Chapter 400:Climb.

Chapter 400: 400:Climb.

There wasn’t always a perfect answer. Antony was beginning to suspect that was the point of this test.

They continued southwest.

At 12:37, they encountered the next problem.

This one had a lot of teeth.

Mira detected it before anyone saw it.

She froze... Then whispered, "Large movement ahead."

Gareth immediately lowered his stance.

"Tier Three?"

Her face tightened.

"At least, I’m not sure though. Might be even higher."

That answer was bad enough.

They moved to the edge of a rocky clearing. The beast stood in the only pass between two steep ridges. It was massive, four-legged with thick hide. Its forelimbs ended in heavy claws capable of tearing through stone.

Antony stared in wonder.

"That’s stronger than the briefing suggested."

Leon whispered, "Upper Tier Three, it’s on the verge of advancing."

Rebecca looked toward the terrain.

"Can we go around?" She asked.

Mira checked the map.

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Twenty minutes. Maybe twenty-five."

Gareth checked the time, then the data case, then the beast. Antony saw the calculation happening again. They had lost a lot of time with each distraction, they still had enough time but the margin was shrinking.

Gareth drew his sword.

"We fight."

Antony immediately looked at him.

"No," he firmly said.

Gareth turned to him.

"What?"

"We’re not fighting that," he repeated.

"We’re already behind the pace I wanted."

"Which is exactly why we shouldn’t spend ten minutes fighting something that could injure two of us, it’s almost teir four," he calmly said," the risks are higher than fighting a normal Teir three."

"Going around costs twenty."

Antony looked toward the terrain. He had learned yesterday that obvious routes weren’t the only routes. He scanned the ridge until he came across it.

A narrow erosion channel cut between the rocks. It was not large or comfortable but passable.

He pointed.

"That takes six."

Gareth followed his finger.

"That isn’t a route."

"Neither was the drainage channel this morning."

"This is steeper."

"Rebecca can climb it. I can climb it. Leon can climb it. You can climb it."

Gareth looked toward Mira.

Antony continued before he could answer.

"If Mira struggles, we pull her up."

Mira folded her arms.

"Why am I always the example of someone struggling?"

Antony looked at her.

"Because you’re the smallest."

"I hate this squad, this is internal power trip... I think."

Rebecca almost laughed.

Gareth wasn’t amused.

"The channel puts us close to its territory."

"But outside its immediate attack radius."

"If it notices us halfway up, we’re exposed."

Antony nodded.

"True."

Gareth looked at him.

"You still want to take it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because fighting guarantees we enter its attack radius. Climbing gives us a chance not to. It might not even notice us, the chances are basically negligible."

Gareth shook his head.

"We can kill it."

"I know."

That made Gareth pause.

Antony continued.

"I’m not saying we can’t beat it. I’m saying beating it doesn’t accomplish the mission. We’re supposed to find the shortest route not play hunter."

Gareth’s jaw tightened.

"The data has to reach extraction before fourteen hundred," Gareth added almost to himself.

"Exactly," Rebecca chimed in in support.

"So we don’t have twenty minutes to waste," Gareth tried again.

Antony rolled his eyes.

"Which is why I’m not suggesting the twenty-minute route."

Gareth pointed toward the narrow channel.

"You’re assuming that’s six."

"Approximately."

"You said that last time."

"And I was off by forty-three seconds."

Rebecca spoke before they could continue.

"He’s right about one thing."

Gareth looked toward her.

She pointed at the beast.

"We don’t gain anything by killing it."

Leon nodded slowly.

"One injury costs more time than the climb."

Gareth looked at Mira.

She concentrated, her expression tightening.

"The beast is moving slowly. It hasn’t detected us. The channel should keep the ridge between us for most of the climb."

Four people had effectively reached the same conclusion. Gareth looked back toward the beast, then at Antony.

"Fine."

Antony smiled.

Gareth raised a finger.

"But if that channel ends halfway up the ridge, you’re explaining it."

"To whom?"

"Everyone."

He laughed.

They moved. The channel was worse than Antony expected. There was a lot of loose stone, mud and roots.

At one point Rebecca had to use her spear as an anchor while Leon pushed Mira from below.

Mira complained loudly enough that everyone repeatedly reminded her the beast was nearby.

They climbed.

Four minutes... Five... six.

Antony reached the upper section and took a small breath of relief before the beast suddenly roared.

Everyone froze.

He looked down.

Unfortunately for them, it had noticed movement.

"Move!"

The beast charged toward the base. Leon climbed faster. Mira slipped but Rebecca grabbed her wrist.

Gareth turned, power surging from his core into his body.

Antony immediately snapped, "Don’t go back down there!"

He looked toward the beast.

"If it reaches them..."

"It won’t."

Antony shifted into his female form. Energy pulled from his core as his body changed and he became lighter and faster.

He moved down two levels of rock and reached Mira. Rebecca was still holding her. Antony grabbed Mira’s other arm.

"Climb!"

"I’m trying!"

"Try faster!"

"I hate you!"

"Excellent motivation! Now fucking climb"

Leon reached down from above. Together they pulled. The beast hit the base of the channel as its claws tore into stone.

Gareth stepped toward the edge.

Antony saw him.

"Gareth!"

Gareth looked back.

Antony pointed upward.

"Mission!"

For a second, he hesitated, then he understood and continued climbing.

The beast couldn’t fit into the narrow channel and could only roared from below them.

They reached the ridge; Antony rolled onto his back, Mira lay beside him breathing hard, Rebecca sat against a rock, Leon looked down at the beast and Gareth stood last.

For several seconds nobody spoke, then Antony looked at the time.

Seven minutes and eighteen seconds.

He raised the wrist display toward Gareth.

"Seven."

Gareth stared.

"Don’t."

"Seven minutes."

"I said don’t."

"Thirteen seconds over my estimate."

Gareth started walking away.

Antony sat up a huge grin on his lips.

"That’s still significantly better than twenty!"

Rebecca laughed, even Leon smiled.

Mira pointed at Antony.

"If you use me as the example of the weak member one more time, I’m pushing you off the next ridge."

Antony stood.

"I’ll use Rebecca."

Rebecca’s expression immediately changed.

"No, you won’t."

"Leon?"

"No."

Antony looked toward Gareth.

He stared flatly at him.

"Don’t even try."

Antony sighed.

"This squad is becoming very restrictive."

They started down the far side. For another twenty minutes, everything went well, which should have warned them.

They reached an old service junction shortly after one in the afternoon.

Mira checked the map.

"Extraction should be southwest from here."

Gareth nodded.

"Forty-five minutes at normal pace."

Antony checked the time. It was a comfortable pace.

Then they heard a beast screaming followed by rifle fire. Mira immediately turned east.

"Another squad."

Gareth stopped.

The communication device crackled.

"...assistance... Route... three injured..."

Rebecca looked toward Gareth.

"We can’t tell how far."

Mira concentrated.

"Close. Maybe five hundred meters."

Gareth looked at the time, then toward extraction. Antony already knew what was coming.

This wasn’t like Squad Forty-Two earlier. The gunfire continued, fast and desperate, then it stopped.

A voice came through.

"...please respond..."