Chapter 192: Another off world trip.
It was snowing lightly in the training yard, soft flakes tumbling from the sky and settling on the bubble before melting. The children’s laughter rose in bursts as their breaths turned into little clouds. Sunshine stood at the center of it all, riffle in hand, watching their progress with sharp eyes. She corrected stances adjusted grips, but it was Ariel who made her pause the most.
While the others struggled to align their sights, Ariel lifted his riffle with practiced ease, as though the weapon had always belonged to him. His shots tore into the mutant rubber like creatures placed ahead of them, hitting the eyes, the throat, the chest. They were clean, precise, almost merciless.
Sunshine’s nodded, the kid’s version of the nullfire guns was as good as those for the adults. Instead of bullets, it shot steel pellets that were strong enough to cause pain but not enough to rip through a body.
It had managed to quieten the parents that were worried their children would kill each other. They were now spectators, watching the lessons like they were Olympic games.
Some were even cheering their children on and shouting instructions because they wanted them to come out on top as the best.
It was amazing how far they had all come in such a short time.
O’Toole blew the whistle and the group of children shooting with Ariel stepped down. Instructors stripped the guns and placed the parts on tables.
Another group stepped up to take the places of those that had finished. Their first task was to reassemble the weapons.
O’Toole blew the whistle and the children got to work, moving their hands competitively.
Ariel jumped to Sunshine’s side, pride obvious on his rosy face. "How did I do mom?" he asked.
She gave him a thumbs up. "Awesome champ, you are going to be the best sniper in your group. Mommy’s so proud of you."
Sunshine leaned down and kissed him on his forehead.
The children were divided into groups according to age. Six to ten, eleven to twelve, thirteen to fifteen and sixteen to eighteen.
It made them easier to teach and schedule their classes through the week.
She looked around for Earl who should have been with the group that was up now. Her eyes found him at the medic tent. He was frowning hard as he applied a numbing gel around the finger of another boy that had cut himself during assembling.
"That kid." She mumbled.
"I will go handle it." Ariel sighed and walked off.
[Dimension rift detected in space.
A door to another world has opened.
Time limit: 1 hour
Prepare to leave in five minutes.]
Her lips parted, breathing hitching. Inside her a storm of anticipation brewed. She had longed for this, yearned for the pull of the unknown.
She went over and told the boys she was heading home first. Then she handed her whistle to Nimo and jogged to her car.
Naturally, people watched her. Whenever Sunshine was in a hurry, there was an emergency. What was it this time?
They would never know the answer to their questions and those who asked Nimo for answers were simply told that Sunshine had a stomachache.
When she reached her place, she went to the bedroom and then vanished into the space immediately.
The timer was already counting down how much time she had let to until the set off time.
"System can you tell me what world is open for visiting this time?"
[Planet: Veldek
Classification: Resource rich world
Estimated danger: high]
Her excitement froze like the flakes that spewed out of her mouth."Veldek? The Veldek that I went to, or another world called Veldek?"
If the system could sigh, it would. But as it could not, it held silence for a short while.
[There is only one planet named Veldek in the Universe. Do you still wish to visit it?]
Sunshine’s shoulders slumped. The last time had been there; she had done a lot of fighting in the one hour she had.
But she did benefit by getting the croast leaves, coconut beans and green heart tomatoes. She had already run out of all those things, and she had been hoping for an opportunity to return to Veldek.
"Why does the estimated danger measure high?" She asked. "I remember that it was moderate the last time."
[That is because you complained about my rating last time after encountering unexpected danger. The danger level has been changed after a comparison to your current world before it underwent changes.]
So....earth before the apocalypse.
With only a minute of preparation left, she brought nearer all the things that she would need for this trip. She was determined not to bring up a few leaves or fruits. Her plan was to uproot trees and transplant them.
Then her thoughts flicked to the last time, to the way the creatures had tracked her scent. She decided to mask it this time. It would save her from having to fight every other minute and spend more time harvesting useful things.
"System, do you have anything to mask human scents?"
[ Masking soap.]
"Requires bathing and we have no time, next." She waved her hand.
[No scent powder. Con: It causes itching for up to 24 hours after you wash it off.]
"Next." She waved her hand again. She had no plans to scratch like a scabies patient.
[3. Hubter’s field spray. Con: It stinks so much that it will bring tears to your eyes.]
And then, very quickly, the system added. [It is the cheapest option at only 4 coins.]
"Buy it," she said immediately with so much enthusiasm suddenly.
A round neon bottle appeared on the table. Inside was a colorless liquid. She misted her boots, her hair, clothes and even her weapons. Just in case, she tucked the spray away for later.
The system was right about the smell and tears coming to her eyes. She blinked a few times and then the system notified her that it was time to go. She felt as if she was flying in air one moment and in the next was back on Veldek.
The sun kissed her face, the sky above bright, open and endlessly blue. The air was crisp, fresh and alive. She inhaled deeply and caught her breath.
Her eyes expected a familiar sight, but it was different! This was not where she landed the last time.
Before her stretched the same, green and vast forest. but this side was livelier or crowded. She had landed in the middle of a field of flowers that seemed to be the homeland of one particular bird species.
They were green birds, with red beaks and very long legs. They chattered in symphonies, singing as if they were performing on a stage. Sunshine took the clam around them to mean that there were no predators in the area.
Hardly had the thought crossed her mind when the sound came__a howling unfriendly sound that promised death.
All singing came to a stop at once and uneasy silence filled the air.
Sunshine held her breath as her eyes scanned for danger.
Suddenly the birds took to the sky, migrating at the same time desperately as if they were escaping something.
Sunshine reached for her hammer and her hand curled around the handle and whispered to herself. "I guess this means I will have to hunt first."