"I am, sir," responded a clear, sharp voice belonging to a young man who looked to be in his late twenties, dressed in a black fabric combat suit made of nano-mana tech, green energy periodically flickering through the suit.
"Name, Captain," ordered Admiral Negus, the gold energy in his suit displaying his rank. He had just arrived back from the trial's command center on the star cruiser station above the planet.
"Rory, sir," came the answer.
"Ok, Captain Rory, follow me and give me a report on the rifts and their locations," he commanded as he turned around, walking through the chaos that was the rendezvous point, toward a collection of different-sized metal structures, set up temporarily as centers for communications, missions, tactical, or any other required use the Galaxy Alliance needed.
"Yes, sir," replied Rory as he hurried to follow the admiral, falling into step beside him and beginning his report. "There are currently 26 Tier 1 rifts active; most are on the surface, with 3 currently in cave systems. None have appeared near native settlements yet, and all reports say that only Tier 1 void spawn are coming through."
"What about contingency if higher-tier rifts appear?" queried Admiral Negus.
"We're working on it. The storm cloud layer on this planet is interfering with the guidance systems on the rift-dispersers. At present, the only solution is to have personnel take target markers and place them as close to the rifts as possible before firing so that the RDs pick up targets after passing through the clouds," explained Rory.
"I see…have bonus point missions set up for the trial participants to take target markers to the surface rifts when they get here. As for the 3 in the cave systems, have our personnel handle them," ordered Admiral Negus.
"Yes, sir. I'll let the captain responsible for the mission team know," promised Rory.
"Alright, you're dismissed."
"Yes, Admiral." Rory saluted and hurried away to carry out his orders.
**********************
[Two team members 500 meters ahead of you.]
Chloe's voice echoed in Aura's mind…Navi…"He is close," she muttered to herself.
A soft chuckle sounded from Lucas beside her. She glanced at him; a grin was plastered on his face.
"You really care about him, don't you?" He stated "Tsk…Lucky guy."
Aura looked away, her cheeks flushed pink. "Yes, now shush and keep an eye out for them," she ordered to hide her embarrassment.
Another amused chuckle echoed beside her. She ignored him and scanned the landscape, looking for signs of movement.
[Two teammates detected, 200 meters, directly ahead.]
Chloe chimed again. The sky lit up with lightning, briefly illuminating the area. In the distance, Aura saw two silhouettes moving quickly, navigating around boulders. She immediately recognized them and increased her speed, eager to be reunited.
As she got closer, she heard her name echo over the wind and thunder.
Then the four met. Relief flooded through Aura, and she threw herself against Navi, hugging him tightly, head nestled under his chin on his chest.
Aura felt his warm arms tighten around her, one hand rubbing her back in small, soothing circles. Her eyes prickled as tears fell, one thought in her head…he's safe…nothing else mattered at the moment.
"I'm okay," Navi said reassuringly. "What about you?" concern in his voice.
Aura responded, but the sound was muffled against his chest. Navi's hand gently tilted her chin to look at him, his thumb wiping a stray tear.
"You okay?" his eyes conveying worry for her.
"Yeah," she answered in a shaky voice mixed with emotion. "I'm okay."
Navi held her gaze for a second, then smiled gently. "Good." He then tucked her against his side while putting an arm around her.
"Ugh…get a room, you two," Kai's voice interrupted the tender moment.
A blush crept onto Aura's face…stupid Kai…she cursed in her head, looking at the ground, trying to hide it, but Navi noticed…cute…he thought.
"Kai!" Lucas exclaimed as he smacked him on the head. "Jeez, learn when to keep your mouth shut."
"Like you can talk!" responded Kai.
"Remember when…" and the two descended into their usual banter.
A giggle escaped Aura as she watched the scene. She cherished these moments. She realized that ever since she had been thrown into the trial, her deepest fear was that she would lose Navi, lose them, her family…I can't lose them…I'll protect them…I refuse to let anything happen to any of them…she vowed silently to herself.
[I am picking up several packs of void spawn parallel to your position on either side, distance 1.5 kilometers.]
Zythera informed Navi telepathically. "Alright, alright…enough," he said seriously, interrupting the duo. "We need to talk."
Kai and Lucas stopped their antics and turned to face Navi, the previous mirth on their faces replaced by grim expressions.
"We need to summarize what we know and strategize, but first, we need to find a relatively safe place to do so. Any ideas?" Navi asked.
Aura shifted beside Navi. "Did anyone choose a spell that can hide our presence?"
"Kai did," Navi responded.
Aura turned to look at Kai. "Which one?" she asked.
"Gloom Shroud," he responded.
"Okay…so what if we find a large boulder, climb it, Kai casts Gloom Shroud, which lasts 10 minutes. The AI can warn us if void spawn get close, with Lucas sniping if needed. Hopefully, that will give us at least some time to talk," Aura explained her plan to the others.
"That's not a bad idea," Navi said. "Any objections?" he asked.
Kai and Lucas shook their heads. "None," replied Lucas.
"Well, then let's go find a spot," declared Navi.
All four set off in search of a tall boulder that would serve their purpose. It didn't take them long, and they soon settled among luminescent crystals on the top of a large, spacious boulder, backs to each other so they could talk while still keeping watch.
Kai cast Gloom Shroud, and a dark fog seeped from him, blanketing the top of the boulder but not hindering anyone's vision.
"So, this is what I've learned about the trial so far…" started Navi as he began to summarize his experience since the start of the trial. Aura listened as he talked, memorizing information she deemed important, while also just enjoying being in the company of everyone again.
Lucas went next, and her ears perked with interest as he revealed his knowledge about the artificial cores and the different worlds and races, which added another dynamic to the trial…could the other trial participants pose a threat on top of the void spawn…Aura thought…the voice didn't say anything about facing other participants,…but didn't say we wouldn't either…her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her name.
"Aura, saved you…really…how?" Kai questioned as he interrogated Lucas.
"I was surrounded by void spawn, and Aura arrived in time to help me. By the way, Kai, her sword skills are insane; you should be careful when teasing her from now on."
Kai looked strangely at Lucas over his shoulder. "Are you sure you didn't land on your head after the teleportation?"
Lucas shook his head, smiling. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Navi squeezed Aura's hand, grabbing her attention. "You sure you are okay?"
Aura smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. Both Lucas and I had to use med kits, but we're both okay. I'm okay."
Navi sighed, then nodded. She was fine now, but the fact that she had to use a med kit meant she had been hurt, and he didn't like it…not one bit…but he also couldn't do anything about it. The mention of med kits brought up another issue: their supplies.
"Guys, we should quickly discuss our spells and current provisions before our cover runs out," Navi voiced.
Aura went first, briefly explaining her spells, current casts left, and available med kits. As she listened to the others take their turn, she glanced at her wrist timer.
[20:37:14]
So, almost three and a half hours since the trial started, Aura's thoughts wandered…feels longer…and we still have to get to the rendezvous point…I wonder how far away it is…I remember the voice saying something about getting there as early as possible…
[Void spawn pack detected 1 kilometer, 9 o'clock.]
Chloe's voice echoed telepathically in everyone's head, interrupting the discussion as everyone went quiet.
[Void spawn pack detected 2 kilometers, 9 o'clock; they appear to be moving away.]
Chloe's voice echoed again, and everyone sighed in relief.
"Guys, do you remember if the Voice that introduced the Trial mission told you it would be better to get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible?" asked Aura, her previous thought still bothering her.
"Umm…now that you mention it, yeah, I think it did," replied Lucas.
"I don't remember," said Kai.
"Of course you don't. You were too busy running," Navi chuckled as he teased Kai.
"Hey," Kai started to protest, but Navi ignored him as he replied to Aura.
"I think you are right, baby. It did suggest that the earlier we arrived, the better," he confirmed. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that it wasn't just a suggestion but more like a hidden requirement," explained Aura.
"Hmm…if you're right, then we should probably get there as soon as we can," suggested Navi.
"Chloe, how far is the rendezvous point?" Aura asked.
[The rendezvous point is 12.4 kilometers in a 4 o'clock direction.]
Chloe telepathically responded in everyone's mind.
"Well, I guess we should get moving," said Navi as he stood up.
Aura stood up as well and moved closer to Navi. Kai and Lucas followed behind her. The four quickly climbed down the boulder, Kai's spell ending as they reached the bottom. In silent agreement, they formed up and followed Navi as he started leading them in the direction of the rendezvous point.
**********************
Five kilometers behind Aura and her friends, several figures were being chased by a large pack of void spawn. The figures were running and heading in their direction.