Chapter 1275: The bugs (1) |
Erik stopped moving. Right in front of him, the dead thaid was lying on the ground. It destroyed some of the trees in its fall, or at least the branches, creating a huge opening in the natural ceiling provided by the trees.
The creature looked like a crow, an ancient and extinct creature that roamed the planet before the thaids, and that Erik only saw through the textbooks at school, but it was easily the size of a small house.
Its feathers were pitch black, looking like polished obsidian. A curved beak, serrated like a saw, gaped open in death. Multiple eyes, now dim, lined its head like a crown.
[Don't stop,] the system said. [The battle's moving this way.]
As if to emphasize the point, another energy blast carved through the trees above, vaporizing everything in its path.
The fighting thaids wheeled overhead, lighting the sky with their powers. It looked like there was a firework display above Erik, one that he wanted to be as far away as possible.
Erik darted away from the fallen creature; he didn't wish to stay there to see those still alive.
<And here I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find anything good to kill.>
[Do you see now how dangerous Mur really is?]
The combat above grew more intense, with powers clashing and changing the forest, turning it into a war zone that grew larger by the second, not only being limited to the sky.
The sound of the battle followed him as he went toward the rocky outcrop. Everything below Erik trembled, but that wasn't a problem since he was flying. However, even the trees shook, and with them, everything else.
[One and a half kilometers to go,] the system said.
In the end, Erik reached the edge of the rocky outcrop.
Then he sensed them.
<Human thoughts!>
[It might be the clones!]
<Or the blackguards…>
Erik focused on the distant thoughts and flew closer to their source. He needed to identify who they belonged to.
<They're too far away to see clearly.>
As he drew near, the thoughts became distinct enough for him to recognize their origin.
<The Chimaeric Demons.>
It wasn't the blackguards there, but the clones.
<They survived,> Erik thought as a surge of exhilaration rushed through him. Their presence meant the others might have survived, too.
Amber, Emily, Mira, and June could be alive—but he couldn't be certain until he talked to the clones.
[Why are they here?] The system asked.
<They must have noticed the battle.>
Erik could sense their thoughts about safety plans and how they were getting ready for the monsters to get too close to their shelter. Erik then used his mental powers to reach out to them.
<It's me.>
A chorus of mental voices flooded back once they heard those words, that voice, in their minds. There was only one person who could do that, and the mental voice was unmistakable.
<Master?>
<You made it!>
<Are you alright?>
<We knew you'd find us!>
The feeling of happiness going through the clones affected even Erik. He, too, was thrilled to see his children.
<You found us!>
<Are you alone?>
<What else would you expect from the master? Of course he found us,> a clone said.
The clones had spread out between the rocks for protection, using hand signals to communicate with each other. Without Erik, they couldn't do so without the thaids hearing them.
Behind him, he could still hear the sounds of the battle, with powerful explosions going off repeatedly.
<The flying thaids,> Erik didn't reply to their questions. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
<They're here because of me. One spotted me while I was searching for you.>
The clones' then shifted to tactical mode. They didn't like those puny monsters chasing their master.
<Our shelter is safe,> a clone said. <Follow the cliff face south, master. There's a crack in the rock wall that looks too small for anything dangerous but large enough for humans and smaller beings to pass. It opens into our base.>
<Are the others there?> Erik asked, hope and fear mixing in his thoughts.
The clones' feelings soothed Erik, reassuring him.
<They are alive, master. All of them.>
[See? What did I tell you?]
<Yeah…>
Erik flew next to the cliff, keeping as close as possible to the rocks. Below him, waves hit the rocks and sent water spraying up. The salty wind made it difficult to fly, but he kept going.
Then he found the narrow crack in the rock the others had told him about.
<They really made their base into a cave.>
[It was the safest and most logical conclusion without you around.]
This was perfect for Erik, especially in his current form. The flying thaids could never follow him through it.
[The thaids might blow the entrance. So keep your mouth shut and get in fast.]
Erik nodded. He turned human again and then went in.
The passage twisted through the rock, opening occasionally into wider chambers before narrowing again. The stone walls pressed close, then suddenly fell away as they opened into a cavern.
The cave showed clear signs of people living there. The clones had set up sleeping areas, guard posts, and places to store their supplies. They had turned the cave into a safe, well-organized hideout. The problem was that the cave was still connected to tunnels going deeper into the earth, meaning they could still be attacked by thaids who came from other entrances.
Inside the cave, Erik found more clones. Some were standing guard and watching over different parts of their hideout.
The thick cave walls made it nearly impossible to hear the fight outside.
The first thing Erik did was use his powers to find out how many of his clones survived. There were around 200 here.
<Is this all?>
[I can't sense Amber and the others,] the biological supercomputer said. [Since the clones outside told you they are alive, they must be somewhere else if you can't find them. Most likely, they are inside the tunnels.]
The system mentally pointed at one of the entrances.
It was at that moment the clones who found Erik outside arrived.