNING CHAPTER 18: AT WHAT POINT
At what point could one determine when a decision was wrong?
Aurora watched the trucks become stranded due to overheating.
Such trucks were off-road and designed to withstand dangerous environments, but today this place was more than dangerous.
The overflowing heat was so strong that even she, as an S-rank, equipped with standard heat-avoidance gear, was feeling like she was being cooked.
The mages tried to create barriers to protect the trucks, but since there was no S-rank Archmage, it was all to no avail.
If they could change the weather, it would be great, but it wasn't possible.
"It's impossible, the engine melted completely. The heat has completely melted it." Zhan Tian reported earnestly.
His pale complexion and the sweat running down his body made it obvious that, for him, this environment was unbearable.
As an A rank, he was different from her who had a higher endurance.
"We had a bad day, there's not too much to do." Said Cardinal Brousseau trying to comfort the group.
She cast a large scale spell and spread a greenish light that made everyone present feel a breath of fresh air, leading to the temperature in their bodies dropping.
Maybe it was a bad day or they simply underestimated the desert... In the end, the situation was not good for them.
The sun was so intense that it seemed to burn the skin and the adventurers already had their personal barriers activated to try to avoid that heat.
Aurora had heard that these places were usually hot, but she never imagined it was this hot.
If it wasn't for the fact that they all had extreme weather gear and were high rank skill users, then it was quite possible that they would have collapsed by now.
No, they were about to collapse in the face of such overflowing heat.
The leaders looked at her waiting for her decision, but there wasn't much to say.
"Hide the truck and leave a signal for the future. We have to go on." Aurora ordered earnestly.
No one was surprised at that order, as it was what they had to do.
They could not wait for dusk or for the weather to change because they would lose time and while they could try to travel at night, it was known that there were dangerous nocturnal creatures in the desert.
The adventurers drove the truck into the forest which despite the heat was still lush green and then hid it with magic.
"How do we prevent it from happening again?" Aurora asked solemnly.
There was certainly a need to continue, but as a leader she had to find a way to make sure this situation didn't happen again or at least reduce the mishaps.
Every truck they lost was one less group of refugees they could not get to Zerzura.
The ideas began to appear, while they did not have Archmages of water or fire magic that could avoid the overflowing heat with a spell, they had a mage or two.
Create a new barrier, activate the truck barriers, cast a protection spell, and even try to shield it somehow with such spells to keep the heat from being direct.
In the end, the possibilities were too few and no matter how much the others wanted to help her, if they didn't have an idea it was hard to find a solution.
At least a workable solution in its entirety.
"Let the mages take care of creating barriers. When they're tired we'll activate the truck barrier and go intermingle the two ideas." Aurora determined at last.
Was it a good idea? No, it was only a partial solution to their problem.
They got back into their trucks and when Aurora entered her truck, she used a device to clean her body and looked at her sister who was covered in a cocoon.
Then the cocoon disappeared and the slightly translucent shadow spread across the ground to cover the entire truck and mainly the engine in front, trying to reduce the heat.
Alice said nothing to comfort her, simply passing her a bottle of water.
Was coming through this place the best decision?
Such a question remains in her mind and even after the trucks started traveling.
Like her truck, all the others were better off because the emergency barrier was active.
Those barriers were designed to ward off physical and magical attacks and in this case it was a mixture of nature's heat enhanced by the elements and magical energy.
In a way there were spells like this that increased or decreased the temperature to help the mages cast their spells and incidentally also try to affect people.
The journey continued.
The patrolling party would only glance around outside and then return to the trucks, it being impossible to resist the overflowing heat outside.
Aurora inside was wishing that the heat would not increase and her wish was granted, unfortunately it was only that wish.
*BOOM*
Too sudden to react, they all heard a large stunned explosion and Aurora with Alice got up immediately.
Because they had an artifact that teleported them to a nearby area of the caravan, they used it and their expressions changed.
Halfway through the caravan, several giant A-rank worms had hit three trucks and turned it over.
One had burst into flames as the truck's barrier was completely destroyed and the other trucks were in a similar state.
Their stun disappeared in an instant and Aurora with her sword in hand blinked near such creatures, cutting them all down with her green aura.
An instinctive reaction that brought her emotions more unbridled and made her green slashes reach all the worms, wounding it and drawing attention.
"Help the wounded!" A shout echoed as Cardinal Brousseau appeared just as quickly as they did.
Next to appear was Abdellah who waved his hand distorting all the worms and turning them into shapeless masses of flesh.
The man didn't hesitate to cast his best spells on the A-ranked worms.
"What the fuck happened?"
"Where were the guards?"
Screams began to ring out and the heat brought out the worst in each of them, getting angry expressions to appear.
"Shut up and help the wounded. Another group needs to check for more worms, they always move in groups!" Aurora ordered shouting with an annoyed expression.
She was no exception to this stifling environment and her annoyance brought out the more authoritative part of her.
She didn't like things to go wrong and she didn't like to fail either and while she wasn't a perfectionist, she liked to keep situations in control.
The adventurers acted immediately and the few ground mages were able to spot the second wave of worms and while others were used as bait, they pulled it out of the arena.
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Out in the open, the worms were targets, easy despite their sizes, which at times seemed capable of tearing off a leg in one bite.
Aurora stood watch, ready to move in case another group came to attention.
"Report." Aurora asked earnestly.
"Three trucks have been immobilized. The engine..."
"Of the people, not the trucks." She interrupted immediately getting that militiaman's expression to pale in apology.
Part of her wanted to apologize, but another part made her annoyed.
It was a damn attack they couldn't avoid and the first thing he was trying to report was about the trucks that didn't matter.
It was stupid, but in the face of this overflowing heat, the lousy day and this attack, such words brought out the worst in her.
"Three members are seriously injured. The truck exploded and caused serious damage to the driver, the passenger and the passenger in the back. Their injuries..."
Cynda who had been nearby, approached replacing the militiaman.
Her expression was calmer among all present, even though she was a Rank A psionic with a weak body, her control over emotions was perfect.
Aurora calmed down when she heard that tone.
The trucks had the driver, the passenger and then there were those riding in the back.
Two of the three trucks were knocked over and crushed, but the damage was not as severe to the passengers.
The third was the one that received the most damage and the worm's blow caused the engine to explode and part of the truck to catch fire, seriously injuring the driver and his passenger.
As for the passenger, he was from another vehicle who had the bad luck to be crushed by a worm and his leg was broken.
The first two had severe burns because they were B-rank and were part of the militiamen, who were not experienced enough to react immediately.
"The radars were affected by the heat and couldn't notice the worms, the barriers on their part were weakened and led to the trucks not being able to withstand the hit." Cynda reported in closing and seeing her expression, stated. "Cardinal Brousseau stabilized the condition of the wounded, but... It's hard for them to recover right away."
Aurora took a deep breath upon hearing such words.
She couldn't blame those in charge of the radars and while they had put in a mechanic, since they didn't have many capable mechanics, they put in someone of B rank.
Apicius Enterprise had given her a large budget and she had tried to secure all matters, but it was impossible to have expected this heat wave that affected even S-ranks.
Let alone radars, the high density of magical energy and the overflowing heat could cause them to malfunction.
There was no one to blame... Without the radars to give warning, unless the group was always on guard it was impossible to avoid being attacked.
Which led to them having wounded among them.
Aurora could tell that those nearby were losing all morale in the face of such an event.
Some were wailing to come and a large part of them were the adventurers of the 'Red Bulls' guild and even Edward seemed to dislike everything.
"Have Cardinal Brousseau use the portal and send the wounded back to Zerzura. If the trucks can't be recovered, take out the barrier artifacts and hide them. Have the others prepare to continue the journey." Aurora ordered back.
At what point could one determine when a decision was wrong?
The answer for Aurora was simple, once they saw the consequences of their own actions and this was that moment.
Coming this way was a bad decision, perhaps because of factors beyond her control, but it was still the same.
Using the emergency barriers to continue the journey and avoid the heat was another mistake and this time there was no external factor.
Such a mistake meant that when the worms attacked the trucks they were hit by having a weakened barrier over time.
Now the mistakes had to be owned and mainly she as the leader had to take charge.
She needed them to use the portals to send the wounded home and while that large portal being installed by the Church of Time and Space was secret, it was time to use it.
It was sooner than she had thought, but it still had to be done.
"What are you going to do?" Cynda asked seriously.
Cynda noticed her expression and she seemed to want to help her and keep her from carrying too much responsibility.
Aurora knew that she was surely wondering why a sixteen year old teenager was in this place and the reason why James allowed her to take over.
However, Aurora herself did not wonder why she came to this place.
In her mind was her goal... Added to that goal was having to protect the people in this caravan to reach their destination.
"Abdellah I want you to organize a group to guard the side of the magic forest. In this heat it would be rare for a magical creature or beast adapted to more humid environments to come out, but I need you to keep watch." Ordered Aurora to that mercenary who was silent.
Abdellah was one of the few who followed her orders without question or hesitation, always carrying out the order as long as it made sense.
"For my part I'll take the desert side and keep the worms or other creatures from approaching to make the journey easier." Aurora reported as she checked her space ring pulling out an artifact.
That artifact would attract nearby monsters or creatures and was perfect for this situation where she needed to be the bait.
"You don't need to carry that one..."
"I understand, we will." Interjected Zhan Tian interrupting his wife Cynda who was about to speak.
Had Zhan Tian noticed her expression?
Yes, from the look Cynda was giving him, one could tell it was that way.
It was that look as if she was wondering, why a 'girl' in her teens was carrying all the responsibilities.
For Aurora it partly felt good to feel such concern, but another part rejected that feeling and made her gaze turn colder.
Aurora didn't need to be looked at that way, as no one forced her to be in this place and she wanted it.
Right now she didn't need them to feel sorry for her, all she required was for them to obey her orders and do their job.
She would accept help from others, but it was the help that anyone gave on the job.
But most importantly, she didn't want to get close to people... For fear of the possibility of losing them in the future.
Was what she was doing wrong? Maybe, but in this abyss of darkness she found herself in, she didn't want to have to lose someone important again.
That was why she preferred to go into the darkness on her own, taking the burdens on her own and moving on.
Everyone got ready, Cardinal Brousseau with her paladins prepared the portal and after partially healing those who were wounded sent them through the portal to the Church in Zerzura where they would be treated with greater caution.
That portal was the secret letter and the most important means of movement, since it was by that means that they could call for reinforcements and send emergency wounded.
"We will follow you on the march. Don't let your guard down and any situation let us know. I will return using a scroll." Aurora warned nodding to her sister who had prepared herself and giving the group a look, she pointed. "Cardinal Brousseau and Abdellah are in command."
The leaders could only nod, each with more serious expressions than the others.
Although Cynda had a difficult expression, her husband Zhan Tian patted her leading the woman to relax.
That couple was trying to help her and Aurora was grateful, but from the moment she decided to ask her parents for support, she knew her work would not end for a long time.
Without looking back and with her sister at her side, they both flew forward and when they were far enough away they activated the device.
Her sister only gave her a nod before entering her 'warrior form' that emanated the strength of an S rank.
That blackish giant of several meters fell to the ground causing the sand to rise and the earth to shake.
As always, her sister was by her side, not trying to stop her or asking her to reconsider, only supporting.
Aurora sighed.
Maybe she was doing it all wrong by shouldering the responsibilities on her own and maybe the right thing to do was to take a group to accompany her, still, it was fine with her.
Drawing her sword, her hand trembled for a second, however, the next moment, all her emotions were swallowed up by her colorless aura.
She didn't need to think too much, in front of her was her target and she needed to obliterate everything to reach it.
"GAAAA!"
And it began as the worms approached attracted by the artifact.
Aurora wielded her sword to where she felt her enemies were.
Her vision was cut like a painting, it did not raise a cloud of sand, but her slash split the sand like a thick wound, cutting the creature hidden below.
Then the battle began and she fought alongside her sister, whose black arms had been transformed into spears.
One after another worm, the number began to rise the further they advanced, understanding that the caravan was on the move again.
The overflowing heat affected her body, but Aurora continued to fight without stopping.
Activating the artifact to attract the worms and prevent them from going to the caravan, the hours began to pass as she continued to fight.
Halfway through, her sister's warrior form opened her chest and Aurora was caught by surprise, swallowed by the darkness without her noticing.
"Get some rest, I can handle it." Alice murmured as she stepped into the space bound in her sister's shadow.
When Aurora froze she realized how reckless she was, as the pain in her head and every muscle in her body came at the same time.
However, she didn't let out any sound of pain, just gritted her teeth and settling into the couch of darkness her sister had created, she closed her eyes.
The warrior form Alice controlled from her shadow was strong and powerful.
To attack the worms that traveled underground she would cause tentacles to reach deep into the sand to strike her target at high speed.
Adding that she was in the sand, her footsteps generated tremors that attracted the worms.
The best part was that because the darkness was tied to Alice's shadow, she could hide and was unaffected by the heat.
Alice gave her a magical drink that aided her recovery and then, after a rest, Aurora set off again.
Moving at the same time as the caravan they traveled quite a few miles until night came and the heat subsided.
After some extra cleaning, they both returned to the camp that the caravan members had set up.
Aurora, for her part, received the report from the leaders.
Only a few creatures had made it through, which made their journey more bearable.
Such an outcome was the only thing she had hoped for and her mood improved a little.
She could sense the atmosphere of the caravan and despite such mistakes made today and the loss of four trucks and three injured members, morale was able to improve.
The heat and the horrible atmosphere made everyone in the worst possible mood, but a bit of peace improved the situation.
Their headache, fatigue and exhaustion from the work had, in their eyes, been worth it.
When Aurora returned to her tent that had been set up by Edward, she found the young man inside.
Their gazes met and Aurora could see some animosity.
"A leader should stay to solve problems and not run away at the first opportunity." Edward said earnestly.
Aurora gave him a look.
Why did he say those words?
Perhaps he thought her way of leaving was because she didn't want to take over the atmosphere of the place or maybe he thought she just ran away by taking a 'simple' job.
It was possible it was this second possibility, maybe he had thought she just ran away with an artifact to attract the creatures and fly away to drive them away without a fight.
In the end, the reason didn't matter.
Aurora ignored it completely and went to her room.
She wasn't going to waste her time asking unnecessary questions or clarifying his doubts, it was already enough with all her work.
The only thing she wanted was to take a bath and rest, knowing that there was still part of the way to go to reach her destination.
A destination that he hoped would not be as hectic as this trip.