Chapter 93 - No One Left Behind
The creature soaring beneath them was a monstrous fusion of bird and reptile. Its body stretched long and sinewed, a tail like a coiled whip of scaled muscle, and a head shaped like a proud, avian predator. Its wings were impossibly wide, each one layered with feathers pale as clouded sky, shimmering faintly with every beat, as if the creature itself had been stitched from the very sky it flew through.
And it was massive. Not just large. So enormous that when it passed overhead, the land beneath vanished into shadow. A beast that defied natural law, flying not through instinct or evolution, but by sheer will of Gaia Force.
The most viable place to jump, the only viable place, was the base of the tail. It was where the body narrowed, and where they could avoid the dangerous claws or shifting legs mid-flight. More importantly, it gave them time. Time to reach the ledge. Time to prepare.
Now, everyone was in position. Holding on as tightly as they could, each person gripping ropes, vines. Anything to stop the wind from ripping them off too early.
The air howled around them like an unending storm. Speaking was nearly impossible. Breathing wasn’t far behind. Let go too soon, and they’d be swept into the sky. Too late, and they’d miss the jagged terrain entirely.
Tave stood toward the rear, one hand gripping tightly, the other focused as he cycled his Sharing Vision with Fang, who was positioned farther ahead for a clearer vantage point.
This leap had to be perfect.
Not individual jumps, but one synchronized motion. Like a line of soldiers stepping into oblivion together.
If they missed their momentum. If they weren’t all airborne at just the right angle, with the right push, the chance of landing on the jagged outcropping below would drop to zero.
"Thirty seconds!" Tave shouted, his voice torn thin by the wind.
All heads turned. Every face tightened. Eyes narrowed with focused dread. They were ready. Gliding tools, elemental skills prepped, hearts pounding like war drums.