A Clue to Decipher

Glad and contended of the news of Christian being alive, the students began to set out to a new journey. But the poetic scavenger of death still left the team with a mind, so confused they stopped for a moment of thoughts.

"leisurely but extremely mighty, I cudgel with a stick to beat. Beware the earth that is soft, my house isn't worth to carry."

Alex repeated the poem. It may have been said once by the carthae but his ability to recall words is a topnotch in their past world. He put his spiky weapon on the ground, that was given by his classmate Jay for protection, and bit his lip. Alex's lip biting is common to see in their past world. To him, it helps him think harder than what an average thinker would do. Their classmate's life is in danger after all, he needs to think of the clue to be able to save his friend.

What could the poem possibly mean? He thought. "Do you guys have any idea? He asked his classmates. He can see how it left them blanked, too.

"Rabi, do you have any idea what that clue meant?" Gloyd asked.

They looked at Rabi, hoping that she would be knowledgeable about it, but Rabi moved her head from side to side and Gloyd knew she knew nothing of it. He gave out a nod and immediately went back to his own thoughts.

Alex thought that Rabi will be a great asset to their survival when she arrived, but when she said that they can't meddle with the laws of nature, his expectations of her decreased. As if they have just lost a helping hand, in their dire need. However, Rabi did help them find the carthae where it confirmed their friend's survival, even a little, it still gave out a beacon of hope to their grieving souls. But, the carthae, I couldn't believe he wishes for someone's death in the marshland, Alex thought.

But thinking of the carthae who seemed unwilling to help them physically, they should be satisified with the clue they have been given instead and thinking about their future situation with the carthae, thus, will only give them another spark to another problem. It's best to leave things as they are, for the meantime, Alex thought, focusing things out of their friend Christian instead.

Leisurely but extremely mighty, what does it mean by it? Recalling is Alex's forte but one of his friends had more deciphering skills especially when it's about words.

He moved his head while he thought of one person that could help him and he's right. Gloyd's face seemed to brighten as he thought of an idea that might help them solve the poem that served as a clue.

"A turtle! He's a turtle!" Gloyd exclaimed, both if his hands are on his mouth, trying to compose himself as he was confident of what he just said.

"Are you sure?" asked Darline.

"Yes!" he replied.

Alex was right that Gloyd would be the one to solve the riddle, he was always so good with words even with their life in the old world.

"How did you get it?" Alex asked, and extremely happy of their progress – saving Christian.

"Leisurely but extremely mighty is a trait. Leisure, noun, use of free time of enjoyment. Also associated with being slow. Well, mighty of course is being powerful. Slow but powerful are both traits of a turtle that was describe by Noel when he fought it last time." He explained.

Everyone agreed.

"What about the other part of the poem?"

"Easy." Gloyd said with confidence.

"-I cudgel with a stick to beat. Is a line used to describe his weapon. We can assume that the monster uses melee attacks. And, Noel also said that the turtle monster has a bloody bludgeon in hand used to crush enemies in pieces.

Beware the earth that is soft. The poem says to be wary of the soil, considering monster can command soft soils like swamps and muddy puddles. That means, we shouldn't go near those.

my house isn't worth to carry. This one, I can't quite get what this meant. In our past world, turtles carry their own houses and that's their shell. People may think that turtles can actually move out from their shell but, they can't. Turtle's shells are part of their body and that's why it's impossible to them to not carry it." Gloyd explained.

"The last time Noel talked about this particular monster, he said that it just looked like a man with tattered clothes. He was also shocked that the turtle doesn't have a shell on his back, but still possess incredible defense power." Alex added.

Everyone was silent.

"If Noel's claws were useless against the turtle, we have to think of ways on how to defeat it without relying on penetrating its skin." Ivan said.

"I have a plan, but I can't tell if this will work. I haven't seen the monster myself, but we may still have a chance, with Kent beside us."

Alex looked at Kent where she also looked back. Her face seemed to be in dismay. Does she still think that it's her fault why Christian was abducted by the eartheaters? I hope not, because we need her ability to defeat the turtle. She, being in her full capacity is the key to overcome this dread.

"We should go, we don't have much time. We still have to find the marks Noel had left to be able to get back on our route. This is actually good, at least we will still be going towards the enemy that we originally want to fight on. This time, to lose means to lose Christian as well, and I will not allow that." Alex said, grabbing his spiky weapon from the ground.

"Neither do we." Everyone replied.

The students moved again, ready to rescue their friend in danger, grabbing their own weapons from the ground.

Alex looked at Rabi who was still following them with her tiny feet. "Are you going to help us?" he asked.

"No. I cannot." Rabi replied.

Alex smiled, "I also assume you'd say that. But I want to tell you that we are very thankful to your help. Without you, we could never know of our friend, being alive."

Rabi welcomed Alex and soon bid her farewell to the students, "I wish you all good fortune. Till we met again." Rabi smiled while she walked. The vines of a nearby tree slithered towards her, covering her body where she soon faded into nothing.

Amazed of her power, they looked at each other's faces and continued to walk.

Kent set out the three guards to look for the marks that Noel had set on a tree, assuming that they are still there. While waiting, Kent suggested to rest for a while to a nearby tree where they sat there, under the tree's leaves, shedding them from the sun.

The cold breeze blew, kissing their dry skins. The air seemed edible as it kissed their wet lips, tasting sweet.

Alex looked at the sky, the clouds brimming with turquoise color are a scene worthy of praise. Its color emits such brilliance that seemed like hope. They watched as the trees continue to dance as it was being swayed by the wind, making it more relaxing to their tired eyes.

In their past world, the hope to see such scenery was considered unrealistic, for the world they lived in was made up of clinking metals and concretes as the sole foundation of almost everything. Even the provinces that were describe by their elders full of trees and birds and soil seemed to become just a memory and nothing more. A world where you can't even taste an air so fresh you don't need to wear a mask and become anxious of the virus that swims through the air as it waits, targeting your life as its purpose.

Alex blinked, appreciating the wonders of the new world they are now part of. If this world would be void of monsters, capable of eating humans and even monsters alike, this would become a safe haven where they could just live out in peace nurturing what the nature has given them. But it's not, therefore making it they way he thinks is his role in this world. And acquiring extraordinary powers is the key towards it. Mesmerized by his thoughts, he rested.

Whooshing sounds resounded as the three guard bees approached the students and their queen lying on under the tree, resting. Kent immediately flew towards them where they informed that they have seen the marks that Noel had set out, possibly.

"Let's go." Kent said. They immediately stood up where they grabbed their weapons and followed the guard bees towards the mark.

"We don't seem to go back to our old route, the one that we have followed yesterday." Alex said.

"The guard bees found a new trail where we could follow." Kent replied.

"So, we really got lost and ended up in the eartheater's territory last night?" Maeje said.

"I won't really say it was the eartheaters' territory because, Rabi said that they shouldn't be on the marshland in the first place. That means, the eartheaters ended up in the marshland instead." Alex replied.

Maeje agreed and continued to walk.

"This is tiring, we have to be fast to be on Christian's side immediately." Kent said and ordered the guard bees to carry her classmates. Two in one was the ratio of the team's movement and the flying humanoids flew as if they were the wind itself.

"Shut your mouths if you don't want to swallow different insects while flying!" Kent exclaimed as she warned her classmates on their travel by flight. They immediately followed Kent and not long when they reached their destination.

"Same marks. It might be Noel's" Alex said while he touched the big claw marks carved on a tree.

The guard bees pointed the following trees and they understood even without Kent that it means that the marks continue to those trees. Kent commanded the guard bees to be one on the rear and two on both sides while she takes the frontline, readying herself for possible threats and the students never felt so secured.

They continued use to walk, following the marks, passing different trees and swamps that are common in the marshland. Alex suggested that it's better to walk than to go there by flying since they still have to meet Noel halfway towards the enemy's territory and that's fifteen kilometers west from the hive. Since the enemy's territory, as what Noel have said was thirty kilometers west from the hive.

"Are we halfway now?" Darline said as she continued to walk.

"Yes, I think so." Alex said. Estimating the distance between the hive and the place they were currently into.

"Where's Noel?" asked Ivan.

"I thought he would be here, waiting." Said Maeje.

"Did he get tired and ghosted us instead? I don't really think it still applies here, though." Joked Gloyd.

"I don't think so. The marks end here. But he's nowhere to be found. What could have happened?" Kent said, anxiously.

"Maybe he hunted for food." Alex said as he felt the tension behind the worried faces of his companions.

Alex suggested to Kent if she could order her guards to scout the area for possible presence of Noel's, "He knows the bees are under your command, surely it won't pose as a threat to him." Alex said.

Kent immediately commanded two guard bees to scout the area leaving one bee behind – for safety purposes. And the bees flew swiftly to scout.

"Let's just rest here while we wait." Kent said.

"What about you? You haven't rested for a while now; you don't have to be so anxious about it. If the eartheaters comeback, we know how to deal with them and we can't lose another one. so, don't worry and sit back for a while." Alex said. Kent flew down where she transformed into a human again and decided to lie on a tree that was near them. Alex smiled and he also did the same.

Not long when the peace soon became a threat as Kent stood up looking worried.

"What happened?" Alex ran as she saw Kent looking worried.

"The bees – they're – "Kent seemed to lost a lot of blood as her face became pale.

"What?" Alex asked, now looking worried, too.

"-killed." She said.

"How?" Alex added.

"Another monster. We have to get out of here. Something that could take out the guard bees in a distance and in an instant is not something we can deal with. We have to get out." Kent said, extremely worried.

Everyone followed Kent as they immediately ran away from where the bees were probably killed. Kent summoned another the two bees who were killed where they helped the team to move fast as they carry them, flying.

But it was futile as three enormous black birds flew in front of them, barricading themselves to the possible exit of Kent and the others. Their massive wings capture so much air that they were pushed away as it flapped. "Conk-a-reeeeeee!" exclaimed the three gigantic birds.

If not for the reddish spot on its wings, Alex could have mistaken the birds as crows. It's also different from the carthae. These gigantic birds don't have the ability to speak. As he heard the sound, the weird sound coming from the birds. Therefore… Alex thought. These birds possess an injection capable of turning humans into another hybrid.

Alex looked at Kent. But what he's expecting wasn't a terrified face but a grinning one as he witnessed her lance materialize behind her back.

Kent looked at Alex, smiling. "Let's add this to our collection."