Baxavius stepped off his hoverbike cautiously, not knowing what to expect. He reached for his weapons, today a large broadsword and a tranquillizer gun, then looked around. Considering the fact that Portalia was in the middle of the Feralheart Plague and was by far one of the worst hit cities, it was incredibly peaceful. Far too peaceful.
As he walked down the main street, he noticed that every single house was boarded up with slabs of heavy wood, or had its entrances blocked off with heavy rocks. The Dessaron Arenas were directly ahead, and that was where he was told he’d meet everyone. The arenas though were also boarded up mostly, apart from the administrative area to the east. Finally, Baxavius spotted some form of life.
“Bax!” a huge Rethan grabbed Baxavius. But rather than tearing him apart like most other Rethans he’d seen lately, this one just gave him a massive hug before putting him back down. “You’ve made it safely!”
“It is good to see you too, Gath,” Baxavius replied. He noticed that Gath was wearing a different gas mask, one that was actually meant for Rethans. Accompanying the titan was Retvik, Gath’s partner and the current administrator of the Dessaron Arenas. Hiding behind them were Kass and Abius, both regular combatants in the Dessaron Arenas, both now helping keep things under wraps. He could tell how dire the situation was, as Abius was wearing a full set of armour.
“Have you been told why you are here?” Retvik asked, as if he was in a hurry. “Everyvok else they’ve sent… the three others they sent, they had no fucking clue. One of them is dead, two of them are in hospital, one of which is infected with the Plague.”
Baxavius rolled his eyes. “No, they didn’t tell me, but I figured it out for myself. You are holding the majority of infected beings here in Palaestra and you are incredibly short of staff to assist you in this task. I assume you want help with some Banikans?”
“Close,” Gath smiled. He could always count on Baxavius. “We actually need some help with a few Thraki.”
Kass tutted. “Bastards nearly burned down our house and hurt Kohgrah.”
Genuine surprise ran through Baxavius’s mind. Thraki had always been incredibly dangerous. They were flying monsters that could breath fire and ice. And these Rethans needed his help in taking them down? Retvik caught on to Baxavius’s worries and quickly explained.
“We just need a few extra beings. Our plan is to lure the Thraki into a nearby canyon. Normally they would not go near the canyon at all, but the Thraki are incredibly hungry and will chase potential meals on foot. We get them into that canyon, we can keep them grounded and sedated.”
With everything explained, Retvik marched off somewhere. Kass gave a worried glance towards Gath.
“You want me to be the bait?” Baxavius asked.
“Oh no, that’s my job…” Kass sighed. “We need you to keep hold of the sedatives. Abius is driving, Gath and Retvik will deal with the turrets. They can’t keep the Thraki pinned and sedate them at the same time.”
Baxavius hesitated for a moment, until Retvik suddenly reappeared, driving a hovercraft with two large turrets attached to the back.
“Question. How comes we aren’t using automated systems to tranquillize these Thraki, like you have done with everything else?”
“Because they have magic and it fucks with the sensors!” Retvik growled. He climbed out of the craft and onto one of the turrets, letting Abius take the driver’s seat. Gath and Kass both got in the back, with the second turret, while Abius beckoned Baxavius to join him. It took a moment for him to get comfy in the Rethan seats that clearly were not designed for him, but before he could readjust, Abius had already sped off.
The drive was not long. Despite the roar of the hovercraft’s engines, Baxavius was sure he could hear the roaring of Thraki. As they came to a small forested area, they came to a stop, and Kass leaped out from the back of the car. He quickly checked his gas mask, then grabbed a small blaster and a sword from somewhere behind Baxavius’ seat.
“You know they’re there?” Baxavius asked, only to be silenced by Retvik.
“They are here. We saw them land here earlier…” Abius whispered. “The canyon is about a kilometre from here, Kass will lure them towards it.”
“On foot?”
“Telepathic flight.”
Suddenly, something roared, making the air vibrate. Through the trees, Baxavius could see Kass running east. Two Thraki leaped out from a clearing in the woods, chasing after the Threan-type. Abius revved the engine then chased after the two flying monsters. In the back of the craft, Retvik and Gath were at the ready with their turrets. The craft seemed to not care about the thin trees it was ramming down or hovering over.
The two Thraki, one red, one black, dipped and dived as they tried to grab Kass, but a barrage of telekinetic shields stopped them from even getting close. In his head, Kass was cursing, not wanting to have to fly so far. A call from his communicator asked him to slow down a little, as Abius was having trouble keeping up. No wonder, the terrain was more fallen logs and branches than rocks and sand, more preferable for hovercrafts.
“You fucking crazy?” Kass shouted back, just as a Thraki tried to dive for him. “I slow down, I’m dinner!”
Abius’s demand though was met anyway, as Kass had to weave through harsher terrain. The Thraki were closing the gap, and the red one had overtaken him. But they were almost at the canyon.
Suddenly, two nets flew through the air. The first tangled itself in the wings of the red Thraki, causing it to crash ahead of Kass. Kass leaped over the fallen Thraki, just as the second dived for him. The second net though struck true, and the black Thraki crashed into the canyon.
“Tranq them, now!” Retvik barked as Abius skidded the vehicle to a halt. Baxavius leaped out of the hovercraft and fired three darts at the first Thraki, and three more into the second. Thankfully, the red Thraki had knocked itself out, and Gath had left the vehicle to secure the net that held it. The black Thraki though didn’t go down at first, so Baxavius fired another two darts at it, before reloading the clip.
“Good work, Kass!” Gath shouted as he secured the black Thraki. But his joy quickly drained away as Kass didn’t answer. “Kass?”
It took Kass too long to reply. Starting to panic, Gath rushed over, past the fallen Thraki, to where Kass was sitting on the ground. He looked tired, or as if he’d hurt his head or something. He wasn’t responding to his name.
“Kass, are you alright? Are you injured?”
Baxavius followed him, but paused as he saw something on the ground. It was an oxygen canister.
“KASS?”
Kass finally moved, whimpering slightly. He fell to one side, then looked up at Gath. There was a large gash up his leg, and cuts on his stomach and arms. Worse, his gas mask had been torn off.
“I’m sorry,” Kass whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. “Landed funny. Couldn’t save myself.”
“It’s okay…” Gath held Kass close to him, hugging him tightly. “You’ll be fine. Promise.” Gath sniffed as he picked Kass up and carried him back to the vehicle, laying the little Threan in the passenger seat. He then took the tranquillizer gun from Baxavius and removed a single dart.
Kass fidgeted a little. His hands were shaking. Already, he was beginning to show signs of infection. He leaned over, not completely willingly, letting Gath inject him with the sedative. He quickly administered the powerful drug, then gently ran a finger across Kass’s face as his eyes closed.
“I-I’ll be back…” Kass smiled as he drifted off to sleep.