The portal took Harvey and Grant to another room. It didn't spawn all of them at the same point like the first abnormally they had gone through.
The portal gave them insight of the powers they wield and how they could use them. It was an awakening portal. They were now self aware and knew their ability.
Harvey had a well built body. A long orval face with thick brows, broad nose and dark brown eyes. He had light caramel skin and measured 5ft 6inch in height.
Grant on the other hand was slim. Had a square chin face, light brows with blue eyes and a pointed nose. He was 5ft 4, slightly shorter than Harvey.
"I guess the others where too frigid to cross the portal." Harvey said laughingly.
They surveyed the room. The room spread wide. Weapons lined the wall - blades, spears, shields. The metallic scent of old blood clung to the air.
It was like a weapon store.
"All this shield has different inscriptions and symbols. Do you recognize any of them?" Harvey said, calling Grants attention towards where he stood.
"No, I don't" Grant responded as he took a closer look at them.
Grant felt uneasy. He could sense danger coming.
"Harvey." He said quietly.
Harvey turned. "What?"
Grant swallowed. His voice dropped to a whisper." Something is coming our way."
The temperature in the room dipped.
"What is it?" Harvey asked.
"It feels like a beast... A blood thirsty beast." Grant responded
Harvey scanned through the room to find the best weapon he could use to defend himself. He picked up two small daggers. He had always had a thing for close combat.
He moved to the center of the room waiting for the arrival of the beast. He lowered his stance as the beast came in sight. His left hand forward and his right hand backwards as if he was about to pick a race. Every muscle looked into readiness.
The beast entered the room. It was a lion-like predator with razor-sharp claws. It furs glowing like dark flames and it's eyes burning like embers.
Grant took safety at the right corner of the room. Away from the danger approaching.
In a split second, Harvey falls to the ground growling in pain. The beast had attacked his left knee, shattering the joint. He didn't see when the beast moved. It was like a speed of a bullet.
He forced himself up, hopping on one leg and swinging in all directions has he couldn't see the beast anywhere.
"What are you doing?" Grant shouted. "It's right behind you, coming for your right knee."
Before Havery could react he was on the floor again. The pain worst than the previous.
The beast jumped on him, bitting his neck while its claws pierced his chest.
Grant picked up an axe, slowly sneaked behind the beast.
He strikes the beast from behind. Using his full strength he swings the axe, piercing its right side.
The beast roared in pain, jumping off Harvey to scan its surrounding. Its blood spilled on Harvey's chest. He moaned in pain as his skin peeled. It was like hot lava being poured on his skin.
The beast changed its prey, attacking Grant.
Grant could see its movement and predicted its attack before it was wounded. But he now saw the beast moving much slower due to its injury.
Grant kept evading the beast's attack. To him it was like a punch thrown in slow motion.
He landed some light hit on the beast but it wasn't effective. He could barely swing the axe with one hand.
Meanwhile, Harvey's body was slowly regenerating. His skin adapted to the burn becoming more thicker to withstand those kind of injury. That was his power; Evolution. His body would changes, adapting to its environment each time he was close to death.
On full regeneration, he picked up his daggers again. Studying the movement of the beast as it moved much slower than before. It now seemed to move fast like a jaguar but at least now he could see.
He sucked in a ragged breath and called out. "Grant, lead it to me". Lowering his stance as if ready to attack.
Grant kept evading its strike. Leading the beast toward the entrance of the room. The beast stopped striking, lurking at its two preys.
They circled the beast, waiting for it to strike first. The creature jumped at Harvey he manages to dodges the attack and retaliated immediately. Stabbing it on its side.
The beast falls to the ground and Harvey lunges aggressively at it, landing another hit on its neck.
He continuously stabbed it on the neck till there was no movement from it.
Silence crashed down. The air reeking of flesh blood and burnt fabric.
Its blood splashed all over his face and shirts. This time it felt like normal wet liquid on his face but his shirt was filled with holes were the blood splattered.
He stood up wiping his cloth with his hands like it would make a difference.
"Lets find our way out of this place" Grant breaks the silence.
Harvey nodded towards the axe. "Pick something lighter. That thing's slowing you down."
Grant dropped the axe. He looked around, picking all kinds of weapon to see how effective he could utilize them. Finally he falls in love with a short blade. It edges very sharp.
His grip settled so natural with the blade. "With his reflexes he could do more damage with the blade" he thought to himself.
"Okay, I'm ready now. Lets go" Grant said spinning the blade.
"Finally." Harvey muttered. "It took you forever." They both laughed as they moved towards the entrance of the room.
---
"How did you know" Vince asked again.
"I... I... I am not really sure of how to explain." Eleanor replied stammering, her has still trembling as she still try to process what she had just witness. "It felt so real... like I was there... like..."
"Like a premonition?" Vince cuts her off.
"Ye... Yes. Something like that." She nodded slowly.
"Maybe that is your power." He replied. "With that kind of power we could easily get out of here" he added with a goofy smile on his face.
"Power I can't control?" She shot back.
Silence filled the air. They could feel the dark aura again - thick, suffocating.
"Uhmm, if that isn't the way we should try the other way. I don't like this place." Tom muttered, breaking the silence.
"Lets move already." Marielle added feeling edgy.
They hurriedly moved towards the left path picking up pace and looking back occasionally as if running from something chasing them.
They finally made it out of the tunnel into an open air.
"Why do I feel like this isn't earth" Marielle whispered. Her mood falling to rock bottom as she started feeling grumpy.
"Like everything we just witness was normal" Knox responded sarcastically with a smirk on his face. The smirk quickly wears off as he turned to see Marielle looking at her with murderous eyes.
"Uhmm..." Eleanor didn't know Vince's name.
"How about we tell each other our names" Eleanor said, changing from whatever she wanted to say earlier.
They all briefly said their names and she continued.
"In the premonition, you used your powers. Some kind of telekinesis I guess." She said looking at Vince.
"Nice... That would come handy." Vince said with a smirk on his face.
Eleanor took a deep breath. Looking more calm and relaxed. She told the group in full details what she had saw in her premonition
"Great, let me guess. I'm the useless one" Marielle muttered, rolling her eyes.
Knox chuckled. It came out lounder than he intended.
"Why are you guys throwing jokes and being jovial... This is a life or death matter and you guys just seem to be having fun and cracking jokes. I'm not ready to die out here." Marielle said glaring at Knox and Vince.
"No one is calling you useless." Eleanor cuts in. "I just haven't seen you or Knox use your powers."
Marielle rolled her eyes, looking out into the horizon.
Silence filled the air as their mind drift to the environment surrounding them.
The air reeked of decay, a rotten scent that defied explanation. The sky dark yet radiant, casting an eerie glow on the ground and offered no warmth. The land sprawled like a corpse, half wasteland, half battlefield, as if its very life force was being drained by an unseen force. Twisted trees pierced the horizon, their branches etched with a faint, pulsating glow that seemed to pulse with a malignant heartbeat. Every step kicked up dust that swirled like lost souls, carrying the whispers of what once was.
"How do we know the way home." Tom broke the silence. Bringing everyone's mind back to reality.
The word met no reply. Everyone starring at each other hoping that someone could take the lead.
"Eleanor, could you try seeing our way out." Knox asked. Turing everyone's attention to her.
She took a deep breath. Sat on the floor taking a position as if she was about to meditate.
Silence filled the air.
Vince moved to a near by pile of rock. He cleared his mind and tried to move the rocks with it extending his hands. The rock shook as if there was a vibration but didn't really move or float. This goes on for a while while Tom practice how to blast is flame on a near by tree.
Knox and Marielle seemed to be the idle ones. The moved close to each other and whispered to themselves while starring at Eleanor.
"Do you think its working?" Marielle asked.
"How would I know?" Knox responded. "We will find out soon enough."
Eleanor heard their whisper. She felt frustrated as she had no control over her powers.
"I can't see anything." she muttered pushing herself upright. "I don't have control."
"Watch out!!" Tom screamed.
The tree he was practicing on was falling towards where the other three were. Eleanor and Knox jumped out of the way while Marielle frozed as she panicked. She fell to the floor trying to crawl her way out as her feet felt like dead weight. Vince tried to stop the falling tree. He stretched his hand forward, trying to catch the tree with his mind. But could only hold it for two seconds.
The tree fell crushing Marielle left ankle. A few second much longer she would have been out of arms way.
Marielle screamed in pain.
Knox rushes over. He tries lifting the tree with full strength. He stumbled, falling to the ground as the tree flipped over him.
The others looked in awe asking him what happened.
"It felt like lifting a jar filled with milk." He responded, looking at the tree then his palm.
Vince and Tom in surprise tried lifting the same tree but it was way too heavy for either of them.
"I'm really the useless one" Marielle murmured to her self. "Hello oo. Guys my ankle here." Calling everyone back to her broken ankle as she grunt in pain.
Just then they heard growling coming from the tunnel. It was the hollow hogs. Marielle scream had attracted them.