Chapter 38: Arrival
"You." Arthur pointed to Ælfweard, "Carry Caelith let’s get the fuck out of here." Upon hearing his orders, everyone broke out running towards their destination while the ground quaked.
Activating mobility Arthur launch forward instantly, leading the escape. Following him closely was Noah, the rest continued running at their top speeds.
Escaping the incoming threat was better that a confrontation. Arthur didn’t know whether that was a creature or a natural phenomenal, he didn’t want to find out either.
As the distance from the juggernaut’s body grew larger, the quake began subsiding for a moment, then stopped. Gesturing with his hand that they continue running, Arthur stopped and watched.
With his repositioning ability he had crossed quite a distance however his group was still far behind. Up to five minutes passed before they ran past him.
In that five minutes, he had been watching patiently, that quake belonged to something and Arthur knew that. Manifesting his bow he took aim at nothing in particular, just charging ridiculous amounts of mana on his bow.
Holding his breath, he focused and counted down from ten. ’Seven.’ Nothing happened, ’Six.’ Nothing happened. ’Five.’ Nothing still.’ Four.’ The earth exploded.
Massive boulders were sent flying as a gurduamal dark armored beatle emerged from the ground. A crater was left at is wake as it stretched up to a hundred feet by height alone, mass and wight were a different ball game.
Its carapace was filled with prodding spiral spikes, its head a fortress of horns. Before its head were terrifying mandibles of pure devastation, each snap forming whirlwinds of mass destruction.
Moving by it’s thorn filled legs, the creature was slow yet unstoppable. From a distance, Arthur could clearly see several menacing lights on it’s head. It let out a loud shriek sent a bellows of winds towards the group.
Standing skyscrapers and buildings were knocked down and destroyed leaving a massive dust cloud which obscured everything.
"We would die if we faced that." Arthur muttered as he was engulfed by the dust cloud, they couldn’t confront the creature, not here not today.
Running after the group, they ran hoping the monstrosity wouldn’t be able to track them in the dust storm it created.
Sprinting because their lives depended on it, the group had to speed blitz any zombie they stumbled upon without stopping for a second.
After about forty five minutes, they were finally out of the dust storm and couldn’t temporarily catch their breaths. Slumping to the ground, Arthur lay supine breathing heavily.
His endurance was enhanced but that running top speeds for nearly an hour was a limit breaker. They rested for sometime before Tamsin pointed something out.
"Guys we’re already there." She said pointing to a place Arthur couldn’t see while lying down. He sat up and his face brightened a bit. "Let’s get going, we would be there by night fall."
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The darkness was thin but dreary, the air stale and very uncomfortable to occupants. Groaning, the cold metal bit into his arms stirring him away.
Marcus opened his eyes and saw nothing but dark. He shook his head, as a fuzzy feeling assaulted his mind. "Where am I." He said still in a haze.
"Where you never left." A voice said from the darkness as light emerged. A small lantern, a small glow. Marcus could barely see who was before him, he could only make out the jute sack mask the person wore, and an iron spike crown on the person’s head.
Instantly he knew who he stood... knelt before. "You are the one they call king." He said with a tired voice. "And you know me well." The masked man replied in his deep voice.
"I’ve heard of your feats." The man said, "You took on my seventh strongest awakener like he was nothing... That’s impressive."
Marcus kept quiet, then dragged the chains holding back both his arms. "Why am I still alive." He asked. "Because I willed so, I need you alive... Marcus."
Hearing his name, Marcus froze in shock. "How..." "I knew you would ask that, a girl came in here sometime ago, Martha or was it. She kept screaming your name like a lunatic, requesting we release you."
Not letting him finish, "Where is she?" He asked in a low menacing voice. "Feisty are we." The man chuckled, "She’s fine, for now, however her fate rests in your hands."
Listening to the tone of which the man spoke, Marcus was getting more skeptical about getting out of this situation alive.
"Pass a tests and you both leave freely, not trouble, no fight. Heck I would even give you some supplies to take along with you." The crowned man said.
Marcus looked at him, thinking is this was a way or a trap. "What sort of tests?" He asked. "Oh in a few hours you would know." The man said as the lantern went dark and silence took over.
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Kicking a metal can out of his path Caleb grumbled. "These zombies are getting more annoying." "Agreed." Ronan said. "How did does guys even get past this place."
Pouring out of the desolate buildings were Walker zombies. They weren’t much but were still a threat. Due to the road only being a few meters wide, it was easy for the zombies to get close.
"At least they are walkers, they’re dumb, good thing they aren’t those crazy runners." Lauryn said joining the conversation. "If we were attacked by the crazy pricks runners, we would have been in hot soup. Boss wouldn’t even be practicing, he would be battling." Noah added.
"He doesn’t even look tense." Tamsin said admiring Arthur’s growing skill with the bow. "Please." Caleb said flipping his dagger, "Boss can’t be stressed by mere walkers. Even I could take on multiple at once."
"Yeah..." Before Noah could complete what he was saying, a kunai whistled past his head straight for Arthur who was walking in front of them.
At the nicks of time, Arthur perceived the projectile and used his telekinesis to stop it.
They turned around and met three figures approaching them from a distance.
"Run up to Caelith’s cohort and group up with them. I am right behind you." Arthur said walking towards the distant people. He knew who they are and what they were for.
"But Arthur that isn’t part of the plan." Tamsin objected which earned her a distasteful glance from Arthur. She swallowed and obeyed his order, his entire squad did.
When they were gone, Arthur raised his bow and began firing as he moved towards his assailants. The kunai continued coming and Arthur had to sidestep occasionally to evade them.
"You sins have come for you, Arthur." A voice very familiar to Arthur called out to him. "Mara." The faces of the attackers began getting clearer and Arthur recognized everyone of them.
He stopped and dismissed his bow. "Go back and I would spare your lives for old times sake." He announced watching their reactions.
Normally he viewed an adversary as someone or something he should enjoy eradicating. But the he and person in question had a history he’d rather not remember.
Seeing they wouldn’t turn around, he lowered his head and took a deep breath. Mara Vex, a blonde seventeen year old and two other boys Arthur couldn’t identify closed the distance for the confrontation they were sent for.
But the question was, if they would be enough for the mission they sort to accomplish. Could they in any way manage to take down the terrifying Arthur Reed.
Taking a stretching stance, Arthur lossed the bones of his shoulder. Instantly he left were he stood and reappeared with a fist that nearly hit Mara’s face but surprisingly missed.
Mara retaliated with a punch that literally shocked Arthur. He was launched meters back clutching his abdomen as he nearly dropped to his knees. He didn’t have time to think as one of the boys who was besides her moments ago was standing before him.
The guy hadn’t moved but he felt a roundhouse kick on his neck. Staggering the other boy appeared with speeds nearly as fast as Noah’s and stomped him on the knee.
Arthur stumbled to the ground and rolled backwards to create some distance. ’These people are no joke, I would have to go all out.’ Leaping back to his feet, Arthur immediately threw a telekinetic strike at the first boy to attack him.
The boy flew like a ragdoll. "Harlan, Get Elowen." Mara snapped at the speed boy, her eyes brimming with hatred towards Arthur.
"I would give you one last chance Mara, let’s end this, I don’t want to kill you." Arthur warned whipping the blood of his lips. "But I need to kill you, I’ve wanted to kill you since that day, the day you took him away from me." Mara replied her voice dripping with venom.
Noticing the atmosphere darkening considerably, Arthur felt something screaming at him to hide. He brushed it of and focused on his opponents.
Slamming his left fist on which he wore the magma gauntlet on the earth, a cobweb pattern was formed and huge chunks of earth began rising from the ground.
The air became suffocating as Arthur began levitating, the rocks begining to orbit him as gravity distorted. Boosting himself towards the trio, the pulled his fist ready for a blow carrying all his power behind it.
However as he closed the distance to Mara and aimed to strike her across the face, but a loud shout made him deactivate everything.
"ARTHUR, IT’S RAINING!!!" Immediately he dropped to the ground and looked back at where he was supposed to be. Tim stood there screaming and waving at him.
Arthur felt the terror in his voice and looked back at Mara before activating Mobility and launching away. "THIS ISN’T OVER REED, THE RAIN WOULDN’T STOP ME FROM RIPPING YOU TO SHREDS." Mara screaming as she manifested three kunai and ran after Arthur and Tim.
Elowen and Harlan called out to her but she wouldn’t listen.
The sky was twisting and twirling on its self, amber flashes filled the sky creating a scenery which could once only be seen in movies.
"Where are the others." Arthur asked, and Tim pointed to a multi-story parking lot few hundred meters away. Conflict broke out in Arthur’s mind as he contemplated if he would be able to make it.
Squatting briefly, Arthur tried launched himself forward, stacking both flight and mobility. However a sharp sting hit his side and he was sent rolling forward.
’I would kill you Peter, even if it’s the last thing it do.’ Arthur said rising to his feet, then he heard it, the sound of rain and lightning intertwining into a cacophony.
Looking behind him, he saw Mara disappearing into a building to escape the uncertainty of the rain, not before throwing two kunai his way.
Unfortunately they were off target, one fell out to a very different direction, the other hit Tim on the side before passing through him completely. The boy tumbled to the ground bleeding heavily.
Arthur flew into the lot, knowing Tim was already dead.
