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Chapter 368 - 372: A Plague of Phantoms: The Price of Revolution III

Bo

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" I screamed as Indy and I ran towards the King's glaive or rather where we thought the kings glaive was. While both Indy and I had been certain the direction we were running had been the correct one, however we'd been running far longer than what should have been necessary to at least get to my parents.

"Bo calm down!" Indy exclaimed as he ran beside me. I looked over my shoulder, frowning at Indy.

"How can I calm down! Chase is being attacked!"

"Because he needs us to be. How can he think about protecting himself if he also has to protect us?" Indy snapped back at me. I gritted my teeth and skidded to a stop, Indy stopped a few feet behind me barely out of breath while I was breathing heavily.

"You're right…you're right. I can't even protect Gargesh…how can I begin to help Chase…" I muttered. Indy walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We help him by getting to the King's glaive." Indy said confidently then looked at the trees around us. "Though I think we might have gone the wrong way in our haste."

I looked around and realized that he was right. We were actually at the edge of the white willow forest, I could see a pathway leading to a small village that I knew bordered the forest on the opposite end of the forest that the King's Glaive was resting.

"Fuck a duck!" I groaned then slapped my forehead.

"Calm down…I can talk to Bizarro and have him guide us back to your parents and everyone. He's with them right now." Indy said. I frowned at Indy, wanting to smack him for not saying that earlier when another thought suddenly dawned on me.

"Fuck! Gadget!" I exclaimed. I mentally focused on Gadget, trying to sense where he was. Our connection was strained which meant that he was far away from my current position, but while it was strained it was still present which meant I could communicate to him.

I called to my Bestskill. His response was immediate.

Gadget scream-cried. I felt a little better hearing his voice.

I asked.

I explained.

Gadget insisted.

"Get down!" Indy suddenly cried out and tackled me to the ground.

A loud explosion rang out a few feet away from where Indy and I had been standing. Dozens of smaller louder pops rang out seconds later with small objects whizzing overhead and striking the trees above us. I felt Indy's hand on the back of my head to keep it down.

Indy ordered through the manacite communication ring.

I told him.

Indy said then started to tug me towards a nearby tree.

I followed Indy's lead and crawled low to the ground. Once we were behind the tree indy indicated I started to stand but was quickly stopped by Indy. He motioned towards the road leading to the village and kept crawling.

The salvo of gunfire died down, I was tempted to get up and run but for some reason I trusted Indy's judgement and kept crawling. Once we reached the dirt road bo quickly scurried across then ducked behind a nearby tree. I followed behind him quickly as I could and stood to a low crouched only when he did.

Indy said.

My Dad's voice boomed through the mental link so loud I nearly went deaf from the psychic reverberations.

I cried back, relieved to hear his voice.

He yelled.

I yelled back.

Dad growled.

Indy replied butting in on the conversation.

I ordered.

Gadget exclaimed.

I told him.

Indy reiterated.

Dad said. I tried very hard to not focus on the desperation in Dad's voice. A tone I hadn't heard since the red dragons own our neighborhood.

I replied, hoping I sounded more sure than I felt.

Indy crouched low and basically ran on all fours through towards the village, keeping so low to the ground his chest was only a few inches off the ground. I copied his stance and tried to follow as best I could but it wasn't easy. The entire time my ears were straining to keep track of every sound around us, the slightest chirp or crack in the dark nearby sending my heart into overdrive.

I asked once the outermost house of the village was on view. As if the univers was answering my question a gunshot rang out and a bullet whizzed past my head, missing by only a inch at most.

Indy replied.

"THERE THEY ARE! THOSE LITTLE SPLICER BOYS THAT ARE WITH KINGSTON!" A familiar and spiteful voice roared from somewhere behind us.

Indy stood and grabbed my arm, nearly dragging me as he made a mad dash towards the house. The sound of gunfire echoed through the air as I tried my best to keep up with Indy. We reached the house with Indy opting to dive through the window instead of running around to the front of the house and using a door.

Of course with him dragging me I went through the window as well and rolled across the ground before slamming into a small table about shin height. Indy was up and skirting around to the other side of the table, flipping it so it protected him and I then ducking down.

Bullets started tearing through the thin wooden walls of the house, thankfully getting stopped by the thicker wooden table. I stayed low to the ground, fighting back tears and the urge to cry.

'Why is this happening? Why? Why?!'

Nate

"Come on! Keep up!" I screamed back at Iris and Jane as we ran through the woods towards the village that Bizarro was leading us to. My heart was racing, my lungs and muscles screamed for relief but fear was so thick in my veins that I couldn't afford to listen to ether. If I stopped I would get paralyzed by fear.

The boys were a lot father than I thought they would be which was oklt addjng to my stress and fear. The entire time all I could think about was the memory of Gargesh lying dead on the ground and Bo sharing the same fate. I needed him to be okay.

"We're…!"

That was all that Iris managed to get out before the forest lit up as if the sun was rising. I looked towards the light instinctively and saw a multitude of fireballs flying in our direction from above.

One second I was running behind Bizarro, the next I was several yards away, wrapped up tightly in one of Bizarro's tentacles and being held several feet above the ground in a tree. The fireball's crashed into the ground where I had once been standing and where Iris and Jane had been running towards. Sending clouds of dust, ash and flames billowing into the air.

'Bizarro saved me…' I realized then my eyes grew wide with horror.

"JANE! IRIS!" I screamed.

Iris informed me though the mental connection of the manacite communication ring.

The smoke cleared and I saw that several walls of ice had been erected and blocked the fireballs from getting a direct hit on the girls.

I cried.

"They're still alive! Unleash the next volley!" a voice screamed overhead. I looked up and saw dozens of splicers flying overhead on the backs of evos. I couldn't identify the evo from where we were but fact they were overhead was very bad.

Several gunshots rang out followed by splicers and evos erupting into flames or getting encased in ice. I looked back to the girls and saw them both with their manalocks drawn and firing.

Iris barked.

I exclaimed.

Jane exclaimed assuredly.

A crystalline structure shattered next to her and I saw Ayia'liah fly high above the tree line. Spreading a blue glittering dust that flew up towards the aerial evo mounts. The smarter of the splicers quickly abandoned casting spells and maneuvered their evos away from the dust. The dumber of the splicers didn't notice the danger until it was too late and the dust touched them, causing ice to start forming where it touched and then quickly spread until it iced them over.

Iris roared through the manacite communication ring's connection. I gritted my teeth then slapped Bizarro on the haunches.

"Lets go! Get me to Bo and Indy!" I exclaimed. Bizarro growled his acknowledgement then jumped from the tree he was on towards the eastern end of the forest.

"CRYSTAL GENESIS ACTIVATE!" I heard Jane yell behind me as a bright light flashed and illuminated the forest.

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