Supernatural Beings: Strive Survivors Vol. 2

Strive 118: Explaining

Taoreta's POV

"A trap?!" Kishi, Kuma, and Jir say in a union. 

"That's right. It's a trap." I say while laying my back on a wall and closing my eyes. 

"But that doesn't make any sense. That monster doesn't have any arms. HOW can it even set a trap?!" Kuma shouted, which made me open my eyes again and look in her direction. "That's the point," I replied.

"What?" Kuma was shocked by my answer.

I narrow my eyes seriously. "The Monsters are immortal with super abilities that can take down an entire army. The only weakness is their items. For example, The Angel Monster had the same bracelet as I do. It hid it where no one could find it since it made them mortal and be killed. We can let the angel one slide since, technically, it has claws and is a bit smart. But the Cetus monster doesn't have arms like us or the angel monster. My theory is that someone behind the scenes is helping these monster increase their territory.  And that person...can be "God"."

""God"?" Kishi asks with a cold sweat running down his face.

"Someone who's using the title, at least. I doubt otherwise. With the whole devil's body parts, I'd say that something as powerful as a god is commanding these monsters to set traps for those curious enough to look for their weakness." I place my left hand under my chin. "It was smart of H.U.M.A.N.I.T.Y. to upgrade us during our exploration. Otherwise, we would've died the first time we stepped on this layer. But still, if the monsters are that powerful, then who's to say that the creatures won't be as well? That means that what Mato says could be authentic, and sending soldiers out could be treacherous."

"Auth- Treac- what?" Kuma confusingly tilts her head.

"Those are big words..." Jir says while having this nervous smile. 

"Amazing..." Kishi whispers in amazement. 

"Anyway, back on topic," I say to get back to the tasks at hand. I got off the wall and folded my arms. "If we try to grab the object with our own hands, the monster will get the jump on us. That is," I take out my phone with a satisfied smile. "If it can catch us in the act, anyway.".

"Your phone?" Jir says while tilting her head to the side.

"Hmm..." Kuma thinks to herself. It wasn't long before she smiled. "Ah!"

"That's right, Kuma." I raise my phone a bit more and look at it. "Thanks to the tracker I put on the Cetus, we can know WHEN it'll arrive! It's fast on the water but not on land. Course, it can leap in the air with great, but that doesn't mean anything if it can't see its prey. But here's the downside of all of this. " I swipe my phone to show my battery percentage. "Since our organization made it, the battery will drain much faster. The reason for this design choice is that whatever power source we have left can be used for the super codes. From the TV to the tablets, all of them will die twice as fast as the surface version. In other words, it's limited. All of those resources rely on the main generator humanity provides. And since this is a new layer, the signal is feeble, and I can't call anyone. Not to mention that our power is draining way too fast thanks to the atmosphere. It's probably because the tech is using solar-like energy thanks to the chips inside of them. But that alone won't be enough since this area is too much for the small chips." 

I put my phone inside my skirt and look at the others again. "So we're limited on how much we can do. With that being said, I have a plan to trick the Cetus AND grab the object before it notices."

"A plan, huh? Interesting." Kuma says while stroking her chin with her right hand.

"Look at you go, Tao! Thinking outside of the box and stuff! I'm proud of you!" Jir complimented me.

"Mm-hmm!" Kishi nodded. "Tao is always the smart one between the two of us! So whatever the plan is, I'm sure it'll work out fine! I trust her!" Kishi says while smiling brightly.   I held on to my chest near my heart area and gently smiled. "Thank you for believing in me, Kishi. It made the risk worthwhile. Seriously. I wouldn't have done it without you. All of you."

"I was about to say. Kib isn't the only person who's cheering you on. Honestly, Tao, it's "Kishi, Kishi, Kishi"! Thank us first every once in a while!" Jir says while placing her hands on her hips.

"Now, now, Jir. Let Tao enjoy the rain of praises by the person she cares about the most in the world." Kuma says while putting her hands in her jacket. "Come on, Kum. She can't always put Kishi first and us second." Jir explains, which made me feel a bit bad if I'm being honest...

"....S-sorry..." I apologize.

"A-ah!" Jir blushes at my apology. "N-no! I didn't mean it that way! I was only teasing you, is all!" Jir says while waving her arms from embarrassment, I think. "U-uh..." Jir looks away and rubs the back of her neck. "I'm sorry for making you feel bad, Tao..."

"Don't feel bad, Tao. You were grateful to all of us, from what I can tell by your heart. And even if that's not the case, I can tell you as your best friend that you are a good person. And I'm proud of you for being more open to everyone besides me these days! It makes me want to help out more than ever! I still have much work to do to catch up to you!" Kishi says while looking determined. This made me smile, and I nodded.

"If we're going to find the item and beat the monster, we all have to work together and bring victory for the human race!" I say while forming two fists.

Yes.

To beat the monster, to set all of us free, to protect everyone around me. To protect Kishi...

I must do my part and use my brain to our advantage. 

I don't want anyone to be left behind. I don't want anyone to die in this world anymore. I want to take a step forward and head towards the future. A future with everyone. A future with Kishi...

A future...with Kishi...

Heh...

A future with Kishi...

I lower my head and gently smile.

For some reason, I would love that. 

Love...

I'm starting to like that word a lot. I wonder if that word has another meaning to it. But I can't think of that right now. I'll focus on the task at hand right now. 

For Kishi...

And my friends...

To Be Continued...