Upon learning about the plight of the inhabitants of the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, the
people of the Trekking Flamingo Runaway City welcomed them with open arms. They were eager to fulfil the Supreme Leader's orders. As devoted followers of Paradise, they considered the newcomers as one of their own, with no prejudice.
They were also keen to hear about the divine enemy that had caused such turmoil. Nevertheless, due to the nobles' recent execution, the Trekking Flamingo Runaway City had a significant amount of space to fill. Greroth was handling the construction of new structures to restore Runaway City to its former glory, so they greatly appreciated their arrival.
The evacuation took about three and a half days.
Within the Forge Palace,
It was difficult to deduce its appearance in one of its chambers with destroyed and scorched walls except for the wide monitors, wires, and control panels that remained as clues.
At the centre of the chamber was a large, glowing white sphere of lightning that constantly attempted to shift forms while maintaining its spherical shape. Surrounding it was a spherical glass with large mechanical constructs and tendrils stretching down to the floor, connecting to various sections of the ruined chamber.
Surprisingly, beside the encased sphere of glowing, morphing white light, there was a woman with three missing limbs-two legs and a left arm-sprawled on the floor.
Vein-like structures unnaturally pulsed around her body, connected to the ground below, which also possessed similar vein-like structures pulsing with a soft light as though channelling some unknown power into her. Scattered around her were particles of light dust emerging from the veiny structures on the ground.In an astonishing sight, the metal scraps scattered around her began to draw towards her as if held by some invisible hand. They transformed into a liquid metallic substance that flowed to her body and began to merge with her limbs, reconstructing them.
As the minutes passed, her worsening condition began to improve.
Meanwhile, behind the spherical sphere, the metallic liquid merged to create a unique structure suspended in the air. Upon closer inspection, this structure resembled the mechanical halo captured by Ilse, albeit much smaller and with a less intricate design.
The woman was none other than the divine being who had eliminated and incapacitated two Vylkr spawns before being chased by Ilse. Her eyes were closed, with various glimpses of images flashing through her mind as she slowly recovered.
You either adapt, or you perish; failure only comes once!
These were the rules of the current world, ones most familiar to the inhabitants of the Drelyal Mountain Range.
"They are coming," said a man with a humanoid hairy beast-like appearance. He had four arms and was dressed in hard brown-black armour made from mixed leather-like fabrics and other materials.
His arms were padded with the same material, and one of them bore a Devourer bracelet. Strapped to his back was a large mechanical sword, a Gearweaver, indicating that he was a god's chosen.
The man turned his head to the side and nodded at eight others-men and women of the same race-all dressed in similar leather-like material but with varying styles. Each of them also had a Devourer bracelet on one arm and a Gearweaver strapped to their backs, signifying that they were also the gods' chosens.
They were the 1st Unit of the Vanguard team from the Korsan Blade Stowaway. The man who had spoken was Aric, the Captain of the 1st Unit.
The Drelyal Alliance had sent their Stowaway to investigate the whereabouts of three Runaway Cities that had wandered deep into their territories almost a year ago and showed no signs of returning. The plan was to wait in hiding with other Stowaways to ambush the Runaway Cities and seize them, as a meeting between all three Runaway Cities would surely not be friendly.
However, after nearly a year with no sign of the Runaway Cities, they grew impatient and decided to uncover what was happening.
"It's good that they are still around. I almost thought they had escaped," said a woman. Her name was Mirr, and she was the Vice Captain of the 1st Unit of the Vanguard Team of the Korsan Blade Stowaway.
The only way out of the Drelyal Mountain Range was through the Lars Desert, filled with sinking sands and countless Vylkr vine variants writhing underneath. It was a dreaded zone avoided even by Grade One Runaway Cities; if the Runaway Cities had passed through such an area to escape, it would have genuinely been a missed opportunity.
"Still, it's surprising that rather than the Trekking Flamingo Runaway City, a Grade One city about to advance to Grade Two, which rumours from the higher-ups of the alliance indicated we would likely face, it is instead the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City that has emerged and made it this far. I feel like there's something amiss," Mirr added, her lips morphing into a deep frown as her eyes fixed on the advancing Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City below the steep cliff.
Her senses were flaring with each passing minute. As the Vice Captain of a Stowaway, a role far more demanding than their counterpart of a Runaway City, Mirr had always trusted her senses because they had never failed her.
"Captain..." she called out, turning to look at the man observing the scene intently below.
Aric nodded. "I see what you're getting at. Suppose the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City has made it this far, and there are no signs of the Sleeping Fox or the Trekking Flamingo Runaway Cities. In that case, they must have defeated them and are returning with whatever they came here for."
"This suggests they are hiding a secret that would harm us if we ambush them, thinking they are weakened." He added, "I think it's best to return and inform the alliance about this. I doubt they haven't considered what actions to take if either of the Grade One Runaway Cities returned. Let's return to the city. We can't waste any more time here."
"CAPTAIN, WE HAVE BEEN EXPOSED....!" one of the unit members shouted, his voice echoing across the atmosphere.
The moment his voice echoed, a projectile shot through the air, and the sound of the air being torn apart resonated in the atmosphere. The projectile hit the ground beside them with a
resonating "BANGG!"
The Unit evaded to the side.
Dust rose into the air.
Unfortunately, only five of them managed to escape uninjured.
Soon, the dust settled, revealing a thirteen-meter-wide crater with a broken devourer gear embedded in its centre. The reaming Unit immediately grabbed their Gearweavers in
alertness.
Raising their head upwards, they saw an astonishing sight. High in the sky was an orc woman dressed in leather and Vylkr alloy mixed armour that tightly hugged her body, accentuating her curves. She firmly gripped the handle of her Gearweaver, which had a slightly strange and intimidating design, making them doubt if it was indeed the Gearweaver they were familiar
with.
The realisation that she was flying despite not possessing any wings filled them with dread, as they couldn't fathom the rank of the technique required to demonstrate such a skill.
Nonetheless, they had been informed about the details of the Sleeping Fox, Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise, and Trekking Flamingo Runaway Cities. Hence, the identity of the intimidating green-grey-skinned woman quickly came to mind.
Her name was Sy'ra, the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City commander. She was much stronger than Commander Vargoth, the Sleeping Fox Runaway City commander, and was also said to be one of the top ranks within the Grade One Runaway Cities.
The realisation that they were facing a commander made them gulp in fear. They couldn't help but feel confused as they observed the black mask she was wearing, pondering its use, as it would be foolish to consider it merely an accessory.
Turning their heads to the side, they noticed Sy'ra wasn't alone. She was accompanied by tens of gods' chosens, all wearing slightly revealing outfits except for a few, like those of the same race as Sy'ra. They also wielded the strange Gearweavers, and their numbers increased rapidly, from dozens to several hundred within seconds.
Aric's heart raced as he tried to understand how they had been discovered. He seriously pondered whether the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City knew their plans.
A chill ran down his spine at the thought of a mole within the Drelyal Alliance. However, he didn't have time to dwell on that and could only focus on how to escape their sudden predicament.
"Stowaways, you have dared to plan an ambush against the Wanderlust Traveling Tortoise Runaway City, and you will pay dearly for that! You have only one option: surrender!" Sy'ra's voice reverberated through the air, shaking the hearts of the 1st Unit of the Vanguard Team of the Korsan Blade Stowaway.
"Captain, what are your orders?" one of the members of the 1st Unit asked, his eyes blazing with a desire to fight as he turned towards Aric.
"I don't mind dying here today, Captain. I've already said my goodbyes when our Stowaway accepted this mission," another member added, her eyes fixed above as she tightly gripped the handle of her Gearweaver sword.
The members of the 1st Unit of the Vanguard Team of the Korsan Blade Runaway City gripped their Gearweavers tightly and activated their Devourer's Gears as they watched the number of chosen ones in the sky continue to rise.
Three hundred!
Four hundred!
Five hundred...
"Captain... what are your orders?" Mirr could no longer hold back and shouted. Her Vylkr
energy emerged from her Devourer's Bracelet, spread to her arms, and wrapped around her
entire body. But...
"We... surrender!" Aric shouted, throwing his Gearweaver aside and dropping to his knees. "Everyone, go down on your knees immediately!" he ordered the rest of his Unit. Upon hearing their Captain's words, they gritted their teeth in anger, their expressions filled
with reluctance. Yet, within moments, they threw their weapons aside and knelt one by one. Seeing this, Aric exhaled in relief. They were already cornered, so there was nothing more they could do. There was no need for regrets; they had already lost because...
Failure only comes once.
...The next brings death!
....
Author's Note: 1.7k words. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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