256 The Rainbow Toad’s Power

(Sophie's POV)

'I wonder if it's ok like this...'

I wasn't sure if the trap was placed as it was supposed to… I knew how to do it, but I couldn't help but feel my hands tremble as I put the traps down…

I shouldn't think about it, but it was in a fight like this that Gab died. I felt something behind me and felt a hand on my shoulder.

"That's perfect."

It was as if he was reading my mind.

Spencer had this aura that made me feel secure and protected near him. In a weird way, he reminds me of my brother.

Even if my brother was often nervous and worried he always tried to put a tough front when he was with me, I always felt that despite what happened around us, everything was going to be alright.

I nodded while looking at the trap.

"Stay near Hayley during the fight. Ok?"

He had a smile that told me that everything was going to be fine.

I nodded at him, and he left to go at his place in the farther right side of the frontline.

I stood up and looked around at all the amazing people I was with. Most of them were just a little older than me, but in the hearts of the people from Green Shelter, they were heroes.

I still can't believe that I'm with them.

I moved to the place next to Hayley, I was told to stay here during our strategic meeting, they explained that the effective range of the crossbow was similar to Hayley's, but when I manage to control my power more, I might need to move in the formation.

I walked towards Hayley… I don't know how to explain it, she is amazing and has this cool and aloof vibe on her, but when you get to know her she is a gentle and kind woman, most of the time when we are not fighting she is forcing a smile… I know that it's forced because I try to do the same.

I took a deep breath and finally noticed that my fists were clenched. I tried to relax a little and noticed the sweat in my hands.

'Calm down Sophie, they are all here… it's going to be ok.'

I said to myself.

I looked at Hayley's and Spencer's composed faces looking forward and knew that they were already in battle mode.

'Focus on what they told you to do. Strike down the weak beasts so they don't get in their way and everything is going to be fine.'

My train of thoughts got disrupted by Spencer's yell.

"Get Ready!!"

My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I heard it… I put the crossbow down and loaded it with the technique that Spencer taught me.

Then it was time for me to charge the bolt. It felt as if a liquid was flowing out of my fingers.

'That should do.'

Before I barely felt something while I did it, but thanks to Spencer I knew how much of what he called my aura left my body to go into the bolt. The bolt was ready and loaded. The familiar numb feeling on my fingers lasted a couple of seconds before disappeared as if it was never there.

*Tremble*

I looked to the front as the trembling sound came.

It was a frightening sight.

I have never seen so many beasts together. Are we really going to be okay?

I could feel a drop going down my back, and my shaking hands couldn't even get a proper grip on the crossbow. I froze on the spot from fear.

My head was hurting, but it was when I saw it.

One of the semi-humans had similar features to my brother…

It was when it crossed my mind.

They never find his body… he was lost in the area that the cow created, but Spencer told a little about the things he saw inside the cow… maybe he was alive and got fused with another beast?

One of the beasts was jumping on him. This was a wake-up call, my hands were no longer shaking and without even thinking about I shot at it.

The attack almost hit but the huge lizard dodged it just in time.

I was going to reload and try to help my bro again, but I felt something furry and soft on my shoulder.

A white light blinded me for a second.

In the place where I saw my brother another beast was fighting, and in the place of the beast that I attacked Gerhard seemed to be fighting out of control.

I couldn't understand what was going on, but I heard a voice at my side.

"Spencer said don't let them kill each other, he will handle my brother in the meantime."

I turned just in time to see a white bunny jump from my shoulder and a blonde ponytail swaying from side to side as Rose disappeared, leaving behind a pale and surprised Hayley… something that I never saw before.

She quickly regained her composure, and the temperature around us went down slowing down the people from our group and preventing them from fighting each other.

It was when I understood that we were under some kind of ability. At that moment, a battle between G and Spencer started.

____________________

(Spencer's POV)

I couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen.

The sound from far away already told me that the beasts were coming.

"Get Ready!"

As soon as the first creatures appeared I directed my gaze to a multicolored toad, unlike his body, the aura was of an average and dull grey.

[Cold Mind blocked an attempt of confusing the user's mind]

Together with the system notification, I noticed a change in Rose's mind. I used Share Thoughts and Sight to show her the difference in what we see and load her brain with the real situation.

In that moment of lucidity and confusion where she didn't know which brain to believe she managed to ask Lucy to cleanse her.

I already understood what happened, and so did her. We needed to act fast before the situation turned chaotic… and the priority was off course our awaken our main damage sources.

"Cleanse them we need to prioritize Hayley. Tell her to prevent our group from killing each other that will give us time. I'll control G for a while."

I expanded my field ability to disrupt their advance and started to fight moving my spear around to fend them off and pierce through the hard skin of the reptile types of beasts.

Rose was already gone from my side and moved to Hayley's side.

A red snake tried to sneak attack me some kind of fire attack, but I just blinked to avoid it. I noticed that G's mental state was getting worse, so I slowly moved towards the center attracting a large part of the beast from the flank with me.

I knew that in his mind I was a beast, but it wouldn't make sense to make all the beast become humans and his target was me and any beast around him. Mark the other front-liner was farther barely hanging on his fight against Hope (which was interrupted by Rose and now she knew what happened and was going easy on him), by now Hayley was trying her best to control the fights that started around and besides some wounds we haven't lost anyone yet.

G tried to jump on me, I gave a step back trying to avoid his attack.

As if he knew what I was going to do another attack came, but in a rapid movement I deflected it with using the spear together with a second of adrenaline rush.

The halberd almost touched my arm, and my hands went numb because of his overwhelming strength.

While this happened, Lucy managed to wake up Mark, and Paws, Cai-Cai and Tailless covered the right flank that was mine before.

It was at that moment that Rose moved back at my side and tried to touch Gerhard to use her ability on him.

He seemed to feel something was going on and let the halberd go to react to Rose's "attack." She went into her Astral Form just in time to avoid the attack.

A beast wanted to take the chance to attack him, but before it could get near G, it was frozen by Hayley.

I knew that I need to find a way to stop him. G's aura got darker, and he punched a beast as he roared in desperation.

"BACK OFF G!"

I knew that he couldn't hear me, but I used Fear Inducement trying to prevent him from fighting back.

I don't know how much it worked, but I could read his mind to a certain extent, he looked back at me with some fear making his eyes tremble, I saw the hopeless look in his face.

I didn0t need to read his mind to know what would he do. He moved and tried to go for Hayley who he sees as the Toad the source of this trouble.

I moved in front of him ready to block him, he tried to jump over me, but I knew that it was the plan all along… and also did Rose.

Without any chance to dodge this time, Rose appeared next to him mid-air and grabbed his arm.