Chapter 6 [My Fight]

Capricorn 15 / 2261 12:32

"Legend..." I hissed, holding my hand up to stop him. He froze. I scanned our surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place. I frowned. Something made my instincts scream a warning. I recalled an old lesson.

Never disregard intuition. Intuition is just information processed to fast for the conscious mind to follow.

I closed my eyes and listened for a moment. Something was moving towards us. It was hard to tell with the ash, but it didn't sound human. The weight too heavy to be human unless it was a Legend. I looked at the Legend and frowned. "Are there any Legends on Minerva?"

He bowed his head and stared at the ground for a few seconds before shaking his head. That cancels out the Legends, leaving only Zerians, Jareians or a wild animal. But the planet had been torched. It was unlikely to be a wild animal, leaving only the Legion.

"Stay here, Legend. No shooting." I whispered. He inclined his head like he was going to protest. He hesitated and gave a short nod. I drew my knife and scanned the trees. If it were the Jareians, I would be able to spot them easily. Zerians would be hard. Their skin would match the burnt land perfectly. I slunk through the trees, sinking closer to the ground as I approached the sounds.

I crept around a tree stump and saw three Zerians standing tall in a small clearing. One had his tail unwound and was swinging it from side to side. The other two held energy rifles. I pulled two throwing knives from my leg and switched them to my left hand. I wasn't as good with my left, but I needed my main blade in my right. My main concern was the one using his tail. I pressed myself against the tree and watched the three chatter among themselves. The pair with rifles were pacing in random patterns. Something that only the Zerians corrupted by the Legion did. The Zerians that still used their tails were more careful and strategic about the way they walked. Another reason why I was more concerned with the one without the gun.

I gripped my knife in my hand. My mind ran through a quick plan. Slow the ones with the guns, but get close to the last. If I could get inside his tail, I could kill him easy enough. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Three. Two. I counted down silently. I heard the Zerians shifting. One.

I moved around the tree and threw the knives. One struck the closest gun-wielding Zerian in the chest. His body collapsed to the ground, sending up a cloud of ash. My second throwing knife glanced off the other gunner's shoulder. Bloody hell. I ran for the last Zerian. When I got close, I hit the ground. I skidded through the ash. A cloud rose up around me. I heard the Zerian's make a choked coughing sound as the ash entered their broad mouths. My mask protected me from the white powder. I stopped close to the Zerian and jumped to my feet. I slashed up with my knife. His grey skin split open, splitting purple blood everywhere. I bounced back and kicked his leg. The joint buckled and the alien let out a loud hiss. His tail flashed through the air in a blur of silver. It cut through my left sleeve and grazed my skin. I jumped back, my feet slid on the soft ground. Ash! Use the ash, idiot. I kicked up a cloud of white. Using the cloud as cover, I retreated behind a tree and paused. I gulped in as much air as I could. The dust settled back on the ground. The Zerian approach me in two long strides.

When he got close, I sprang back out, throwing my leg high. My foot connected with his shoulder. The joints there popped and cracked. The gave another loud hiss. I winced at the sound. I glanced at the other Zerian. He was trying to aim at me but hesitated with how close I was to his comrade. Good. Keep close. My mind quickly made the note. I turned back to the Zerian. His tail twisted towards my face. I fell back, tossing my knife to my other hand. I grabbed another throwing knife and flung it at his face. His tail flashed by and knocked the knife out of the air. His black eyes locked on me. His skin around his mouth pulled back in a snarl. He was mad.

"Hirriara!" he hissed. I filed the word away to be looked up later. I already assumed it meant something rude.

"Damn you too," I muttered. I reached for another knife. His tail flew through the air. I tried to move back, but I was too slow. His tail sliced through my glove and into the back of my hand. Blood swelled in the wound. "Ow! Bloody hell!"

I stumbled back, casting a quick glance at my hand. It didn't hurt, yet. I knew that I wouldn't feel the extent of it until my adrenalin wore off. From what I could see, it wasn't too deep. My glove absorbed most of it and held the cut close. I lunged forward, dropping to the ground. I twisted and kicked his other leg out. He stumbled back, his tail flashing wildly. I rolled out of the way as the sharp tail hit the ground where I had been laying. The Zerian backed off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other Zerian creeping towards me. Bloody hell. I rolled to my feet. Without thinking, I threw myself behind a tree. Seconds later, I heard the gun firing a clip of energy bullets.

I could smell the burning of wood. I stood and pressed my back to the tree. I gasped for air. My lungs protested this long fight. So did I. Normally I could dispatch five Zerians without thinking. Something was wrong with me. I felt slow. Sluggish. I raised a hand and slapped my face. Fire raced through my skin. With the sudden burst of pain, I felt my attention focus. My eyes closed, and I listened.

The gunner was the closest, just inches behind the tree. The other was just steps behind. The last one was dead on the ground. My knife must have hit an internal organ. I took a deep breath. Three. Two. The Zerian turned the corner. I lunged at him at the same time. I ducked under his gun and driving my blade into his chest. Their hearts were close to where human hearts were. I felt the knife slice into his organs. I jerked back, quickly freeing my knife. I felt my back get cut open. I yelped in pain. With gritted teeth, I spun for face the Zerian. My blade sliced through his tail. I moved in for the final kill. Before I could, two gunshots rang through the dead forest. The Zerian stiffened. His eyes widened before he fell to the side. Behind him stood the Legend. I glared him. "I said no guns."

I wiped my knife on my pants, smearing the fabric with purple blood. I stuck the blade back on my hip and shook my hand out. I twisted and tried to look at my back. It stung, but my back was pretty much desensitized to pain, so it could be much worse than it felt. It didn't look too bad.

"What part of stay was hard to understand?" I snapped. He didn't answer. The Legend remained frozen in place, watching me. "I had that. I don't need a bloody caretaker."

I walked to the dead Zerians and pulled my throwing knives free. I dug a cloth out of my pocket and wiped them clean. I knelt on the ground and stared at the bodies. Legion were here. How many? This appeared to be a scouting team.

"I thought the Legion left Minerva when they torched the place," I muttered. All records pointed to that. We just called it a Legion planet because humans didn't want to live on a torched planet. "Why are they back?"

I looked around the small clearing before realizing I recognized it. Last time I was here, I had scratched my name into a tree. I scanned each tree before finding mine. Right by the roots, J A D E.

At the time of carving, the grass stood above my knees. I had hidden my name behind the grass, knowing that if Nati caught me, I would get in trouble. I also spotted something else etched into the tree above mine. E T H A N. I tilted my head at the blocky writing. The style reminded me of computer text. Flawlessly uniform letters.

"Hey... were you here before it was torched?" I asked the Legend. He followed my gaze to the tree and paused. Then he gave a slow nod. I pulled my mask down. I took a few deep breaths to even my breathing. "Do you remember what it used to look like?"

He gave a slow nod. I pulled off my ruined glove and peered at the cut. Although it stung, the wound wasn't deep. My eyes kept glancing at the carved names. Odd we both had the same idea. Then I realized that I was ten at the time of the burning. Legends start missions at fourteen. If Ethan had been one of the Legends trying to save Minerva, he had to be at least twenty-two. Something else I could have read in his file. I shook my head and stood. I stared at the Legend and tilted my head. Then I pulled my mask back over my mouth and nose. "I didn't need your help."

I could feel my cheeks fuming under the mask. I turned and headed into the forest again. I heard the Legend following close behind.