novel bin Chapter 1021: Amber's Corrosive Cookout
Chapter 1021: Amber's Corrosive Cookout
Chapter 1021: Amber's Corrosive Cookout
Amber's corrosive fog was still clinging to some of the walls and streets of the city as Erik, June, Amber, Mira, Emily, and the three Chimaeric Demons entered the now-dead outpost.
Erik gave Amber a quick glance. She was clearly shaken, because she knew many of the people here died because of her. Mira, instead, was unperturbed. That might have been because of how the two women grew up, or what they did during these years, or it might even be a matter of personalities and beliefs. Erik didn't know that.
Emily was the only one among them who had a neutral expression. She was sorry for those who died, but not as shaken as Amber.
Only silence reigned around them. The stench of death permeated everything, and that was because of Amber, since her power just reduced every living creature into a puddle of goo.
As they made their way towards the center of the outpost, the true extent of the carnage that had just unfolded within the outpost became clear.
What remained of the corpses of soldiers and civilians alike littered the ground. They weren't the only ones.
Among them, what remained of the thaids that attacked this place could be found, along with the burnt-out husks of buildings and the skeletal remains of some dead leviathan thaid that had been killed by the blackguards or Amber.
Emily swallowed hard, her rifle hanging at her side. "This," she said. Her voice was strained; she had always known that Amber's powers were ridiculously powerful, but she couldn't fully understand how destructive they were. During battles, she often had to restrain herself because of friendly fire. But now that she had no such constraints, her full might was in view.
At that point, everyone was sure her ability would turn terrifying if she got over the 54 neural links mark.
Emily turned to look at her childhood friend, but Amber said nothing. However, her face was pale and drawn. She stared at the corpses, or better, what remained of them, with haunted eyes, her fists clenched tight at her sides, because she was the one responsible for what had just happened. Well, at least in part.
Mira glanced at the two women and shook her head. "It had to be done," she said. Mira spent enough time with the woman to understand what she was thinking.
As they picked their way through the rubble-strewn streets, Emily fell into step beside Erik, her brow furrowed. "Erik... do you ever wonder if we're going too far? I mean, I get that this is war, but..." She trailed off, biting her lip.
Erik sighed. "I wonder that all the time," he said. "But we're in too deep to turn back now, and it's not like I have a choice. The blackguards are targeting me, and all I can do is try to end this as quickly as possible, by whatever means necessary. Why do you think we are going to Hin?"
Emily nodded, but said nothing. She didn't like what Erik said, but it wasn't like he was wrong. He really had no choice.
...
...
The group searched the place methodically, taking all the food they could find, but in truth, that was just in case some serious situation arose. The group could hunt, and with Erik bringing seeds with him, they couldn't starve even if they tried.
As they finished their sweep, Erik turned to Emily. "I need to check Vance's office to see if I can find anything useful on his computer. You go help June and the others. I'll catch up with
you later."
Emily hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Be careful," she said, before heading off towards the armoury.
Erik watched her go, then turned and made his way towards the command center.
If he could somehow tap into the blackguard communications network, even if only for a moment, the intelligence gathered could prove immensely invaluable, potentially even more than he could currently anticipate. The data could offer insights and advantages that might turn the tide of the war in their favor.
No matter the obstacles or risks, he was determined to get the information he needed.