"Leo, I believe it is best we present them with a distraction to get them off our trail."
"Alright. I'll turn that first vehicle into a time bomb." Running over to the front of the craft, Leo used Sprite to set up a bomb in the craft. After modifying blasters and explosives, Leo picked up a few things which made the process faster. "Shadow the bomb is armed. We have 10 minutes."
Shadow and Leo loaded up their aircraft with supplies ranging from food, weapons, and raw materials. This weight would slow them down, so they needed to leave in a hurry. The two of them took off through the trees on the side of the road. This path is the same one they use to escape all of their heists.
The four hovercrafts arrived at the site only to see death and destruction. All the vehicles were destroyed in some manner, and all the supplies were taken. A Core Building beastman in the hovercraft with three troops told the extra man to get out and check for survivors.
The beastman walked over to the first vehicle. The Core Building feline variant was apparently in charge. "Unit 1351, 1352, and 1353 take your hovercrafts and perform a large-scale search. I will stay...."
"BOOM!"
The time bomb went off killing the beastman near it instantly. Anger flooded the team leaders face. "Damn those bandits. Get the hell out there and find them!" Looking down at a piece of the beastman that just died, Unit 1350 promised himself that he would kill those bandits.
Moving about as fast as they could, Shadow and Leo heard the explosion go off. "Shadow they are going to be onto us soon." Shadow pushed the vehicle to its max speed it could go zigzagging through the trees.
"Sir, one of the vehicles is locked onto us and is less than a kilometer behind us." Leo squinted through the trees to spot the incoming craft. Tracking a plasma shot incoming, Sprite responded, "Miss Shadow turn right."
After living with Sprite and Leo, Shadow trusted Sprite almost as much as her instincts. The craft turned to the right, and a plasma blast whizzed past them and blew up a tree it hit.
With Sprite giving her a heads up, Shadow was able to dodge a few more shots. The problem was with them getting closer and closer it was becoming harder to evade.
Seeing this Leo looked at Shadow and said, "I'll take care of this." Using his Tempered Strength, he leaped out the back of the craft towards the enemy. Leo landed on the beastmen's ship. "Have a present." He attached a bomb to the hood and jumped off and grabbed onto a tree.
"Unit 1568 get out now." Unit 1351 abandoned ship, but his partner got caught by the detonation and was sent sailing into a tree.
Leo jumped down and took off running. He knew if he didn't get a head start on the Core Building warrior, the beastman would kill him.
Unit 1351 checked to see if Unit 1568 was breathing. Even though it was shallow, the beastman was still alive. 1351 ground his teeth and looked in the direction the human ran in. "Beastman Art: Shadow Walk."
The beastman burst with a high speed closing in on Leo. "Sir, the beastman is almost upon you."
Looking back, Leo knew the feline variant was closing in. Leo trained with Shadow for a long time and knew how fast Shadow Walk increased speed. The only problem was no matter how fast she moved; Sprite could always locate her.
Leo threw down a different type of bomb than before. When the explosive detonated, a gulf of smoke spread out. The cloud of smoke blocked out all vision in the immediate area. Using a tactic, Leo had used many times, by blinding the enemy and using Sprite.
Hiding in the smoke, Leo hid behind a tree ready to pounce. The beastman surprised him by not moving at all. Unit 1351 was a hunter and tracker. He chased his prey often enough to become aware of their plans. Enhancing his smell with mana, he looked through the smoke and knew exactly where the human was.
"Shadow Strike!" The tree splintered and left Leo surprised. Moving back, Leo started firing where Sprite told him to with the blaster. The beastman easily evaded every shot by focusing mana into his ears. This increase in the hearing was able to pinpoint every plasma shot's trajectory.
"Sir, he is not something you can fight. Run now."
Leo turned and ran. Unit 1351 noticed his target running away. He activated Shadow Walk and appeared behind him. Just as Leo exited the cloud of smoke; a claw strike slammed into him causing him to fly into a tree trunk.
"Sir, you broke a rib and are bleeding profusely."
"Cough...cough...I know sprite..." Leo tried to pick himself up, but the attack did a number on him. Walking over, Unit 1351 stared at the human. He was surprised a native of the planet was giving his people such a hard time.
"Sir, another Core Building life form has shown up. I am also detecting a Tempered Body life form with it."
Smelling the new arrivals, the beastman turned around and launched a mana claw towards the newcomers in the cloud. The attack sliced up the Tempered Body warrior immediately. The Core Building released a feline roar and lunged at the beastman through the dispersing mist.
It was a huge mountain lion. The beast had the beastman pinned down by his shoulder. Snarling the cat went to bite the hunters head off, but the hunter clawed its underbelly.
"Sir, while he is distracted you best chance to run is now."
Getting up, Leo ran towards the smoke. Running through the vanishing cloud, he tripped over a large lump in the dust. A baby mountain lion was injured. Leo was about to run, but he knew it would bother him later if he didn't try to help the cub.
"Sprite is there anything I can do."
"Sir, try bandaging it and using your little bit of mana to clot the wounds." Bending over the cat, Leo started wrapping it in his bandit garb. The lion's blood was getting all over him. Then Leo began applying his mana to the wound. Slowly the blood started to thicken.
The battle behind Leo was stopping anytime soon by the sounds of it. Every claw strikes the feline variant used, the mountain lion counter him with its own. Using his superior speed advantage, the beastman fought toe to toe with the beast.
"Pew." A plasma blast came straight at Unit 1351. The hunter sidestepped it only to be caught with a lions paw to the face. The beastman, pinned to the ground, had his arms bitten off. Then the mountain cat finished him off by biting off his head.
Holding the modified blaster, Leo put it back into its holster. The cub breathing was finally calming down. Leo smiled when he was proud he saved the little cat.
"Sir, behind you.." A massive paw out of the corner of his eye knocked him out. A claw strike from a Core Building beast is hard to dodge that close. Leo was knocked unconscious at the mercy of the wild animal.