Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The car coasted along as Hull let off the gas. The most likely location for the Garthinus nest was inside the crashed spaceship. Hull had led them close by after strategic discussion. It being a discussion was an exaggeration, since the Garthinus wouldn't pose a real threat. It was in their mind to be careful. Years of experience had taught the importance of being ready.
They had made sure the Garthinus wasn't in a mating period and there wouldn't be an unexpected companion. There was some discussion about the energy stealing variety. Most beasts couldn't do it at all. It was even rarer for a beast to mutate to be able to steal energy from crystals. In accord to this, they added another layer of safety to their plans.
Hull had moments prior activated the Siwang Jianzushi CMT-26 a car-mounted turret. It was the perfect weapon for a quick car as theirs. The turret was aerodynamic changing its shape as it turned. It kept the aerodynamics of the car stable no matter the situation. It was a weapon meant for smaller creatures and would only have a minor effect on a beast such as Garthinus. The Garthinus would be kept at bay with the turret. Prohibiting it from stealing more energy from the racer's refined crystal core.
Nella would be their main attack force, as always. Finished with her preparations Nella had equipped herself with fluffy white gloves. Additionally, she had two pistols drawn in her hands. Hull could feel the light energy pulses emanating from Nella. She was using her superior sensor ability to locate the beast.
There was a calm over the desert. The engine muted. The wind all but vanished.
"It's coming." Nella said and sank into a deeper stance bracing to jump. Hull didn't see anything on the instruments or with his own eyes. If Nella said it was coming, it was. Hull tightened his grip on the steering wheel and had his finger hover over the boost function. Nella jumped high in the air from the previously opened roof. As soon as Nella cleared the car, Hull's finger pressed down on the boost and the racer roared to life. A harsh bang sounded as the pedal hit the floor and the car jerked into motion. It was more of a jump than driving, the car moved so fast.
Where the car had stood the ground vanished and the Garthinus appeared. The three-pronged neck carried the head with an explosive speed lunging at the position the car had been. The three necks worked as a spring to move the Garthinus head close to its foe. With a clack, the jaws smacked shut and would have crushed the car into small pieces. The black dots working as the Garthinus eyes saw a small creature forty meters up in the air. The creature drooled at the easy snack falling straight at it.
Nella smirked and fell with her guns pointed in front. With the confident pull of triggers, two tiny streams of magenta flew forth. In an instant they pierced through two of the Garthinus necks, leaving only the middle one intact. Green blood sprayed from the wildly flaying severed necks. An animal scream of pain permeated the air. The singular neck couldn't hold the weight of the head and it smashed to the ground. Clumps of sand-colored green by its blood spattered.
Nella holstered her guns without flair and rubbed her white fluffy gloves together. Small arcs of purple lightning escaped from withing. She formed a fist with her right hand and pulled the hands apart. A five-meter pillar of lightning followed her right fist. Nella solidified her energy and pushed herself towards the ground. With a grunt, she punched the top of the immobilized Garthinus' head.
First silence and then with a loud sizzle of electricity the Garthinus' life ended.
With her punch landing, she immediately dashed backward and took a readied stance. She watched her surroundings and couldn't feel any enemies with her detection. Not feeling anything she lowered her guard for new enemies a bit and focused on the one lying before her. Everything looked like it should, but something didn't feel right. She scanned the corpse with her eyes and was about to search for the beasts energy core. The surviving neck was twitching more than it should in its state, even if it was killed by electric attacks. She summoned the energy to her eyes and correct something was inside of its neck.
Nella didn't dare get closer but threw a blade of energy slicing the now protectionless neck open. The energy reading in her eyes was clearly yellow.
"No..." Nella breathed out. Her eyes grew big as from inside the neck crawled a yellow insect. It had a yellow shell made out of crystal. Six small legs, a pair of antenna and a vicious mouth.
The ever so calm Nella panicked. Her face twisted in horrific panic. The magical symbol on her head vanished. It appeared in the air above the insect. The world shook as if screaming in agony from the massive amount of magical force emanating from the symbol. The air cracked and a haze covered the sky. Nella chanted two words in a language of power and the symbol split. The magical energy appeared like the flames of hell and enveloped the area in a blaze of energy. The pillar of energy vaporized everything within fifty meters of it. Nella as the owner of the energy came out unscathed. The core crystals of beasts were impervious to pure magical attacks and remained. With a clap of Nella's hands, the energy disappeared. The faint outline of the symbol reappeared on Nella's head.
The ground had a circular pit with a flat bottom. Only things inside of it were one core and one crystal. The Garthinus core and the crystal of the insect. Nella sped up to her utmost speed and grabbed them both from the bottom. She raced towards the car waiting for her.
Hull had panicked too seeing Nella use one of her trump cards. She wouldn't have to use one against a mere Garthinus. He wanted to leave the car and run to Nella's side, but knew it was his feelings speaking. The best course of action was to ready the car for a quick escape. Hull opened Nella's door with the push of a button and started burning his energy to be a beacon for Nella to get to. The whole situation with the magical symbol had taken just a few seconds. As soon as Hull finished his preparations Nella had already burst into the car. Hull didn't say anything, but closed the door at the same time as he sped away.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone