Interstellar: Exploring The Cosmos With My Anomaly System
Chapter 39: Danger

Chapter 39: Danger

"Belk!" Vagnis shouted, his eyes widened in fear at the sight before him.

"Using the runes to save your skin–" The man gruffed, raising the axe to show Belk in a cage of vines almost cut to the last layer. "No doubt you’re a royal,"

"Get away from him!" Vagnis charged, pushing off the ground in one charged sprint towards the enemy. The red skinned warrior’s eyes snapped towards the approaching scout, getting his axe at the ready before swinging it with all his might.

the axe’s blade cleaved through the air—but Vagnis had vanished. With a grunt, the scout launched himself upward, his feet slamming onto the flat of the warrior’s axe mid-swing. The weapon shuddered under his weight.

"You—" His words were interrupted as Vagnis sunk his fingers into his hair, tugging at his head with extreme force into his knee. Blood gushed from his nostrils but the warrior didn’t budge an inch.

His hand grasps at Vagnis’ skull before tossing him aside, his back colliding with the ground with a loud thud. He turned to where Belk was but the scientist was already gone.

He clicked his teeth in annoyance.Vagnis rolled to his feet, ribs screaming, but his eyes darted to the shattered vines behind the warrior.

"Seems your prince had abandoned you," He spat, looking over to Vagnis who’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. His grip tightened till his knuckles were white.

"It’s clear you know nothing," Vagnis shot, watching his opponent’s brow raised in intrigue.

"Very well, teach me then!" He roared, charging towards the scout. Vagnis sidestepped, but the axe grazed his shoulder, slicing cloth and skin. He bit back a cry—focus—and struck. He drove a hard kick into the knee of the warrior, the sound of straining muscle echoing in his ear.

"Belk! Now!" Vagnis roared.

The warrior turned just as Belk flung the flour sack, The bag burst, engulfing the air in white dust. For a breath, the warrior scoffed... his eyes widened to see a barreling flame coming straight towards him.

Fire ripped across the field. The blast slammed into the warrior’s chest, hurling him backward—but Belk was already sprinting, his coat singed and reeking of burnt rye. "Go!" he yelled at Vagnis. "This won’t hold him long!"

Vagnis nodded, grabbing the basin and making his leave as fast as possible, the man held his head, trying to stand after the direct blast, only to be caught in another, the explosion scattering more flour to be ignited by the remaining sparks.

"Enough of this–" He growled, his hand tightening on his battle axe as he whirls it around, generating enough to push back the smoke and debris left behind by the explosion, but by the time he got rid of it all, both of them were already gone.

"They were more advanced than I anticipated..." he groaned, his hand reaching for the burn wound now on his chest that quickly healed.

"Astra!" Sylvi’s voice sliced through the air, raw and trembling. Her arms flailed like wind-tossed branches as she stumbled forward, boots kicking up dust from the forge-strewn path.

Astra spun, the ironmill’s furnace casting a hellish glow across her face. "Sylvi?" Her calloused hands stilled mid-task, molten metal forgotten. The girl before her was a storm of panic—chest heaving, cheeks streaked with grime and tears, fists clutching her tunic like anchors.

"Belk and Vagnis—they’re—" Sylvi choked, the words crumbling into a sob. Her knees buckled, but Astra lunged forward, catching her by the shoulders. The scent of burnt oak and sweat clung to the girl’s clothes, sharp and acrid.

"Attacked?" Astra’s voice hardened, though her thumbs brushed gentle circles on Sylvi’s shaking arms. "Where? How many?"

"T-the quarry road. Three of them, maybe more." Sylvi gulped, her breath hitching. "They... shoved me into the thicket. Told me to run. I—I left them—"

Astra’s jaw clenched, a muscle flickering like live wire. She knelt, tilting Sylvi’s chin upward. The girl’s eyes were shattered glass, reflecting the furnace’s flame.

"You hurt?" She pondered, her voice soft and gentle, her hands rubbing through the hair of the child.

"N-no..." She admitted, her gaze unable to meet Astra’s eyes, only seeing a glimpse of her shadowed smile.

"I’m glad..." Astra got up, catching the eye of Tanaka who oversaw the fire in her stead, his brow furrowed with concern before turning to the girl.

"So they do exist..." Astra muttered to herself.

"What’s wrong?" He pondered, Astra’s grip tightened, her knuckles turning white as her bangs fell over her eyes, barely concealing the storm brewing in her gaze.

"Everyone, the deadline’s changed..." She muttered, turning to everyone else. "We need to get everything done as soon as possible!"

"Don’t leave us out kay?" Vagnis’s voice echoed through the shrubs of the woods, both him and Belk stepping out into the open,

Astra’s eyes snapped to the two of them, her lips quivering at the edges.

Astra’s breath hitched. Her fingers twitched at her sides, as if resisting the urge to reach out. Relief flickered in her eyes, but it was fleeting—overtaken by the fury that brewed beneath her ribs.

Belk, still reeking of scorched fabric and river water, offered a weak grin. "You should’ve seen us, Astra. Vagnis pulled off this crazy move, and—"

"You were attacked." Astra’s voice was ironclad, each syllable sharpened with restrained rage. "By who?"

Belk’s mouth hung open, his usual bravado crumbling under the weight of Astra’s sudden shift in topic. Vagnis rolled his bruised shoulder as he responded.

"A red Aelvarian, I don’t know much more than that— he just wanted to kill Belk, and Slyvi escaped." He explained. "His weapon was also strange, carrying gears upon an axe, with blades layered under each other..."

Astra froze at his words, panic laced within her eyes. "We’re so far behind..."

"This is bad— so bad..." She sank to her knees, her hands clawing at her hair, everyone watched on with worried glances, Astra burying her face within her knee as she thought.

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