All three of their QCs crackled: "You three near the large rocks, move! Get away from there!" Kaff's voice, loud and choked with panic, froze them in their goddamn tracks.
The air started to hum, a low, guttural rumble rising from beneath their feet.
[Massive spike in Bio-Rad signatures detected.]
Adele's eyes widened as the realization of the imminent danger dawned on her.
Before any of them could process and figure out what was happening, the ground below them gave away.
[Estimated category 4.6]
Massive limbs with claws, each as big as Vlad himself erupted from the dirt, aimed directly at the trio. Adele noticed the monstrosity approaching before the other two and moved away, taking Kel with her.
But Vlad wasn't so fortunate.
The rest of its titanic body clawed its way out of Bruno's crust. Steam hissed from all over its hard, thick-scaled body. Vlad was caught in its clutches made motionless by its overbearing strength.
[Rapid temperature rise: Cooling system activated.]
Vlad let out a gut-wrenching grunt.
Ugh, it's crushing me!
"VLAD!" Kel screamed, still being carried by Adele.
If I would've noticed sooner! Adele screamed in her head.
Her gaze snapped, catching a glimpse of a blur tearing past her with unbelievable speed.
***
The steaming monstrosity opened its maw - more steam hissing out - sharp teeth lined up like some living hellish meat grinder.
Stop! I don't taste good at all!
Sharp, slicing sounds tore into Vlad's ears - the crushing grip on his body was gone. His hand got yanked, taking his body along with it, his shoulder nearly snapping.
He squinted up - a familiar silhouette in his blurry vision, a shape that was comforting to his panic-filled mind.
It was Kaff.
Dramatic entry much instructor?
Both of them were plummeting towards the ground. With the momentum they had it was bound to be an ocean of pain.
But Vlad's feets touched the ground as softly as a handful of cotton.
"I'm alive!" Vlad muttered.
"You should keep it that way."
Vlad turned his head - Kaff's feet in front of his face, hanging in mid-air, made him flinch. Kaff's were glued on the giant mutant in front.
Particle Repulsion?
Vlad's gawking was put to a halt as the ground shook once again. His head snapped, the mutant was now fully above ground. His eyes shot down to its hands which nearly crushed him into a mush of pulped bone and gore.
It didn't look fazed at all. Its fingers were barely attached - swinging in the air, blood gushing like a fountain. It let out a growl. In a blink of an eye, its finger snapped back into place completely healed as if Kaff's blade hadn't even grazed it.
Of course, it has ultra super instant healing.
Kaff's brow furrowed.
It's not going after the other two, is it because Romanov is an Evolved?
***
Hax headed east, from where the Red Vulturov was heading towards the gate.
"Sir, the Red Vulturov switched its flight path, it's heading towards the Disaster-class mutant," An agent spoke over the comms.
"Why?" Hax questioned
"We don't know sir."
What the hell is going on today?
"Alright, maintain position."
***
The Disaster's eyes shifted, its focus now on an agent helping a hurt cadet. It clamped its jaws tight. The ground and rocks started to melt - its throat bulged glowing a yellowish-red colour.
Kaff bolted towards it.
Not happening.
Its eyes slid over - its head following suit.
It was a ploy from the beginning!
A massive blast of blazing hot molten rocks shot out of its throat, aimed directly at Kaff.
Kaff stopped his advance, gripping his blade with both hands - a green hue enveloped his blade.
Solidified NE! Vlad thought.
Kaff swung in a downward motion.
The river of molten rock and metal jetting out of the steaming hot monstrosity got sliced straight down the middle, splitting it into two smaller jets of molten lava.
Vlad's eyes widened witnessing the impossible sight defying all logic. The molten blast flew over his head - sweat drops dripping down his features due to the temperature skyrocketing.
That thing's a living volcano!
The lava tore through multiple large rocks, melting them like a laser beam through paper.
The mutant twisted its large body.
Its gaze fell once again on the agent and the cadet who did not manage to go far due to the cadets' injuries.
It's after them again. Kaff thought.
It grabbed onto a rock crushing it as though it were crackers.
Kaff sprinted as fast as he could, but it was too late to stop it. It threw the small crushed rocks towards the cadet and the agent. The rocks decimated their bodies, in a matter of seconds they turned from living, breathing humans to just piles of bloody broken heaps of gore and unrecognizable mangled remains.
Vlad's legs started to feel wobbly, the thought of his friends or himself next sent shivers down his spine.
No! Don't have negative thoughts!
The volcanic monstrosity looked happy, satisfied its prey was slain.
***
Adele and Kel ran towards the gate.
"Are we really leaving Vlad?" Kel asked.
"Instructor Kaff is there, if we stayed we'd just be more weight for him to carry or worse we might just die."
Kel remained silent, not finding any flaw in Adele's words.
A girl was also running alongside them, slightly to their left, some distance away.
"That's-" Kel got cut off by a gut-wrenching, bone-chilling screech.
His head twisted - it was a Red Vulturov! It was diving straight towards them, its claws ready to clutch onto its unfortunate prey.
"Duck!" Kel yelled.
Adele had already beaten him to the ducking game.
The mutant might have missed them but it still had another soul in its sights. Its leg crashed into the girl running beside them. The girl sliced off one of its legs clean with her daggers but the other leg she couldn't defend against hit her right in her cranium.
The hit knocked her out cold.
Adele and Kel ran as fast as they could to get to the girl, but another Vulturov swooped in snatching the girl away.
"You flying piece off…!" Kel said, clicking his rifle.
He shot at the Vulturov, missing the first shot, but the second one tore right through its wing.
Damn it! It's tough shooting it while making sure I don't hit her!
He clicked his rifle again, but before he could take aim the Red Vulturov circled back for seconds.
Adele pulled his arm and said:
"Let's go! We have to move!"
Kel turned his head - the Vulturov was already out of his range, seeming like a dot on the blue skies.
Reluctantly, he followed.
***
Kaff and the Disaster were brawling it out, each clash of theirs turning their surroundings unrecognizable. Sparks and rocks flew in every direction.
A smack from its hands sent Kaff crashing into the ground, the momentum dragging him through the dirt several meters.
Its behaviour and abilities are nothing like the others. He thought. I don't recognize its appearance too.
The ground and rocks it had blazed into molten lava shot toward Kaff. But he was faster than the projectile of lava.
The mutant seemed to have complete control over lava itself.
Kaff dodged and swerved, closing the distance between it and him.
Go blind first!
He gripped his blade tight, the green hue glowed brighter, ready to unleash a powerful strike. But a wall of lava burst out of the crust cutting him off.
Sharp claws pierced through the wall of lava ready to put a few extra holes in Kaff's body. The claws whizzed past as he dodged.
Kaff without dawdling struck his blade on the Disaster. His slashes exposed its bone. Kaff followed it up with a fury of unrelenting slashes, filling the air with a sickening mist of azure blood. Gruesome chunks of viscera splattered everything nearby.
Kaff got painted azure, his body, soaking in the mutant's blood.
***
Vlad was watching everything from behind a rock - his hand still bleeding.
The pain grew to make him restless, but he couldn't do anything about it
I need to find a way to get away. But how? He scrambled his brain.
He cautiously stuck his head out scouting for a way to escape. But Kaff and the mutant were on his path to reach the gate.
Vlad was stuck, slowly bleeding to his demise. The dozens of Vulturovs in the air made it so that going around the Disaster was also a suicidal choice.
But it was better than the other options he had.
Ah, screw it!
Vlad made a run for it. Going from rock to rock trying to hide from the Vulturov's sights.
But luck stood opposed to him.
A Red Vulturov spotted Vlad, coming straight for him. It flew straight into the rocks Vlad was hiding behind one by one until there was nowhere else to take refuge.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Vlad ran as fast as his hurt and bruised body allowed him to. A regular Vulturov charged at him, its feet laced with claws aimed at his head. Vlad managed to dodge, tumbling to the ground.
Up! Get up!
Before he could get back on his feet the Red Vultures swooped in, plucking him from the ground. The brutal impact slammed his head against the hard ground and the bone-crushing hold forced a bloody cough from his lungs.
Kaff heard the sound of the rocks breaking apart, but the Disaster didn't let him reach Vlad. His eyes flew open, his expression aghast, seeing Vlad get taken away by the flying monstrosity.
"Romanov!"
He raced towards the Red Vulturov, but the mutant caught onto his leg mid-flight and slammed him into the ground, sending rocks and debris flying.
***
Vlad saw the brutal scene from high above, the Disaster and Kaff becoming more and more distant each second.
His vision got blurry, slowly everything started to turn black.
Fuck…
Despite his fierce battle against the encroaching darkness, his consciousness inevitably slipped away.