Chapter 25 - The Gauntlet

Elena sprinted toward the dropship, her blade gleaming in the sunlight, with Trev by her side, his green gloves ready for action. As hordes of creatures approached, Elena deftly sliced through their ranks, dispatching them with a single powerful blow. Meanwhile, Trev was using his gloves' inherent power to smash creatures in the face, or hammer-fist them out of the air. They ran, parting the sea of creatures with violence, the ashen remains of their foes spraying across the road. Alas, there was no time to loot these fallen foes, for by the time they returned, other creatures would have reclaimed the territory. Ranged adversaries launched fireballs and spikes in their direction, attempting to cut them down, but Elena and Trev pressed on undeterred. A mini-raptor jumped at Elena, its sharp mouth cannoning toward her like a flying bear trap. She sliced through its head just in time, turning its teeth to ash before they could reach her arm.

In their relentless advance, the density of creatures increased, causing Elena's speed to gradually wane. Fatigue set in as she sliced through creature after creature, their body parts flying off and blood temporarily obscuring her vision before dissipating into dust. When they reached three quarters of the way, creatures from the other side of the dropship closed in on them, drawn by the commotion. Elena couldn't help but question their decision to undertake this perilous gauntlet; the reality fell far short of her expectations.

Finally, they arrived at the door, with mere seconds remaining before they had to depart. They needed to quickly assess the keying hardware of the door. The door had no physical keyhole or handle, nor a keypad or card scanner. Instead, beside the door was just a picture inside a small square. The picture depicted a Evolution Corporation watch, bearing a Roman numeral two on its face, accompanied by the company's logo. Elena deduced that this door was a security level two entry, reserved for Evolution Corp employees only. This would require them to steal a watch from an employee, which was likely no mean feat.

As the creatures closed in around them, time pressed upon them to depart. Elena found herself lacking the energy she had anticipated. While she had slept the previous night, she kept waking up with her heart fluttering, unsure of the cause. They both turned, exchanging a nod, and began their frantic sprint back toward the gate. Creatures flooded towards them, their numbers too great to simply cut down. As they ran, from behind, the cacophony of the encroaching creatures grew louder. Elena exerted every ounce of effort, but she fell behind Trev. Sensing her struggle, he slowed down, reaching out to grab her hand and pull her along. As she glanced over her shoulder at the creatures behind, time felt like it slowed down. A hell-dog creature had caught up and was lunging through the air at her, jaws ready to chomp down. The creature seemed poised to latch onto her arm, leaving her insufficient time to retaliate.

Suddenly, as if threading the needle, an arrow weaved through Trev's armpit and over Elena's shoulder, striking the hell-dog in the face and reducing it to ash. Standing just ahead of Elena, Mari appeared, bow in hand, gracefully lowering the bow as if she had just completed a shot. It was an impossible shot, a testament to her extraordinary skill; she had to be a professional.

Elena and Trev made it to Mari and they all ran for the gate, which Emilee was ready to close as soon as they made it through. Another dog jumped at Trev who stopped and turned around punching the dog in the face and killing it. As Trev backed up the last two steps through the gate, creatures lunged at him, but Emilee got the gate closed in time, latching it shut. The creatures crashed into the fence, their teeth or weapons passing through the mesh, menacing but harmless. The creatures attempted to climb the fence, but luckily the barbed wire at the top stopped their advance. A gold light flashed above their heads, with the last kill that Trev had made, they had levelled up. They had made it unscathed physically, but mentally Elena knew they needed to become a lot more powerful before taking on such a feat again.

Elena and Trev sat on the concrete floor, panting from their run. After a few minutes of catching her breath, Elena stood up and brushed herself off, before turning to face Mari. Elena had to acknowledge that maybe Mari wasn't so bad. She had saved Elena, perhaps not from death, but at least from serious injury. Elena had traditionally taken on the world alone; as an assassin, she refused to work with anyone. She had neglected to make friends, just in case they would get hurt. Her parents had abandoned her as a child, not because they were dead, but because they simply didn't want her. She was left at an orphanage without a name, note or money. As a ward of the state in her home country, she still had a relatively good childhood, but it was riddled with feelings of abandonment and mistrust. Now, in this unfamiliar world, she had realised that she needed to begin to trust people, because she could no longer afford to be alone. Though it had only been a few days, she already trusted Trev more than anyone since her foster mother, who had been killed by an enemy seeking vengeance. This was a lesson she had learned the hard way in the old world, but now, in this new reality, she dared to let her guard down.

"Mari, thank you for saving me, I apologise for my actions this morning, Trev is right; I do have trust issues. But can we start over? Hello, I am Elena. It's nice to meet you," Elena said, offering a genuine smile.

Trev grinned, aware of the significance of this momentous step for Elena.

"Thank you, and no problem. It's nice to meet you too," Mari replied warmly.

Elena nodded appreciatively.

"Now we have completed that craziness, I have a favour to ask of all of you. I need to complete a rare event to obtain an event token for the upcoming tournament in a few days. I've found one such event, but I couldn't complete it on my own. Do you think you can help?" Inquired Mari, her gaze shifting between Trev and Elena.

Trev shrugged, a silent gesture of agreement. Elena didn't even need to look at Emilee, who appeared captivated by Mari; she knew the answer would be yes.

"Yes, we will help," Elena affirmed, her smile unwavering.