Chapter 16: Plan
Nely and Dune jumped from the boat, and as it dissolved into orange Neba, it returned to Nely's body.
Ahead of them, beyond the beach, loomed enormous trees, marking the edge of a vast forest. What caught their attention most, however, was the sight of a fire-ravaged area, evidence of recent destruction.
Trees lay cut and charred, suggesting that something significant had occurred here, perhaps only nights ago. The scene filled them with apprehension, wondering what could have caused such devastation in this remote wilderness.
But suddenly the two strangers emerged from the forest, tension hung heavy in the air. Nely instinctively conjured an orange sword, while Dune held his katana, a creation of Nely's own Neba.
The strangers, one with brown hair and eyes, the other with long black hair and eyes, raised their hands in a gesture of peace. Both of them were wearing weird outfits that neither Dune or Nely have seen before ..
"Hey, calm down," the brown-haired guy said. "We mean no harm. Look, I don't even have a weapon."
Nely hesitated, exchanging a glance with Dune, who subtly bowed his head. Taking the cue, Nely made both swords disappear, giving the impression that Dune had done so himself.
It was a strategic move, if their adversaries believed Dune to be a Zeten without powers, it could pose problems.
"I'm Jake, and the guy next to me is Nate," the brown-haired guy began. "We both came here to see if there were any other survivors.
On the other side of the island, we have more people there, also food and a place to live for a time. We can figure things out along the way. If you follow us, you will not regret it."
Both Jake and Nate had bags on their shoulders. Nely and Dune were hungry. After thinking for a long moment, they silently followed the two strangers into the forest.
As they ventured into the forest behind Jake and Nate, Nely and Dune couldn't shake off the sense of unease.
Yet, hunger gnawed at their stomachs, and the promise of food and shelter outweighed their reservations.
They exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the gravity of their situation. With cautious steps, they followed the strangers deeper into the unknown wilderness, hoping that their decision would lead them to safety and perhaps answers to the mysteries surrounding their current predicament.
After a few minutes of walking in the forest, Jake broke the silence.
"So, are you two gonna introduce yourselves?" I already said my Name.. i have Orange Zeten and Green Neba ..
Nate chimed in, "Im Nate and My Zeten is red, my Neba is green."
Nely spoke next, "Nely, My Zeten is orange, and my Neba is green." She lied.. Nely's Neba was also orange.
Dune followed suit, "I'm Dune. My Zeten is yellow, and my Neba is green."
Jake's interest was piqued. "Oho, orange? We've got a strong one here. The leader will be happy to see you. You guys will like him. He's probably the strongest Zeten I've seen."
Dune and Nely exchanged glances, contemplating what meeting this leader would entail. Dune Smiled, Strongest Zeten ever? what would Jake's reaction be if he saw Atlas .. Dune couldn't help but chuckle.
As they walked, they finally reached a stop point. Jake pointed to a small tunnel built into the wall of rocks, about ten meters above them.
They jumped up, enhancing their legs with Neba to achieve greater heights. Nely held Dune's hand, and they also jumped, landing at the entrance of the tunnel. The tunnel in the rocks wasn't small, nor was it overly large.
Jake and Nate sat inside, taking out their bags and necessary items like knives, food, water, and more.
Nely and Dune sat together on the opposite side. Nate chuckled as he took out a water bottle and threw it to them.
Dune was surprised to see the bottle. It wasn't glass, nor was it clay. This was his first time seeing this material.
"What is this?" Dune asked.
Jake and Nate were confused. "Water?" Nate responded.
"I know that. What is it made of? The bottle," Dune clarified.
Nate looked at him, puzzled. "Obviously plastic. How do you not know that? Were you living in a cave?" Jake and Nate laughed.
Nely chimed in, "I didn't know what it was either.
Jake and Nate looked even more confused. Then Dune asked, "You guys aren't from Sanatria, right?"
Nely was shocked. She hadn't thought about that possibility. So there were Zetens from all the continents… She was suspicious of Jake and Nate's weird clothes too but didn't think much about it before..
Jake spoke, " we are from Seraphein."
Seraphein was the most technologically advanced continent, (comparable to our Earth's 20th century.)
They rested, finding a spot far enough away from Jake and Nate to talk privately. Nely turned to Dune and asked, "Dune, what do you think?"
Dune didn't look at her, his gaze fixed somewhere distant. "They're obviously lying. Everything about them is suspicious.
Why would they want us to join them? As they already said, they have a team and even a leader. And I'm sure everyone heard what the god said, only ten of us can live.
Do you remember the destroyed trees we saw before? We weren't the first ones to come here. I think they already have ten in their group, so they killed anyone new who approached the island.
They saw your orange aura, and that's why they didn't attack us instantly. Now, these two are probably planning how to kill us. Well, that's what I think. I might be wrong though."
Nely was shocked. She hadn't even considered this possibility. Her naïve trust almost led her to believe Jake and Nate.
For a second, she felt relieved to have Dune with her. Nely sighed. "Then what do we do? Should we try to kill them while they're asleep?"
Dune chuckled. "No, but that's what they're going to do. I don't think we can escape them. Nate has a red Zeten, it will be really hard.
I will probably die first. But don't worry I have a plan. It might work."
Nely nodded, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. "What's the plan?"
Dune leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "We'll wait until they make their move. When they do, we'll counterattack. I'll distract one of them.
You're stronger, and your Zeten is more powerful. If we can take them by surprise, we might stand a chance."
Nely nodded "Okay. I'm with you."
Dune added, "Also, don't eat or drink anything they give us. We can pretend to eat, but don't actually do it."
Hours passed, and everything seemed to be going well. Whenever Jake or Nate offered food or water, Nely discreetly used her ability to create a copy of the water bottle or the meat.
She could make food and water with her Neba, but consuming it wouldn't actually nourish her or replenish her Neba..it was merely an illusion.
She destroyed the original food and water given by Jake and Nate, replacing them with her creations to maintain the façade that they were eating and drinking.
The hard part was enduring the hunger and thirst. Both Dune and Nely felt the gnawing pangs in their stomachs and the dryness in their throats, but they knew they had to hold out if they wanted to survive.
Dune glanced at Nely, seeing the strain in her eyes. "How are you holding up?" he whispered.
Nely gave a weak smile. "I'm okay, I've been through worse.
As the hours dragged on, the tension grew palpable. Dune and Nely exchanged glances, silently communicating their determination.
Finally, as the night deepened and the fire began to die down, when they tried to sleep that's when Jake and Nate finally decided to make a move, they moved closer to Dune and Nely who were laying on the ground asleep .
Jake spoke, his voice smooth but carrying an underlying menace. "It's sad, You two seemed to be holding up well.
Nate smiled as he slowly approached Dune's sleeping body, a red axe forming in his hand, poised to strike Dune's head.
Meanwhile, Jake mirrored his movements, an orange sword ready to cut down Nely. Just as their weapons descended, Nely's finger flicked.
Instantly, a long katana appeared in Dune's hand, piercing through Nate's chest. Caught off guard, Nate stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground.
At the same moment, an orange sword materialized in Nely's hand, blocking Jake's attack. However, Jake's strength was overwhelming.
He forced all his power into his strike, gradually overpowering Nely. She was on the verge of being killed by her own sword when Dune charged, pushing Jake out of the cave and following him in a ten-meter fall.
They both hit the ground hard. For Jake, it was a minor inconvenience, but Dune suffered a broken hand.
In the tunnel, Nate struggled to his feet, already attempting to heal his injury. Two red axes formed in his hands, ready to attack Nely.
She stood her ground, a giant orange sword in her hands around her danced fire like orange Neba, Her black eyes narrowed as she stared into Nate's eyes. One of them would die today.