NOVEL FROG Chapter 116: Cautiously
The Heartaches and EchoForce entered the big passage with the utmost discretion, forming two lines to make their way through another maze of rocky, narrow corridors. However, they had enough space to spread out and cover all the ground they could. Despite the dense clouds covering most of the sky, their visibility increased as well, and with Agnus taking the lead with her team, the Heartaches took the lead while Panda slowed down to make a call.
–We’ve entered the gorge, making our way to the meeting point, over– Panda reported briefly, receiving only a short answer from the other side that the rest of the group couldn’t hear. It didn’t appear significant as he put away the radio and swapped it with his machine gun, lending Cookie his shield again to not be too loaded.
–I hope we’re close, this place is scary…– Zoey whispered to Scott from behind, as she was at the very back with the rest of the rookies. Scott looked back briefly and smiled in a comforting manner, but he then walked into Cookie’s back as he and Panda halted before reaching an intersection.
EchoForce stopped walking and stuck close to the right wall of the path as they watched the Heartaches advance through the left, noticing Kayden and Agnus were trying to peek around the corner of the path adjacent to theirs. They couldn’t see any shadows, but some noises could be heard from the left side, specifically, footsteps approaching their location. Agnus and Kayden turned around to signal their team, prompting Panda to do the same. He tried reaching the corner on his side but stopped moving abruptly once he spotted the enemy.
Four antipunks were calmly marching over to the right side, not noticing the Heartaches when they passed by since they were hiding in the shadows. But as they made their way through the other path, EchoForce had to step back to let them walk right by. Both Agnus and Panda ordered both teams to hold still with a rigid gesture, extending their hands in the shape of a fist as they waited to signal an attack. But the wait was prolonged when Panda and Agnus checked both sides of the path they had encountered, now backtracking on their decision to neutralize the antipunks that passed by.
It appeared that more enemies were coming through the left side, where Agnus caught a few glimpses of movement far away at the end of the path. There weren’t any enemies coming from the other side, only the ones marching straight in that direction, and with the four antipunks already gone, they waited for the next group to come in. But as they waited for them to pass and reach their position, Panda noticed that the new group wasn't following the rest, as there was a larger unit branching out at the far end of the left path.
The group of six antipunks deviating from the main antipunk army started turning to take the team’s path, marching right ahead of them. Agnus checked both sides before following the group closely, and to prevent any other enemies from seeing them, she waited until the group was well past the intersection to coordinate an attack with her squad. Panda and the rookies stayed behind the Heartaches to cover their backs as Kayden and Zayn jumped out at the oblivious antipunks, with the rest of their teammates following shortly after.
They didn’t need everyone to attack, as only Agnus, Kayden, and Zay took care of the enemy by slitting the back of their necks swiftly and silently, killing them instantly, but making sure to muffle the sounds of their deaths by covering their mouths and laying them on the ground gently. Cookie and Scott managed to catch up and try to get some action as well, but the enemy was already dead, so they only got to grab the bodies to clear the path for the rest of the team.
Panda was the last one to advance, as he kept an eye on the path to the left, where they could still hear movement through the rock. Antipunk troops were moving in their same direction, which allowed them to follow without being seen. Without wasting time to inspect the bodies, Panda moved forward with a clear goal ahead. He kept his ear close to the left wall until the antipunk troop disappeared. He got a slight idea of where they were heading, but he wasn’t completely sure, so he slowed down, staying close to his squad.
–We have to hurry up now…– Zayn suggested quietly after checking behind and seeing some movement way behind. The corpses they left would eventually be found by the other antipunks, but Zayn was too vague for everybody except his own team to understand. The rookies kept following Panda blindly, not aware of the threat approaching from behind as they were focused on chasing the antipunks. And with the Heartaches falling behind while constantly checking if the enemy was coming, they started picking up speed until they came across another intersection.
This time, the path they could take wasn’t so linear. The antipunks appeared to have split in both directions, as two paths headed in opposite directions again. Panda and EchoForce were in front, so it was up to him to make the decision, and even though he made up his mind almost instantly, he kept an eye on both sides, especially the one on the left, as it was significantly more crowded.
–Shh, we’ll try to sneak past those… Their army is probably heading that way. It’ll take longer, but we should be clear after taking those guys out…– Panda informed discreetly, turning back to give time for the rookies to assess the situation on their own. It took them some time to realize that the troop on the left was only a fraction of what could be found further down in that direction. But since it was clear that the right side was more accessible, they headed down that path while Panda stayed back to wait for the Heartaches.
Cookie led the rookies down the cleared path, where they were surprised to see a few antipunks taking the same route after turning a corner. Without Panda to give them a clear order, even Scott was caught off guard when Cookie began charging at the distracted antipunks. Without warning, he attacked the two enemies at the back, forcing the rookies to take action as well, but since he was a bit ahead of them, they only got close enough to attack once the five other antipunks turned around and defended themselves.
Luckily, Cookie was quick enough to kill all the enemies blocking their way except two, letting the rookies take care of them while he went ahead. Zoey, Shade, and Chappy charged into battle, but they couldn’t keep up with Cookie’s speed and took just a bit too long to stab the antipunks to death. Even when Shade and Chappy landed good blows, their swords didn’t kill instantly like Cookie, so the enemy struggled greatly and slowed them down, but they were still able to take them out without suffering any injuries.
Instinctively, the rookies looked at each other proudly after successfully taking out the antipunks. But they soon came to find out that they didn’t really succeed in securing the path as the antipunks were still alive and began screaming for help before perishing. and Scott was the first one to notice when he turned around to see Panda running towards them in panic. His expression was one of distress, but there was some slight anger directed at them, and it became clear when the rookies saw what was going on behind him. Before they could react, Panda forced the rookies to start running with him, trying to catch up to Cookie as he was already moving.
–Damn it, we are compromised. We’ll just have to avoid them as much as possible and see if we lose them…– Panda announced in a mix of disappointment and frustration, which alerted the rookies. They glanced behind them and saw that they were now being chased by the antipunks.
The Heartaches stayed back, fending off the enemies coming from behind, but only after a few seconds, they drew even more attention to the area. Soon enough, it looked like half the troops they saw earlier were coming too, forcing EchoForce to keep running as they found another two paths. They stuck to the left side, but while the rookies followed Panda, once the Heartaches caught up, they ran down the other path, entering another maze of narrows, except now they had the enemy hot on their tails.
Despite most of the enemy soldiers chasing after the Heartaches, some were able to see where the others went, so on top of splitting up from the other squad, EchoForce now had the stress of having antipunks behind them as well. The enemy tried to shoot at them, missing all the shots since they were on the chase; however, the gunfire was only a mere distraction as another battle could be heard from the same direction they were heading. Panda didn’t know if the Heartaches were fighting ahead, but either way, they had to approach danger and keep running forward.
The rookies put away their swords to focus on running, maintaining the pace to avoid lagging and getting caught, except Ace, who outran everyone until Panda and Cookie blocked his way. They were growing anxious by the sounds of the Heartaches nearby yelling at each other while they tried to run away as well. It seemed like they were only distancing themselves the more they ran, but with no other way to go, they continued running through the narrows.
The sky only reflected their dire circumstances as the clouds started pouring light rain down the gorge, which helped subdue some of the noise from their intense running. But there wasn’t much to do at this point as they had already alerted the enemy, and even when they gained some distance, they could only wander aimlessly around the endless passages that only seemed to get narrower, hoping to reunite with the Heartaches or find Crisis on the other side instead of an army of antipunks.
While they didn’t know it at the time, both teams were making their way closer to Crisis, as the squad had already entered the gorge by the time the others started running. And just like Panda, Frost was very cautious when leading his team through the narrow and dark corridors, which appeared just as empty as the first. But since there were signs of previous activity, they slowed their pace dramatically as Frost took extra precautions every time he checked the corners of every path they took.
Their approach kept the squad on edge at first, but after a few minutes of tense, silent walking without coming across anything interesting, they did manage to find a threat that they truly had to approach carefully. After a narrow turn, the passage opened up a little in exchange for more rocks in their way. The wider space would have otherwise relieved some of the stress of sticking so close together, but now they were forced to take cover in a corner as they faced the first enemies they had encountered in half an hour of traversing the gorge.
It looked like the omens were waiting for Crisis to show up, as they had set up two small watchtowers, though there was only one soldier on each side. Their posts were set relatively high on the rock walls, supported by thick wooden beams that blended with the dim surroundings. But despite hiding well in the shadows, only poking their heads out a couple of seconds at a time to check for enemies, Kiwy was able to spot them right away and report it to Frost, who was already taking cover behind a big rock that bulged out of the left wall on the corner.
–Yes, there they are… Hold your fire for now, they haven’t seen us yet…– Frost ordered while keeping both head and voice low, quietly putting away his blades for a second as he turned around. The rock behind him blocked the omens’ sight, but the rest of the squad wasn’t too safe staying right next to them, so they took a couple of steps back before crouching to avoid getting shot.
Frost didn’t have anything else to say for a while and instead kept watching the two omens on the watchtowers. They were only monitoring the front, aiming their rifles down the middle, and staying on high alert for anyone that passed through. They didn’t aim further back, allowing Frost to keep an eye on them and look past the watchtower, spotting the path they should take at the end of the passage. While he waited to call the move, his teammates prepared their weapons, except Tricky, who seemed to have something up her sleeve and tried to hide it, but she caught Nitro’s attention since he was right behind.
–Why is your backpack so heavy?– Nitro asked after loading his grenade launcher. He was interested in the large bulge at the back of Tricky’s backpack after she laid it on the ground next to him. She ignored him at first, but as he tried to take a closer look, she casually opened the backpack and pulled out what was inside, which consequently answered his question, although he was left confused since he recognized the device immediately.
–You brought that bomb here?? Wasn’t it just a prototype??– Nitro asked in shock at the sight of the E.M.D., raising his voice to the point that Frost had to shut him up with a stare. But even when he quieted down, Nitro was anxious and kept questioning Tricky, who hesitated to respond until Candy got curious about the commotion.
–It’s still a prototype, but it might be our last resort… It could help, you know…– Tricky answered apprehensively and annoyedly, but she became nervous when her teammates began staring suspiciously. She held the large bomb in her hands carefully, removing a lock to check the main panel on the front to tweak a few wires and buttons. A large portion of the explosive was exposed at the back, allowing Nitro, Candy, and Kiwy to see the inner workings of the device. They were both fascinated and terrified by it; however, there was no need to worry now that Tricky cut off the power.
–Well, as long as it works, it should be fine. I hope it makes a big explosion… I would love to see it go off. Maybe you could do better than me if y-...– Nitro quipped with a snarky grin as he showed off his now fully loaded grenade launcher and tried to tease Tricky with it. But after she rolled her eyes, put the bomb away, and closed her backpack, the squad focused on Frost as he started aiming his blades at the watchtowers. But before he got a chance to do anything, he second-guessed himself and turned back to the squad with new orders.
–We have to be as quiet as possible. No shooting until we meet up with Panda and the others. Let me and Kiwy handle these five and check the bodies after, okay?– Frost said quietly, but he still possessed an assertive tone that conveyed resolve. But as the squad listened closely, they were caught off guard since they only saw two enemies. They peeked again to confirm the number of targets they had to take down, but by that time, Frost was already on the move, with Kiwy following right behind.
Despite Frost leaving cover first, he only exposed himself and waited for Kiwy to go ahead and sneak her way right below the watchtower on that side. She checked ahead, seeing some light coming in and three shadows on an otherwise clear path. Tricky, Candy, and Nitro saw her sneak below the right watchtower and almost tried to follow, but with Frost garnering the attention of the two omens, they had to stay hidden while he made his play.
As soon as he stepped into view, Frost was shot at, but he only approached nonchalantly until he made sure Kiwy was in position. Once the cat girl was in the middle of both watchtowers, Frost hooked both wooden beams of the platforms to pull them down swiftly, collapsing the thin towers before he could be shot. The omens continued firing, but they only ended up shooting the sky as they fell from their high post, all the way to the ground, where Frost made sure to keep them alive, crawling in pain to their rifles with a couple of broken bones. But as they writhed in pain, they noticed that Kiwy was taking cover right next to them. She was almost crushed but was now behind the barrier of broken wood, using the obstruction of the path to her advantage.
The rest of the squad couldn’t help but take another peek after hearing the fall, and they were shocked to see three more enemies appearing out of nowhere at the other end of the passage. But as Frost and Kiwy were already expecting them, they only waited for them to run into them. The enemies didn’t hesitate to come out right away and begin shooting, prompting Frost to dodge while running back to cover, though he pretended to be scared off and even screamed in desperation.
With the two omens on the ground calling for help, the other three were lured into the fallen watchtowers, running past the improvised barrier, and letting Frost escape to help their fallen teammates. Instead, the latter gave up on trying to reach for their guns and began warning the others as they completely looked past Kiwy. They had jumped over her as she was ducking right behind the collapsed beams, but she waited for the enemy to turn around to see her pounce on them.
Almost out of malice, Kiwy jumped at the omens’ backs with a grin as she enjoyed slaughtering the enemy for a good couple of seconds. The rest of the squad could only imagine the torture she was putting the omens through as the first two began screaming, followed by the bloody sounds of Kiwy carving their necks with her claws. However, they did manage to see the aftermath, as Kiwy seemed to be in a hurry to finish off all five omens. Once the team was able to regroup, they were satisfied to see that she didn’t think her attacks through, being as savage as possible since the omens’ necks and backs were riddled with careless gashes.
With the job done, Kiwy stood next to the corpses to let the squad take a closer look, almost as if she were showing off. She waited obediently with an innocent smile for them to continue forward, but they were fascinated by her efficiency, so Frost approved of her work with a proud smirk that made her smile even more. But she wasn’t the only one, as Frost, Nitro, and Tricky turned excited to see that she had killed high-ranked omens after verifying their clothes and weapons.
–Alright, let’s see how many more of these suckers we can kill tonight. Kiwy is in the lead with five points. Better keep up, squad…– Frost said jokingly but with a truly spiteful stare as he looked down at the omens’ corpses. He shared a laugh with Nitro, who turned very enthusiastic by the competition of most omens killed, but the other was a bit more concerned by what was ahead.
–I would love to play, but I think we might be close… It looks like a warzone over there…– Candy asked hesitantly, growing fearful at the sight of smoke and flashes of light coming from far beyond the rock wall at the end of the passage.
–Yea, they must be around here… That’s where the real fun starts…– Frost replied eagerly with a chuckle before heading towards the end, going over the fallen beams and corpses in the middle of the passage. The squad followed closely but grew a bit wary of their surroundings once again, as even though they found no enemies when they took a turn to the right, the ambience was becoming ominous. They were distracted by a few raindrops falling on their faces, but when they looked up at the heavy clouds, they were suddenly alerted by the gunfire becoming louder and closer by the second. A battle had started near them, and they had arrived just in time to join.