RB Chapter 147 Road To The Grove
After purchasing everything that they will and might need for the mission, they set off. The grove, the target for their mission was located 3km in the north west direction of the camp.
The land was uneven, many ruins of collapsed buildings dotted the landscape. According to the arrangement, they must have been residential houses.
They couldn't use a vehicle, so they decided to trek the distance. The ruins were dark as this was a moonless night. They walked in the open, but they still vigilantly kept a look out.
"Woah! So this is how the night life looks like through your eyes!" Exclaimed Leah. She had just taken the night vision temp-gene and the effects had excited her.
"Heh! This isn't special at all. If there was moonlight, you would have been able to see as if it was day!...now, that would be very exciting!" Elena commented. She wasn't mocking or anything, a smile even tugged at the corners of her lips as she beheld her friend. Leah was closer to her than even the sibling bond of being sisters.
They were walking in single file, Eric at the head, and Chloe bringing up the rear.
'There are no traces of large organisms. These ants cleared up everything...they are too efficient!' Eric was amazed. His dark blue pupils were now glowing with a violet hue, a sign of activating the spectrum vision.
"When we were leaving camp after accepting the mission, I felt a malicious gaze." Chloe said at this time. Her face hidden in the darkness, expression not visible, only the light blue eyes.
"It was probably one of the ten clan haters. There were plenty of such gazes when we were standing in the square." Elena dismissed it.
"I felt a potent killing intent. Someone might be targeting us." Eric also said without turning his head. He was still cautiously combing the terrain with his eyes.
"So they want to kill us!" Fear was prevalent in Leah's voice.
"I just hope those people above aren't plotting against us." Chloe was still worried. A blade in the dark was more dangerous than one in the open.
"We have Eric...and now, you. You are both spectrum warriors. And I am sure that news of that won't spread for some time, so what are you quaking in your boots for?" Elena said, causing Chloe's eyes to light up. She had forgotten about that detail.
"I listened to people in the camp. The most talked about topic was that the front line expansion has slowed down." Leah broached another topic of conversation.
"Beasts posses intelligence. They probably felt threatened and decided to work together. But still, I think that alliance is fragile as they are mostly driven by instincts." Eric explained.
"Yeah, ultimately, they will only work together seamlessly when they are really pushed into a corner, or the spectrum beasts take control." Chloe continued.
"Then, what's with the beast in the grove? If its an energy channelling beast, then its intelligence is high. Why did it stay in the grove?" Leah asked.
"I don't know. We, and those who issued the mission don't have a full grasp on its information." Eric was already suspicious, but he didn't want to alarm his companions.
"Its probably a loner?" Elena brought out a nonsensical reason, causing everyone to chuckle.
They didn't continue chatting for long after that. Once they became silent, they heard the rustling of foliage caused by the night breeze. The night was cold, but it didn't make them uncomfortable, instead, they felt invigorated.
They made as little sound as possible, even with their feet after they gave up chatting.
After two hours of walking in silence, they appeared on a hill and spotted the grove in the distance. It was nestled between the two hills, in the valley. One of those, was the one they were atop of.
Due to the absence of the moon, the grove and the valley appeared to be shrouded in intense darkness, and all felt a chill, as if something sinister was observing them.
"That place is too dark. Are we really making a move in the beast at night?" Chloe asked, a frown on her face. She had subconsciously lowered her voice to a whisper due to the creepy atmosphere. It was like she was scared something in that grove would be listening to her.
Even with all the abilities they had, night battles were dangerous! Mistakes were more prone to happen at night.
"Then we would have wasted money in the night vision temp-gene for nothing." Leah spoke with hurt. Temp-genes, even the cheapest started at 100,000 Universal credits for every hour of its duration. That meant that the night vision temp-gene Leah was using had been bought at 500,000 Universal credits!
"Being alive is more important than money. You can just earn more when alive." Chloe advised, causing Leah to nod.
"Then we shall camp here. This place makes it so that beasts can't ambush us." Eric said.
They had been carrying backpacks on their backs and the moment they made a decision, they started to remove stuff from them.
"Remember, though this place is ambush proof, its also visible over a long distance, so don't make loud noises...anything that can create light shouldn't be used too." Eric cautioned arms they worked.
After a few minutes, two tents appeared atop the hill.
"This meat is delicious! I wish I heard the recipe." Leah commented. They had bought some packed food back in the camp, and right now, they were having it for dinner.
They were seated out in the open, on the short grass which was growing atop the hill. They were in a circle within the darkness.
The existence of many carcasses had made many businesses related to food smell an opportunity. They hadn't hesitated a bit and directly hopped onto the bandwagon of war so that they could make profits.
"Mmmm!" Eric nodded vigorously in acceptance. He had just scooped up a bit of the soup coupled with a bit of rice...and the taste had been heavenly! The harmony of the ingredients in the soup was superb!
All of them agreed with her. No one spoke once again. They all became so engrossed in the deliciousness of the meal, that they found talking to be idiotic.
"It has been some time since I last observed the night sky." Eric said as he laid down onto the grass with his back. They had finished eating and were casually relaxing. If it was before the war, they wouldn't have even dared to camp out in the open, instead, they would have searched for a conspicuous place.
"The stars really are beautiful." Chloe commented.
"What do you think is in those stars, other solar systems? How great it would be if we could explore them!" Leah's comment made Eric sit up abruptly.
"The stars..." His heart sped up as he muttered that word.
"I have always wanted to make it out of this planet and exploring other solar systems, too bad we have no warp drives." Leah sighed.
"I have never heard about that. Is that your dream?" Elena sat up and looked at her curiously.
"Yes."
After the relaxation, Elena hurriedly suggested that she would take first watch. Eric had been about to nominate himself...but seeing her enthusiasm, he had agreed.
'I hope Michael doesn't die.' Before he went to sleep, Eric wished for that bold guy to stay alive.