It will be its fatal mistake.
Draven roars and rushes forward. He grabs his spear and yanks.
Crunching and tearing can be heard as the weapon works as intended. It shreds and yanks vital organs as he pulls it back out. The animal goes limp beneath me and collapses to the rocky earth below.
A high-pitched screaming can be heard, and I know it’s the smaller sabrevipe nearby. Draven nods at me that he’s got this one, and I climb off the animal to sprint to check on my men. When I round the corner, I see its tail lashing from behind a rock but neither Theron or Jareth are moving forward.
“What are you waiting for?” I demand.
“He’s got Hadrian trapped. I think it’s frightened and doesn’t know where to go,” Jareth explains.
My chest feels as though it’s crushing in on itself. Not Hadrian. He’s like my own mortling, that one. I’d die protecting that boy. He may be every bit as tall as me now and quite the fighter, but he’ll always be the mortling who required me to change his soiled undersuits.
Rekk!
What was I thinking? He’s not ready. Too impulsive and out of control. He’ll never be a leader like he wants while he behaves like this.
He’s not dying.
Not on my watch.
I launch forward and climb up the rocky side to see if I can get a look down in the area where the sabrevipe has him trapped. Once I climb to the top, I see that it has him pinned. It keeps tearing at his zu-gear, shredding through the tough material as though it’s nothing. My breath is sucked from my chest. It will puncture his minnasuit underneath and there’s no telling what sort of impurities will get in his system. The last thing I need is my youngest mort catching The Rades. He’d never survive it. Draven hardly did and he’s twice his size.
“Hadrian,” I bellow.
“I’m okay,” he yells back. “Rekk, this sabe is heavy!”
The sabrevipe lifts its nog and all three of its eyes blink at me. Fear flickers in the young one’s gaze but I don’t let it sway my decision. It’s either this animal or Hadrian. I’ll always choose my men over that of the rotten landscape and what dwells on it.
I jump down into the crevasse, landing on the animal’s back. It screeches but I don’t give it time to react. I dig my magknife into its throat and rip from ear to ear. A hiss and a splash indicate I’ve hit all its fatal arteries and it crashes against Hadrian.
Hadrian groans and twitches beneath it. The rekker is too heavy to pull off on my own but thankfully Theron squeezes in beside me. Together, we drag the beast off my boy and out of the crevice.
Jareth rushes inside and helps Hadrian to his feet. Immediately, he pulls out the sealatape and begins patching the holes in his suit. In this world, there is no time for waiting. No margin for error. He needs to seal any holes before harmful bacteria or pathogens get in. I hope it isn’t too late.
As we drag the animal out into the open, more wind and rain from the worsening geostorm pelt us. The winds are strong and it’s nearly rekking impossible to drag the heavy sabrevipe and push against the storm. Slowly, we make our way forward and eventually meet up with Draven. Hadrian and Jareth move to help him since that animal is larger. All five of us carry our haul to the west entrance. By the time we get there, Sayer is waiting with the door open, his protective gear in place. He assists us and we drag the carcasses into the decontamination bay once inside. We use the bigger bay for our kills, and there is a smaller one where we morts go.
Once we’re all sealed inside the smaller room, Sayer punches some buttons on the wall. Purified, pressurized water bursts from six directions. All four walls, floor, and ceiling. It cleanses us of the elements and filth. Then, the second phase begins. Air, as hard and furious as a geostorm, blasts from the ceiling. We all hold on to the harnesses along the wall to keep from toppling over. Another round of water rinses us again.
The third phase is a chemical agent Calix designed. It coats us like rain from the ceiling, slick and sludgy. According to him, it attacks any lingering pathogens. Once we sit for a few seconds to let that do its job, more water. Then, air. A loud beep indicates we’re thoroughly cleansed.
We don’t always go through the latter heavy phase of decontamination, like in the case of unloading Theron and Sayer’s hauls, but after hunting missions or any of Galen’s trips where we’re exposed for long periods, we do. Especially if blood is involved.