61: Departure
Zeo
The sound of metal against flesh and bones resounded throughout the arena as Pyon whipped Zeo's back with a spiked chain. His blood rolled down his skin, staining the ground, while the shackles around his wrists cut his skin. However, Zeo remained stoic, still on his knees, his mind focused on the next battle. No matter what that beast did to him, they would never own his fate.
Most of his companions had been dismissed, except for the losers of each battle, alive and dead. They watched the punishment with aversion, knowing their fates would be worse. Much worse. Zeo pitied them more than himself and thought the mangled corpses lying on the ground were the lucky ones.
"What are you doing?"
Zeo recognized Marakudra's voice echoing in the distance.
Pyon stopped immediately and bowed to her. "My lady," he said. "I'm punishing this recruit for insubordination."
"Is that so?" She furrowed her eyebrows and twisted her lips. "What order did he refuse to follow?"
"He refused to end the life of his defeated opponent, displaying great cowardice and disrespect for our sacred rules."
Marakudra stared at the scene in silence for a tense moment and then spoke coldly, "Release him now."
Pyon nodded and rushed to unlock the shackles around Zeo's wrists. Zeo ignored his open wounds and stood calmly. He bowed to Marakudra and straightened his blood-stained back.
"How many died today?" Mara asked, scanning her surroundings with disgust.
"Eleven and five more will be sent to the Devil's Mouth," Pyon spoke proudly, a smile spreading across his face.
Mara's eyes displayed a tempest of hatred. She strode toward Pyon and snatched his neck, burying her claws into his skin. "I told you to get rid of the weakest ones." Her voice deepened into a suppressed roar. "So tell me, why is it that I see some of our most promising soldiers dead or on the verge of dying?"
"My lady," Pyon mumbled, struggling to breathe but locking his pupils on his captain. "They were incapable of coping with the pressure of a real battle. We need no such burden on the battlefield. Especially not when facing the forces of Debrin Kavram."
"Stupid bastard! We're in no condition to dispose of valuable cannon fodder. I thought you were smarter than this." She glanced at Zeo and then glared at Pyon, increasing the pressure around his neck. "Now, go make sure that each of the wounded ones survives because if a single one of them dies, you'll lose way more than one eye and an arm." She shoved Pyon away from her and walked toward Zeo. Pyon bowed and rushed to Stella, who bled on the ground, unconscious.
Mara stood before Zeo, inspecting his wounds, and asked, "Can you walk?"
Zeo nodded. The adrenaline in his body had numbed the terrible pain.
"Good." She shoved a black pill in his hand. "Swallow that, or the poison will destroy your nervous system." Mara whirled and began to walk away, her steps long and firm and her intense peach perfume leaving an obnoxious aura behind her.
Zeo swallowed the pill, which tasted sour and bitter, and turned to look at Stella. Pyon picked her up and shouted angrily at the doctors to rush to the battlefield. He hoped she would survive, even if part of him wanted to see Pyon tortured if she died.
* * *
Four days passed, but the promised one finally arrived.
Heavy fog covered the dawn, freezing Zeo's nostrils as he stood still in front of Aerodrome Number 3, from where he and his companions would depart toward an unknown fate. He was clad in his new uniform: a dark-blue Aramix jacket with the cobalt emblem of The Hunters, boots, and combat pants with multiple pockets to hide every indispensable item for the battlefield.
The powerful lights of the aerodrome drew gold lines through the mist, yet Zeo could barely see beyond the reach of his arms. Arkor stood beside him with his unreadable smile and two guns on his back. Kristina stood behind him next to Myrian: the two never left each other's side. Zeo thought they were like conjoined twins.
After an anxious wait, Marakudra emerged from the fog, accompanied by Pyon and Edo. Over her uniform, she wore a long black coat that resembled an exotic gothic dress, while her Hunter emblem gleamed on her left shoulder. Her buckled hair was held tightly by a carmine bandana, and her serious face displayed rock-hard determination. Zeo had never seen her fight, but Marakudra truly looked like a vicious panther ready to tear off her enemies.
The leaders stopped in front of the army, but Mara stepped forward. "I don't like wasting time with pointless, flamboyant speeches," she said, twisting her thick lips. "Many of you will die today. I hope you know that. Kavram's army might be weakened, but they won't go down without a ferocious fight. Our job is to back up Medeo's Army and secure the south region of Lacacia by annihilating the remnants of Karx." Marakudra paused as three crimson lights in the sky turned the fog into a bloody mist.
The roar of three aircraft shook the ground like an earthquake as they landed behind Marakudra, who stood unfazed with her pupils locked on her army. A gust of violent hot wind hit Zeo in the face as the metal beasts came to a halt and lowered the power of their massive jet engines.
"It's time to go." Marakudra cracked her neck from both sides and smirked. "I've divided each army based on your experience and skills. You can check your phone; there is all the information you need." She turned her back to them. "Team A comes with me, Team B with Pyon, and Team C with Edo. Now stop lazing around and follow your assigned leader." She strode toward the planes.
Zeo didn't need to check his phone; he knew where he belonged. He was the first to advance toward his fate, keeping his gaze locked on Marakudra's imposing figure. Yes, dear Captain... You're right. Many of you will die tonight.
The first aircraft was a combat jet designed to transport soldiers. Its aggressive shapes, matte-black color, and blinding crimson lights on both wings made it look like a metal bat from hell. As Zeo approached it, the intense heat of its two engines made him forget the gelid morning. Either from the heat or anxiety, Zeo began sweating when he stood next to the plane. Marakudra gave him a sidelong glance and smirked before hopping on the wing and stepping into the aircraft.
"There are no stairs..." Kristina murmured behind Zeo. She had been separated from Myrian and looked terrified.
"I'll help," Zeo said, turning to her and summoning his vectors. They grabbed the hot metal of the wing and pulled Zeo over it. "Hold my Vector, I'll pick you up," he told Kristina, who looked back at him in disbelief.
"I can't see it," she whispered.
"Right in front of you."
She swatted the air until his spectral arm touched her hand. Zeo grabbed and pulled her with him over the wing. She didn't seem to react, but her dilated pupils told him everything he needed to know.
Zeo helped the rest of the team get going, and finally, he walked toward the door. The smell of jet fuel and burnt metal had permeated his nose when he glimpsed the first sunbeam through the thick fog.
He stepped onto the plane, and the heavy atmosphere outside changed. The air inside felt light and clean, and the temperature was much more comfortable. Two long rows of seats lay on each side of the plane corridor. Zeo saw no windows, only small LED screens on each side for viewing the exterior.
Marakudra sat alone in the first seat. Her eyes were closed as she relaxed, listening to music. However, the rest of his companions were a tangled mix of anxiety, fear, and hyperactivity. Zeo walked the corridor to the last seat, where he sat alone and lay his head on the cold digital window.
The door closed with a loud clank that silenced the loud buzz of the idle engines outside. Everything felt eerily quiet until the first engine started. The whole aircraft vibrated, and Zeo could see the crimson flames of the afterburners coming out of the right wing. When the second engine started, the vibration became almost unbearable, and the sound loud enough to deafen him. Zeo became dizzy but held his own. However, some of his companions looked on the verge of a breakdown.
There was a short moment, and then Zeo felt as if a mountain had smashed against his whole body. The crimson afterburners turned blue, and the aircraft took off, burying Zeo deep into his seat. The G forces were such that he couldn't move a single part of his body, and his eye felt like it was swelling up.
In three seconds, the aerodrome and the lights from the Hunters' Headquarters disappeared, and gray and white clouds covered the ground. Zeo could barely appreciate the transition because of the intense headache and burning sensation in his eye.
Finally, the G forces stopped when the aircraft reached its maximum speed, and Zeo could finally move his head to observe his surroundings. The gloomy gray atmosphere outside had turned into a light-blue sea of tranquility, a blanket of white cotton covering the earth.
Murmurs started around the plane as his companions began to relax and play jokes on each other. But Zeo focused on his mission: killing every Karx soldier in sight.
Only twenty minutes had passed when the plane began a steep descent into enemy territory.
Zeo felt like he was floating as gravity disappeared, and his body lost all its weight, held only by his seat belt.
Marakudra stood, imposing herself in the middle of the plane, unfazed by the forces pulling at their bodies. Her heels were glued to the ground.
"In one minute, the war will start," her voice boomed through the plane. "Give it your all and fight until the end, and I'll make you a promise."
Silence.
"I'll grant freedom to the warrior who brings me Lieutenant Vladimore's head."