As the hypnotic, calming nature of the night brushed its gentle embrace on the Ethisians, a feeling of reluctance and sloppiness began to corrupt their always-vigilant minds. For some reason, tonight, of all nights, felt more serene than the others. It was strange for most of them given that they had never experienced such peace and calmness before.
Even though many on the planet had dwelled on it for YEARS, they couldn’t recall ever feeling this way. For that reason, when they came to learn of it, they chose to embrace and enjoy it rather than raise flags or concerns.
This sloppiness on their end was soon going to be the reason for their downfall because their enemies, the Granians, were far closer than they expected and to make matters more frightening, one of the four most dangerous Granian weapons was running in their walls.
Just a few minutes before the gates were closed, Cherry, the Crimson Knight, sped her way using speeds that made her almost invisible to the untrained eye into the Bastion’s bailey. What a sight it was for her to behold.
Just as the scouts previously mentioned, the walls were well fortified and guarded to the teeth. Mounted guns and turrets that faced the inside and outside of the Bastion were laid horizontally and vertically. At each corner of the Bastion’s walls were watch towers with Ethisian soldiers marching constantly.
In the center of this massive space was a glorious, castle-like structure whose shape was similar to High Ruler Enor’s abode. The building was graced with many floors and many slightly smaller extensions built above, beside, and beneath it. It was a glorious building, one that would have gathered a lot of attention had it been built on Earth.
’This isn’t going to be easy.’ Cherry thought as she hid under the cover of shadows. Since the Bastion contained Ethisians whose numbers were half those of the Granians, she had to be as careful as she possibly could be.
While hiding, Cherry monitored the main entrance of the Bastion’s center building. Soldiers, by the hundreds, marched in and out with weapons and sets of armor decorating their bodies. Despite them not fighting any current battles, these Ethisians were well-protected and equipped, ready to jump into battle at any given moment.
However, there was something else that the Crimson Knight came to learn, something that explained why the Bastion was so well fortified and protected.
’A mining planet!!’ Cherry thought once she glanced at a few worker soldiers pulling a large crate filled with crude, freshly mined materials. Normally, the Crimson Knight wouldn’t react this way for she had been to many mining planets before. However, this one was different because what was being mined was a component Lord Gravax continuously preached about.
’That’s the stuff Gravax needs for cloning,’ she thought and began to truly understand why the Bastion was this guarded, ’extremely rare to find but very valuable too.’
Getting back on track, Cherry deployed five Blood Clones made in her image. Their goal, and hers, was simple; infiltrate the Bastion, deactivate all the automated weapons, booby trap the main control panels of the Bastion, and finally open the gates for the Granians and Cyclitharans to attack.
Since the center building was massive, Cherry sent her clones to search each floor starting from the bottom as she began from the uppermost floor.
Floor after floor, the Crimson Knight sped past each room while planting balls made of her blood in certain areas. Places such as control rooms, weaponry bunkers, and supply chambers were all rigged to blow up once the Granians entered. That way, the Ethisians wouldn’t have time to send out signals for help, restock their weapons, or even access things that could otherwise prove useful.
As the hours advanced, so did the night’s eerie, calming nature. As the hours sped by like minutes, many of the Ethisians began to slip up and make silly mistakes. Soldiers who were supposed to keep watch succumbed to sleep. Others who were tasked with handling mined goods covered themselves and gave way to the night’s hypnotic embrace.
Many slept and because of this, it left the Bastion more vulnerable than it have ever been. This sloppiness, the reason they were about to die, was the advantage the Crimson Knight longed for.
With most of Ethisians asleep, Cherry was finally able to cover more ground quickly. Before she knew it, she was left with only one floor to booby trap and that was the one in the middle...but there was a problem.
’What’s...that ominous energy?’ the young woman held her breath as her body reacted negatively to a powerful force she came across. Prior to this, the Humans were briefly introduced to Eneraflux, its basics, and how to sense it. Had it not been for that, the Crimson Knight would have walked straight into whatever being it was that emitted such a powerful flush of power.
’It feels...like Grim’s but...’ Cherry began to overthink herself into worry. There were a few times she came across such energy while in Akrina. The first was with Grim, the second was with the two High Grades Commander and Enoris, and the third was her brother.
They all felt the same but unique in their own way. One thing was for certain, however, and that was the strength they all possessed. Coming across such strength was a problem and a blessing in disguise. On one hand, it could be a chance for her to exercise her newfound strength but on the other, it could be a potentially fatal battle on her end.
’That must be the communication room,’ Cherry spoke to herself, hoping to convince her body to encounter whoever this powerful energy belonged to, ’if I don’t destroy it, whoever’s in there might call for backup....’
"Why do you continue to hide?"
Cherry’s heart sunk to her stomach once the being emitting so much strength spoke to her. It was deep, gravely, and guttural, showing that the person was most likely blessed with a large body but that wasn’t the scary part. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
"I sensed you the moment you sensed my energy. You’re quite strong and if you’re here...then the Granians must be here too, right Blood Mutant?"
Cherry’s cover was blown. She couldn’t afford to waste any more precious time than she already did. If this person who sensed her could tell that she was a Blood Mutant, then it was only a matter of time until reinforcements were called for.
In haste, the Crimson Knight burst into the room with about twenty Blood Clones accompanying her. This was a tactic aimed at distracting the enemy long enough for her to destroy the room...however...
’Two High Grades? And they’re massive!!!’