C180 - Camp
Khan reported everything that had happened in the underground structure accurately. His report included Rodney's unforgivable behavior, and Asyat's cube soon lit up since the higher-ups of her species wanted her to confirm Khan's version.
The girl wasn't in a good state, but she mustered her strength to complete the task. Mikail couldn't help but shoot disgusted glances at Rodney after orders arrived in his cube. He almost couldn't believe that he had considered that human his companion just a few hours ago.
"[They were right to be wary of us]," Khan commented when he saw Mikail standing up to drag Rodney to his Aduns.
The Niqols had tied Rodney up with his own clothes. That couldn't do much to keep someone capable of wielding mana still, but Mikail wouldn't hold back from hitting the boy until he fainted if he happened to do something funny.
The higher-ups had given Mikail orders to bring Rodney to one of the safe locations since he had become unreliable on the battlefield. Khan didn't know what would happen to him, but he didn't really care. Rodney had tried to kill him. Khan wouldn't feel any pity for his situation.
Mikail left the area, and Khan waited for new orders, but nothing arrived. The lack of communications confirmed how he and Asyat had to continue overseeing that area. Everything there had been relatively calm before the arrival of the monster, so no threats appeared now that Khan had killed that creature.
Khan didn't like that situation too much. He still felt pissed that Rodney could have resorted to such an extreme action only to save his position on Nitis. Attacking Asyat was one thing that Khan hated but understood. However, he couldn't even begin to accept how Rodney had been willing to turn on him afterward.
Khan and Rodney didn't have a great relationship, but they had slept in the same room multiple times. They were also members of the elite team sent on a political mission. That alone set specific rules for their behavior, but Rodney didn't seem to think like him. He didn't hesitate to try to push Khan down once he started defending Asyat.
The absence of threats in the area worsened Khan's situation. Asyat didn't even try to hold back now that they had remained alone. She took his arm in her grasp and rested on his shoulder while he studied the land or meditated.
The girl had managed to calm down, but she still used Khan as moral support. She even tried to kiss him a few times, but he always stopped her or directly dodged her attempts.
It almost seemed that Asyat was doing that on purpose. An ignorant eye would see her attempts to kiss Khan as a form of manipulation that exploited her recent experience. However, he knew the Niqols enough to understand that she was simply trying to vent the awfulness that she was feeling. He was the perfect alternative to a party in her situation.
"[Why are you so hard to get]?" Asyat complained after Khan dodged another kiss and made her lips end on his cheek. "[I know that you have no interest in me, but can't you make an exception today]?"
"[We are in the middle of a worldwide crisis]," Khan tried to change the topic.
"[One more reason to stop holding back]," Asyat responded while diverting her gaze. "[We might die full of regrets tomorrow]."
Khan inspected the girl lying on his shoulder. Her feelings appeared serious, so he felt the need to address them adequately, especially after what she had gone through. "[I like you, but I already have someone. I'm sorry]."
"[Everyone knows about your mysterious girlfriend]," Asyat announced before making sure that his arm could feel her breasts, "[But can't you make an exception]?"
'Liiza will kill me for sure,' Khan sighed in his mind before pulling his arm out of that tempting situation.
"[I can't. I don't want to]," Khan replied in a serious tone. "[You probably wouldn't want it like this either. Take your time to accept what has happened]."
Asyat remained speechless in front of Khan's honest words. She sniffed as a tear ran down her cheek. Her sad voice followed as she bent to lay on Khan's lap. "[Let me rest for a bit then]."
Khan couldn't do much there. He hoped for the arrival of monsters, but the rocky region betrayed him. He could only remain in that position as Asyat did her best not to fall asleep to forget about everything that had happened.
'This is only the first day,' Khan commented in his mind as minutes passed.
The first day with the daylight was bound to be harsh due to the sudden increase in the monsters' population. The initial wave of packs expanding into lands that they had always avoided would create many battlefields, and the Niqols didn't have enough strong assets to handle all of them. They could salvage their important areas by letting the students buy some time, but they had already accepted that they would lose control of most of the planet.
Easier days would follow the initial outburst. The monsters would settle in new environments, which would give the Niqols the chance to create specific hunts. The students would have to handle the creatures within the range of their abilities while the stronger assets would take care of the nearby areas that featured too many threats.
Still, the situation would worsen afterward. The sunlight would continue to fill Nitis for two months, according to the calculations of the Global Army. That time was enough to trigger new mutations on monsters that had already stabilized.
That would give birth to stronger monsters which the students couldn't even hope to approach. The Niqols considered that the worst moment of the crisis since it would require their best assets to work together to clear multiple areas.
The situation would stabilize again after that due to the overall fall in the Tainted animals' population. The monsters wouldn't have anything with mana to eat, which would stop further mutations and force them to rely on fights inside their packs.
Everything was about surviving the first day and the dangerous phase, but Khan couldn't feel too good about that after seeing what a single unique monster had managed to cause. One student was dead, and another had betrayed him for political reasons. The Niqols would have to abandon more areas if other battlefields ended up facing the same losses.
Mikail never returned to the barren area. The Niqols sent him to help Khan's previous group. Instead, he and Asyat eventually had to stand up to fight a strange rat that had developed the ability to spit poison.
The battle against that creature didn't last long since Khan killed it in three kicks, but the event finally made Asyat leave his lap and arm. She had calmed down completely. She only wanted to attend the party meant to mourn the losses of the first day now.
Hours had to pass before the Niqols in charge of the various communications summoned the students back to one of the safe areas established after studying the expansion of the different mutated animals. It was enough for them to send a map through the cubes to notify everyone of the temporary headquarters created after a whole day of reports, and Khan remained stupefied by how quickly the aliens had managed to act after he and Asyat reached their destination.
The Niqols had established an encampment in a cold area hidden among a mountain chain. That region was relatively close to the academy. It actually was in the most external defensive layer decided before the arrival of the daylight, which proved how successful the first day had been.
A few short structures that had specific purposes stood in the middle of a sea of tents. Only experts who could concoct potions, provide medical care, or help in the disposition of the troops could enter those buildings. Every other habitation was for the students, and the aliens didn't even bother to assign names to them.
Khan didn't know how the Niqols had managed to create something like that in a mere day. He guessed that they had used some of the underground tunnels, but he remained stupefied nonetheless.
The actual state of the camp made his amazement vanish quickly. Khan noticed multiple groups of Niqols gathered in empty spots with drinks in their hands or instruments playing sad chants. Many of them featured bandages or new injuries, and their dark mood revealed how the first day didn't go too well for them.
Khan moved among the tents until a familiar pair of eyes landed on his side. He turned and saw Liiza staring at him while laying her back on one of the metal sticks that kept the tent open. Her gaze immediately went on his right sleeve to check the injury created by the mutated Talelos, but she quickly stopped inspecting him after confirming that he was fine.
Khan did something similar. He confirmed that Liiza was fine before diverting his gaze and proceeding on his way. Liiza entered her tent at that point. She had seen her boyfriend, so she could sleep easily now.
Many Niqols greeted Khan with warm salutes, but some seemed to feel some hesitation when their eyes fell on him. Something was holding them back from showing their usual affection toward him.
Khan didn't initially understand the reason behind that odd behavior, but everything became clear when he found the recruits living on their own in tents at the edges of the encampment. He could recognize ostracism when he saw it.
George, Veronica, Kelly, and Brandon were standing outside of their tents when Khan approached them. His arrival made them stop their conversation and hurry toward him, but their reactions differed greatly.
Veronica appeared worried, George ran while eyeing the couple, Kelly was angry, and Brandon was confused. Only one event could make them react so differently. Khan could confirm that they knew about Rodney with a simple glance.
"What have you done?" Kelly asked while trying to keep her voice down.
"Fought against many monsters mainly," Khan shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't play dumb," Brandon continued. "We know that you sold Rodney to the Niqols. You should have let the humans handle him!"
"Do you know what he has done?" Khan asked as a displeased expression appeared on his face. "He didn't only try to kill a Niqols. He even tried to push me down a cliff when I tried to help her. Did you want me to leave such a dangerous character around while we still can't contact the Global Army?"
The four fell silent when they heard those words. They didn't expect the situation to be so serious. Their knowledge came from the rumors that had already filled the camp, but they were obviously incomplete.
"Don't listen to them," Veronica announced. "You did the right thing. I wouldn't feel safe with someone like him fighting with us."
"She is right," George added. "I understand the political issues connected to your actions, but we are risking our lives here. I'm not dying because of him."
"What if he has ruined everything that we have accomplished until now?" Kelly complained. "Wouldn't that make our efforts useless?"
"Useless but alive," George repeated. "I would have reported Rodney myself if I were in his situation. The guy actually tried to kill him!"
"He could have handled it better!" Kelly continued. "The political repercussions that this-."
"Kelly, I don't care," Khan interrupted her before turning to walk toward the tents more in the center of the encampment.
Some Niqols might resent the humans after what had happened, but Khan knew that many wouldn't care, and he preferred to spend time with them. He had yet to check on Doku and Azni even. Also, he wanted to find a drink and vent the annoying feeling that Rodney's actions had generated.
The four recruits didn't initially let him go. That matter wasn't as simple as his nights spent in the wild. Khan had reported one of them to the Niqols authorities.
Yet, Doku suddenly appeared in their path. Bandages came out from his sleeve, but he seemed to be fine otherwise. His expression was quite serious, but he didn't hesitate to smile when he and Khan exchanged a glance.
"Khan, I was looking for you," Doku quickly explained. "The higher-ups are planning the clearing operations, and they want you to lead one of them."
To be continued