Chapter 270:Not sure.
Silver smiled.
Ravenna opened one eye.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You’re staring again, I can feel it."
"I know."
She smiled.
"Then stop."
"No."
She rolled her eyes, and Silver laughed. The peaceful moment didn’t last long. Larry called everyone back to the vehicles.
"Moving!"
The contractors began packing. Silver stood and helped Ravenna gather their things.
The convoy resumed its journey. This time, the road became rougher.
The valley narrowed slightly, forcing the vehicles to move between two long ridges. The surrounding vegetation became denser, with tall grasses hiding portions of the road.
Silver slowed down.
Something felt wrong but he couldn’t explain it. He simply didn’t like the terrain. There were too many blind spots and places for something to hide. He reached for his sword.
Ravenna noticed.
"Something?"
"Maybe, I just want to be prepared."
She immediately became alert.
The vehicle behind them slowed as well. For several minutes, nothing happened, then the grass moved, shuffling as though something was moving through it.
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
A massive creature suddenly burst from the vegetation. It looked like a cross between a giant monitor lizard and a crocodile, its body covered in rough dark scales.
Silver’s hand went toward his sword but before he could move, Marcus had already jumped from the lead vehicle. He swung his weapon and the beast’s head was knocked sideways.
Victor appeared behind it . A burst of energy struck its spine and the creature collapsed.
Silver stared.
The entire exchange had lasted less than ten seconds.
Antony whistled, he was leaning against the window looking outside.
"That’s becoming embarrassing."
Ravenna smiled.
"Don’t worry. You’ll have your turn eventually."
Silver laughed. The contractors returned to their vehicles. Victor looked back at Silver.
"You should really stay behind us."
Silver nodded politely.
"Understood."
He turned away.
Silver waited until he was gone, then he looked at Ravenna.
"They’re going to keep doing that."
"Probably for the whole journey."
Silver smiled.
"Fine." He looked toward the valley. "I guess this is what I get for being stubborn."
Ravenna nodded.
The convoy continued.
As the afternoon passed, Silver’s eyes remained fixed on the terrain. He wasn’t simply looking for beasts anymore but for landmarks, rock formations, caves, mountain shapes and anything that might match his memories.
But nothing did. The valley seemed almost endless. Silver didn’t know how far away it was but he would find it. He had come too far to turn back now.
The convoy continued deeper into Death Row Valley, and as the hours passed, the difference between Silver’s group and Larry’s group became increasingly obvious.
Silver remained at the rear with Ravenna and Antony, letting them handle most of the encounters. He didn’t take offense anymore when one of them told him to remain in the vehicle. If anything, he found it useful.
The next serious attack came not long after they passed through the narrow section of the valley. A series of rocks suddenly rolled down from the slope ahead, forcing the convoy to brake sharply. Silver immediately reached for his sword, but the communication device crackled before he could even step out.
"Hold position!" Larry’s voice came through. "Multiple targets on the ridge!"
Silver looked through the windshield.
At first, he saw nothing, then several dark shapes appeared between the rocks.
They were large, feline creatures with long forelimbs and short, powerful bodies. Their coats blended almost perfectly with the brown and grey rocks around them. They had been lying motionless against the slope, waiting for the convoy to pass beneath them.
"Mountain stalkers," Ravenna muttered.
Silver glanced at her.
"You know them?"
"I’ve seen pictures." She raised her rifle. "They’re ambush predators."
The first beast leapt but it didn’t even reach the ground. One of the Rank Four stepped forward and struck it out of the air. The impact sounded like a cannon.
The creature slammed into the ground and rolled several meters before stopping. Three more attacked immediately.
The group split apart. Two moved left, three moved right and the remaining three stayed in the centre. The beasts had expected the convoy to panic; instead, they found themselves surrounded.
Ravenna watched carefully from beside Silver.
"That’s why they don’t want us interfering."
Silver nodded.
"They already have an answer for everything."
Another mountain stalker charged down the slope. Ravenna raised her rifle.
Silver glanced at her.
"You can reach it?"
"Probably."
She pulled the trigger.
The shot was already impressive by itself, but what came next made Silver smile. The bullet was wrapped in fire. A thin stream of flame followed its trajectory through the air before the projectile struck the beast’s shoulder.
The impact knocked the creature sideways. It rolled down the slope, smoking.
Ravenna lowered the rifle. Silver looked at her.
"That’s impressive."
She smiled.
"I’ve been practicing."
"Keep it up, we might get an upgrade in guns soon."
"I want the latest one."
He laughed.
"Of course, the best for you."
Ravenna’s fire element had become one of the most useful additions to her combat style. Rather than simply creating flames separately from her rifle, she had learned to channel her elemental energy through the weapon itself. The result was considerably more destructive than an ordinary bullet.
She could coat individual shots in fire, create explosive impacts, and even use bursts of flame to alter the trajectory of certain projectiles.
Silver had seen her practice before, but watching her combine the rifle and her fire element during an actual battle made the difference obvious.
Another beast leapt toward the convoy. Ravenna fired twice. The first shot struck its foreleg and the second hit its chest. Flames erupted across its body. The beast crashed into the dirt.
Silver looked at her with approval.
"Much better."
"Thank you."
The other group finished the remaining creatures shortly afterward. None of them seemed particularly impressed by the encounter.
For Silver, however, the battle had been valuable because he had learned something about Ravenna. Her combat style was evolving. She wasn’t simply becoming stronger but was becoming more efficient. That mattered more.