Before they could head back, Lana needed to heal the injuries of the students. When she offered and asked them to sit so she could take care of them, the questions started. Where is our class? Where is our teacher?
"Del told Leo everyone was dead so Leo took the rest of the class back to the shelter."
She watched with sadness in her eyes and a little something more as they looked at each other.
"Where did you come from?"
"My class was the next section over. The big beast almost trampled us and I followed it."
"You left the safety of your class to follow a monster? You must be crazy!"
She chuckled. "I believe introductions are in order. I'm Lana," She held out her hand to the first boy. His watch said level 2.
"Dante, at your service," as he offered his hand. "Del had us out in front so he could protect the support students…"
"Of course he did…" she said frowning.
She offered her hand to the next boy. He returned it, "Tobias. I'm a level 2 wind user. I promise I did the best I could…"
She nodded. "I know. Rest."
She offered her hand to the final student a level 3 female. "Rene. Ice ability. That thing acted like it didn't even feel it!"
Lana nodded. "Now, I don't have a healing ability but I have adapted my ability to allow healing. It just takes longer so I need a bit of quiet to concentrate, please."
They all nodded and within 30 minutes they were all as good as new.
"Do any of you have back-up beast gear?"
They all shook their heads. Then she shook her own. She felt she was the exception. Everyone should have something to rely on if their MC ran out.
On their way back, the trees informed her Del's class had made it back and the travelers brought some humans back as well. They then told her a few minutes later the bald man went back out. At this time, they had found the corpse of the beast that attacked them. While she was killing the other beasts in preparation for the rain, she found out it had run away. She could only guess Leo had made this kill before he found the class.
Before long, she could see the cave the beast had emerged from and she smirked. "you guys want payback?"
"Huh?' was the response from Dante.
Rene, "Sounds perfect."
"Alright, our formation is me in front, the level 2s side-by-side behind me. Rene, bring up the rear."
They watched as she donned level-1 then level-2 armor and she walked forward like a boss. She then brought out a climbing rose whip and Rene smiled.
Within minutes they entered the cave. She pulled out some light stones that she used in her tree and told the students to tuck them into their belts so they could see.
In front of them were two smaller versions of the beast that attacked them. There was one as big as a one-story house and one as big as a shed. It looked like a mother and a baby and the daddy had gone out to collect dinner for the family. They looked like smaller versions of the big guy. These were both still sleeping.
Lana motioned for the three to kill the baby. The mama was hers. Three steps later, the mother woke up.
Lana grimaced. She twirled her whip. "Let's do this!" she ran forward slashing the vines as they came out of the buds on her back. They grew back but Lana was in front of her lashing her nose with the whip. She was able to score two hits when, from behind, one of the beast's vines suctioned Lana. Lana screamed which woke the baby. In her anger at being caught in this way, 4-inch spikes which seemed to be elongated thorns came out of her stage two armor. This impaled the suction in the vine and black beast blood flowed down her back, coating her roses. She was dropped and the beast charged forward instead. Lana used the momentum and channeled the white energy she had in her body into her whip. She flash-stepped and swung her whip. The head of the beast slid from its body. She was standing too close to avoid the blood and got it splashed all down her front. She looked disgusted. The smell was truly offensive.
She looked over to see how the three were faring. The baby looked to be slower on the reflex-side because it was still in the same spot. The buds were just opening. Lana watched as an ice spear flew through the air and a wind tunnel pushed it even harder. The baby was impaled just as the suction was approaching Tobias.
Lana smiled. They were not her team but they made it. She looked around. There were some corpses in the back corner. She decided to investigate and called the others over with her. A lot of the equipment on the corpses was destroyed but Lana found a bracelet for herself. Tobias took a dagger that had a slight glow to it. There were some speed boots on one that fit Dante quite nicely. Rene found a bow but no arrows. The string was also broken.
"Don't forget your beast crystal," she nodded toward the baby while she went back to carve hers out. Once they were ready, she looked back over the scene. "Nothing like a bit of revenge for your fallen classmates. Let's get back."
The rest agreed with smiles while wondering who this strange girl really was.
As they approached the shelter, Lana noticed all the soldiers were already packed. Bags sat their feet which made her wonder what was going on. The students were standing around. There seemed to be a bit of uproar. As they got nearer, she heard Leo state something along the lines of the students in front of him found a dalki base on the planet. She asked the plants if the dalki were there and the answer was no. Only people looking like themselves had been on the planet. This made Lana wonder just what these students had found.
She was now close enough "Del! You seem to have misplaced some of your students!" Her facial expression could have killed.
Del decided to act as if he was relieved his students had been found safe and sound. Leo looked at her and had questions but didn't ask. She had no idea why he wore a worrying question expression but didn't ask. He was her teacher after a fashion and she was but a student, but she ignored it for now. Her man was in sight. He saw her and wanted to grab her and knew he couldn't. Lana could see the internal fight going on again. She gave him a wink as one class had already gone through the portal and she needed to join hers. Lana also noticed the military had set up a second portal and was going through it. She said goodbye to those she rescued and got her light crystals back. She then returned to her team after reporting her return to Nis. He raised an eyebrow at her appearance. She smiled at him and went to Kattie Bree's side. As their turn for the portal was coming up, she leaned over to her, "do you know how to make baby beast formula?" she whispered, then they went through the portal with a startled look on Kattie's face.