BOOK1 - CHAPTER 19 - ESCAPING THE VOID

CHAPTER 19 – ESCAPING THE VOID

Julia and her elite guards quickly ran over to Johnny who was now bleeding all over the ground. "You can't die on me!" She yelled at Johnny as she, Margaret, and Qin tried to heal Johnny as fast as they could. They had managed to stall most of the bleeding. Johnny was still in poor shape and unconscious.

The humanoid rift eater appeared before Julia and the others. The beast let out a disappointed tone as he looked at them. "Since Johnny won, blahblahblah, here is the void core he wins." Said the beast as he handed the void core to Julia. Julia stood there frozen with shock. She grabbed the core, while Qin and Margaret still worked on healing Johnny.

"Never had an intact void core before. Better to keep this one intact for studying purposes." Julia said with amasement looking at it The core was the size of a basketball. It swirled in dark purple energy. She cautiously, put the core into the passenger seat of the prototype. 

Julia then turned back to face the humanoid rift eater. Who was now sulking with frustration. That all changed when it lunged at Johnny.

 "Oh, before I forget it is feeding time." The beast said as it opened its jaws and tried to bite Johnny's leg. He didn't even get close as a magic throwing knife pierced him between the eyes. The beast howled in agony as it stumbled ripping the knife from its head. 

"I got this." Yelled Cleo as she threw another knife. The beast caught the knife with a hand. It grinned with a sharp smile.

Cleo used the distraction to kick the beast in the chest knocking him to the ground. The beast let out a grunt if pain. Cleo pounced on the fallen beast turning her hands into long daggers as she pierced the beast throw the heart and head. The humanoid rift eater dissolved into an inky liquid. All that was left was the beast's core.

Julia sighed as she was working with Qin and Margaret to heal Johnny. "First thing we need to do is get Johnny stable. I am not sure how long we are going to be stuck here until he wakes up." By now Johnny had stopped bleeding and his wounds had closed. His breathing was shallow. Julia sighed with relief as they propped Johnny against the beaten-up prototype.

"What do we do now." Lisa yawned in frustration as kicked the beast's core. The core rolled over next to Johnny as it brushed his leg. The core began to dissolve into Johnny's body as the others looked on in confusion. "What is going on?" Asked Qin as the core fragment in Johnny's head glowed dimly.

 Just then Albert appeared before Julia blinking in and out of existence. She jumped back with a start. "Johnny needs more of those beast cores to get the prototype going. I was able to appear from just the little essence that he had absorbed." Albert concluded to Julia on what she needed to do next. Unfortunately, there weren't any other rift eaters around to get core essence from. That all changed within the next moment…

The whole ground began to shake. "YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HERE ALIVE!" A voice boomed as the ground shook. The voice was old and powerful. The void portal then began to change, The void had changed from a race track to an endless black void with inky ponds and foul smelling air..

"We are so dead." cried out Qin as she realized they wouldn't be able to breathe the toxic air. Just as the gas in the air would overwhelm them. The necklaces Johnny had given them began to glow a radiant white. They all stood for a brief moment and sighed with relief. That all changed when the inky ponds started to bubble. Rift eaters started to form by the thousands. They came in all varieties. Some had wings that could fly. Others were bipedal. While most just ran on all fours.

Julia knew then and there this may as well be their last stand. She was determined to save Johnny if cost her and the elites their lives. She needed to formulate a plan and fast. They would need to get the prototype out of the portal along with Johnny. Since he was the only one who could drive it. He was still out cold. Luckily, Albert gave her an idea and help.

 Albert offered to drive the prototype with Johnny in the driver seat. The unfortunate part of the plan was they needed beast cores to get the prototype going. Albert would help again by absorbing any of the beast cores that dropped. Albert finished by telling Julia each rift eater core would replenish the prototype's core by 0.01%. Julia quickly did the math and realized they would need ten thousand rift eater cores to fully replenish the prototype.

Julia quickly gave them the details. "We can collect what comes are way, but for now we just need to make it back to the portal." With that the five of them broke off.

Julia quickly barked out orders and formation as they got ready.

She ordered Qin to get Johnny into the prototype and take up the rear. Qin ran to pick up Johnny as she dropped him into the driver's seat. Qin then boltes for the rear. She passed by Magaret first, who handed her swords she could use to turn into extra summons. Qin reached her position as she threw down the swords on the ground. They immediately became cybernetic dragons. 

Julia then ordered Lisa to get the void core into the prototype. Lisa would assist Albert as he collected the rift eater cores. 

Julia assigned Margaret with Qin for air support against air born rift eaters. 

Julia told Cleo to take the lead position in front to scout for any traps or approaching enemies. Julia then took the driver's side. They waited for the mass of rift eaters to come.

Soon the first wave approached. Julia ordered everyone to form up as the rift eaters tried to attack. Everything was pure chaos.Julia launched dozens of spells at the rift eaters. Margaret pelted the swarm with blades from her wings. Cleo turned her arms into shuriken launchers as she began piercing rift eaters at breakneck speed. Lisa focused on the rift eaters that were pinned and finished them. Qin was blasting any rift eaters with her radiant skeleton dragon wings. While her cybernetic summons continued to rip others apart. 

Soon rift beast cores were dropping by the dozens. As the first wave was beaten. They had gained around two hundred cores from the fight. Albert alerted the prototype was up to 2%.

They kept on fighting wave after wave of rift eaters as the hours dragged on. The group was getting tired and fatigued. Julia wasn't sure they were going to make it and sent an urgent message to Orion from an arm band she had. The groups have suffered severe injuries. Julia was able to use her healing magic on the void essence so no one would lose any body parts.

Julia had a real concern for Qin though. The dragoniod when tired would go berserk. She checked on Qin and the dragoniod said she would be fine. Only when the next hit Qin went berserk...

Julia ordered everyone inside of the prototype. Except for Qin who was now lost going berserk. Everyone complained of cramming in the vehicle as Qin was blasting everything in sight. Her summons had disappeared when she went into berserk mode. She was using her skeleton wings as a plasma cannon that fired radiant energy. As she used more energy her attacks became bigger and more powerful. The prototype took a hit from her but bounced off harmlessly as it vaporized a mob of rift eaters. Soon cores were dropping not by the hundreds but thousands. A warning popup on the terminal as Albert alerted the core was eating too much essence. The core was overloading with 200% essence and climbing. Julia tried to warn Qin who was still in berserk stage. Finally, her energy was completely drained as she shot off her last beam. Julia knew the horror of the last blast attack. Judgement Day. Nothing of void essence would survive this brutal attack. The attack blinded everyone. It caused every rift eater to be instantly vaporized. Qin now fell face first into the ground.

With all the action going on Julia hadn't noticed they were five hundred feet away from the portal. All the rift eaters had been killed but more began to spawn in the nearby pools of ink. The rift eaters headed for Qin. Julia ordered everyone to get out and run for Qin from being claimed by rift eaters. Unfortunately, the rift eaters made it first. They all dog piled on Qin as they began to bight at her limp body Julia screamed in rage as she and the others desperately blasted away the rift eaters. Soon the others were overwhelmed as they too collapsed from exhaustion. Julia was the last one standing. She cried out knowing this was the end. The rift eaters soon overtook her. The last thing she saw before collapsing from exhaustion was a blinding light and a loud boom.