Zyro's mind raced as he thought of a solution. Unlike before, the conundrum his face seems hopelessly impossible to solve. Being inside a dead metal aircraft falling from unimaginable height with horrifying speed. Only having mere seconds to think and act.
He quickly checks the emergency power through the controls, only to see it drained. As it turns out, it's already using the last of its charge back then and now, it has completely run dry. Not a drop remain.
The dead vessel passed through the dozens of Gricks airships and winged warriors, leaving after images. It was so fast even the flying Gricks with enhanced senses barely noticed it passed by. The starship remnants speed and gravity only make it faster, that even the airborne experts fall behind. They could only watch as the metal vessel figure rapidly shrinks in distance.
However, to Zyro, it's more of a treat than a benefit. Sure, the current traveling speed left the countless enemies threatening his life. In exchange, only mere seconds are left before his flatten along the crashing aircraft.
'Sh*t!'
The aircraft falls diagonally due to the remnant power of its thrusters. As it passes the sea of clouds, diving it deeper and exposing the land before his eyes. A lush of dark green shades filled the plains below, tints of warm dot lights gathered in particular spots akin to fireflies in the night. If one concentrated greatly in those lights, they could outline wooden houses forming a village. However, Zyro's mind doesn't have room for unessential thoughts as he switches to manual controls.
Unlike automatic control which needs electricity and provides a vast variety of options. Manual steering demands more labor to the pilot while only letting him slightly bend the wing to steer its direction. Thankfully, humans were not fully drowned in modernization to disregard electrical malfunction or drainage issues. And still added the manual features to this starship.
He quickly gets off his seat, leaving its comfort and jumping to the side. The irresistible gravitational pull almost made him miss catching the iron lever. Fortunately, he did not. Gritting his teeth, Zyro stiffed his muscles as he pulled with all his might.
The scene through the window zooms space, tilting to a relatively large body of water - lake. Its tranquil crystal clear liquid luster the moon's pale blue light. It lay like a mirror reflecting the graceful azure moon above.
As soon as he saw this in the aircraft front, Zyro let go of the iron lever. Letting his body trivial weight abruptly pull backward.
"Bam!"
His back slammed in the heavy metal door. Zyro shook his head, chasing the remnant dizziness from the impact and stubbornly reached out for the red button on the side. Due to gravitational pull pressing him down, and extreme exhaustion. He could only slide his hand towards the emergency button, and even that took his all.
The pale blue lake in front grew wider and wider, it didn't take long until its surface water completely covered the entire pilot window sight.
Just in time, Zyro armored finger in black tap the red button surface, slowly pressing it down. Intense satisfaction electrified his fingers as he felt it pop, followed by a metallic clang sounding behind. Then, the heavy metal door burst open, ferocious wind greeted him as Zyro's figure flew out like a dove finally freeing from long imprisonment. Sadly, he cannot fly, thus, it's more akin to trash being thrown out.
The racing starship black figure produces after images as it dives in the lake surface. Breaking the night tranquility when it meets the serene lake. A giant glacier burst above, sending rain in the surroundings verdant forestry and furious waves in the lakes surface.
With that, his precious Starship is gone. Drowned at the lake's dept.
However, he had a more dire problem currently. His falling.
Zyro didn't dare to watch as he spread his limbs and focused below him. Green leaves clustered together, shrouding the branches below. He dives through fully prepared for pain with a fully spread body. His armor catches the leaves and branches as he plummets, snapping the thin branches at the moment of contact. Slowing the fall momentum bit by bit in the cost of pain. The thicker branches came into view as he dared catch some, only to break the moment of impact. Fortunately, his limbs were tougher than branches, but it doesn't go for all sizes. He felt his body bend, over and over again, finally losing his fall momentum, letting him grab on a fat body of wood that supported his weight. Bringing him down like a battered corpse in the ground with a thud.
Facing down, Zyro gasped for air, his eyes blank as he felt his already battered body be flogged, birched, clobbered and thrashed. He felt broken and sickening pain everywhere and exhaustion that demanded a century of rest. However, he cannot stop, the aircraft crashing were bound to attract attention. Sooner not later the airborne soldiers will reach this area and search for survivors.
Zyro gritted his teeth, as he forcefully commanded his joints to move. Disregarding their condition on the verge of breaking, gritting his teeth dyed in blood. With all his might, he stood and took step after step.
Staggering away from the crash scene, each movement he made creates broken sounds of steel. But the most dreadful thing is the feeling of crashed muscles being forcefully moved. Even though he has obtained a surplus amount of pain resistance in a short expanse of time. It doesn't restore his condition for the better.
His only saving grace is his platinum tempered bones and exoskeleton that retrained his bones from breaking. If it were organic, it would have long been broken. Deeming him unable to move.
Dim rays of pale blue light past through the tall tree leaves illuminating his path, not knowing where to go, he walks. Resisting his body from breaking down, he keeps going. Ignoring the pain and his body screams for rest. His vision blurred, as heavy eyelids urge to fall and shut the exhaustion away. Zyro's entire body begged to stop, fall and lay down, heading to oblivion to end this misery. He had more than enough suffering for a day. Yet, his mind contradicts his body's demand, and Zyro knows who to listen to. If he stops now and be discovered by the Gricks, then everything he has done will be in vain.
"Huf...Huf...Huf..."
With only his breathing to be heard, he staggered in the darkness for an unknown amount of time. The agony that envelopes his body keeps him awake the entire trip.
Sometimes his legs will tremble and fall, only to be forced up again and again. This continues until he reaches a rocky site on the mountain side. Different sized stones had fallen at its feet, forming a rocky slope that rolled under the towering trees shade. It's rubble's bathed in pale blue light. Seeing this, Zyro kneeled down in front of two large misshapen boulders clinging to each other.
Knowing his limit, Zyro decided to stop. And remove his armor.
Fortunately, cybernetic suit armor was easy to remove, the long history of advancement and constant modification only made it faster and efficient to peel.
Zyro trembling hands weakly reach out to different locks, detaching pieces of air one by one. Throwing the removed parts in the void under the rocks. That accidentally formed due to their disfigured shape, creating room in between for dark emptiness.
Soon, the biting coldness assaulted his pale skin, as he removed the last remaining part. A boot made of black steel, it quickly detached and flew to its kind. Blending in the shrouding shadows.
He heaved a weary sigh of relief, now almost naked with only a black underwear as cloth. Zyro lifted a head size stone and placed it in the void entrance, he repeated the process until finally sealing the space from naked eyes.
Hiding the evidence for no one to find. He was rid of suspicion and clothing, letting the midnight chill bite his mostly naked body. However, he cannot rest just yet, Zyro picks at random and walks on bare foot. Without the heavy armor burden, his movement and speed remain the same due to prolonged exhaustion. Truth be told, his body had long past its limit and is now on the verge of truly breaking.
After an unknown amount of time, Zyro's blurry vision went blank, his mind gears stop involuntarily along his limbs mechanics. Everything he owns gave in to oblivion, as he falls like a puppet cut out of its strings.
"Thud"
With that, his left laying to the cold mountain rocks, motionless to do a thing with tightly shut eyes.
This is, the human limit.
...
After a minute, a chatter can be heard a distance away.
"I wonder what got to those Gricks to rain flaming arrows abruptly in the night." Said the man wearing leather armor, and a wooden torch at hand with a bow in his back.
A man beside him wore similar clothing, holding a torch and axe replied "Who knows, maybe the argon's sudden assassination attempt, rust their big minds."
The bow man didn't reply as he squinted his brown eyes, concentrating afar, frowning. Then said
"There's someone laying there"
The axe man traced his gaze only to see darkness and the towering tree, it was too far and dark for him to see. He sighed and said.
"I'm not a half Grick like you, you know. Anyway, stop looking there, if you accidentally caught a glimpse of the blinker, were both dead, you hear me?"
The bow man chuckled, "You believe that sh*t, just go over there and check that kid. His badly injured, I don't know if his still alive, but... His hair, looks like black"
"Seriously?" Blurted the axe man with wide eyes.
"We're pretty close to the fog, so his probably a lost wanderer. And you know how this goes right?"
The axe man eyes gleamed gold as he didn't hesitate to directly walk forward while his friend planted his torch to the ground and drew his bow. Prepared for any sudden attacker.
During this process, the man holds his axe with a stern expression as he walks toward the young man with his head hang low. Only looking at his wooden sleeper, moving to and fro. Soon, the torch radiance illuminated an unnaturally pale body covered in dark bruises everywhere. Laying motionless on the ground, half naked. The axe man gaze directly flew to the young man's hair, it was completely pitch black. He was momentarily shocked, but didn't waste time as he checked the kid impulse first. Which is weak, but still persisted to beat.
His alive.
The man carries the youth body in his broad shoulder as he traces his tracks backward. Like before, his head hung low. Thus, he can't see ahead. After some time, his friend planted torch came into view, it's flame dancing gently in the tranquil night.
However, its owner are nowhere to be seen.
"Hey haft bird, where are you!?"
Sweat ran down his forehead as he waited for response, but none arrived.
"It's not funny you know!"
Still, silent remains.
He sighs and walks forward, leaving his friend torch behind. However, he came to a sudden halt, noticing something in the rocky ground.
It didn't take long to identify the thing, it was.
Blood.
***
Somewhere near the lake, where the starship had sunk. A menacing four-armed armored demon stood, his abyssal eyes staring at the calm lake as if seeing what was beneath it with unknown intent.
He, too. Had ridden the starship to escape.