Chapter Twelve: The Yellow Zone Part Two

Five days had passed, and we reached the Jormungand border. There was nothing in sight except for a lone obelisk where we waited around. An hour passed, another caravan arrived from within our employers’ territory. We spent the remainder of the day transferring loads between the two. At sundown, we rested.

Three days later, our caravan was now heading back to the Great Blue Zone, with cargoes full of finished goods that the Jormungands produced.

When we traveled to their territory, everyone was on guard of their surroundings. Now that we were going home, there were laughter and chatters throughout the caravan. This quest wasn’t as exciting or dangerous as our party expected. Although, we did get to experience what it was like in the Yellow Zone. Still, I needed to be vigilant, especially since we were at the back of the caravan.

“Two more days, and we’re finally home for that sweet nine thousand chaffs.” Katie grinned while shooting her arms in the air. “How about we spent a slice on that reward to celebrate.” It sounded like a great idea. Wilt, Li, and Alex agreed. She then turned to me. “How about you?”

I thought of it for a second. “Sure, but this isn’t the time to let our guards down,” I replied in a cautious tone.

“Come on, Sam,” Katie coaxed. “Lighten up a little.” She dropped her smile when she shifted toward Brock with a soured face. “How about you, dunderhead? You’re up for it?”

Brock mumbled in approval while his attention was somewhere among the dunes. Probably he was watching out for scorpions.

“You should relax, Sam,” Katie said. “You look tense from time to time ever since we left the Blue Zone.”

“Well,” I mumbled, “one needs to be careful….”

She stopped to lock her glance into mine. “You’re not a people person, are you?”

I was taken aback. I couldn’t take another step while people passed around us. As I fumbled my words trying to make an excuse, Katie snuffed them with the silent treatment and a raised eyebrow. After exhaling a long sigh in defeat, I was about to start talking when Brock tackled us both to the ground.

“Dunderhead! What are you —” Before she could finish, a boulder flew over our backs and struck the front leg of the behemoth next to us. It bolted up on two feet, roaring in pain.

Its rider tried to calm the beast, but the heavy loads on its back weighed down its standing legs to tilt toward us, still lying on the ground. I hurled the two in a safe distance and tried to get back up, right before the beast crashed on top of me.

“SAM!” My eyelids flew opened after hearing my friends’ voices. As I glanced around, I was under the arched gap of the beast’s bent neck, which saved me from getting crushed. Once I crawled my way out, Wilt and Li grabbed my hands and pulled me onto my feet.

“You alright?” Li asked in a concerned tone.

I nodded sluggishly in response.

“We thought you were a goner, man.” Brock embraced me with his eyes watering.

My friends gave us weird looks, but I wasn’t paying attention to them. I was still in shock from what just happened. Upon scanning my surroundings, the whole caravan grounded to a halt. Four behemoths, including the one beside us, were lying on the sand and wailing in agony.

“What happened?” I asked.

Before anyone could answer, we heard a scream, “RAIDERS!”

A leather-clad group sprang out of nowhere.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” someone bellowed, alerting the entire docile herd to huddle together. The Jormungand warriors and the veteran-looking hired ones prepared for battle. The rest were running for their lives as the raiders hacked and clubbed anyone standing in their way toward the Jormungand’s precious cargoes.

One nearby raider threw a spear at me, but someone ran by and got unluckily impaled in my place. There was no blood. The poor guy turned gray, both skin and clothes; cracks began to appear until he immediately crumbled into a pile of dust.

Still panicked after witnessing someone’s demise, my nerves froze as the raider produced another spear out of thin air and was about to stab me. Wilt swooped in and parried the spearhead away with a sword in his hand. With a single step and an upward stroke, he cleaved the raider’s chest open, bursting out dust instead of blood before crumbling into a pile as well.

Wilt glanced at me. His lips moved like he was calling my name. His voice was getting louder and louder until my senses snapped back. “…Sam, Sam!”

Just when I was about to speak, an ax-wielding raider dashed behind him, but Li intercepted and caught the swinging blade with two fingers before kicking the raider’s chest, sending him flying.

“Ow!”

“Back on Earth, right?” Wilt slapped me for my late response, unaware of the danger he had behind him.

I answered with a nod while rubbing my stinging cheek.

Eight more were coming toward us. Wilt bolted to confront them, throwing his sword at the charging raiders, producing two out of his hands, only to throw them as well. While the enemies were deflecting the hurling blades, Wilt was close enough to pop one more and slash three of them at lightning speed before they could counter. He spun his sword to fan the dust of their fallen brethren, blinding the rest. This allowed him to finish them all, leaving nothing but their weapons and belongings on the ground.

“He’s so cool,” Katie awed at Wilt standing in triumph. Although, nobody asked about the swords coming out of his hands and the skills to take down nine people.

“Guys, get behind me!” he cried, snapping us to do what he ordered. “This is it. We must stick together, no matter what happens. We will survive this.” His words steeled our nerves, but that immediately shaken when another wave of raiders appeared and joined the others. With their combined numbers, they broke our line.

I scanned around to find a way out when they were getting close.

“Wilt, look.” I pointed at where our side regrouped to form a new line. He ordered us to go there, which we obliged.

Relieved, now that we were safe in numbers, until someone yelled, “ASURA!” The raiders began to split into two.

My friends and I couldn’t help gawking in terror at the newly appeared enemy marching through the opened path that the cheering raiders created. It was a giant, standing four meters tall and bulky. He looked like an Indian warrior, but his steel armor matched the skin color, like a living metal statue.

“My God, what is that?” Katie gasped. The rest of us were trembling.

“That’s an Asura,” someone beside her replied. “A brave that can transform into a metal giant.”

Once the Asura stood in front, the enemies resumed their advance, and our forces crashed into each other. Unfortunately, none of our weapons put a scratch on the Asura’s skin as the giant bashed and threw anyone in sight with his bare hands, slowly breaking our second line. Wilt ordered us to retreat, but the cluttering chaos had people shoving each other to flee, and we all got separated. Brock was being pushed in random directions until he was right in front of the Asura.

With nowhere to run, whether he was bold or stupid, Brock faced the giant with his right fist ready. “Come on! I’ll take ya!”

“Brock, don’t!” Wilt cried when the jock leaped to give the giant a hook.

Thud!

When his right fist landed on the Asura’s metal face, a cracking sound was heard. The jock was on his knees, screaming while holding his right hand with swollen knuckles.

The giant bellowed in laughter at the sight of his agony. Out of anger, Brock got back on his feet, clenching his teeth to bear the pain.

“Oh, you want this then.” He readied his left fist while placing his broken right hand on his chest.

“Don’t be stupid, Brock!” Katie cried in a distressed tone. “You’ll break your other hand!” Her words didn’t reach his ears as he prepared another hook.

Amused to see him breaking his left hand, the Asura crossed his arms with a nasty smile, allowing the jock to land another punch. Brock let out a battle cry and —

Gong!

The sound of a beaten gong boomed throughout the battlefield. Then everything went silent. Everyone from both sides was stunned to find the Asura lying on the sand, out cold, with a fist mark dented on his face.

“Hah! How do you like that?” Brock taunted his unconscious opponent. He raised his left fist in the air and howled triumphantly.

Seeing their powerhouse fell, the raiders scampered in retreat, but nobody pursued them. Awestruck and confused, one question popped up in everyone’s minds: How did he do that?

There was a glimmer on his left fist, still hanging in the air. Upon closer look, his hand was polished silver.

“You have a metal arm?” Katie gasped.

“Hey!” a Jormungand warrior called everyone’s attention. “There’s another group attacking in the middle. We need to go there now.”

Many complied as they started sprinting into the next battle.

“We have to go there,” Wilt said.

“Uh, we prefer staying here and try not to get turned into dust,” Katie protested, which I nodded to agree with her. “So, no, thank you. Plus, he needs a doctor.”

She pointed her thumb at Brock rubbing his swollen knuckles, almost like he was about to shed a tear because of the intense pain.

“You don’t understand,” Wilt said. “Sally and Travis are there. We have to make sure they’re safe.”

We knew that those two had Red Tails aiding them. We didn’t want to get ourselves jumping to another battle — but they were still our friends. The whole gang reluctantly agreed that we must help them.

“Alex, you and Brock stay here and find someone who can heal his hand. The rest of us will press on. Move!”

Wilt, Katie, and Li made a dash. I was left standing while Alex tended the jock. She motioned me to go with them.

I sighed, “Why do you have to be a hero?” My thoughts weren’t sure who I was referring to, Wilt or me? I brushed that off from my mind and started trailing them with haste.