THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: RED FLARE

It had been one hour since the game started, and Sagiri had not yet moved from his position right outside the gate. He was lying on his stomach, and his face was planted to the earth, unmoving. N’varu was on one knee beside him, his eyes scanning the dark beside him, unmoving, and did not dare to question him. Sagiri had not realized how caged he had felt inside the pentagon, untouched by the outside air. Now, however, without his oru-shells on in preparation for the hunt, he was experiencing the unfiltered air once again. It was as if he was experiencing the outside for the first time in weeks, and it made him a little homesick.

Just like how he used to do every time before the hunt back at home, he lay flat on his stomach and placed his ears to the earth to listen to the vibrations of the earth as far as he could. The animals’ chatter, breathing, and calling sounds oddly made him feel at ease. Even the very earth under his skin felt familiar.

Sagiri filtered out the students’ movements and feelings of anxiety, excitement, and tension and let himself be absorbed in the sound of nature. It was the best sound. I like music to his ears. Even now, more than ever, he felt connected to the earth. His skin, which was burning moments before, suddenly went cold as if merging with the temperature of the earth. Now more than ever, he felt at peace and connected to the earth beneath him, as if they were one. Just like when he was young, whenever he wanted to hunt for young beasts or just play a game of scare and hide, he always listened first before he moved. After all, a hunt was not just about being first and precise but stealthy and pleasurable.

”We have to move, keeper.” N’varu, who had been watching him carefully, finally spoke. It had been a full hour since the boy lay on his stomach, and if he could not hear his concentrated breaths, he might have been tempted to think he was asleep. ”I do not mind if you lie there the whole hunt, but the others will not appreciate it,” he continued. Sagiri could have preferred to lie there another hour just to reminisce and relax, but he knew he had to move or they would soon become easy prey.

”Let’s move this way,” Sagiri finally spoke to his friend, standing at his feet. ”They have been waiting,” he started staring into the dark in woods.

Just 10 vaara into the woods, Kiuga landed beside them, his movements soundless. N’varu and Sagiri had known they were waiting, so they were not shocked.

”If not for the weird way you always do things and your senses weren’t leg to leg with the Tamelku, I could have left you behind. I’d rather be punished by Senraki than lose to Konate.” Kiuga said, running beside the two boys, not questioning at all the direction in which Sagiri had chosen to go. Something had changed with him, too. Kiuga was wearing a pair of goggles over his eyes that were tied to the back of his head.

”What are those?” Sagiri asked, his eyes adjusting to the dark.

”You did not think someone like me could just move in the dark without cheating,” kiuga laughed, adjusting his googles. ”Don’t worry, collar boy made them for everyone in the team. I had to be prepared for the worst when they mentioned we were going to start the exercise at night here,” he said, handing over two pairs of what he was wearing. ”The goggles have a black exterior and a thin centre with glass made mostly for old people and children born without good eyesight.

”They are not the same as the ones the instructors or warriors use in battle. These can only be used to see five feet in front of you,” he explained as N’varu and kiuga put the googles over their eyes.

”Now, Sagiri the blind, where do you think we should go?” he turned to Sagiri expectantly.

”We move to the quieter side of the woods,” he said, and kiuga differed immediately.

”I might not have sensory skills as good as you, but I sure know that silence is a bad sign, and it means there’s an even bigger predator lying in wait.

”Yes, but it also means most teams will avoid going in that direction,” Sagiri answered, starting to unravel the hooked rope around both wrists.

”Sagiri the blind, do you want us to be fodder for wolves and lions?” kiuga laughed lowly, but his laugh was not humorous.

”I trust him,” N’varu said, already unravelling his ropes. The other boys were flanking them from all sides, but they remained hidden within five feet where they could see kiuga. They all trusted him implacably, and they waited for his signal. if he went with Sagiri’s plan, then they could all move in his direction without question.

”You better not make me regret this, Sagiri the blind,” kiuga sighed before giving the signal. silence followed before he gave the signal. Another moment of silence followed before the sound of the hooks hitting the backs of the trees sounded. Moving on the ground in such a direction was the same as suicide, and kiuga must give out a signal for everyone to get airborne and use the tall woods as cover. They moved silently, barely leaving the rustling of leaves behind them. They had been instructed not to go too deep, but it was never labeled as illegal. Sagiri, however, did not intend to lead the team into the jaws of death.

The other teams could have already taken positions because Sagiri’s team was the last to take off. he allowed his senses to move out and take in the teams nearby, and for the first hour, he had not perceived anything. He stopped suddenly, and all the boys stopped moving immediately, all the eyes turning to him and kiuga. He was, after all, just the compass, and if it came down to a real fight, he was useless. He did not want to lead the team into a fight unless it was necessary.

Before anyone could ask what happened, three flares filled the air, bursting with force. one purple flare and two red ones went off at once, coloring the sky at the same time.

”It seems we have the first elimination,” Kiuga whispered with excitement. The flares lit up the forest for a moment before it was dark again.

”There are no teams in this direction,” Sagiri said to kiuga before he retracted his senses, panting. Running while using his senses to the max was tiring, so he needed to rest in intervals. ”But it is about to rain,” he told kiuga, who was closest to him. Everyone may have already known the last part, considering how the breeze had picked up, biting into their skin, even the heavy combat suits were not enough to keep the cold out. Sagiri had never felt the cold bite into him with such intensity before, and he shivered.

”Damn it, I may have overlooked that,” kiuga groaned before announcing loudly that it might rain soon.

”Are you okay, Sagiri the blind? I don’t think you fainting on us again will be polite,”Kiuga turned around to look at the panting boy. Sagiri was perched on a high branch, his back tightly resting on the tree trunk, while both of his hands and feet were planted on the thick branch beneath him. His hooked ropes were secured to the branches above his head. Moving that quickly, using the hooked robes to stay airborne, was more tiring than expected. His core strength had grown, but he was still the most unfit compared to the other boys.

”If you faint again, I will feed you to the wild animals myself,” Kaka spoke for the first time. I can’t believe I have to babysit. I could have eliminated half of those Konate scum to show them who is better.

”Hey, King Bami, don’t underestimate an opponent. Besides, it is a hide-and-seek game. You don’t have to eliminate others for fun. you can just hide and win,” kiuga said, fanning the flames. It worked because Kaka turned around with a glare. Even with the blurry goggles, it was clear he did not like him, and the term hid to be put in the same sentence as him.

”I don’t hide from anyone. Galka War Academy is my turf, and only those desert westerns should hide from me.

”I’m fine. We should move west,” Sagiri finally spoke after catching his breath. He pushed his senses out again. He could not perceive anything at first, but the silence around them had grown deeper if that was even possible, and he placed his ear to the tree trunk, trying to shut out kaka and kiuga, who were arguing while they chased each other from branch to branch, but kept close to the others.

Suddenly, the hairs on Sagiri’s back stood on end. He could finally perceive something. And finally, he understood why he had not felt it first and why it was suddenly so quiet. Of all the things they could have met on the first of their hunt on the outer nonagon. Why did it have to be her? and right when she had hatched her young ones, the Vorrash snake, the gravescale itself had been stirred. Either by the flares or the commotion between kiuga and kaka. He had never seen one before but he had heard more stories from his stepfather from back in the days. It was the only snake with two hearts and right now he could hear both beating slowly. the creature had slowed its own heartbeats to be as stealth as possible. If not for the power inside him even Sagiri could not have a heard it approaching. The situation called for a red flare immediately but he did not even have time to draw it.

The gravescale, a lethal predator. Its body was thick as a fallen trunk, scales dull and dark, drinking in the night instead of reflecting it. Each plate overlapped with cruel precision, scarred and chipped from age rather than battle. It did not move, yet the ground around it felt tense, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. Its head rested low, wide and heavy, eyes half-lidded but alert. The pupils narrowed at the faintest sound, a snapped twig, a hurried breath, and its body tightened in response. Noise angered it. Vibration drew its attention faster than sight. To add insult to injury Kaka and kiuga were making the utmost noise as they chased each other as if they were trying to wake the dead.

The snake was approaching slowly but surely. They did not have long for a head start, and all Sagiri knew was that they had to move fast in any direction as long as that direction was far from the gravescale.

”Stop!” he yelled, but the two boys ignored him.

”Silence!!’ he bellowed with so much force that Kaka and kiuga finally stopped. ”The grave scale is ten feet from our position,” he said, and everyone froze, only for a moment, however, before hoods hit the trunks and branches.

”Move!” Sagiri said not to wait for kiuga to come up with a plan. the grave scale was closing in now and was quickly drawn in by the sudden surge of adrenaline, and they had a second head start. He moved in a different direction, and everyone followed him.

no one had the time to shoot a flare, let alone think. The closest to the beast were kiuga and Kaka, who had run too far from the squad. kiuga was fast, but he barely moved before the beast was on him. It swatted him hard. His back connected to a tree with so much force that it shook the branches. He barely had the time to get to his feet and use his hooking ropes before the beast was on him.

Sagiri felt the whole exchange, and he stopped immediately. The others breezed past him, except for N’varu, who stopped the moment he stopped. He had promised kiuga nothing could go wrong, and things had ended up going completely wrong. As if things were not bad enough, the first drops of rain finally reached the earth.

”Why are you stopping?” N’varu asked frantically, almost going to carry him, thinking he was too tired to move.

”kiuga is hurt,” he answered, and N’varu posed.

”There is nothing you can do,” he said on a serious note, and it made sense, but kiuga had not failed Sagiri even once, and he was not going to leave the guy to be devoured. The guy was the greatest strategist he had ever seen, and he had a feeling he could need him in the large-scale plan.

”I will not leave him,” he said with finality, turning around to head back. He could feel Kaka’s frantic and anxious feeling as he watched his friend in a jeopardizing position. If he did not do anything both the two were going to be killed. kaka might have been stuck up, but he still had no reason to let him die too, when he was the reason they were all so close to the Grave scale’s nest. N’varu sighed but followed him anyway.