Primal Outcasts

Chapter 10- The Gate

After barely escaping the deadly attack from the mysterious organization known as Crystal Hollow, Kuma pushed forward, dashing desperately toward Nibel with his unconscious friends in his arms. His demon mark, now dimming and fading, was nearly depleted of mana, but he refused to slow down.

"Kuma, you need to slow down! I can take your friends safely. At this rate, you'll collapse!" Rufus urged, his voice filled with concern as he caught up to Kuma. But Kuma didn't respond; he kept moving, determined to reach the safety of the city.

As they approached Nibel, Kuma's mark completely faded, weakening him. With one last burst of strength, he pushed himself forward, only to crash down in front of the city gates, creating a small crater in the ground. He passed out, unconscious.

Rufus arrived just behind him, with Freedo still perched on his shoulder. The guards of Nibel, alerted by the commotion, rushed to the scene, recognizing Kuma immediately.

"What happened? Huh? It's the King's son! And some girl and... a dinosaur?" one of the guards exclaimed in shock.

"Don't just stand there! Get some stretchers and take them in. And call the King and the rest of the healers! He'll want to know what's happening!" Rufus commanded urgency in his voice.

The guards quickly followed his orders, placing Kuma, Amy, and Jagger on stretchers and carrying them inside the city, led by Tuskarr.

"You're okay, big brother? You could use some check-up too, even with that arm crafted for you," Tuskarr said with concern, eyeing Rufus's mechanical arm.

"I'm fine, little brother. Even though the attackers we faced had strange powers, I escaped just fine," Rufus reassured him. "Take care of these three, especially Kuma. He pushed himself beyond his limit with that mark you reported.

"Understood. Come to my lab," Tuskarr responded, his tone serious.

Riyu, Kuma's father, rushed to the healing chambers, finding Amy and Jagger being treated by healers. Alan, one of the healers, stopped him. "Are Kuma and his friends okay?" Riyu asked, his voice filled with concern.

"From what I've heard, Kuma's companions are fine. But as for Kuma... we don't know yet. He seems to have suffered the worst of it, and we have to wait until they wake up," Alan explained.

The next day, around noon, Amy slowly opened her eyes, seeing Riyu healing her bruise. "Aaah, Kuma!" she shouted, memories of the fierce battle flooding back. Thinking they were captured, Amy instinctively summoned her wand and shot a star beam at Riyu.

With quick reflexes, Riyu caught the wand and redirected the attack out the window, the beam harmlessly disappearing into the sky. "Whoa! Calm down. You're Amy, right? We are friends," Riyu said calmly, holding her hands to show he meant no harm.

"Huff... huh? You are...? Where am I?" Amy asked, her vision clearing as she saw Riyu's gentle expression.

"My name is Riyu Kor. I am Kuma's father. And you are Amy, correct? You were wounded along with your friend, so we brought you to the healing chambers."

"This... this is Nibel? Wait, where are Kuma and Jagger? Are they okay?" Amy asked, her concern growing.

"They are fine. You're the first to wake up. The others are still unconscious-" Riyu began, but he was interrupted by Jagger's voice from another room.

"No, no! I'm not going back there! Who the hell are you? Are you with Darkan?!" Jagger shouted, his voice filled with panic.

"Well, I guess he's up now," Riyu said with a sigh as he moved toward the other room, Amy quickly following behind.