Fallen World

Chapter Three

The next three weeks were spent travelling the Jura hills tackling the rakaniti's burrows. In total, the two archangels had tackled twenty-eight such burrows and killed countless rakaniti. Each successive one, Sabastian became more and more adept in his concentration and skill acquirement. Christoph found himself taking quite a liking to his pupils diligence. During breaks in remote places near Delemont and Laufen in particular, Sabastian refrained from asking irrelevant questions and instead he became fascinated with upgrading his suit. This warmed Christoph to his junior with each passing day, although his short and occasional brutal comments remained. Sabastian idolised Christoph, he knew he cared and was determined to make him proud. During their final evening before heading back to the paradise dome, tackling a huge nest in the hills South of Vermes was the last goal. The over sized nest was the second the pair had tackled of its calibre. Over a hundred meters deep into the hillside, the duo had gone unspotted as the sound of rock being hacked away echoed out. Unexpectedly, a huge pair of softly green glowing eyes could be seen a dozen meters ahead gazing into their direction. Archangel Christoph froze as this was the worst possible news. "Oh, fuck me" he muttered as the sight sent shivers down his back. Toggling his speaker. "Run Sabastian, run" he roared before turning around and the pair began sprinting out the way they came. Instantly, the sound of rock being worked ceased and the chase was on. En route, Christoph grabbed what little explosives he had left and dumped them in the tunnel. Meanwhile, Sabastian was several paces ahead with the sword. Skillfully, he dodged an incoming wrejan charging in from a side tunnel, all whilst cutting it in half. The duo were still quite a distance from the entrance. "Detonate the charges Edee" Christoph commanded. "The chances of you escaping unharmed are..." she spoke. "I don't give a fuck, Edee. Detonate the fucking charges!" Christoph cut in, all the while a mass of wrejan and tanvalkas gave chase, but that wasn't the problem. Immediately, the charges were detonated and this resonated outwards before the collapsing destruction began giving chase to him and Sabastian. Meters from the exit, the searing heat was kissing the back of Christoph's suit and his backpack began to catch fire. The duo made it free and clear back out into the desolate landscape, where Christoph extinguished his smoldering backpack with a flurry of heavy pats. Both turned around to watch part of the hillside collapse inwards, something Christoph hoped was enough. "That was..." Sabastian spoke but didn't finish his sentence. "Yes Sabastian, it was. Let's get the fuck out of here and go home" Christoph suggested. It was a close call, one he didn't wish to tackle with Sabastian present.

Unexpectedly, the ground that had been collapsing inwards began to bulge outwards. Horrifyingly, a bargankun erupted outwards. This abomination was sixty feet tall and weighed in excess of forty tonnes. It stood on two enormous muscular legs with four pointed clawed feet. From head to toe, this beast of destruction was a dark red colour and its yellow veins were easily visible as these pulsed. The beasts thick skin could resist any calibre of projectile weaponry. Down its torso, three arms either side would be found. Tipping these was monstrous six clawed hands that could rake you away to a certain death. Its beastly head featured a large mouth full of three rows of razor-sharp teeth. Easily the most identifiable feature was the bargankuns soft green glowing eyes. Some described these as reminiscent of a murky haunted swamps. Emerging from the top of its head was six monstrous horns. One pair faced backwards, the second pair jutted outwards to the side and the third pair curled around to face forwards. These beasts were a match for a veteran archangel in all categories. This particular one had burns to its face from the explosion that had ripped through the burrow. As this beast emerged and clawed away at the hillside to release its legs, Christoph's heart sank as this was the last thing he wanted to see that trip. Not nearly as rare as CoL led most to believe, the question of what it was doing at such a location puzzled him. "Edee, route all power possible to the pulse cannon. Take out its fucking eyes" Christoph instructed. "Routing all auxiliary power" Edee answered. Christoph looked to his younger peer. "Leave Sabastian. Go back to the dome right now. I will follow you when I can" Christoph specified in his authoritative voice. In Sabastian's mind, he wanted to fight with his mentor but he also understood and respected him too. Begrudgingly, he handed Christoph his sword and this was accepted into his right hand. "I will see you soon, right?" he asked with a tone of worry. "You will Sabastian. Go now!" Christoph barked before nudging him in the direction with his left hand. Meanwhile, the bargankun was almost free from its temporary shackles. There was no use both of them running, it would follow them all the way back to the dome. Outrunning it wasn't any option either, it moved faster than they could even in their suits. Christoph knew Sabastian wasn't ready to deal with such a formidable foe. It was going to be a challenge for him. Archangel Sabastian began rushing away to the treeline and then the road beyond, exactly like he had been commanded to do, yet in his heart he felt this was the wrong decision. The bargankun dragged its enormous legs free as Christoph stood waiting to face his foe. Unlike the minor rakaniti who weren't above retreating, this was a fight to the death.