OBLIVIOUS

Chapter 21

"They're here!" I whispered to Baron. "The White Shadows are here! How did they find us? Can they really track us even without those Tracing Flies?"

We both hid behind a huge rock that covered us from where we left Bridgette. "I thought about that too, but right now I think my views changed. That woman probably had something on her that can be tracked. Apparently, it's not the person that they can track, because she had to call them for them to find her."

"Oh, you're right!" I whispered again. Baron was next to me looking at the upcoming trouble. "I think they carry a device on their bodies that can be traced."

"Nevermind that now," Baron said. "What we need to do now is think about our next move."

"Okay. What are we going to do now?"

"We have to run, of course."

"But what about Bridgette? We still haven't asked her how to go to Laxus, or how to go to the shore."

Baron nodded at that. "We still need her, but right now our chances of taking her back are slim. They will be heavily armed, I'm sure of that."

I agreed quietly. There is no way that the backup party that came here to find us, especially Bridgette, is not armed, now that they know what are we capable of. I'm sure they had ruled out the possibility of us surrendering to them peacefully by now.

"Be careful! They have some tricks up on their sleeves! Baron 1 is violent!" said Bridgette, who was shouting instructions to her peers, that's why we can hear her even from here. "He's not going to hesitate and will kill you! You have to restrain yourselves. Do not kill them! Especially Axis! Prepare the tranquilizers! D"

"Tranqui--- what?" Baron asked, confused.

"I think it's some kind of weapon to restrain us?"

"Or maybe it's the same weapon that they shot you with."

"Possibly. But Baron, what are we going to do now?" I asked. "They're coming!"

"Let me handle this," he replied bravely. "But be ready too. We might need your ability again."

I nodded and then he walked out of the rock. He walked back to Bridgette but then White Shadows came emerging to meet him. And just as I expected, they aimed for him the first time they got a glimpse of Baron. I heard loud gunshots, which confused me because that sounded and looked like it could be lethal.

The good thing was that Baron suddenly disappeared before they could shoot them, and I could only hope that he was not shot (because I was not dumb enough to believe that becoming invisible makes him bulletproof.) That's why I was so relieved when I heard one of the White Shadows screaming because it was Baron's doing.

The White Shadow's face exploded, and he falls to the ground wincing in pain. Blood was all over his face which made me feel scared too. Then another explosion occurred, this time in front of the three other White Shadows. Two of them fell down too but the other one was smart. He kept on swinging on his surroundings, trying to catch his unseen enemy.

"Don't kill him! He is poisoned by a mutated animal! Madame Robertha will need him!" I heard Bridgette yelling and I saw her coming around, panting, Of course, she was already untied, and she was also holding a gun.

I wanted to help Baron but that could only hinder him. Besides I do not know where he is so I might get caught before I could even help him. So I stayed behind the rock while I watch Baron fight the White Shadows.

There were at least ten of the White Shadows excluding Bridgette herself, which made it an unfair battle. They also learned from their past mistake, because they were now gathered in a cluster, forming a circle of defense. It was not good for Baron, as his opponents were well-defended on every angle he decides to attack.

"He has explosives! Activate your Screen Guard!" someone yelled.

"That would be the plant vine and the fish thing!" Bridgette seconded. "They used it to torture me!"

"Really? How did they know about that?" asked one of her colleagues in disbelief. "We don't even know that we can make explosives out of the creatures in the forest!"

"I don't know how the hell they discovered something like that but they know about it so all the more that we have to catch them! Don't underestimate them! Those kids are smart as hell!"

Another round of explosions commenced, which resulted in a thick cloud of dust and the cave's ceiling shook. I almost lost my footing, risking my presence but Baron had made it on time to get the attention of our pursuers by pushing one of the White Shadows to the quicksand.

"Show yourself, Baron!" Bridgette called out, looking everywhere. "Your silly improvised bombs can't harm our suits now! It has a Screen Guard feature that can absorb the impact of your toys!"

Their protection called Screen Guards must be very effective, as Bridgette seemed very confident with it. Meanwhile, I couldn't sense where Baron was now because he remained still and quiet. The remaining White Shadows had been waving their guns in the air to feel him but to no avail.

Did he already run? Is he hiding somewhere? How I wish I could see him now because it's a pain in the ass not knowing where he went. I didn't know what to do now.

"He's here!" I heard one of the enemies yelling, and as I look clearly beneath the smoke I can see two of the White Shadows on their knees trying to hold something off. I know, it's Baron and they already managed to catch him so I did not think twice. I joined the fray.

Yelling at the top of my lungs, I showed myself to them like an animal charging at them. I had in me pieces of the vine and some fish scales I removed from my own arm-armor and throw it to them. Some of it exploded in front of them but as soon as I heard the explosion I gasped in horror as I just realized that I made a huge blunder.

"Silly boy! I just announced that our suits can absorb the impact from any explosions! Aren't you listening?"

"I don't care about your predicaments!" I yelled back and tried to fight the White Shadows holding off Baron. I kicked one of them but my kick felt weird. It just bounced back to me, as if the White Shadow's body that I attacked was made of rubber. It confirmed Bridgette's confidence in the suits they're wearing now. They really can absorb shock and impact. I could see their arms and legs shaking, showing me that Baron was invisibly fighting them with force, but the two men were stronger.

"Just give it up, Axis! More of us are coming! This is the end of your little adventure!"

"Shut up! I have not tried my best yet!" And with that, I concentrated my hardest and tried to use my ability. Holding them so that the electric current I'll produce will flow to their bodies directly, I did my very best to summon out the electric flow from my body.

I felt it. I just succeeded in using it voluntarily, as my palms suddenly felt hot and my whole body felt this tingling sensation that I always have every time I can use this power--- and then I heard the crackling sound of the sparks on my palms.

But to my surprise, nothing happened. The White Shadows that I intended to get electrocuted were still standing firm. Even they looked surprised at what happened, but a smirk showed on their faces as they realized what had just happened.

"You can't use that power of yours against us anymore," said Bridgette who were also unaffected even though she was close to me right now. "Our suits are the newly updated versions of protective suits the facility has. They are immune to an electric voltage."

I was dumbfounded at what I just heard. Is this true? They have made a suit that can cancel my electric powers? That fast?

"Someone grab him before he can run!"

But I was quicker than them. Perhaps it was because I was a lot younger than them so my reflexes are a lot faster than theirs. I managed to get out of their grip a second earlier than they have tried, so I was able to run away from them. But they were following me, and I was on a dead-end. The quicksand was in front of me, and them, behind me.

I had to think fast. I never imagined that I would be cornered like this ever since I discovered my ability to produce electricity. They were about to grab me again when I decided to jump into the quicksand.

Landing on the sinking sand and mud, I have been waiting for the mud crab monster to show itself. And it didn't fail me. It probably sensed me, that's why it showed up, it's body floating in the bog.

But because it's already blind, it can't see me anymore. That's when I stopped moving, even though it cost me sinking into the quicksand's depths because of my weight. But since it can't sense me, it moved to the nearest moving things it can sense with its feelers--- the White Shadows standing at the edge, watching me with alarm on their faces.

The White Shadows were clueless about the giant mud crab, mostly because of its color blends perfectly with the color of the sand and mud mixture. An ambush was about to happen, just like what happened to me and Baron earlier. They have no idea that the mud crab was slowly but surely approaching them.

"Someone save Axis! Madame Robertha will kill us if that boy dies!" Bridgette was already panicking when she said that and it intrigued me, but my attention went to the White Shadows who were calculating the quicksand before trying to jump. In the blink of an eye, the mud crab emerged and grabbed them with its huge pincers.

"Argh!" It must have been painful to be gripped tightly like that, then be dragged into the bog. I almost felt pity for them, as they were unknowingly dragged into the quicksand. When they got submerged under, it was my moment and only chance to go. As quickly as I can, I tried to move and climb back into the edge. It was not as hard as the first time because I know now what to do. I moved ever so lightly, just enough for me to get to the solid edge of the trap but not heavy enough to sink. It took so much effort, and I could already feel my legs cramping from the stress on my muscles there. It was because I was like swimming but more of walking, if that makes sense.

"Pull him up!" Bridgette ordered the remaining White Shadow with him. It felt very ironic because I had just tricked them into getting caught by the mud crab monster, and now they were trying to save me.

I breathed hard when they were finally able to take me out of the quicksand. Bridgette was still yelling, probably for the lives of her men, and I almost say sorry. But the one who pulled me out from there suddenly yelled and then I saw him falling to the quicksand. He was followed by Bridgette who shrieked loudly. They landed into the trap with loud thuds, and I saw Bridgette struggling to maintain her body from sinking.

"Don't move!" I said to her because only her hair was visible from the mud. The other White Shadow screamed because he was dragged down by the giant mud crab. Both of them sunk and I felt bad.

"It's not your fault," Baron said, who magically appeared beside me. we were both staring now at the quiet trap in front of us. "They should have relaxed just how you did it. They panicked, so they sunk."

"The crab dragged them..." I insisted, and I just realized that tears were already in my eyes. "That was my w-whole plan..."

"Which succeeded."

"In exchange for their lives," I replied. I couldn't stop the bad feeling I have now. It was like something terrible was gnawing on my guts, on my whole being. Maybe because this was the first time that I did something that resulted in the death of other people, and I was not emotionally ready. They may be our enemies but they also tried their best to save me, whatever their reasons are. couldn't just sit here and act like a champion, because I am not.

"I pushed them, Axis, and I am partly to be blamed," Baron added. He knew what I was feeling, that's why he was trying to lighten me up. "If I did not do it, they would have brought us back to the facility. You have seen how they acted when they came. They were hell-bent on trying to capture us by force. And they were still trying hard to kill me. I could feel it from them that they still want me dead, that's why Bridgette had to remind them that they needed me alive. They deserve what came to them."

"I know... I know... I j-just feel bad that they have to die..."

"You'll get used to it," he answered back. "Just like what Bridgette said, this is a survival game. This is our reality. We will have to kill if that's our only choice. Otherwise, we will be the ones who'll get killed."

"I know that," I said in deep thought. It was hard trying to process what was happening to me inside but I have to toughen up if I wanted to leave this place and go back to Laxus, back to where we used to live.

"Whenever you feel bad about hurting others, just think about what they did to us, treating us like lower creatures. I don't say this to force you to be angry with them but that is the reality. These people may not be exactly bad, but they aren't exactly good either. They have their own goals, that's why we can't trust them."

I nodded. "Baron... Do you think we still have families to return to?" I asked out of the blue.

"Probably. Why do you ask? Do you miss them?"

I shook my head. "It's not like that. It's just that if we still have families to return to, then I'd like to meet them. I want to know what it's like to trust someone."