Chapter 209: Kaisha's Story (4)

It just felt lonelier now. Kai'Sa wondered if she should have stayed with Taliyah for so long. She had spent most of her life alone. Alone, facing the Void monsters deep underground. She had never realized how good it felt to be normal.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she could barely register the passage of time. Soon she saw older tunnels, huge holes that cut through the corridor's outer walls and led to other places. These are the tunnels of the Xer'Sai. I have come to the depths of Koharise. But there is still no sign of the Xer'Sai.

She saw a pale blue light in the distance of one of the tunnels. Without making any sound or making any unnecessary movements, Kassa peered into the darkness at the entrance of the cave.

She saw several smaller Ex'sai, a species she had seen before and named. They were a group of "Strange Howls," slender bipedal monsters with four claws that could open their mouths. They were chirping at each other. Their howls could penetrate the sand, calling other Ex'sai to join the hunt. Standing next to them were several spiky young ones, which were already larger than the Strange Howls and would continue to grow larger. The Ex'sai gathered in a circle, with dozens of fluorescent lights in the middle.

One of them had a blue glow on its side that looked like a burn mark. It was the one I'd shot, and Kai'Sa realized something horrible: Taliyah's tactics hadn't killed it. Probably not even one.

As she continued to watch, one of the hatchlings crept up to the scarred monster and stuck its tongue out to the hatchling's horn.

A soft blue light enveloped the hatchling. It began to glow.

The group of howling monsters suddenly made a commotion, and Kai'Sa gasped. What are they doing? Her heart was beating in her throat. Several more young and howling monsters walked to the fluorescent lamp and absorbed the light they emitted. Are they nourishing Ax'sai? She shook her head to organize her thoughts, and then aimed at the scarred fluorescent lamp.

Whatever this is doing, I have to stop it.

At this moment, there was a loud bang and the earth shook.

A huge Axe, the "Sandhorn," suddenly burst through the stone wall, with a sharp horn on top of its eight eyes. The claws on its lower jaw carved deep into the rock. Every step it took shook the ground and panicked its prey. It roared, swung its horn across the fluorescent light, and cut three of them in one go. Their deflated bodies bled bright blood.

Chuanshajiao doesn't like these fluorescent lights.

The group of fluorescent lights screamed softly and fled towards the corridor - that is, towards Kassa. She felt a familiar power surge up. Her armor became transparent, just enough time for the fluorescent lights and the sand-climbing horn following closely behind to run past her and head north. The sand-climbing horn's horn cut a crack in the top of the corridor. The crack collapsed inwards.

The corridor is collapsing.

She darted forward, intent on following the giant Axe, staying out of its sight. I need to know where this corridor leads. I have to find out.

But then, from behind her... there was a scream. A human scream.

Kai'Sa gave up her invisibility and plunged toward the ground, letting everything collapse behind her. She blinked hard, and the visor of her helmet began to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight. The dust obscured her vision, and the crash of falling rocks was deafening, but she could still hear the panicked crowd. She ran in that direction.

In front of her was the gully formed by the corridor cut through the sand corner. A huge stone platform was hanging on the edge, but most of it was still floating on the yellow sand, refusing to fall into the crack. The people on the platform were shouting, but there was one figure who looked very calm. Taliyah. Her stone bridge. She was trying to maintain it. She tried her best, her hands were shaking. But slowly, she lifted the front of the platform and rose to the ground.

A child yelled from below. Someone had fallen into the corridor.

Kasha ran towards Taliyah. "Go back quickly!" Kasha said, and saw the stone bridge gradually rising. "There's going to be a landslide below, everyone, evacuate quickly!"

"Sammy's still down there!" Taliyah yelled. The stone bridge finally rose to the surface and plopped down into the sand. "I won't leave him behind!"

She yelled with great effort, and then pushed hard with one hand in the air. The stone bridge groaned and moved away little by little, gradually reaching a safe area away from the landslide. Then she jumped into the ravine. Kasha stood on the edge and stared down. If I didn't help, she would die down there.

Kadila and Zaifa ran over from the stone bridge. Kassa fired a beam of light at their feet.

"What are you doing?!" Cadilla yelled and jumped back.

“That big Axe could come back at any moment,” Kai’Sa said. “Go get the others out of here.”

“We’re not going anywhere until Taliyah and Sami are safe,” Zaifa said, clenching his fists. “We can help you.”

I don't have time for nonsense. Kai'Sa thought to herself, unfolding the pod on her shoulder, and the energy stored in the crystals arced. If I kill these two, the others will run.

Kadeela and Zaifa held hands, but they didn't retreat. Kasha thought of the stories they told around the campfire. The food they shared with her. Their fear for her, and how that night together had erased it.

...I don't want to hurt them. "I'll go down and save them. Please, come back to everyone. What they need now is your strength."

"Okay. You must bring them back." Zaifa gritted her teeth and said, and then she and Kadila ran towards the stone bridge.

I will. I promise. Kasha jumped into the widening ditch without looking back.

Her feet landed hard enough to break a normal person's bones. In the distance, she saw the lights of the Aetherials—not only the fluorescent lights, but also the hatchlings and howls they had touched. They were gathered around a smooth semicircular eggshell of rock. Taliyah and Sami must be there.

She heard a faint rumble in the distance. Chuanshajiao turned back. She realized that if its target was the fluorescent lamp...it would definitely chase it here.

Kai'Sa summoned every ounce of her living armor. Her wrists were surrounded by a purple glow, and then it faded—Kai'Sa was invisible again.

She fired at the howling monsters. Five of them died without a sound. Several of the young turned around, looking for the source of the attack. Only the blind fluorescent lights could sense her presence through smell. Before they could determine her exact location, she had already killed all of them.

Now she was in trouble. Dozens of fluorescent lights were rushing towards her. She turned invisible and ran away as fast as she could.

It was only seconds before they were chasing her. She fired at them randomly, and only a few fell. One of the monsters touched her ankle, slicing through her armor with the thorns on its tongue. She tried to dodge the follow-up attack and fell to the ground. But they came from all sides, inflicting wounds faster than her armor could heal itself. Her arms, legs, and cheeks were dripping with blood. The blood flowed into her mouth, bringing a strong taste of bronze...

Then something exploded on the ground, and all the fluorescent lights flew far away.

They froze, not knowing what was happening. Kai'Sa looked behind them. Taliyah's head popped out from behind the rocks. She was yelling something. Kai'Sa's helmet began to reassemble. She heard Taliyah yell, "Run to me!"

Kasa squatted down and said, "Push me!"

(End of this chapter)