Nathaniel, Luke, and the others were running through the deserted city's streets. The sun was high in the sky, and the six frequently heard thaids screeching and screaming from afar, forcing them to battle another couple of groups along the way.
Nathaniel was frustrated because Erik was so close, but he couldn't get to him because of the nearby monsters slowing them down. He was growing impatient.
The once-bustling city had become desolate; the buildings remained standing, but the people had vanished. They were fighting for their country outside the barrier, battling monster after monster and losing men and women left and right as they fought for survival against these creatures who wanted nothing more than to kill them all.
The group just ended up killing another group of thaids, and they could feel the eerie silence weighing down on them for a short time. However, not even thirty seconds later, they began to hear the sound of the monsters lurking around again, and they knew they had to be cautious.
"This is getting out of hand," said Luke, who stopped walking momentarily and turned towards Nathaniel. He was referring to the number of monsters that got inside the city. It wasn't normal, and he wondered what the adults and militaries were doing while these beasts wreaked havoc inside the city.
Suddenly, they heard loud screeches coming from behind them. Nathaniel turned around and saw six thaids charging towards the group. The monsters were about the size of a bear and had scaly, gray skin that looked tough. They were also armed with sharp claws and teeth, making them even more dangerous. However, judging from their mana levels, they were strong enough to kill them.
"Get ready for battle, guys!" Nathaniel yelled as he drew his trident. He couldn't waste more mana since he still had to battle Erik. The rest of the team followed Nathaniel's lead, unsheathing their weapons and preparing for the fight. They knew defeating their opponents would not be easy, but they were determined to protect themselves and emerge victorious.
The five kids all had knives and daggers as their intended weapons. They brought these as they were hard to spot by other people and because they didn't expect the monsters to rush inside the city.
The thaids were getting closer, and the group could see their glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth.
"Luke, take out the one on the left!" Nathaniel yelled. "I'll go for the middle one. The others must go for the remaining ones!"
Luke and the others nodded and ran forward. As soon as he reached the closest thaid, he avoided a bite attempt and stabbed it in the neck. However, the beast was big, and the knife was too short to kill the creature immediately.
However, the damage it caused was significant. Luke pulled the blade from its neck and avoided another attack by ducking as low as possible. He then jumped back and threw the dagger into the beast's right eye, killing it.
The others charged at the remaining thaids, weapons drawn. The monsters were fierce, but the group fought with all their might. The sound of the battle echoed through the city's streets as they battled. Luke's heart raced with adrenaline as he fought determinedly to get the money and buy some excellent food.
One of the other kids slashed a thaid's throat and then helped one of his comrades, who was having a few problems battling his thaid. The two were currently wrestling, with the beast going on top of the young man and trying to rip his throat off.
As they struggled, the kid that got free managed to stab the monster in the head, but it wasn't easy to pierce that thick skull, and he had to try several times before he managed to kill the monster and save his accomplice.
Another one of the boys killed his thaid by chopping off its back leg. Unable to chase the kid or move, it bled to death a couple of minutes later. While this happened, another one of them stabbed a thaid straight in the stomach and created a gaping wound up to the neck. The creature died whimpering and clutching its belly, unable to continue attacking anymore.
Nathaniel threw his trident with precision, piercing deep into the thaids' tough skull. It only took him a minute to slaughter the beast, and then he stopped to rest. He couldn't waste energy, as the mission's success depended on him.
After two more minutes of intense fighting, the last thaids fell to the ground, defeated. Panting, Luke, and the others looked at each other, relieved and triumphant.
"We did it!" Luke exclaimed.
Nathaniel grinned, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He loved this feeling--the one he could only get by killing. As he ran, his mind couldn't help but wander to the inevitable moment when he would face Erik and fantasized about how killing him would be, as he was a human. He tried to push the thought aside and focus on the present, but the anticipation of what was to come lingered in his mind.
"Alright, let's keep moving," Nathaniel ordered. "We don't know how many more of these things are out here," he added. He knew they had to move quickly, as the clock was ticking, and they still had a long way to go before reaching their target. With that, they continued their run through the deserted city, ready for whatever else lay ahead. The young men kept looking around for any sign of danger. There weren't many monsters around here, and none of those that were present seemed to have noticed the group.
They kept walking until they found an open space where there was no cover or concealment whatsoever. If they got attacked here, they were bound to suffer, as they could be ambushed by any beast and couldn't hide.
"We need to go left here," Nathaniel told them, pointing at the corner they needed to go to.
"Are you sure he went this way?" Luke asked.
"He shouldn't have come here but on the adjacent street. We will be able to reach the place by going to the left at this intersection," Nathaniel said. The six fifteen-year-old young men quickly ran through the street until they reached an intersection and went where Erik passed through.
The location appeared to be normal, but the kids quickly noticed a large number of bloody prints along the street; clearly, a group of thaids had visited the area.
"Maybe he got killed by the thaids. There should have been more than fifteen, judging by the number of prints," Luke remarked.
"Yeah, these thaids also just killed someone. That guy is probably dead by now," Another one said.
"I doubt it," Nathaniel said. He then looked at his surroundings and said, "Let's not jump to conclusions until we have more information. We should continue tracking the prints and see where they lead us," Nathaniel suggested.
"What? Why?" Luke asked.
"Because I know that guy, and it is improbable he got killed by a bunch of beasts. Furthermore, if my memory serves me correctly, these should have been Eganesus, the same beasts that attacked him in front of the Yellow Palace. If he killed them there, I doubt he would have been killed by them here..." Nathaniel replied.
"Yeah, but they were much less than now. Besides, he is alone at this moment. Are you seriously saying that he was able to survive those beasts? I doubt it," another kid said.
"You know nothing. I would have been able to kill those beasts if I had fought them. If I could do it, I doubt he wouldn't." The kids looked at him skeptically.
"Whatever," Luke said, shrugging his shoulders.
After going past the street and turning right on the next corner, they saw them. The Eganesus' bodies were on the ground with various wounds on their bodies. However, the slices produced by Erik's Flyssa were evident. The beasts had their heads severed, some missing limbs, and all were lying motionless. The stench of blood and death filled the air, making breathing hard.
Looking at the scene before them, Luke and the others stopped in fear. They all knew who was responsible for such carnage: their target. But This scene also proved that he was a tough cookie to swallow, and they didn't know how they would be able to kill him. They exchanged worried glances, wondering if they had done the right thing by accepting this mission.
Everything rested on Nathaniel's shoulders; he implied that he and their target were at the same level, and if that was true, their number advantage would have secured their victory in the end.
Nathaniel felt the wind blowing against his face and smiled. Everything was going well until now. Besides, Erik had just battled a group of monsters, so it was likely he was exhausted by now, and that all played in his favor. Nathaniel took a deep breath and prepared himself for the final showdown. Judging by what he was seeing, Erik was tired but still lethal.
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