Khan ignored the pain and let the sharp rocks cut his chest as he crawled in the narrow passage between the wall and the ceiling. Something inevitably touched Zeliha, but those contacts happened so softly that her skin remained intact. A few white marks appeared, but nothing more.
A different environment unfolded in Khan's eyes when he crawled for a few meters. The ceiling ended at that point, and he could see piles of soil filling the uneven area above it. The upper side of the tunnels had many tall protruding rocks that managed to peek out of the sea of ground that covered most of the area. It resembled a sandy plain with dunes and hills, but Khan disregarded everything when he saw the dark sky standing high above him.
His legs quickly kicked the wall and pushed him toward the relatively flat area. His feet sank in the layers of terrain, but he managed to grow used to the soft ground quickly. A deep breath and a few steps allowed him to jump back on the actual surface and keep him there without seeing his legs submerged by that dark soil.
Khan instinctively called Snow before inspecting the area a second time. His companions were nearby, all struggling with the unstable surface, but smiles filled their faces. They knew that their Aduns would soon come to pick them up. That nightmare was about to end.
Still, an environment filled with terrain in that special lair was bound to have threats, and Khan understood that far too well. The others were also aware that the dark sea could hide many leeches and monsters, so they didn't let their happiness ruin their concentration.
The Niqols remained still as they waited for something to appear, but Khan sprinted toward them without caring about his surroundings. He was too fast for any eventual threat, so he could focus on getting Zeliha off his back.
Doku and the others couldn't help but stare in surprise at Khan's movements. He wasn't sinking in the ground even while moving so fast and with the girl on his back. He seemed to float above that frail surface, and the terrain barely moved when he abruptly stopped in front of them.
The group had already prepared for that situation. It wasn't hard to guess what to expect on the other side of the ceiling since that area featured only rocks and soft ground. Liiza immediately closed her eyes and focused on her mana while Asyat took care of picking up Zeliha and putting her on her back with the help of her companions.
Khan had vanished from his position when the Niqols turned to look at him. They found him on top of one of the protruding rocks nearby. He stood on his toes, with his back and knees slightly bent to be ready for any eventual threat that dared to come out of the ground before Liiza completed her spell.
The Niqols had a tight connection with Nitis' fauna, but their relationship wasn't in the same realm as the Kred with Istrone's vegetation. They simply knew most animals fairly well, and they also felt a deep respect for those powerful creatures.
Khan resembled a predator in his hunting ground in the Niqols' eyes. He barely released traces of his presence, and his body looked like a spring ready to unleash its power forward. Doku and the others had seen him fight in the past hours, so everyone had learnt how strong he was, and they felt able to rely on him after witnessing that scene.
Khan's appealing state ended up distracting most Niqols. Only Doku remained aware of his surroundings and noticed two monsters and a few leeches leaping out of the ground near them. Their mouths were already pointing at various members of the group, with the big creatures aiming at Zeliha and Doku.
"[Fight!]" Doku shouted, and a shadow flew past him while he turned to face his opponent.
Asyat struggled to dodge the incoming monster since her legs had sunk into the ground and Zeliha was on her back. Her best option was to jump to her side and threw herself on the soft surface, but her mind didn't think so quickly. Luckily for her, a shadow made the big leech's head explode while she still realized the nature of the threat.
A few footprints materialized on the soft surface when Khan landed. Stopping completely with that momentum would only make him sink into the ground, so he took a few steps forward before curving and continuing to sprint until he faced his group again.
The situation had already changed at that point. Azni had killed some small leeches flying toward her, Doku had managed to hit his monster with a palm strike and move his body away from its trajectory, and Liiza had remained still while creatures had landed on her shoulder and side.
Khan hated himself like never before while sprinting ahead and circling the group until he reached Doku's position. His monster had fallen and was about to hide back into the ground, but Khan stomped on that spot, and a familiar wet sensation spread from his almost bare foot.
Khan used his momentum to rotate on himself and stomp with his other foot. The ground around his legs flew away and revealed the maimed monster squashed on the rocks below. The second attack had successfully killed the creature, so Khan could finally jump toward his girlfriend.
His hands were enough to remove the leeches that had attached themselves to Liiza's skin. The injuries that they left behind continued to bleed, but Khan couldn't do much about it. He could only appreciate how his girlfriend didn't lose her concentration during that painful interaction.
Khan could return to his protruded rock at that point, and the familiar noise caused by the flapping of wings soon reached his ears. The other Niqols didn't miss that sound either, and their gazes instinctively went toward the sky.
The upper side of the ceiling basically was the bottom of a large canyon. The earthquake had created huge cracks in the area that had turned a plain featuring small hills into a series of gorges that led to a hellish environment.
The large area toward the surface that opened above the upper side of the tunnels' ceiling was perfect for the Aduns. Those creatures had even remained nearby during those hours since they had sensed their riders' anxiety and danger, so it only took them a few minutes to reach the right canyon and dive toward the desperate Niqols.
Snow's white feathers seemed to shine among the darkness, and Khan could only smile at the sight of his Aduns descending with the other creatures. Still, he couldn't help but notice how Elbek and Bashir's eagles were absent.
That detail didn't matter too much in that situation. Khan moved his eyes back on the group and shot forward when he saw the ground creating a long trail that led toward his companions.
Faint footprints appeared on the ground as Khan sprinted toward that long trail and leaped to go airborne. His body rotated to move the entirety of the accumulated momentum on his left leg. The ground moved before his foot even touched it. A hole opened and revealed the monster crawling toward his companions before the attack squashed half of its body.
The hole created among the soft terrain revealed many small leeches that were following the monsters. They immediately turned toward Khan when they noticed his arrival, but a series of kicks took care of them. Some managed to bite his legs since he had landed among them, but he quickly ended the slaughter with his hands.
"Jump!" Liiza suddenly ordered while opening her eyes, and everyone followed her instructions.
Her orders weren't actually for everyone, but even Asyat followed them. She barely managed to bring her feet outside of the surface, but the ground didn't start freezing until right past Doku.
Khan landed on a smooth layer of ice after completing his jump. The surface felt slippery, but it wasn't too bad, especially when he used mana to improve his foothold. Liiza's spell had a few flaws, and she had explained to the group while they prepared the plan for the return.
The ice covered a large chunk of the upper part of the ceiling. Doku, Azni, and Asyat even stepped on that bluish layer to let Liiza complete her work. She froze the area where they were previously standing at that point, creating a big zone where the group could feel safe from sudden attacks.
The crisis felt at its end now. The ice protected the group from sudden attacks, and the Aduns were diving toward them. The students were only seconds away from leaving those lands, and Khan even allowed himself to walk toward them at a normal pace.
However, Khan suddenly noticed a familiar item from the corner of his eyes. His previous positions, the many protruding rocks, and the dunes had made it impossible for him to see it before, but it appeared clear as he approached the Aduns' landing spot.
Khan saw a backpack with only a few leeches in the areas past the layer of ice. It was impossible to miss it. The item hung from a handhold on the side of a protruded rock. It was mostly intact even.
The situation didn't give Khan the time to warn his companions, and they wouldn't be able to help in the task either. He only needed to send a message through his mental connection before turning toward the backpack and shooting forward.
The Niqols were too focused on their Aduns to hear his faint steps. Even Liiza couldn't notice that Khan had decided to delay his return to a safe area. They understood what had happened only when Snow separated from the group of eagles.
The Aduns landed, and the Niqols started to jump on them while turning toward Snow. Noticing Khan in the same direction on the ground wasn't an issue, even if he were running as fast as ever. He was a shadow that barely caused ripples on the surface, and that was enough to identify him.
Nothing could notice Khan. The leeches and monsters on his path would react to the appearance of his footprints, but he was already far away by that time.
A jump allowed Khan to cover the few meters that separated him from the backpack. When he grabbed the item, the force he applied tore apart one of its shoulder straps, but he landed safely on the ground with the loot in his grasp.
Khan didn't sink into the ground, but he inevitably slowed down when he performed his sharp turn. A monster came out from the terrain and tried to block his path at that point. The few sharp teeth that the mutations had caused in that creature gave its mouth a threatening appearance, but he smiled at that sight.
Khan didn't slow down in front of that tall creature. Instead, he accelerated, making sure to take a deep breath and securing the backpack on his chest. He didn't care that it had a few leeches as long as he kept its contents safe.
The monster continued to screech, but it suddenly noticed that Khan disappeared from its senses. A faint sensation had appeared on its head instead, but it vanished in the next instant.
Khan used the monster as a foothold to jump higher in the sky, and white feathers welcomed him. Snow promptly unfolded its wings to stop mid-air and give its rider the chance to take the correct position.
Khan put his legs under the Aduns' wings and made sure to keep the backpack away from its feathers. The eagle immediately resumed its flight higher toward the sky, and Khan could take care of removing the leeches on the item in the meantime.
Snow rejoined the other Aduns at that point, and Khan happily noticed that he had completely secured the item. The eagles left the canyon at that point, but the Niqols' eyes inevitably shot toward Khan.
Khan finished squeezing leeches and removed the creatures that had started to afflict his body afterward. He turned toward his companions at that point, and he happily showed the third backpack. He had saved most of the mission on his own, so the Niqols only laughed or shook their heads when they saw how lively he appeared.
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Author's notes: I just wanted to say that the idea of the different covers is actually moving on. I plan to change cover each volume. You'll be able to find the old and new ones on discord and Instagram.