"How did it get into space and survive? Did they launch it?"
"They can't be smart enough to have that tech, could they?"
"They are machines. Who's to say what kind of technology they have? If they are anything like our dear wolf friend, then they have evolved in a way unlike any other creature.”
“I guess yo---”
A shriek came from the ship. Reaper and Mjolnir rushed back with the other two soldiers.
THIRTY-NINE
A woman was standing at the cargo bay, surrounded by a handful of soldiers. Face in her hands, she cried out for help.
"Please, you have to go after him!" She pleaded.
"What happened?" Reaper skidded to a halt just behind the soldiers.
"My baby must have gotten scared when those bats attacked! He ran away to hide, but I think he went that way!" She pointed towards the forest.
"Ma'am, he must have run inside." One of the soldiers said.
"Mjolnir, why don't you have some of them look through the ship?" Reaper suggested.
"Yes, sir." He agreed.
"Ianisse, Ruby, come with me." Reaper called. "We're gonna check the woods. He couldn't have gotten far."
"His name's Johnny, after his father!" The mother said.
Reaper met Ianisse and Ruby at the edge of the camp. Together they carried on with barely anything at all to point them in the right direction.
It was a time like this Reaper wished Spectre was with him. Her tracking skills would end this incident in minutes. Instead, he was left with only what she tried to teach him. Ianisse, being a fleebeeron, had probably never hunted before. Ruby...well, Ruby had a comfy life away from pastimes.
Reaper tried to recall what Spectre showed him. Easy to miss imprints in soft soil. Broken twigs. Bent stems and leaves. How much damage could a small boy do when running away in fear?
Apparently none.
Reaper saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then again, what was ordinary on this planet? The air here was thicker. The ground denser. Untouched by the destructive hands of mankind and its distant cousins. This was nothing like Earth. Humans had not been kind to their own planet, their own birth place. They took it for granted, abused it, poisoned it. As humanity advanced, their care for the environment lessened. Wars were waged without any care.
“See anything?” Ruby asked.
“No…” Reaper sighed. He got up from the dirt and continued on.
“He couldn’t have gotten far.” Ianisse followed, looking around.
A child’s scream caught their attention. They ran towards the sound. It led them into the jungle, where they had to cut their way through a wall of thick vines hanging from the branches above.
All they had was a small pocket knife that Ruby used to saw through the vines. Reaper tried to pull on them, only to be met with one coming to life within his hands.
The leaves flared up and the vine coiled around his wrists. He tried to let go, but it cinched down tight enough to make him feel like his hands were about to pop off.
“Whoa, what the fuck?!” Reaper pulled back to no avail.
Ruby hurried to him and grabbed the other end of the vine.
“Hold still. I’ll cut it off.”
The moment the blade touched the vine, one of the ends reared up. The end split up to reveal razor sharp teeth lining moist jaws. Two black, beady eyes peered up from the top.
It wasn’t a vine.
They could only call it a snake. It constricted Reaper’s hands together and hissed at Ruby. It lunged and snapped at his hand only to drop and hang down low.
“Fuck off!” Ruby shouted at it. He swung the knife down its back. It lifted its head again and sunk its teeth into his arm.
“Fucking cut its head off!” Reaper ordered.
Ianisse pulled out his own machete and swung. It sunk right through the snake, blood spraying out of both ends.
Ruby had to pry the head off his arm.
Reaper quickly pulled off the rest of it.
“Wait…” Ruby’s eyes narrowed at Ianisse. “You’ve had a damned machete this entire time?”
“What? It looked like you had it.” The bird squawked.
Ruby snatched the machete from him and continued to chop at the vines. With that blade he was able to slice through in one, or two swings instead of sawing through.
As they broke through into the jungle, they heard the boy scream again. He must have been chased by something.
“Johnny!” Reaper called.
“I heard it over there." Ruby pointed.
Every so often, the boy screamed again, but never replied to their calls. They chased the sound, running through streams, puddles, and mud. They leaped over fallen logs and stone in their path.
"Can he not hear us?" Ianisse asked.
"Just keep running." Ruby said.
They crossed into a small clearing. The loose sand and mud under their feet gave way. It opened up under the pressure of their weight. Reaper nearly face planted into the ground. When he got back up to his feet, he couldn't move.
Ruby was stuck just behind him, sinking into the soil at an alarming rate.
Reaper cursed.
"Stop moving!" He said.
"I-I'm stuck!" Ruby cried. He was already up to his knees.
"You'll make it worse if you keep moving!"
The boy screamed again.
Ianisse almost took off after the sound. He stayed in place, standing between the Captain and Ruby.
"Are you not stuck?" Ruby asked.
"No, we're fine." The bird squawked.
Reaper cursed again, looking around the area.
"Find one of those vines, or something." Reaper said. "We could use that to get out of this."
"Okay. We'll get some!" Ianisse darted across the clearing back the way they had come. He had seen vines back that way. Hopefully they would be long enough and strong enough.
A bird squawked above them. A branch hung over their heads mostly barren of leaves. The bird that sat upon the branch stood tall, more horizontal than a typical bird. A rounded snout and tiny teeth. Big green eyes looked down at them. Long arms with metallic feathers flailed at its sides.
"Is it...mocking us?" Ruby grumbled.
"Ianisse!" Reaper called.
The bird squawked again. Then came a different sound. They weren't sure if it came from the bird or not. A kind of roar, guttural and low. Not one that seemed to travel very far. The bird took off. The roar sounding out of sight.
"That can't be good...Captain, I'm still sinking!"
"Just relax. He'll be back soon. Hopefully he'll be able to get you out of this."
Another roar. This time closer. A second roar sounded further off.
Ruby bit his lip, looking around. Something about how calm Reaper was freaked him out. They were sinking into the ground with no end in sight. There were monsters lurking in the bushes. Yet he stood, or rather sank, in a complete state of zen. His eyes darted around, looking at everything going on around him.
Ianisse finally returned after a few minutes. Spying the branch overhead, he tossed one end of the vine over it so it would drape down. Ruby reached for it. He wrapped it around his wrist and pulled on it while Ianisse pulled on the other end.
The bushes shook. A twig snapped. Another roar much further away.
"Fuck! Come on! Pull!" Ruby shouted.
Ianisse was using all of his strength, but Ruby was pulling him off the ground with each tug.
Another shake of the bushes, and a hulking beast stepped out. Low to the ground, thick muscles limbs and a massive head with a downward facing nose. Two large canines stuck out from its upper jaw. It was tall enough to look them in the eye on all four feet. The metal that sprouted from its body looked more like armor, protecting its head, snout, and neck most of all. The rest seemed to be more reinforcement of the thick hide. The worst part was the device, no, the weapon that stuck out of its back. A barrel nearly four feet long was mounted on the creature. A series of
lilac glowing lights lined either side of the barrel, with the back end shielded by pointed plates.
It sniffed at the air. Spotted vulnerable prey. With a low growl it stepped forward.
Another, much larger creature stepped out of the bushes in a hurry. It nipped the others rear and shoved its own frame into it. The smaller one opened its mouth, but backed down.
This larger one was scarred on the face with bits of flesh hanging off its sides. An eye had been scratched out, revealing the metal skull beneath.
Two more creatures came out, surrounding the humans and fleebeeron. They growled and snapped their teeth at one another. The largest approached first, followed closely by the other three.
"Fucking hurry!" Ruby screamed.
"We're trying!" Ianisse shouted.
Ruby began ascending out of the dirt. He pulled as hard as he could. Ianisse had taken his end of the vine and pulled it around the trunk of the tree. With the extra tension, Ruby managed to get out, narrowly avoiding a pounce from one of the creatures.
He swung back and forth, still holding on tight. He needed solid ground. More importantly, Reaper was still stuck in the dirt. He was about to jump off when the larger creature leaped for Reaper.
He kicked out as hard as he could, backed by the momentum of his swing. He slammed his boots into the creature's head, knocking it back and onto the ground.
Reaper took the chance to grab Ruby's ankle and pull. Together they managed up and away from the dirt.
Reaper jumped off on solid ground only to be tackled down by one of the beasts. He grabbed hold of its oversized canines and pushed, using every ounce of his strength to keep it from biting his head off.
Unable to reach Ruby still hanging from the vine, one of the beasts backed up. It lowered its chest to the ground, dug its claws into the firm soil. Head low, it peered up to the dangling human.
"Oh, shit…" Ruby squeaked.
The lights on the barrel lit up in succession towards the end.
Just as the last pair of lights lit up, the end of the barrel exploded in flames and smoke.
Ianisse pulled the vine as hard as he could, lifting and swinging Ruby in the nick of time. He let go, forcing him to hit the ground near Reaper.
"They have guns!" Ruby screamed. "They really have guns!"
The largest beast bulldozed into the one atop Reaper, knocking it off him. With a yelp, it rolled across the ground and hurried to its feet.
The scarred one went after Reaper, going in for the kill.
Ruby grabbed a broken branch and swung it as hard as he could into its head.
It hit the ground for only a moment. It was long enough for Reaper to get up.
The beast snorted and shook its head. The others snorted back.
A scream came from above. Then came a distant howl. It must have only been a mile away. That otherworldly song of anguish.
The smaller beasts cried out softly, hesitating in their posture. The bigger one snapped its jaws and growled.
The howl started again, this time closer as if it were directly over their heads.
The beast scratched at the dirt. The others turned tail and ran in the opposite direction.
Alone, the scarred creature slowly backed up into the shrubs. It disappeared into the shadows.
"Fucking hell," Ruby collapsed onto the ground. "Thank God they ran away."
"Was that...Fenris?" Ianisse asked.
"It must have been." Reaper looked around. "Ruby, where's your weapon?"
The color flushed from his face. "I...uh...might have...dropped it in that...quicksand…"
"Goddammit, Ruby! Where's your sling?!"
"I had it!"
"Weren't wearing it?" Reapers brow furrowed.
"Y-yes, sir…" his head dropped.
The boy screamed again.
They looked up. That same bird was perched upon the branch, looking down at them. While they watched it, it made a call. The boy's scream.
"What...have we been following a bird this whole time?!" Ianisse exclaimed.
"Fuck…" Reaper sighed.
The bird dropped from the branch. Arms and legs splayed out sideways for the metallic feathers to catch the air. It soared down over their heads and landed on the ground. It mimicked Johnny's cry and took off as fast as a road runner. Up the trunk of a tree.
"I think it wants us to follow it?" Reaper suggested.
"Yeah, but it called those things, too." Ruby said.
"It's our only lead."
Reaper followed it. The bird could only glide, but it did so skillfully. Branch to branch, it took the lead. Stopped every so often to scream.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Ruby said.
"When you come up with a better plan, feel free to tell us." Reaper grumbled.
They looped around the jungle for what felt like ages. With Fenris in hearing range, the other creatures went into hiding. After crossing a stream, cutting their way through another wall of vines, and walking across a fallen tree over a small valley, they finally came to a stop in a small clearing.
Another tipped over tree. Its roots still held their shape as if it had been ripped straight out of the ground. Wide enough to turn into a house, the tree rested on its side against a boulder. A small hole dug into the dirt just under the roots.
The bird perched on one of the roots and looked to those following it. Its arms flailed out and it hopped around in a circle.
"Hello!" It called. "Hello!"
They stared at it, unsure what to do next.
"Hello?" Came a softer voice out of sight. "D-did you come back?"
The loose dirt in front of the hole shifted.
Out came a young boy not quite ten years old yet. A rifle strapped to his back. He was covered in dirt and mud. Small flecks of blood from minor scratches and scrapes.
"Hello!" The bird called and danced around.
"Johnny?" Reaper said.
The boy looked over.
"Captain?" The boy’s face lit up. "Captain, it's you!"
"Oh, thank the heavens you're all right!" The boy ran to him, hugging him around his waist.
"What are you doing with that rifle?" He asked, holding the boy.
"I..I got scared. Those weird bats attacked and I was with my brother. He got scared, too, I think. I wanted to help so I grabbed it, but one of them came after me! So I ran away. Then I got lost."
"You're safe now. Let's get you home."
"C-can he come with us, Captain?" He pointed to the bird.
"What?"
"Please? He saved me from those monsters! He howled just like Fenris and they all ran away!"
"All right. He can come home with us, but you need your mother's permission to keep him."
"Thank you, sir!" The boy smiled. "Come on, Tahoe! Let's go!"
"Hello!" The bird called and swooped down from the roots of the tree.
"Sir," Ruby whispered to him, "are you sure? That thing could be an eos."
"It’s small and it not only saved him, but helped us find him. It saved us, too. If he's right and it mimicked Fenris' howl, then it could be of use to have at the campgrounds."
"Yes, sir," Ruby sighed.
FORTY
With nothing coming up from trying to reach Fenris, we moved on. We still had a mission at hand. All we found for food was nuts, berries, and fruits. We still needed more. We wandered through the jungle with no real direction in mind. The further we went, the thicker it got. Trees grew out of trees and boulders. Dirt and sand was replaced by older trees unable to stand. We were climbing a mountain of old life slowly being recycled into something new.
I can't believe I noticed it, but I saw an impression in the dirt. Rounded at the front, flat in the back. Whatever made it weighed quite a bit. There were a few more impressions just like it. We followed them.
The sky darkened. When we could view it through little openings in the canopy it was still fairly bright with colors shifting from the purple tinge to pinks and blues as the s
tars fell beyond the horizon. Under the canopy, the slight change in light was drastic. Shadows darkened and stretched further. We couldn't see our hands in front of our faces.
Our only light source was the concentrated beam of white light Nostra was able to project from his finger tip.
We found the source of the foot prints. A tall, noble creature with black bristly fur. A series of branches sprouted from its head and twisted up and back. A large nose it huffed out of. Six legs with four in the front and thick hind limbs for jumping and sprinting.
It focused on picking berries from a thorny bush. It couldn't get its teeth close enough without getting pricked, so it used a surprisingly long tongue to scooped up the berries.
We knelt down behind some bushes opposite of the creature. Yaaranam shouldered her rifle and aimed it center mass, right under its second arm.
She waited till its head ducked back down for berries. Then pulled the trigger. The sound of thunder cracked from the side of the rifle. The round went straight through and out the other side.
Orange dripped down its fur. The creature leaped straight into the air and took off.
"Fuck!" I said, jumping over the bush. "Follow it!"
We chased after it, following the trail of blood. It took us down a winding path even deeper into the jungle. We only caught glimpses of it up ahead, leaping from spot to spot.
When we saw it next it had keeled over next to a rotten log. Its head lifted from the dirt. It huffed, straining to breathe.
I let Yaaranam finish it off since I had gotten distracted by something I saw on the other side of the log. A faint black mist.
It may have been a horrible idea, but I stepped into it. The hair stood on the back of my neck. I covered my nose and mouth with one hand and used the other to touch the mist hanging at knee level.
Cold as ice.
It flowed like a waterfall from my palm. There was more creating a ring around a good sized clearing. Most of it had faded away. A small lake was fed by a calm waterfall a hundred feet high. The purple grass almost glowed pink in the fading light. A closer inspection revealed black blood everywhere.
It honestly looked like a massacre. It was splattered this way and that. The grass ripped up. Scrapes piled the dirt up. Water soaked into the soil and grass around the lake.
The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) Page 33