Chapter 669 Euphoria's Darkest Hour (2)
Suddenly, something whizzed past Ashton's head, and they rushed towards the city gate. Everyone turned around to see a nightmarish sight.
Mindless cultists, their eyes filled with madness, descended upon them like a swarm of locusts. Hungry for blood, they closed in rapidly, their eerie chants filling the air.
"Fucking hell..." Laihud mumbled. "No wonder the Euphorians are struggling to keep the cultists at bay! They have all been cursed and only have one thing on their mind... to kill as many people as possible!"
"To think the cult would do something lowly as this," Vimur scoffed, punching his fists together. "If they have been reduced to a zombie-like state, might as well turn them into real dead."
"No wonder Otiga didn't want us to land in this hellhole," Anna said as she looked around and saw a similar scene everywhere.
While they were throwing their two cents, Ashton's eyes narrowed as he analysed their movements. The cultists were relentless, showing no fear in the face of danger.
If someone were to blow their limbs apart, they would still crawl up to their prey. As such, there was only one quick way to handle them. Blow them up into smithereens.
He quickly grabbed a handful of grenades and tossed them into the oncoming horde. The loud explosions sent bodies flying, the blasts shredding through the ranks of the cultists. The ground shook with the force of the detonations.
Following Ashton's example, the rest of the group, armed to the teeth with heavy firearms and equipment, opened fire on the surviving cultists. Bullets and energy beams tore through the air, cutting down any cultist foolish enough to advance.
The once-ferocious mob began to disperse, driven back by the overwhelming firepower. But it was a strategic retreat more than anything else, and Ashton knew they weren't safe just yet.
Their team dealt with as many cultists as possible when something unexpected happened. From a distance, Ashton saw two massive spaceships descend from the sky, casting ominous shadows over the desolate and war-torn landscape.
"Shit!" Ashton cursed as he saw the ships charging their main cannon.
Ashton's mind raced as he assessed the situation. They were outnumbered and outgunned. The cultists outside were one thing, but these ships posed a much greater threat.
Besides, if they stayed there any longer, they'd get trapped and have to forget about recovering the Medallion. No matter what, Ashton couldn't afford that to happen.
For the first time in their life, fighting the cult was a secondary objective, as finding the Medallion took precedence. In order to 'win', they had to find the Whisperer's Medallion quickly and escape the planet's surface. It was then a plan struck Ashton's mind.
"Into the city, now!" Ashton barked, urgency in his voice. "We don't have time to waste here!"
Even though he said that, everyone understood what Ashton was planning on doing, he was trying to send them away while he stayed back and ensured no one interfered with their work.
As such, the group hesitated between following Ashton's orders or staying back and helping him. Flintmace and Vulcan worried the most as they knew why Ashton had decided to stay back.
"Ashton, you can't take on those ships alone," Flintmace stepped forward, his voice low and measured. "The rest can leave, but we should stay and help you."
Vulcan nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed with worry. "This is not the time to act irrationally."
"Don't worry about me, and have faith in your disciple for once," Ashton smirked as those words left his mouth. "Besides, you two are more valuable in helping us locate the Medallion, along with the rest of the team. I'll be fine. Trust me."
Flintmace and Vulcan exchanged another look, but they could see the determination in Ashton's eyes. Reluctantly, they nodded, acknowledging his decision.
It was just like Ashton said; they weren't putting their faith in him but the training they had provided him. Besides, he was never alone. His summons were always there to help him.
"Alright, kid," Vulcan said, clapping Ashton on the shoulder. "You know where to find us if you need backup."
With that, Vulcan and Flintmace led the group to the cityscape in the distance, the colossal structures casting long shadows over the cracked and desolate ground.
The scattered cultists were still outside, momentarily driven back, and watched them with eerie fascination, their chants growing fainter as they retreated.
As they inched closer to the city, Irina couldn't help but ask Anna if she wasn't worried about Ashton. Anna laughed at the absurdity of the question.
"Of course, I'm scared, but more than that, I have faith in him and his strength," she replied. "If anything, we should worry about those poor bastards who think their spaceships will save them from Ashton."
Anna's words made everyone laugh as they slaughtered the remnants of the cultists surrounding the city. Even though they had cleared the cultists from around the city, the city's people were apprehensive about letting a bunch of strangers inside.
It was only when Flintmace showed off his status that the city gates were opened long enough for them to enter.
"Show off," Vulcan spat out, to which Flintmace just laughed.
"Now, where do we start looking for the medallion?" Vimur mumbled
At that moment, they realised they had no idea about it. Thanks to Madame Seraphina, they knew the Medallion was inside the city, but the group had no idea where they could find the damned thing.
"Mayor!" Verina shrieked. "The city's mayor or whoever is in charge must know something!"
"Good thinking," Flintmace said as he quickly divided their group into three smaller groups.
Anna, Verina, and Irina would talk with the citizens and see if they could find anything. In the meantime, Laihud and Vimur would do the same with the security and the clerical people.
At the same time, Flintmace and Vulcan would reach out to whoever was in charge. Due to Flintmace's reputation, it would be easier for him to reach out to someone as important as the one leading the city.
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