章 78: Escaping the Collapsing Conclave
"Just a smidge more, the exit's right there!" A sheen of sweat coated Hao's face as he shouted this. His features were set in a mask of fierce determination to escape the collapsing structure along with the Centzor horde.
Moments later, the rest of the group began to see a sliver of light peeking through a gap up ahead - a hopeful glimmer in the heart of pandemonium.
Boom!
Breaking through the exit, their triumphant escape was cut short by a sudden plunge. A drop from a cliff so high, it could have been the end of the world.
"Bloody hell! We're done for!" Mentos hollered in sheer terror when he recognized the jagged rocks below looming larger with every passing second. "Where the bloody fish have scarpered off to?"
"They should be right behind us. What's the holdup?" In the midst of this free-fall, Hao noticed the conspicuous absence of Euphy and Symphy. His Vibe Sense reached out, discovering the Sword Fishes embroiled in a skirmish with the Centzors above the opening they had just leapt from. It seemed the colossal bone had slipped off Maelstrom's back during their jump, and the fishy duo had gone back for it, only to be ambushed by the persistent pests.
"Those bleeding Centzors still fancy a scrap while we're in a nose dive?" Hao was amazed by their tenacity. Despite their precarious situation, the Sword Fishes valiantly fended off the Centzors, all while keeping a tight grip on the bone for Hao's sake.
Channelling his power through the unsheathing process, Hao activated Vibe Edge's Night Tamer ability and teleported upwards to the rescue. "Get off my bone you uglies!" With a few deft strikes, he cut down the Centzors that were ensnaring Euphy and Symphy.
Once freed, the Sword Fishes who had Hao in tow, dived like fearless falcons, racing to catch up with the still plummeting Mentos and Maelstrom.
"We're coming!" Hao hollered a promise that echoed through the air. They swooped in, grabbing Mentos and Maelstrom mere moments before they could have been impaled on the jagged rocks below. Mentos' face which was previously a mask of sheer terror was now reflecting sheer relief.
The Centzors that had clung to the bone were not so fortunate. Unfortunately, they crashed onto the sharp rocks, causing their bodies to rend apart in a gruesome spectacle.
Thud! Thud!
Having touched down amidst the grisly remains of the Centzors, the group's adrenaline ebbed, leaving them drained from their close shave with death. Mentos gazed up at the towering cliff they had just fallen from, trying to wrap his mind around the distance they had covered. "Wow, that's a long way up," He spoke under his breath.
"And where in the bloody hell are we?" Hao chimed in, taking a moment to assess their surroundings. They were in a deep ditch, encased by walls of dirt that stretched high enough to blot out the diminishing light of the sky. The ground was littered with debris - fragments of broken wood and rusty metal shards half-buried in the soft earth. Hao's Vibe Sense which was usually a reliable guide, proved futile in this unfamiliar landscape. No matter how far he zoomed out, the barren terrain offered no helpful markers.
While Hao was deep in thought, Mentos had taken it upon himself to explore their immediate area. He kicked at the rocks with his boots scuffing the loose soil. His eyes then fell on an odd assortment of relics, relics that told tales of a past long forgotten.
"I reckon we've landed in an old dried-up tributary of Katana Creek," Mentos theorized while scanning the steep walls of the ditch. Heaving a sigh, he added, "Can't believe we've come all this way, and nearly got ourselves killed, for absolutely nought."
With a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, Hao turned to him and countered, "It wasn't exactly for nothing," he pointed towards the colossal bone leaning against a large rock. The bone was still slick with the remnants of the Sword Fishes' efforts, moreover, it looked oddly out of place amidst the detritus.
A frown creased Mentos' brow, then he crossed his arms over his chest. "So you've nabbed a Tokyo old bone. What's the plan? Are you going to sell it for Blade Tokens?" He scoffed with a sceptical gaze as he looked over at his friend who always seem to get him into trouble.
Pensively, Hao replied, "I reckon this might be a find that's beyond valuation."
"How's that?" Mentos asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.
Hao paused, considering his next words carefully. "That, my friend, I can't say yet." Even he had no clue of the current use case of the mysterious Tokyo bone, but sure enough, he thought he would figure it out soon.
"Guess it's time we got back. It's dark and after the kerfuffle we've had, I could use some kip," Mentos declared, the exhaustion evident all over him.
"Lend a hand here first," Hao instructed while gesturing towards the bone. Mentos grumbled a string of inaudible complaints but moved to assist him nonetheless. Maelstrom, understanding their intent, lowered itself to the ground to accommodate the load. Both of them strained under the weight of the bone until they secured it onto Maelstrom's back.
With the bone now secure, they climbed onto Maelstrom's back, Euphy and Symphy also wrapped their grasper around it. The creature slowly rose with cautious steps amidst the treacherous terrain. They were led by the Sword Fishes to a small pond, hidden behind a rock cluster.
The Sword Fishes drank their fill of liquid, their bubble tanks were quickly rejuvenating as they absorbed the water. With their tanks replenished, they were able to lift Maelstrom along with Hao and Mentos out of the ditch, soaring into the sky with a burst of speed. Their journey had been arduous, filled with danger at every turn. But they surmounted it.
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