Tepo stayed within the ship. He skillfully weaved through the guards, careful not to draw any attention until he finally reached the back of the ship where the cargo was stored.
Searching for a comfortable hiding place behind some stacks of crates he deactivated his spell and laid down comfortably with a confident face.
Meanwhile, no one on the ship could be this leisurely. The workers were brought to a big room containing some simple benches, where the two guards did their best to confirm everyone's identities.
Everyone remained anxious as the angry screeches became louder and louder, like a deadly wave slowly approaching.
Soon the beasts arrived. Rage-filled eyes stared at the audacious humans. The beasts began to attack!
A white energy barrier was hastily erected. It wavered heavily as the flock's leader slashed out with its sharp claws.
But the ship wasn't without offensive means. Strange, deeply orange flames shot out of openings at the sides. Those flames were made for warfare withing the storms. They weren't extinguished through the fiery winds, just the contrary.
These flames took the storms as fuel as they scattered. Suddenly an ocean of flames surrounded the ship. The sight let many guards sigh in relief. Many of the beasts could be heard screeching in horror as they reeled backwards.
But unfortunately, the fire wasn't strong enough to deter the powerful leader. It suddenly swung its leathery wings heavily. The storms around it were steered up. Small whirlwinds spread. They began to carry the flames away.
"What is this beast?"
"I have never heard of such a strong beast around our city!"
"Fire, men! Fire everything we have!"
Restless, nervous, frightened shouts spread through the ship. The guards were after all only simple three-circled aspirants. The shivered as they looked at the huge beast's yellow eyes.
The flock of beasts let out short screeches, sounding almost mocking to human ears.
Following their leader, they attacked the energy barrier again.
On top of the ship was a spacious bridge. It was filled with veterans, but even their faces were covered in terror now.
"Quick! Bring everything we have to the power room! Everything that can provide energy! Confiscate everyone's private crystals! Whoever doesn't comply will be thrown off the ship! If the barrier breaks we are all done for!"
Desperate orders were relayed.
Suddenly the door to the cargo room opened, startling Tepo. The young warrior had been hiding comfortably despite the rumbles running though the ship.
But now he had to do his best to avoid detection as guards frantically rummaged through the cargo, gathering everything which contained even the tiniest bit of energy.
The atmosphere on the ship was terrifying. Among dangerous rumblings and frightening screeches, many humans turned to praying to their goods, hoping for miracles.
Tepo faintly heard the mumbling voices but could only curse them all as fools.
Outside, the beasts continued their attacks, but the captain's order showed their effects. The ship even sped up faintly as the energy barrier strengthened visibly.
Although this would turn the trip into a massive loss for the Lirane Minerals Group, it was better than letting the ship get destroyed.
At the same time the guards also changed their offensive tactics. A few turrets at the ship's back were manned, soon shooting heavy metal poles which precisely targeted weaker beasts.
Suddenly the beast leader screeched even louder. Some humans on the ship went to the ground, holding their heads in pain. The beast expressed its rage after the first blood was spilled.
But the guards were fueled by a mixture of bravery and despair. They didn't let go of their weapons and continued to fire. The stronger beasts didn't want their brethren to die, so they diverted some of their attention to protect the weaker beasts.
This finally took some stress off the energy barrier.
The guards saw the effect of their attacks and continued until exhaustion. After all their force was used up to control the weapons, they were hastily exchanged for someone else.
On the bridge the somewhat small captain anxiously looked towards the front. He had taken this path for many years now. He knew that their target would appear in view… any minute now.
Finally, something could be made out not far away, illuminated by the setting sun.
"Hold on guys! We will be home soon!"
Hope found its way into many eyes as they heard the captain's loud exclamation. Everyone on the bridge turned their heads towards the buildings on the horizon. They cursed their own inability to speed up the ship.
But just at this moment a deafening rumble spread through the ship. The leading beast felt as if the puny humans might get away. With a few swings of its massive wings it suddenly sped up and landed on the energy barrier.
Its massive claws gripped tightly, even denting the strong barrier. Three short tails swung behind its long body. Suddenly those stood up, light gathering on their bulky ends.
Everyone within the ship felt panic in their hearts. Many couldn't even see the beast above them, but they instinctively felt the danger.
A loud screech shook the world. The beast raised its head, suddenly the light gathered on its tails began to flow along its body. The three spots moved separately, forming a fascinating and frightening contrast to its black skin.
The captain looked upwards with a terrified expression. His pupils narrowed. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for him.
The three dots of light flowed along the short neck, the face, and finally gathered at the beast's mouth. The moment they gathered together a blinding light drowned everything. A silver star was born.
But suddenly it condensed. The leading beast brought its gaping maw down, shooting out a bright beam of light.
The barrier stood no chance. With a loud clanking it shattered immediately. The light was weakened but not stopped. Containing a strange coldness it only took a moment to rip a big path throughout the entire ship bevor shooting into the distance below it.
Tepo was still in the cargo room. Suddenly a chill spread through his body. Deafening sounds and panicked screams echoed through the ship. Even the surviving warriors were reduced to crying messes.
Many were frozen in shock, staring at the big hole which ran through their ship. Around it, a layer of ice had encased everything, freezing many humans. Their brains didn't even have time to process the attack before they ceased working.
Tepo's ears rang. He didn't know how lucky he was yet. But the hellish screams pushed him to move. He had to know what was going on and if he was eventually in danger.
Thus, the young man got up carefully and peeked out of the cargo room's door.
The sight before him let Tepo's blood freeze in his veins. Although the scene wasn't bloody, this made it only more eerie. Frozen statues stood around a large hole. Wooden materials were frozen by the ice, leading to them splintering into thousands of pieces after crashing against the hull.
The captain needed a long time to get back to his senses again. Filled with shock he ignored his bleeding eyes, and the ringing alarm bells as he hastily directed every bit of energy left towards the remaining engines.
Luckily the leading beast didn't follow up on its attack. It swayed in obvious weakness as it shakily drew back. But its brethren were animated by their leader's might. The pesky barrier blocking them was finally gone.
But the shining attack also alarmed others. The cargo ship's target was rapidly coming closer. Alarms echoed through tower-like buildings. Weapons were manned on their roofs.
Meanwhile the flock of black beasts landed on the ship. The behemoth shook heavily as claws began to hit its hull.
Suddenly a loud bang rang out behind Tepo. The warrior turned around, his eyes narrowing. A sharp claw had broken through the hull, blindly swiping left and right.
Tepo remained far away from it at the door. He was torn, not knowing if he had to act or not. He peeked out of the room but realized that no guard had time to defend the cargo, as multiple breaches appeared all over the ship.
The situation around the big hole was the most perilous. Many warriors pulled their weapons with shivering legs as multiple beasts worked to enlarge the hole and take revenge on those humans.
Tepo carefully closed the door next to him. Luckily the cargo room was barely damaged so far, blocking the guards' vision.
Another cracking sound reached Tepo's ears. He turned around calmly, taking a deep breath. His [Scan] told him that the beast was only a six-circled aspirant. It didn't pose too much danger to Tepo.
Suddenly the wooden hull was ripped open. A sharp head screeched as it shoved into the ship. With a bit more patience the beast could have enlarge the breach more and comfortably enter the ship. Luckily for Tepo this beast didn't possess enough critical thinking.
While the beast still struggled, Tepo neared it slowly with his stealth. His body was tense, his eyes focused on finding the perfect opportunity.
Suddenly the beast got greedy. It reached for a cargo box with its long claws.
Tepo saw his chance! He dashed forward. The beast seemed to notice something, but it was already too late. Tepo suddenly appeared out of thin air before its head, his knife already about to stab into the beast's eye.