Chapter 589: Leaving the Battlefield [2]
Emma didn’t need a name to understand whom Moon was talking about. There was only a single girl that Moon cared this much about.
She nodded without hesitation.
"Of course, she is! We’ve taken her to one of our hidden underground facilities several zones away from here. It’s outside the city’s primary strike radius. No attacks are happening there.
She’s under the protection of second unit of Surpasser team, and the facility’s defensive arrays are top-tier. She is safe and sound."
Moon exhaled slowly.
The knot in his chest loosened by a fraction.
He nodded to Emma, then turned back toward the dome.
Whatever came next, at least Selene was out of it.
With nothing tying him back to this place and less than a minute left on his Life Burn timer, Moon decided to leave first.
Kael’s hand settled on his shoulder as they approached the shimmering surface. Kael didn’t have the authentication tokens that Alaric’s team carried, and he wouldn’t have been able to pass the barrier on his own. Direct contact with Moon during the crossing would let him piggyback the egress permission.
Alaric’s team stepped through the barrier with them.
The dome’s surface softened, and let them all pass. The barrier resealed a heartbeat behind them.
The air on the outside was different. The muffled roar of the battle inside the dome faded completely. The sky was still overcast, still smoky from the city-wide explosions that had been going on for hours, but the immediate pressure of the arena’s aura had lifted.
Alaric pulled out his phone and pressed a single button.
Five seconds later, a shuttle materialized in the sky above them.
It simply appeared, as if it had always been hovering exactly where it was and had only just decided to become visible. The vehicle was sleek, dark, and low-profile. It was littered with top tier inscriptions that even Moon found difficult to understand.
The shuttle lowered smoothly to the ground in front of them. Its side hatch opened without a sound.
Moon watched with visible interest.
Spotting the look of interest on his face, Emma explained, "This is one of the best limited-edition personal orbitals in the kingdom. It was one of the gifts the Association presented to Alaric after he made his breakthrough. The one that changed what the world knew about the River of Paths. It has a built-in invisibility function that hides it from the perception of everyone below Ascender rank. Even the shuttle’s engine signature doesn’t register on orbital tracking arrays, so could practically fly anonymously with few people knowing. Isn’t that cool?"
Moon nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. Judging by the enthusiasm and pride in Emma’s voice when she talked about Orbital, he was almost certain she’d played a part in securing it.
Alaric’s breakthrough had produced ripples that extended far beyond gaining a single skill. The Association had spent significant resources trying to reward him in ways that would keep him affiliated with them rather than drifting toward independent operation. A vehicle like this, unique in the kingdom, was clearly part of that effort.
Emma stepped up to the shuttle’s open hatch and gestured for them to follow.
"You two, get in. We’ll drop you off at the nearest Second Order gate. It’ll take just a few seconds."
Alaric was already inside, taking the seat closest to the front. The other team members walked in, moving to positions they had clearly used a number of times before.
Moon and Kael didn’t hesitate.
Moon stepped up first. Kael followed him inside.
The interior of the shuttle was warmer than the outside. The cabin was much larger than it appeared to be from the outside, it could easily accommodate dozens of passengers, with luxury seating along both walls and a central table.
Light panels lined the ceiling, glowing softly. The air smelled faintly of herbal/floral scent that Moon suspected was some kind of recovery aromatic. Moon could also feel it.
The hatch sealed behind them.
The shuttle lifted off smoothly. As it took off, Moon felt no acceleration pressure or noise. The vehicle was in motion for a full second before Moon’s body registered that they were moving at all.
Emma glanced at the front console.
"Second Order gate. Nearest one is just ten seconds away in travel time."
Alaric nodded without turning his head.
The shuttle picked up speed.
During the ten seconds of travel time, the entire group remained silent. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. He could feel the Life Burn transformation beginning to strain against its limit. Whatever came next, he needed to be somewhere safe before it ended.
Kael sat beside him, staring at his own hands. Emma leaned against the wall near the front, gently doing her brain that had become undone during the battle. Alaric sat with his elbow resting on the small table and his gaze fixed on the window outside.
"We’ve arrived." Emma opened her eyes and turned to Moon with a soft smile. "Nearest Second Order gate. Facility staff have been notified. They’ll wave you through without questions."
Moon nodded and stood up.
So did Kael.
Moon turned to Alaric.
"Thank you. For dropping us off. And for everything else today."
The words carried more than the surface courtesy. Moon meant them. He had given Moon the pendant that had saved him from the assassin’s strike. He had passed him the stone Emma had delivered, whatever it was for.
He had given Moon the intelligence briefing that had allowed him to prepare. Every action Alaric had taken in the past twenty-four hours had, in some form, been in service of Moon’s survival.
Alaric stood up from his seat.
He didn’t often do that.
Emma noticed immediately. So did the other three team members. Alaric was one of the strongest Surpassers in the kingdom. He was accustomed to people rising when he entered rooms, not the other way around. Fewer than ten people in the kingdom could pull him to his feet as a matter of courtesy.
Moon Outlaw, not yet twenty years old, had just done it.