Taber grabbed the young colonist by the color. The Colonist's blue energy waved and glittered. "Justin, Why did you just attack?"
"I thought they were gonna attack us," Justin responded.
"Hey, look!" Someone else pointed.
Taber let go of Justin, and looked over as Kaly and Ivy rounded the corner of the canyon.
Taber's gaze hardened as Ivy and Kaly stepped into view. He quickly assessed them, thinking, 'Ivy's playful, almost careless expression and the other girl, Kaly…she looks pissed.'
Kaly's four arms positioned tensely by her sides.
"Hold your ground," Taber ordered his group, his voice low and calm but edged with caution. He gave Justin a pointed look that conveyed the unspoken warning: no more impulsive attacks. He thought, Excluding me there are ten people in this group. I sense someone else around, but I only see those two. From what I've seen everyone on my team is pretty strong and can hold their own for the most part…even Justin. We have the clear advantage, but I feel this can still get messy…Let's not let it come to that.' Taber raised a hand, trying to defuse the tension without going against his own readiness. "Listen, we're not looking to start anything here. We're all after the same goal, right? Let's not make this harder than it has to be."
Taber's eyes flickered as he caught Kaly's distrusting glare. He could tell she was itching for a fight, and he couldn't entirely blame her—The last few days on this island had left his emotions completely shot. As much as he wanted to trust his team, the tension in the canyon was tangible, amplified by the days of sleepless, brutal survival. His muscles ached, his mind felt frayed, and had almost been killed five times. For the rest of his group, this training had instilled a ruthless survival instinct in them all. Looking at Ivy and Kaly, visually he could tell they had also gone through a rough time.
Taber's jaw tightened as Kaly's gaze zeroed in on Justin, her tone edged with accusation. She was like a coiled spring, her eyes flashing with a lethal gleam as she stared him down. "You're the one who attacked us." She thought, 'I could kill him before anyone would react.'
Justin's voice wavered slightly as he defended himself. "I thought—well, I thought you were gonna attack us first."
Just then, Pearson came around the of the canyon. He froze when he saw Taber and his group and the tense standoff.
Taber's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ivy…" Pearson called cautiously. "What's happening?"
Kaly shot him a look that said, 'You're ruining this,' before turning her glare back to Justin. "Yeah, everything's just fine," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Justin here was explaining why he thought it was funny to attack us."
Taber cleared his throat, giving Pearson a suspicious look. "You're with them?"
Pearson nodded warily. "Yeah… kind of," he said, his voice held a hint of nervousness as he glanced at Ivy and Kaly. "We met in that massive wall, and have been traveling together."
Kaly's energy crackled around her, barely contained, as she stepped closer to Justin, her expression dangerously calm. "Maybe I should show him just how funny it is to attack us."
While everyone was busy arguing, Ivy couldn't help but get distracted by something in the mouth of one of the ancient, buildings that were carved into the sides of the canyon. A silhouette shrouded in shadow, swaying as it watched them.
Kaly's voice cut through the air, her words sharp, "I don't think he realizes how serious this is."
"Maybe you should calm down, Kaly," Taber interjected, trying to maintain control over the situation. "We don't need any more misunderstandings."
But Kaly wasn't listening. She took a step closer to Justin, the furious intent of her energy making him feel as if he were drowning..
Pearson glanced between Kaly and the group, anxiety bubbling within him. "Look, we're all on the same side here. Let's not make things worse."
"Give us one of your artifacts." Kaly demanded, pointing two fingers on her right hand at Justin. A seemingly innocuous movement, but Taber instantly remembered back to when Kaly blew up the boulder in front of the cave.
Ivy's focus remained fixed on the shadowy figure, but it was just far enough away to remain indistinct, hidden in the half-light that filtered into the canyon. The silhouette moved with a strange, swaying rhythm, as if taunting them.
Taber tensed, his teeth gritted. He felt as if he were about two seconds away from attacking them both.
The figure stepped into the light, a tan aura around his spindly frame. Most of his body was wrapped tightly with a shimmery golden cloth. He slammed both his palms on the ground. The stranger's tan aura pulsed, blending with the dusty light. Mud and rocks began to ooze out from the canyon walls, thin streams trickling down like blood from an open wound. Then, with a sudden roar, the cracks split wide, and a surge of thick, dark mud cascaded down in a massive wave, filling the canyon floor in moments.
Pearson's eyes widened as he scrambled backward, nearly slipping as the sludge threatened to swallow them whole. "Move!" Taber shouted, grabbing Justin's arm as he broke his focus on Kaly.
But the figure seemed to vanish within the torrent, only to reappear a moment later. For a heartbeat, his shadowy form merged with the mud, his voice echoing over the chaos: "Artifacts… in the end, Ceda will make sure you all die here."
Kaly swore loudly, her eyes darting from the oncoming flood to the walls of the canyon. Her energy flared, trying to cut a path through the mud. The group had seconds to make a decision before the flood overtook them completely.
Some people began to panic, while others began activating their energy abilities. Swords appeared in hands, armor shimmered over bodies, and the energy of that many people in the vicinity caused the air and ground to visibly warp and vibrate.
A colonist began flinging streaks of his energy at Ceda, which fell around him, slicing deep into the mud.
Taber roared attempting to keep everything calm, "Everyone, up the walls! Use whatever you've got—just don't get swept under!" He gestured urgently to his team, already scaling a jagged ledge nearby.
Pearson's bell-staff flickered to life in his hands, ringing with a clear tone. With a surge of energy, he planted the staff in the mud, sending a rippling shockwave that momentarily held back the thick sludge around him and Ivy.
Kaly grimmaced, feeling her feet slip, as the mud slid her back several yards. 'If I trip, it might be over. By the time I push myself up, the mud will totally engulf me!'
The brief shockwave from Pearson's bell-staff gave them precious seconds as the mud parted, forming a shallow, protected circle around him and Ivy. Ivy didn't waste the moment, clutching her trident and scanning the area for Ceda. Her eyes narrowed and unyielding, threw a glance at Taber, who was pulling his team up the wall with relentless determination. "We need to get above this!" He screamed.
As Kaly walked toward the canyon wall, she felt something brush her foot. She shoved her hand down, pulling out Justin from the mud.
Between gasps for air, "Oh my Gosh! Oh my Gosh! I thought I was dead!"
"Come on! Go!" She pointed to the wall. The mud surged dangerously close again as Kaly gave Justin a shove, pushing him forward. Her own feet sank into the shifting sludge, but fought against it. She scrambled toward the wall, yanking herself upward onto a jagged ledge. She felt her heart pounding with the strain, but adrenaline kept her moving. With a deep breath, she turned, holding her two fingers out, scanning the area for Ceda.
Ivy could feel Pearson's protective circle diminishing as the shockwave faded, the mud creeping in around them once more. "There!" Ivy gripped her trident, jumping straight into the air with as much force as she could muster.
At the same time, Kaly spotted Ceda swiftly maneuvering beneath the surface layer of the mud. With a fierce yell, she launched a ball of energy from her fingertips. The explosion sent Ceda hurtling into the air, where Ivy collided with him, a flurry of energy crackling on impact.
Caught off guard, Ceda gasped as Ivy's fist landed squarely on his cheek, the force of their collision propelling them upward, suspended for a heartbeat. Ivy tightened her grip on his face, twisting, and driving him back toward the canyon floor.
Kaly watched, heart racing, looked down, seeing the mud was rising once more, Kaly started climbing with fierce determination, zooming past Justin, leaving the mud swirling ominously below. On another ledge, she pointed her fingers again, ready to unleash it the moment they landed. But Ceda, dazed though he was, began to twist in Ivy's grip, noticing her right hand remained empty. Just then, Ivy plunged her trident into his side—not deep enough to pierce, but enough to hold him down. They slammed into the mud with a heavy thud.
Instantly, Ceda wriggled free, vanishing into the thick sludge. "Hey! What? Oh, no..." Ivy's eyes widened as she sank like a rock.
"Ivy!" Kaly's heart dropped, dread pooling in her stomach as Ivy's shimmering aura flickered and faded beneath the churning murk.