The Sealed Planet

Chapter 13: An Ominous Warning

Utr Zarya

The presence of the monster made us realize that the threat was real, but we already knew this was the case. Unlike the people from the colony, we were already prepared for the worst outcome. Arcturus quickly directed Xilna and her soldiers to get away from the monster while I got away from the Vyrnian I tried to safe. I quickly found out that many were injured by the impromptu attack and some of the healers were already trying to help them. I was also helping one of them when Arcturus and George stood in front of me, facing the Vyrnian-like monster.

Their claim of being trained to be partners of elite warriors was not just a claim. George once said that he was training to be a dragon rider, and a dragon rider was the best warrior one could become on Earth, especially with all the training and style he could choose from. While he did not end up becoming a dragon rider, but instead a wyvern rider (which was the Earth creature Vyrnians resembled), the training was not for naught. Even if the setting changed, the training was still useful.

Arcturus was also special, given that part of his training was the offensive use of energy conversion, something that he had been stockpiling in his body by absorbing the energy of the colony. The converted electricity was then released from his hands like a crackle of pure energy, one that could effectively slow the monster enough to let George slid between its legs and cut its tendons. It quickly fell to its knees. However, George was not finished. In one quick turn, he climbed on the monster's back and with a twist, decapitate the monster with one quick slash. I turned away as I did not like beheading. It's one violent act too extreme for me.

However, it did not stop the monster. The head was clearly dead, but it was simply returned to its place by the monster's thread-like tentacles, making it acted like an undead. George, who saw what happened, simply said, "Why is it not as simple as it is?"

I could then hear Xilna ordered many of her security guards to prioritize the protection of the healers as she coordinated a counterattack. For the leader of the archaeologists, she seemed to know her way around, and that really helped. However, what I never thought she'd do was join the fight. I yelled at her to stay back, but Xilna said, "I have a job to protect this colony. And besides, I'm not that helpless."

I did not know what she meant until she said, "I suggest you get away from the line of fire" to the combatants. Their reaction was, of course, of confusion, until George looked up and said, "Oh, shit!" Arcturus had moved away when George saw what he needed to see.

A short command of 'fire' coming from Xilna was enough to let a blast of strong, concentrated energy to hit the monster right in the chest. That energy shot was strong enough to disintegrate most of the monster's host body and causing it to let out a high-pitched shriek that hurt my ears. It was nothing more than a shriek that signified its death, for after that, the monster slowly receded and become a black puddle. It ended as quickly as it started, but the damage was very apparent. The worse of it? We were only involved in all this for only a couple of hours.

Part of me wanted to think that we were at fault for giving them the code into the sealed colony. If it wasn't for us, some of those dead would still live to see the next day. However, to my surprise, I was the only one who thought that this was the case, especially after Xilna assessed the situation and said, "Evacuating civilians was the right call after all. This is clearly a risky endeavor."

"You installed a rail gun?!" exclaimed Arcturus after realizing what just happened. "On an archaeological site?!"

"We were going to use it in case something happened," said Xilna. "Guess it wasn't just paranoia."