And then something went wrong.
I heard a faint clicking sound. At the same time, Madeline looked at the interface of some kind of bracer on her forearm.
“THE TRAP IS ACTIVATING!” Madeline shouted.
I had no idea what she was talking about, but her tone boded ill. Everyone immediately burst into action. The human females all raced towards the ship, energy shields appearing in front of the armband on their wrists. I yelped as Reaper picked me up in his arms and suddenly took flight. I never even noticed when he’d summoned his wings.
I broadcast the image of danger to the Creckels, hoping they’d hear me in their euphoria. Thankfully, they all folded into balls without slowing down from their run. At the same time, the ground began to shake while emitting a loud, rumbling sound. Then hundreds of at least one-meter long spikes shot out from the ground on a two-hundred-meter radius around the entrance of the base.
The Creckels that had been right on top of a spike when it came out were thrown up in the air instead of getting impaled, thanks to their impenetrable scale armors. Doom, who had climbed onto the pile of rocks and debris they had removed from the entrance was unscathed, as were Reklig and Madeline who he had carried onto the hovering platform of the entrance shaft.
But the women who had just made it onto the ramp of the ship didn’t fare so well. The tips of the spikes stabbed at the underbelly of the ship. But it was the ones under the ramp that caused havoc, sending it flying upwards. The women screamed as they were propelled forward into the ship without quite making it inside. From the distance, hovering at least ten meters in the air, I couldn’t quite make out who was who with my still imperfect vision. However, relief washed over me when the women all immediately stumbled back up.
The spikes reabsorbed into the ground. After a beat, a series of glowing dots appeared all over the terrain, seconds before the spikes came out again. They were spaced enough that some of my Creckel friends weren’t struck again as they’d been in a safe spot. But the spears didn’t miss the ship.
“They’re going to destroy it!” I whispered in a panic, realizing that unless we made the trap stop, our only means to leave this wretched place might be destroyed.
“Do not fear, my darling,” Reaper said in a soothing voice. “Thanh is running to the bridge to take off.”
Let’s hope she’s not too late.
Once more, the spears vanished underground. Moments later, the luminous dots appeared before the spikes came out again.
“I know what this is! It’s the warning!” I exclaimed.
“What?” Reaper asked, clearly confused.
“The light dots on the ground before the spikes come out, they say where they will come out!” I replied.
“What light dots?” he asked, looking around us.
“There!” I shouted, pointing my index finger at the ground when the spikes shot out again.
Thankfully, they barely missed the ship that had finally taken off.
“I don’t see anything,” Reaper said, giving me a strange look. “Could it be your implant?”
It probably was the case as it enhanced my defective vision. But I didn’t answer him, too focused on protecting my friends. Broadcasting as far as possible, I mentally warned the Creckels to move away from the lights I would shortly project to them and to head straight for a patch of rocks to shelter from the traps.
A triumphant cry escaped me when all the Creckels, including Stran, moved out of the way from the lights as soon as I telepathically shared the warning with them. It was almost like a dance watching them roll around the spikes, which kept shifting, until they all safely made it to safety. The spikes stopped their attack as soon as the last Creckel was no longer on the ground. Somehow, my companions had likely set off the trap while racing and some sensors were tracking ‘unauthorized’ movements outside the base.
“Amazing!” Reaper whispered. “You did wonderful getting them to safety. You truly are of the Vanguard.”
At the same time that my cheeks heated with pleasure at the praise, my eyes widened in shock that he had known it was me.
“You started emitting a lot of psychic energy,” Reaper explained. “And the Creckels all immediately started moving out of the spikes’ path.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but Stran mind-speaking to me drew my attention. I unconsciously nodded while also telepathically agreeing to his request. Darting away from the safety of the rocks he was standing on, the Creckel rolled back onto the ground. Immediately, the light dots reappeared, and I barely had time to send him the warning before the spikes shot up. I guided him back to safety. As soon as he had returned to the rock formation, Reaper flew down near the entrance of the base where Madeline was fiddling with the damaged control panel by the doorway.
Reaper settled me down in a safe spot by the door and walked up to Madeline. They spoke quickly in technical terms I didn’t understand. He then hooked up his armband to the cables Madeline had exposed, and they both went to work, no doubt to find a way to disable the trap.
“Don’t worry, little human,” Reklig’s voice said in my mind, startling me. “Our mates will figure it out. They have dealt with far worse in prior missions.”
I recoiled at that comment, my head jerking towards the strange male. Although Reklig didn’t scare me, there was something quite intimidating and dangerous about him. And yet, I knew in my heart that he was a good man… well, male.
“Reaper is not my mate,” I countered feebly, heat creeping up on my cheeks while an unusual flame lit in the pit of my stomach.
I knew what it was. You didn’t live thirty-one years with a bunch of mature, hot-blooded mammals without learning a thing or two about the realities of life. I understood well the physical reactions I’d been experiencing. It was thrilling to finally go through that awakening. But I needed to properly plan my actions if I were to pursue Reaper.
A taunting smile stretched Reklig’s lips. “Semantics. He will be soon enough.”
My heart leapt at that comment. Reaper had told me that Reklig’s species could read minds. Had he read Reaper’s thoughts about me? Did they hint at him being interested in me as more than just a protector despite my poor current state? Had Reaper told him something?
When courting, both male and female Creckels flaunted their physical attributes to the other to show why they would make a good life partner, and why it would be beneficial to merge their genes to create strong offspring. Reaper’s physical attributes were beyond amazing. From resurrection, to phenomenal strength, and powerful wings that not only led me to freedom but also saved me from getting impaled just now, I would be hard-pressed to find a better sire for my children. I, however, was mostly blind and a bag of bones, barely able to stand on my own. I hadn’t had my monthly blood in years due to severe food rationing. As a late bloomer, I would have been terrified when I had my first period at the age of fourteen had my mother not explained it to me before her passing. In theory, all would go back to normal once I put on a bit of fat. I needed to regain my strength to show him I could make a good mate, despite what little I had to offer.
Creckels also displayed their high intellect and personalities to their love interest through a visual symphony conveying their past, greatest accomplishments, their goals, and their view of the world. The more poetic or clever the imagery, the greater your chances of seducing your would-be partner. But Reaper barely understood the Creckel language, which had somewhat understandably become my mother tongue over the past two decades. And my mastery of Universal was beyond crippled from severe lack of use.