Chapter 9: The shepherds (2)
Chege was still practicing his archery and magical skills as the night quickly approached. By now, he had already hunted some animals. Despite the apparent differences between this world and the one he had come to know, he was glad to know that deer remained deer wherever you went.
Having already had his supper, Chege was still practicing, maximizing on daylight before it was dark. While archery was very effective, without properly targeting and aiming, it was useless.
With his bow, he would make several shots at a target, which was a piece of wood tied to a tree. To make things interesting, Chege had made it swing, and he would only fire at specific points in the wood. If he could hit it at this level, especially when it was swinging rather fast, then he could hit desired targets.
The target was 300meters away. It wasn't that far but Chege was testing accuracy, not reach. He now had only 5 arrows, so he would have to walk, pick them up and then return to his perch. He genuinely wished he could make the runes on the arrow work, but until now, he had not made any progress.
As he was on his way back after collecting the arrows, he heard some fluttering of wings. Looking around, he spotted a lush-green winged creature coming at him extremely fast. On its hands, it held a white spear. Chege was quite familiar with this creature. Previously, it had led the team that chased him.
"Come for round 2? You will find that I am not that easy to deal with now!" Chege shouted at it as he nocked an arrow. A fast-moving creature, could one ask for better target practice?
Seeing his actions, the creature didn't bother evading. It then slowed down to a craw-like speed. He then changed direction and started moving towards where Chege was. His spear was not raised, but rather, held as a staff. Chege assumed this was its resting position.
Looking at the creature now, it was devoid of any killing intent. Chege interpreted that it wanted to make peace, or whatever its mission was, it didn't involve killing him. Having learned to be less trusting, Chege chose to keep his arrow nocked and aimed, but he would listen to whatever the creature had to say.
As the creature drew nearer, it started making sounds. Unlike the usual animal sounds that Chege was used to, these sounds were more organized. Though it was clear that the vocal cords were not as efficient for communication as the human vocal cords were, this was clear evidence of communication. Too bad Chege couldn't make out what was being said.
Once it was in front of Chege, it landed, placed its spear on the ground, then bent down low. The last time Chege had seen someone do this was when he had attended an event in the palace. All the senior officials would bow down low in front of the king. This thought made the teenager brim with pride, not everyday one got kingly treatment.
Due to the creature's supplication, Chege withdrew his arrow. What followed was an effort of 2 people trying to communicate without words. From what Chege could understand, the creature was bidding him follow it. His first thought had been to vehemently refuse, but the creature had made an unexpected move.
Chege had stolen the bow and arrow from a chamber in the nest where there were some creatures gathered. Many had tried to prevent his approach, so he wouldn't expect the creatures to be offering the arrows he'd left behind pinned in the mech suits. That was what the creature pulled from its pack and handed to Chege. He realized he now had his full compliment back, save for the one in Anyang's hands.
Shocked by the gesture, Chege decided that these creatures didn't mean him any harm. Moreover, as much as he did not trust the creatures, he knew he'd have to eventually make contact with them.
There were several reasons for this conclusion, the chief among them being that the creatures had treasures he could understand. If somehow he got his hands on more of these amazing weapons, then maybe his conquest would be easier.
The second reason why Chege wanted to contact the creatures was that he had little other option. Chege had not seen anyone who remotely resembled him except the 2 civilizations, the humans and the creatures. Humans had the anatomical resemblance, save for the skin, while the creatures had similar height with him.
Of the 2, both of his initial contacts had all gone wrong. However, Chege knew with absolute certainty that he could no longer trust humans. Their conceited attitude in assuming they were the smartest creatures blinded them from any connection with other creatures they deemed lesser than them.
The creatures had reacted as creatures would, but now they were showing some form of intelligence. The creature in front of him presented itself as though it was self-aware, sentient. If that was the case, then he might just get some allies in his quest for vengeance on the base. However, vengeance wasn't his driving force.
That was the next big question for Chege. What next? He had fought with the humans and escaped their clutches, the same as the creatures. Chege desperately wished to go back to his home, his city, but there was no way to do so, none he knew of. He needed to figure out how he got there.
The answers he was looking for were not to be found among humans, perhaps he could take his chances with the creatures. With these thoughts in mind, he agreed to follow the creature, but he kept a watchful eye in case of trouble.
However, he wasn't planning on making it easy for them, so he struck a deal with the creature. It was to teach him how to use magic with enchanted weapons. Ironing out such negotiations took the better part of the evening, and it was late into the night by the time the creature understood what Chege wanted, and quite the labor to teach him.
Judging from the gestures of the creature, Chege needed to understand what needed to be done. At first, he had misjudged that the creature was asking him he had understood it, which caused quite the cross purpose.
Looking at the runes inscribed on the quiver, he realized that to perform the spell [Reload], he needed to understand it. More than just understanding it, he needed to channel the quiver's magic through the understanding he had received.
After more than half the night was gone, Chege managed to cast the spell. Checking the quiver, it was full again. Excitedly, he got up and followed the creature. The goodwill demonstrated was enough to get him to trust them.
The commute was not long. Chege hadn't moved that far from the nest. His subconscious need for some company wouldn't let him wander too far off. It took them less than a few hours to get to the nest. However, before they got close enough to the nest's entrance, they could hear loud noises. Running ahead, they wanted to confirm what was going on.
Three massive hovercrafts were circling over the cave's entrance. Each one looking like a shark circling prey before an attack. The loud sounds coming from the swirling blades of the hovercrafts could be heard from a mile off.
Down on the ground, numerous mech suits were caught in combat with creatures. The battle was extremely fierce as machines crashed with meat. Laser guns were blasted all over the place. Spears, swords, clubs and other assorted weaponry were used, but they paled in comparison to the artillery being unleashed by the mech suits.
Already, there were numerous bodies littered on the ground. Chege understood why they were fighting though. They needed to protect those who couldn't, the civilians. But try as they could, this bloody battle was nothing more than a one-sided massacre. There had not been any fatalities among the human ranks.
Any neutral party watching this would be enraged, and Chege was no different. The screams of the valiant defenders as they fell, one after the other, only served to make the ire in his heart grow. This was not right at all.
Major Kenji led the front lines. With his mech suits, he led the group to charge at the enemy. With any luck, they could destroy this nest completely, eliminating the threat that had loomed over their base. By now, humans were already used to massacre, and all across the galaxies, one thing stood out: Might was right.
The creatures had been their greatest threat since the base was constructed. As they invaders, if they were ever going to have peace, then they needed to etch out a place for themselves. Unfortunately, that meant displacing the original inhabitants, the shepherds.
One creature burst forth from the cave. This was a common sight. After the major players had been put down, every so often, a creature would venture out in rage, ready to pin down at least one of the assailants. Many hadn't been given a chance to do anything, falling as soon as they hit the battlefield.
There were a few still standing, having learned not to stand in the line of fire. Too bad their ranged weapons did little to dent the mech suits, barely slowing them down. This creature was particularly agile and it could dance around, making many of the fired shots miss.
The problem with the mech suits was that they were not flexible. Being entirely machinery based, turning was a strenuous task, and this was the only advantage the creatures had. While properly aimed shots fired were accurate, aiming took time. It was generally a bad idea to get the creatures to draw near.
The creature's movement looked more and more like a dance. A very lethal one. Every action it took was meant to draw it closer to the enemy while ensuring that it dodged the assaults. In 5 steps, it was standing in front of the mech suit. It raised a sword and cleaved downwards, only...
"Sarge, are you done having fun? Put it down now!" Major Kenji's words were heard over the comms. The sword's descent had been true, but suddenly, it was stopped an inch away from the mech suit, and no matter how much pressure was applied, the sword did not bulge.
The suit had been waiting for this. That moment of hesitation revealed a lot of opening in the creature's defense. All the suit had to do was raise its hand and fire, and the creature was sent sprawling on the ground.
Slowly, the creature walked up to its prey. Its unhurried movement seemed to prolong the suffering of the creature, that by now couldn't even move. There was a massive hole in its stomach, and even if the soldier didn't do anything, the creature would be dead in a few.
Chege's companion couldn't hold it anymore. Enraged, it rose to its feet and started to run to the battlefield, but Chege pounced on it, taking it down. His hands were in its mouth, trying to keep it quiet. He didn't let it go until the wriggling of the creature stopped.
With his hands, he gestured to his bow and arrows, then he nocked an arrow.
By now, the fight between the 2 had become the focus of everyone. The battle still raged, but they all were looking to see the fate of the creature. This time, the soldier raised his hand and pointed at the creature's face.
Seeing this, the creature stopped struggling. If this was its end, then it was going to have a dignified end. It raised its eyes and looked at its attacker with defiance and pride, the look of nobility. It had done its best, but it had been bested. No need to dwell on that. Now it showed its opponent that it did not fear him.
The soldier admired the courage, but orders were orders. He went to pull the trigger. He never saw the golden arrow, but once it was lodged firmly in his brainstem, no thought came to his brain, instant lights out!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone