The ground below Kaff started to grumble.
He scrambled out of the crater the mutant slammed him into - rolling sideways like a barrel in the nick of time - just as a pillar of lava spewed skyward from where he had been. Half a heartbeat of delay would've had him melting away.
The mutant didn't allow him a breath of time - it shot up globs of lava relentlessly like some storm straight out of hell. His blade whined as he parried most. But the sheer volume of attacks started to overwhelm him, the heat becoming unbearable. Kaff bailed, flying away as the lava brushed past him, barely not turning him into ashes.
It's not letting me get close.
Every time Kaff flew closer to it he was met with a wall of lava in front of his face. And from behind, more of the same fiery liquid shot towards him.
The volcanic monstrosity was buying time - healing its body from the beating Kaff laid on it. Slowly, bit by bit the white of its bones vanished under layers of nasty, brown meat. In a minute or two it would be as good as new, ready for another blazing assault.
Its healing is speeding up.
"On your left, Vice-Commander," his QC crackled.
Kaff's eyes sprang wide.
Multiple large boulders started flying in the air behind the Disaster, crashing down on it. Aiming to crush its skull.
But the mutant reacted almost instantly to the threat - a river of lava shot out of its maw turning the rocks from solid to liquid in a blink of an eye.
Expected as much, but...
Kaff zoomed towards the distracted living volcano.
...That's exactly what I needed!
Kaff went for its neck - a slick straight down. But the mutant reacted quicker than he expected, it blocked his sword with one of its legs.
His strike cut deep, but unfortunately not deep enough to sever its limb. The mutant's body started to hiss more smoke, the air got wobbly.
It was raising its body temperature, trying to cook Kaff alive.
Kaff gritted his teeth, his skin starting to burn.
"Maximum NE output!"
[Nuclear energy output set to Max.]
Kaff screamed out and pushed his blade down, putting all his strength behind it.
The mutant lowered its leg keeping up with the blade's descent. Kaff couldn't land his sword.
It seemed like the Disaster would escape the attack until its limb stopped descending. An invisible force was pushing against it, keeping it stuck in one place.
Kaff caught a glimpse of Hax in his periphery.
Nice timing!
Kaff's blade made contact, a clean slice separated the leg from the mutant's body. A deafening howl came out of the monstrosity.
Kaff's surroundings turned ablaze. The ground inertia was pulling him towards, boiled in the immense heat produced by the Disaster.
He closed his eyes hoping for the worst, as powerful as he was, he was still affected by the laws of physics.
A powerful impact to his chest forced him to blurt out saliva as his eyes jolted open. His vision still hazy in pain from the impact, he looked down - a shoulder right against his chest and arms wrapped around his upper body.
It was Hax. Storming both of them out of there faster than a rocket.
"Get as far away as you can!" He yelled into his QC.
Kaff's eyes slid toward the Disaster, a bright light filled his vision. An unimaginable amount of lava shot out in an enormous explosion, it was no less than the biggest volcano on the planet erupting.
The lava scattered everywhere - the slow spread of the lava made Kaff's gaze balloon. His eyes darted in all directions, scanning the area.
The mutant was gone.
***
Hax descended to the ground some distance away - his Particle Repulser having reached its limit - and lowered Kaff. His back, supported by an elevation of the ground.
A few dozen other Agents came down as well.
"The burns aren't too bad. Well, except your hands at least," Hax said, scanning Kaff for injuries.
Kaff looked expressionless like a robot.
"You'll be back to your old self in a week or two," Hax spoke as he stood from crouching.
Kaff sat up and said:
"Romanov..."
"He was with you? Someone go get cadet-"
"No, Romanov was taken. By one of the Red Vulturovs."
A stunned expression fell upon everyone.
"He was what?"
Kaff gave a look that spoke volumes of his failure, the lines around his eyes deepening with a sudden, terrible weight.
"Eleven dead and now five missing, two of the missing are nobles," A Agent spoke from behind Hax.
"Get the monitoring personnel to track them down," Kaff said, shaking his sword into nothingness.
***
Some Agents sat down with Kaff, passing around a bottle of water among themselves. A few kept watch.
Hax came back from speaking with the monitoring personnel.
"We got their locations, they're all unresponsive, unconscious but alive."
"Where are they?"
"They're headed for the Blood-sky Forest, all five of them. They haven't entered it, so the guys are trying their hardest to get a response while it's still possible."
Kaff's expression hardened, slamming his injured hand on the harsh soil. He stood up, his posture as stiff as his injuries allowed.
"We don't have the manpower to go after them, especially not in Bentree Forest. Let's go back. We can figure something out after mending ourselves."
***
Sometime later they reached the gates. The shield turned off, a low-frequency hum cut out with a deep thump, followed by a crackle of dissipating energy. Deep mechanical clunks and the sound of pressure being released filled the air.
Hax sighed and said:
"I had them close it after all the cadets got inside, well minus sixteen I guess."
Kaff did not utter a word.
***
The gate closed behind them as they stepped through.
Kaff immediately headed to the med-bay, eyes forward, jaw set like stone.
Footsteps approached from ahead. Adele and Kel - still in Rad suits - rounded the corner, eyes wide with tension. Relief bloomed on their faces as they spotted him.
"Instructor, where is Vlad Romanov?" Adele asked, her eyes still drowning in worry.
He let out a sigh.
Before he could speak a voice spoke from behind:
"Come with me. I'll fill you in."
It was Hax.
He stepped forward, his tone left no room for argument. Adele locked eyes with Kel before glancing between them, unsure whether to push or follow. She chose the latter.
They followed him leaving Kaff behind. After some time he turned towards Adele and Kel and took a deep breath before telling them all that had happened.
Adele's eyes shot open, her fist clenching so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Kel swore under his breath.
Hax continued:
"None of the five are dead, don't worry. We're monitoring their vitals. Though be ready for the worst."
Adele's eyes stayed fixed on the floor, distant. Kel exhaled sharply through his nose, jaws locked.
Hax patted Kel's shoulder and said:
"We'll do everything we can. Just...be ready for anything."
He turned away and continued:
"Get out of your suits and take some rest. A lot happened today."
***
Adele looked lost in her thoughts as they walked.
Kel with an optimistic tone said:
"Hey, don't let yourself get down over something out of your control."
"I'm not "down" but yeah."
After a second of silence, Kel added:
"You saw how late our QCs picked up on its presence. It must have hidden its Bio-Rad signs."
Adele picked up her pace and after a few seconds of silence said:
"I hope he comes back with, at most, an arm missing."
***
Kaff walked into the monitoring room - bandages covering his hands, face and neck. He moved over to the Agents in charge of tracking the five missing cadets, a faint glow of blue light illuminating their focused expressions.
Hax and Airel were present as well.
"How are things going so far?"
"Should you be moving already?" Airel questioned, a faint scent of worry present in her tone.
"That doesn't answer my question."
Airel sighed and spoke:
"Things are very bad. All five of them are confirmed to have been taken to Bentree Forest."
She glanced over to Kaff, his expression as stoned as it could be.
"...But I think you already know, with the equipment they have on we can't get in touch, track or as a matter of fact do anything."
He turned to the Agents, hearing Airel.
"Alive?" Kaff's voice was sharp and urgent, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"Even seconds before entering the Blood-sky Forest they were. But now...we don't know due to the severed connection," an Agent responded.
Kaff's jaws tightened. He held the Agent's gaze for a second longer, the weight of the situation settling in the silence. He abruptly twisted his body towards Hax and said:
"Have you contacted their relatives?"
"Two of the cadets don't have families. They were both raised at the same orphanage."
Kaff's expression softened slightly, a sigh escaping his nostrils.
"Contact the Baron and the Count. Get in touch with the other cadet's relatives as well."
Airel, who had been listening with quiet intensity shrugged, walking off she said:
"Good luck dealing with the Baron."
***
In the near complete darkness of an unknown place, Vlad's eyes fluttered open.
His aching body lay on a hard surface. His head especially, was killing him. Something wet touching his face made him snap back to full consciousness. A jolt of instinct overrode his pain, his senses struggling in the oppressive gloom.
Vlad pushed himself into a sitting position, a groan escaping his lips.
What...and I'm alive?
The liquid dripped down from his face, the sound of it hitting the hard surface sounded like a gunshot in the otherwise suffocating silence of the dark.
He wiped a bit of the liquid off his face with his fingertips. He tried to feel the texture of the liquid and then brought his fingers closer to his face, trying to discern the strange substance.
What...is this?
But the darkness was too overbearing to do so. His mind still being a mess, a moment of complete and utter madness seized him, and he decided to taste the liquid.
At the touch of the liquid on his tongue, Vlad's eyes grew round with fear and realization.
This...
The mysterious liquid...was blood.