Take Flight And Fall

- Fight -

Even if I didn’t want to help the mutants, I was indebted to them in a lot of ways. I couldn’t just object fighting with them and had to go with their plan.

The plan was that Kama—the chamaeleon mutant with the ability of invisibility—was to camouflage the warriors and a few mutants who had volunteered to fight. They would stay close enough to the Red Hunters, waiting to attack. While they were hiding, the queen, a few of her chiefs—especially the younger and more agile ones—and Veena will bring me before the Red Hunters. The goal was to make it seem like they were using me to bargain for their peace, humbly begging the Red Hunters to spare us. And while all of that was going on, the aged and the children were being led to a safer place for the time being. All in all, I was terribly afraid. But I was still a little relieved because I wasn’t to join them in the fight; I was to simply stand aside and observe. If the sutuation worsened, I was to use my power without holding back, even if it will affect the mutants.

“You better not mess this up Kaitos,” Veena hissed, pushing me to my knees.

“He won’t,” the queen said in a firm tone, her eyes on the Red Hunters who were approaching us through the dust and dirt from the destroyed wall.

I don’t plan to, I thought, tugging on the metal restraints they had made Dirk wrap around my wrists.

The leader of the Red Hunters raised her fingers and motioned for them to spread out and surround us. The moment she got close enough, she raised her gigantic gun and pointed it at us.

“Well, well, well. Deneb Kaitos I didn’t expect you to be this weak,” she said through her bandanna. Unlike like last time, I wasn’t on severely exhausted so I could make out the deep English accent that was laced in her voice. She looked at the queen, her chiefs and Veena with narrowed eyes. “And what is your deal?”

The queen took a step forward, raised her hands and knelt down. The chiefs and Veena followed suit. Her face slowly dropped, fake sadness washing over her face. “Please,” she croaked, faking a weak tone. “Leave us alone. Spare us and take your prisoner with you. Just... spare us.”

The leader remained quiet for a while. She then tossed her head back and snickered in an unamused manner. As she stopped, she pulled down her bandanna. Seeing her full face made her seem even more menacing—a killer with an innocent and beautiful face.

She tsked lightly, shaking her head. “Beg beg, beg, that’s all you can do.” She exhaled, sounding like she was not about to shoot us, passing a gloved hand over her short afro. “I love when people beg. Actually I can stay all day and merely listen to you as you beg. But”—she cocked her head—“I don’t have the time.” She raised her fingers, motioned to the other Red Hunters and they started moving closer to us with their raised guns.

The queen merely all the Red Hunters with her eyes, her expression uncaring. They were roughly fifty in total, and they were more than they were last time. Surely they had retreated to get backup.

Just for one being, I thought, grinding my teeth in anger.

When they were close enough, the queen inhaled nonchalantly through her nostrils.

“Ready,” she said under her breath and Veena slowly placed her hands on the ground, digging her fingers into the earth. “Set,” she whispered, bringing her hands together.

The leader of the Red Hunters snorted, a sadistic smirk on her face. “Get ready to—” She never got to finish her sentence as the ground under her rose, throwing her off her feet. She fell onto her back and immediately rushed to her feet.

Her face was deeply enraged. She raised her gun and shot at the queen. But the bullet paused midair and the queen smirked.

The leader’s face fell before her expression changed into one of shock. “Everyone formation six! Formation six!”