"Are you suicidal? Why the hell are you running towards the battlefield?" One of the soldiers caught a glimpse of Michael's figure.
"Leave him be. Save yourself!"
"Cowards stop running and fight like men!"
Michael ignored the panicked shouts that were resonating behind as he sped off towards the source of the commotion.
The first alien that appeared in his path was a spider with a height rivaling his.
Thankfully it already had been gravely wounded with a large gash on its side. All Michael had to do was to capitalize on the opportunity.
Slash!
With a well-timed strike, he hit the monster at its wounded point, finishing it for good.
"Thank you for the meal!" He took a bite, not willing to let free skill points go to waste.
[Higher alien meat consumed: +10 Skill Points gained]
[Higher alien meat consumed: -50% due to second use: +5 Skill Points gained]
In a few seconds he gained another 20 Skill Points, reaching 100 in reserves.
"I can't afford to hold anything back!" Without hesitating, he spent them all on agility.
Name: Michael
Soul Realm: Middle Apprentice
Cybernetics: Indomitable System, Berserker, Dash
• Strength: 515 (15)
• Agility: 610 (110)
• Stamina: 510 (10)
• Spirit: 2 000
• Mind: 500 (1 000)
Skill Points: 0
While Michael was spending all of his skill points, Ava was about to be overwhelmed being surrounded by all sizes.
"Heavens." She coughed a mouthful of blood trying to keep the aliens from surrounding her and falling miserably.
"DAREDEVIL!" Leo, being the closest to her, tried everything in his power to reach her and provide support, but the wave of aliens proved to be too tough to go through. His exoskeleton was glowing red, seconds away from malfunction due to overuse.
"Leo, retreat backwards! I will help the captain!" Michael shouted while passing over Leo.
"New guy? Go back! These enemies are too much for you!"
Leo's warning passed on deaf ears. Michael had stated that no one from his team was going to die, and he was willing to uphold that promise.
With Ava seconds away from perishing, he exploded forward with all the speed he could muster.
With Berserker still activated at its full potential, he activated Dash, reaching a whopping 3050 agility!
Leo's eyes widened to the size of a needle witnessing Michael moving even faster than when he had dueled with Carlos.
'He was holding back even then?' The realization hit Leo like a thunderbolt.
With a heavy heart he turned back. 'If my teammate says that he has things under control, the only thing I can do is trust him and make sure that I don't become a liability.'
'Is this how I die?' The surroundings around Ava seemed to slow down. Her eyes were locked onto an alien limb that was about to tear her apart. Unable to act in time with her hammer stuck in one place, she began to see visions of her entire life before her inevitable end.
Just when she was about to be pierced, two firm hands took hold of her in a princess carry and took her away faster than a beat.
"M—Michael?" Ava muttered, coughing another handful of blood.
"I told you that no one is going to die today, right?" He said, eyes focusing ahead.
Dash had given him a second of opportunity, and he had made the most of it. Since it wasn't possible to defeat the aliens that had surrounded Ava, the next best course of action was to get her out of harm's way.
'The bad news is that now there is a trail of aliens behind me.'
From their red eyes it was clear that the aliens were enraged, their prey being stolen from them at the last moment. Now with Dash being under cooldown, the enemies were slowly nearing the two.
"You should have left me to die. Now we are both doomed."
Michael smiled warmly. "Don't think so negatively, Captain."
'To think that I of all people am getting saved by a cadet!' Ava thought bitterly. Reaching for her belt, she retrieved a healing syringe. Injecting its contents into her neck, she began to feel her injury slowly healing.
"Feeling better?"
"A little… You can let go of me now."
Michael's eyes narrowed, inspecting the injured woman in his arms. Part of her defensive suit had been damaged, revealing her slender skin. Even if her internal bleeding had stopped, she was far from being in peak condition.
"It's not good to overestimate yourself, Captain. Unless I am sure that you are healthy, you aren't leaving my arms. If you are worried that you will slow me down, don't worry. You are light as a feather."
Ava gritted her teeth and looked the other way.
"Stop calling me captain… Call me Ava."
Michael chuckled. "Sure thing, Ava."
With the 30 seconds over, he activated Dash once more, widening the gap behind the approaching aliens.
"What are we supposed to do now? We are going deeper in their territory with just the two of us." Ava was wondering what the best course of action was.
Michael remained silent, trying to conserve his stamina as much as possible. Truthfully, their situation was pretty dire. Ava's hammer had remained stuck on the battlefield. So aside from the small pistol fastened to her belt, she was unarmed.
'I am supposed to help Victoria. She must be somewhere here.'
The two continued to move deeper towards the sealed portal, the aliens slowly disappearing from the horizon.
After fifteen minutes a wrecked vehicle appeared in their view.
"Hopefully they have supplies to restock with." Michael sighed slowly, approaching.
Seeing him stop, Ava expected Michael to put her down. But he continued to walk nonchalantly forward, almost like he had forgotten about her.
"...You can put me down now."
"...?" Michael had indeed forgotten that he had carried her all the way here.
"I told you, you are light as a feather." He chuckled before letting go.
"Hum!" The moment he put her down, Ava began to walk towards the vehicle with a small smile on her face.
Bang!
With a kick they opened the wrecked door. After exchanging a look, they nodded.
"Let's see what is inside."