Desperate Escape

'Navigators activated.'

'Default isolation system, disabled.'

'Auto engine, On.'

'Manual engine, On.'

'Fuel, 73%.'

'Thrusters, On'

'Comms, no cables found.'

'Emergency line, Connected.'

'Ship turning rate, 27% - increasing.'

'Water current, 450 N.'

'Wind pressure, 34 Pa.'

...

'Welcome to Von2402, ready to depart.'

The vessel Von2402 had steadily started to astern.

Whereas, Ran was overshadowed by the huge figure of the beast that dropped into the ocean along with him.

Are you fucking kidding me?! It still didn't die!!

Ran aggressively thrusted upwards. He was at a disadvantage by being underwater that caused his slower movements. It was common knowledge that beasts possessed abilities beyond humane capability. And it cannot be suppressed by water only.

The ocean was as if the beast's domain. It could kill Ran any moment it wanted.

Hurrying to swim upwards, Ran had to face a lot of obstacles thanks to the rubbles left by the sunken ship.

A beast on his tail, meanwhile running out of breath, Ran closed his eyes in acceptance that his end had come.

But if i had to die…. I'd rather take you along with me!

With determination locked in his eyes, Ran swam closer to the beast. They both lessened their distance, raised their arms to attack. Ran targeted his dual sauers at the beast, his eyes glowing like a vulture on hunt.

He rapidly fired its head, arms, legs, abdomen. The bullets penetrated through the water and darted on its skin.

If it had been above the surface.. maybe Ran could've killed it.

But due to the friction of the water current, the velocity of the bullet was noticeably decreased, bearing no fruit of his labour it remained stuck to its skin.

Like an alligator, the beast dived agily towards Ran and dug its teeth into his muscles.

A couple of bubbles left from his mouth. It was so suffocating, undeniably painful and heart wrenching, Ran couldn't even cry out of agony.

Though the spark didn't leave his eyes. It was the moment when Ran felt the most alive just before his death.

It was as expected.

Since I'll die anyway, let me dance a bit with you!

He pulled the beast closer to himself and dived deeper to the depth.

The beast, even though perplexed, thought least about Ran's intention and chewed on his flesh.

Ran grabbed a fallen metal rod. He twirled over and impaled it diagonally into himself and the beast's skull with all his might.

The sensation of a rod rubbing against his skin, the internals, was vivid.

With the rupture of his organs, Ran spat out blood from his mouth, colouring the water vermilion red, his lungs empty without air.

He drew the last of his breath, water rushed into his lungs. The feeling of burning, water flowing inside his organs, suffocation, all contributed to the thought that he couldn't have a death worse than that. Even if it was inaudible under water, he most certainly screamed. A scream of pain and fear yet a scream of joy and sneer.

If the beast cannot be hurt physically, I'll suffocate it! I'll drag it to the depth of hell with me!

Ran, impaled together with the beast, submerged lower and lower into the horizon of the ocean.

Who knows? Will it die? Or was it just a waste of his own life?

In the meantime, above the surface, in the dockyard, Fein and Kuina successfully injured a beast. But it couldn't kill it. The beast sprung up high into the sky. They both came to the conclusion that it was the best time for them to escape.

The moment they took a step ahead, the best alighted behind them. Its arms fully regenerated and a new right eye.

They didn't know, it came back stronger.

The field unit wasn't of too much help for them either as they focused on raining bullets on another beast that couldn't even kill it.

"Flank C, reloading now!"

"Flank A and B, resisting the beast!"

On the other hand, Yulia lost contact with Ran. Her lips, biting inwards, eyes fixed on her scope. She might've not been on the field herself but her heart raged like she was standing right in front of a beast. As the supervisor and commander of the battle, she was a part of a trump card, her use being saved.

Though she didn't sit idle and shot the beasts and searched for ways to actually kill it.

"Von2402 reaching amplitude 700 N. Velocity constant, leaving the port. Ver3013, do you copy?" It was the vessel left in charge of Ludic and Eudimor.

Eudimor replied. "Yes."

"Von2402 is heading towards your location."

"Ver3013 ready to depart."

"Roger!"

She heard from her earphone flickering green lights.

Discerning the above conversation, Yulia said, "My brave comrades.." she spoke to the whole team. "The vessel is successfully leaving the port. Find ways to make your escape."

She said that but their fortunes weren't shining so brightly that day.

In the thick of the grey clouds, behind which the sun shone faintly, an enormous figure descended.

It loomed large behind the two helicopters still afloat.

"Retreat! Retreat! Dragon detected at your 10 o'clock! Canopy! Canopy!"

"Lowering altitude! Emergency landing required!"

Yulia gasped. She raised her head from crouching to the scope in distress.

"No! Don't make a landing!" She commanded.

The air support was the only support left to defend themselves. However that wasn't the reason she forbade their emergency landing.

First, there was no place to make a landing.

Second, sudden movements aggravate such creatures. If they fell into the dragon's range of sight, their survival rate would drop to 0.

But neither they listened to her nor paid any heed to it.

The pilot of heli 30, started to lower its altitude, slowly coming in range of the dragon.

The dragon, glancing slightly at the flying machines, roared at the sky, quaking the earth and swung its tail.

Colliding with the tail, heli 30 crashed straight into the cargo ship.

The death of the pilots, still not known.

Startled by the noise of a crash that led to sudden explosion, Fein glanced away.

In the split second of his inattentiveness, the beast swirled its arm, hurling Fein away.

Fein slid away and hit his back with the curved metal of cargo containers.

"Khk!" It was a noise of acute pain that left from his mouth. He had momentarily lost sensation of his own arms, unable to grasp the Alaister ll laying right next to him.

The beast leapt again towards Fein, its first threat level.

The beasts are capable of determining threat levels like undeads and dragons according to which its foremost threat was Fein.

It leapt to attack the immobile Fein but Kuina obstructed. She embraced her death plunging right atop of the beast. Grabbing the thick layer of skin on its back, Kuina shot right into its skull.

It screamed.

Harmonizing with its scream the dragon roared as it dived lower.

Witnessing the horrors in front of him, Fein found himself cursing. He was filled with the emotions of inability and misery.

How the fuck could i forget about dragons?!

Fein, who realized where the dragon was heading towards, shouted since his earphones dropped.

"FIELD UNIT EVACUATE!! EVACUATE DAMNIT!!"

Yulia from afar took notice of the dragon. She averted her rifle, pointed it towards the dragon and commanded.

"Everyone retreat!!"

She sniped the dragon, attaining all the attention to herself so that her comrades could escape.

The dragon as well, reverted its pathway of flight and headed towards the light house from where Yulia kept shooting it.

Their supervisor told the field unit to evacuate, but where should they go?

Their escape ship had left with the vessel. Two warships sunk, two choppers crashed, one never arrived and the other left. They were completely isolated on the battlefield. Considering all these factors they arrived at a conclusion.

Despite the warnings, they continued their purpose since they acknowledged they would die.

Buy a little more time…

Until the vessel is absolutely out of sight..

As long as someone fights..

We will keep pressing until those beasts die.

It was an oath they made to themselves. An oath that kept them going in disregard of their very own souls.

They were the brave soldiers whose names will go down in history.