Chương 25: Better

The convoy continued moving after the attack. Ray's team returned to their positions, but the mood stayed different. No one joked. No one complained about the heat. Ray spent most of the next hour thinking about the fight. They had killed every Beast. That should have been enough. It wasn't. The Iron Five had fought nine Beasts without a single wasted movement. Ray's team had fought eight, and he had been forced to cover nearly every mistake they made. The road narrowed as the convoy moved deeper into the forest.

Trees grew closer on both sides, and the thick canopy blocked most of the afternoon sun. Ray noticed the tracks first. Large paw prints crossed the dirt ahead. Some were wide and round. Others were longer, with deep claw marks cutting into the soil. Wolf-like and feline Beasts. There were more tracks than Ray could count. A few minutes later, the System reacted. [Large amounts of Elemental Mana detected] Ray straightened. The pressure wasn't coming from one direction. It was everywhere.

Movement exploded through the trees. Beasts rushed from both sides of the road. Some resembled massive wolves with dark fur and long fangs. Others moved lower to the ground, their bodies shaped like oversized cats with thick shoulders and hooked claws. The front of the convoy disappeared behind the first wave. The Iron Five moved immediately. Ray didn't have time to watch them. More Beasts crashed through the trees behind the convoy. At least ten. Ray stepped forward. His team spread out. Jerome took the left.

Phora moved right. Frangle stayed near the center. Kiara remained behind them. The first wolf-like Beast charged. Ray activated Bolt. Golden lightning gathered around his legs. He launched forward and drove his fist into its head. Boom! The Beast collapsed. Two more rushed past him. Jerome attacked one. Phora intercepted the other. A feline Beast slipped around the edge and headed for the medical carrier. Frangle saw it. For a moment, Ray expected him to look over. An attack knocked the Beast sideways.

Kiara followed. The Beast fell. Another pair came from the trees. Jerome moved toward the closest one. Too far again. Ray shifted his weight, preparing to use Bolt. Phora moved first. She cut across Jerome's path and struck the second Beast before it could reach him. Jerome continued forward. The two began attacking from opposite sides. Ray stopped himself from moving. He hadn't ordered that. A roar came from behind him. Three feline Beasts rushed to the center. Ray pulled Earth Mana through his Mana Ways.

Mud Wall activated. Thick mud sprayed from his hand before hardening into a wide barrier across part of the road. One Beast crashed directly into it. The other two were forced around opposite sides. Frangle took one. Jerome and Phora turned toward the other. Ray moved for the Beast trapped against the wall. Lightning rushed through him. Bolt detonated from his fist. The Beast's head snapped backward. It dropped. Ray turned. The fight had spread across the road. Bodies already covered the ground.

The team wasn't clean. Not like the Iron Five. But something was different. Jerome attacked aggressively. This time, Phora moved with him instead of chasing after him. When Frangle forced a Beast away from the convoy, Kiara was already waiting. No one looked toward Ray. No one waited. A wolf-like Beast lunged at Jerome from behind. The Beast was knocked off course before Ray could move. Jerome turned and finished it.

'Better,' Ray thought. Another wave pushed through the trees. Ray pulled on his Dark Essence. Fungal Cloak formed around his shoulders. The ethereal fungus released a thick cloud of gas as Ray moved forward. Three Beasts charged directly into it. Frangle and Phora attacked before they could escape the cloud. Ray jumped onto his Mud Wall and pushed off. Fungal Cloak caught the air. He glided over the remaining Beasts as they rushed beneath him. Mana Circuit shifted Lightning Mana through his Mana Ways.

The cloak disappeared. Bolt gathered around his legs. Boom! His heel crashed into the back of a feline Beast and drove it into the road. He rolled away and stood. Only five remained. The Iron Five were still fighting at the front. Their side had been attacked by even more. Ray focused back on his own team. A Beast rushed Kiara. Frangle attacked before it reached her. Phora followed. Jerome moved toward another. This time, he didn't chase when it retreated. The Beast turned toward him. Ray understood.

Jerome wasn't making another mistake. He was creating an opening. Ray exploded forward. His fist slammed into the Beast's ribs. Boom! It folded around the strike and rolled across the road. The remaining Beasts fell seconds later. Silence returned to the rear of the convoy. Ray breathed heavily. His team stood among the bodies. No one had been forced to rescue anyone. No one had waited for him to tell them where to move. They still made mistakes. They still weren't the Iron Five. But they were better.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Ray looked toward the front. The final Beast there collapsed. For several seconds, the road went quiet. Then something growled from inside the forest. The sound was deeper than anything they had heard so far. Another answered from the opposite side. The pressure of Elemental Mana increased. The trees shook. Two massive shapes stepped into view. One resembled a wolf nearly twice the size of the others.

The second was feline, its shoulders rising above the smaller corpses scattered across the road. Ray focused on the wolf. [Beast Late Stage: 2] His eyes shifted to the feline Beast. [Beast Late Stage: 2] The dead Beasts around the convoy had only been the pack. The two Stage 2 Beasts didn't move immediately. They simply stared at the convoy. The wolf stood on the left side of the road while the feline Beast moved slowly from the trees on the right.

Both were nearly twice the size of the bodies scattered across the ground. Ray could feel the pressure coming from them. The smaller Beasts had been dangerous. These two were different. The escort leader moved toward the center of the convoy, placing himself between the Beasts and the mundane drivers. The Recruits were left to fight. Adrian moved first. The Iron Five rushed toward the center of the road while Ray's team did the same. For the first time since the mission began, both teams stood together.

The wolf attacked. Adrian planted his shield. Boom! The Beast crashed into him. Adrian slid several meters before stopping. Ray's eyes widened. The Early Stage 1 Beasts hadn't moved him at all. Kellan attacked immediately. His axe sank only a few inches into the wolf's shoulder. The Beast twisted and sent him rolling across the road. Nia and Selene attacked from opposite sides while Lucian disappeared toward the trees. The feline Beast charged. Ray activated Bolt. Golden lightning gathered around his legs.

He launched forward and drove his fist into its jaw. Boom! The Beast's head turned. That was all. Ray landed and moved away before its claws reached him.

'That barely did anything,' he thought. Frangle knocked the Beast off course. Jerome and Phora attacked its exposed side while Kiara stayed close enough to support them. Ray looked toward the Iron Five. Adrian had already regained his position. Kellan attacked whenever the shield created an opening. Nia and Selene moved around the wolf without interfering with each other, and Lucian appeared wherever the Beast wasn't looking. Even now, their efficiency hadn't lessened. Ray turned back toward the feline Beast.

His own team had improved. That still wasn't enough. Ray pulled Earth Mana through his Mana Ways. Mud sprayed from his extended hand and hardened into a low wall across the road. The feline Beast charged directly into it. Its front legs struck the barrier and its body lurched forward. Jerome and Phora attacked immediately. Frangle struck from the opposite side. The Beast recovered before they could do serious damage. Ray switched Elements. Fungal Cloak formed around his shoulders.

He moved toward the Beast alone and released a cloud of dark gas around its head. The others backed away from the spreading fog. The Beast roared and stumbled out of the cloud. Not enough. The feline Beast swiped at him. Ray jumped. Fungal Cloak caught the air long enough for the claws to pass beneath him. While gliding over the Beast, Mana Circuit pulled the Dark Mana back toward its Essence. Lightning replaced it. The cloak disappeared as Bolt gathered around Ray's legs. Ray landed behind the Beast.

The wolf roared from the other side of the road. Ray looked over. Adrian's shield was cracked. Kellan was bleeding from one arm. The Iron Five was still fighting cleanly. They simply couldn't finish it. Neither team could.

'We can win! I know it!' Ray's thoughts ignited a flame in his heart. Pride. He pulled on his Lightning Essence. Then the Dark Essence. Both types of Mana entered his Mana Ways. Pressure flashed through his body as he forced them together. Black lightning erupted from his arms. It wrapped around his body forming the shape of a cloak. Adrian looked toward him. So did the others. Ray focused on the feline Beast. Adrian seemed to understand. He broke away from the wolf and rushed across the road.

Nia, Selene, and Lucian stayed behind. The three spread around the wolf, constantly attacking and forcing it to turn while Adrian joined Ray's team. Adrian slammed his shield into the feline Beast's side. Frangle struck its legs. Jerome and Phora attacked from opposite directions. Kellan brought his axe down on its shoulder. The Beast stumbled. Ray moved. Black lightning exploded from his legs. He crossed the road in an instant. The feline Beast turned. Too late. Ray's fist crashed into the side of its head.

BOOOOM! Black lightning covered the road. The Beast's skull collapsed beneath the strike. Its massive body rolled across the dirt. Ray landed hard. The black lightning all but gone. His right arm trembled. The wolf charged before anyone could recover. Nia and Selene jumped away. Lucian barely escaped its jaws. Adrian intercepted it again. His knees buckled under the impact. Everyone surrounded the Beast. Ray forced himself upright. His Mana had dropped heavily.

He thought of his reserves and a System message shown in his vision. [Mana: 18%] The Mana Rune in his battler gear activated.

'One more.' The wolf snapped at Kellan. Lucian attacked its flank. Phora followed when it turned. Jerome struck from the opposite side. Frangle kept forcing it away from the convoy. The Beast couldn't focus on anyone. Ray understood. They were giving him time. Ray pulled Earth Mana through his Mana Ways. Mud sprayed across the road and hardened into a barrier in front of the wolf. The Beast struck it and stumbled. Frangle hit it from the side. Adrian slammed his shield into its shoulder.

Ray used Mana Circuit again. Earth Mana disappeared. The pride in his chest roared, he knew this Beast was only another obstacle the team had to overcome. Lightning and Dark Mana rushed through his body. Coalescence activated. Almost no resistance this time. Black lightning crawled across his skin. For a single moment, the wolf's head was exposed. Ray launched himself forward. Black lightning gathered around his fist. The wolf looked toward him. BOOOOM! Ray's fist buried into its skull. The Beast's head exploded.

It's body flew several meters away. The black lightning vanished almost immediately, leaving small purple wisps in the air. Ray landed on the ground hard and dropped to one knee. His Soul Core felt nearly empty. For several seconds, nobody moved. Ray looked up. The two Stage 2 Beasts were dead. Everyone else was still standing. The road was torn apart, the air smelled like burnt flesh, and everyone looked exhausted. Behind them, the convoy was still intact.

Ray's team hadn't done it alone, and neither had the Iron Five. For the first time since they left the base, the two groups had fought like they were protecting the same people instead of competing. Adrian stared at the bodies. Then his glowing green eyes moved toward Ray. The look on his face was different. Impressed. Almost stunned. Ray pushed himself back to his feet. They still had a mission to finish. - The next three days passed without another serious attack.

The convoy continued through the forest without losing a single vehicle. Ray's team rotated positions with the Iron Five just as before. Only now, no one needed to ask where they were supposed to stand. Near the end of the sixth day, the trees finally began to thin. A wall appeared in the distance. It was smaller than anything surrounding the GLMB, built from dark metal and reinforced stone. Several towers rose above it. The convoy slowed as the gates opened. Ray looked at the sign mounted above them.

VERDIN OUTPOST. The first transport entered. Then the second. Ray followed behind them. They had made it.