novelraw Chapter 257 257: Two days
Chapter 257 257: Two days
They decided to go with their plan in two days. Forty-eight hours until they would send Jace and the battle commander toward the West, toward that invisible force field that surrounded the Obscuron's territory and toward a mission that could either give them the intelligence they desperately needed or end in disaster.
Two days felt like both too much time and not enough. Too much because the waiting was agonizing, because every hour that passed was another hour for something to go wrong, for the Obscuron to somehow catch wind of what they were planning, for doubt to creep in. And not enough because there was still so much to prepare, so many details to finalize, so many contingencies to plan for.
But those two days had to be spent somehow. And Tatehan, Riven, Lyra, and the rest of the Red Crest Clan found ways to fill the time.
Day One: The Race
The first day was surprisingly lighthearted, almost festive in a way that felt strange given the gravity of what was coming. Someone—Tatehan was not entirely sure who, but he suspected it was Riven—had suggested organizing a friendly race to see who in the Red Crest Clan could match Jace's speed.
The idea had spread quickly, and by mid-morning, a crowd had gathered on the training field, fighters and support staff alike, all eager to watch the new recruit show off what he could do. A simple course had been marked out, a straight sprint from one end of the field to the other, about two hundred meters. Nothing fancy, just pure speed.
Jace had shown up looking calm and relaxed, his white hair catching the sunlight, his expression amused as he took in the growing crowd. He did not seem nervous or pressured by the attention. If anything, he seemed to enjoy it.
Several fighters volunteered to race against him, each one confident in their own speed, convinced that maybe, just maybe, they could keep up. The first challenger was a young woman named Kara, known for her agility and quick reflexes. She lined up beside Jace at the starting line, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her expression focused.
Someone shouted, "Go!" and they both exploded forward.
Kara was fast. Really fast. She shot down the track, her legs pumping, her arms swinging, and for the first fifty meters, she looked like she might actually be keeping pace.
But then Jace shifted gears.
It was not even subtle. One moment he was running alongside her, and the next he was just... gone. A blur of motion that left her behind so quickly it was almost comical. He crossed the finish line a full three seconds before she did, and by the time she arrived, breathing hard and grinning despite herself, he was standing there casually, not even winded.
The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter, and Kara shook her head, still smiling.
"Yeah, okay. I see why you got the job."
While hers might be normal healthy speed, Jace's was literally his super power.
The next challenger was a man named Varen, a fighter who had a reputation for being one of the fastest in the clan. He was cocky, confident, and he talked a big game as he lined up beside Jace.
"Don't go easy on me," Varen said, grinning.
Jace just smiled. "I won't."
They took off, and this time, Jace gave Varen a head start. He pretended to stumble at the starting line, his foot catching on something, and he waved Varen forward, shouting, "Go! I'll catch up!"
Varen laughed and bolted, his legs eating up the distance, and for a moment, it looked like he might actually win. He was already halfway down the track, closing in on the finish line, his face set in determination.
But then, in the tiny seconds before Varen crossed, Jace moved.
Zoom.
It was almost supernatural. Jace went from standing still to full speed in an instant, his body blurring as he rocketed down the track. The crowd barely had time to register what was happening before he blew past Varen, his white hair streaming behind him, and crossed the finish line first.
Varen stumbled to a stop, his mouth hanging open, and then he burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me?!"
The crowd went wild, chanting Jace's name, clapping and shouting and cheering. Jace stood at the finish line, grinning, his hands on his hips, and he waved to the crowd like he was a performer taking a bow.
Tatehan, who had been watching from the sidelines, could not help but smile. This was good. The clan needed this. A moment of levity, a reminder that not everything was life-or-death seriousness. And Jace, whether he realized it or not, was giving them that.
After a few more races, all of which ended the same way: with Jace winning effortlessly, the crowd began to disperse, the excitement fading into satisfied chatter as people returned to their duties. But the energy lingered, a sense of camaraderie and anticipation that hung in the air like static before a storm.
Day One: Evening - Meeting Bjorn
That evening, Tatehan took a Skyblade to New Helios. The flight was short, just under fifteen minutes at cruising speed, and by the time he touched down on the landing platform outside Bjorn's base, the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, painting the Martian sky in shades of deep orange and purple.
Bjorn was waiting for him, standing near the edge of the platform with his arms crossed, his massive frame silhouetted against the fading light. He nodded as Tatehan approached, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp.
"Knight," Bjorn said, his thick accent making the word sound almost affectionate. "You've got news?"
"Yeah," Tatehan said, his helmet retracting as he stepped closer. "We're moving forward with the plan. Two days from now. I wanted to fill you in on the details."
Bjorn gestured toward the entrance to the base. "Come on. Let's talk inside."
They walked through the corridors of New Helios, past warriors in ornate armor and workshop spaces filled with the sound of machinery, until they reached a private meeting room. Bjorn closed the door behind them, and they both sat.
Tatehan laid out the plan in full, explaining the role of the super speed runner, the disguised vehicle, the approach to the force field, the activation of the scanning device, and the extraction. He explained how they had run simulations, how they had tested Jace's abilities, how they had refined the logistics.
And then he explained the part that made him uncomfortable.
"The battle commander won't survive it," Tatehan said, his voice steady but his expression serious. "We're going to tell him he will. We're going to promise him that if he cooperates, if he does his part, we'll let him go. But that's not true. The explosion we rig in the vehicle, it's going to kill him."
Bjorn was silent for a moment, his pale eyes fixed on Tatehan, and then he nodded slowly. "You're worried I'll object."
"I don't know," Tatehan admitted. "Will you?"
Bjorn leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "The man's a traitor to his own species. He works for the Obscuron, helps him build bases, arms his soldiers, participates in plans to wipe out humanity. If he dies in the explosion, I'm not going to lose sleep over it."
He paused, and then a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Besides, I like the plan. It's clever. Brutal, but clever. And if it works, it'll give us exactly what we need."
Tatehan exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Alright. Good."
Bjorn stood, extending his hand. "When do we talk to him?"
"Now," Tatehan said, shaking his hand. "Let's get it over with."
Day One: Night - The Promise
The battle commander was being held in a cell deep within New Helios's detention block, a small, reinforced room with walls made of the same rare alloy that composed Bjorn's armor. He looked up when the door opened, his expression shifting from resignation to wary hope when he saw Tatehan and Bjorn enter.
"What do you want?" the man asked, his voice hoarse.
Bjorn crossed his arms, his presence filling the small room. "We have a deal for you."
The battle commander's eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?"
Tatehan stepped forward, his tone calm.
"We need you to drive a vehicle to the edge of the West. You'll approach the force field, activate a device we give you, and then leave. That's it. Simple."
The man stared at him, suspicion written across his face. "And then what? You kill me?"
"No," Tatehan said, lying smoothly. "If you do this, if you cooperate, we'll let you go. You'll walk free. Start a new life somewhere else, away from the Obscuron, away from all of this. You'll have a chance to live."
The battle commander's eyes searched Tatehan's face, looking for deception, and then he looked at Bjorn, who nodded slowly.
"We're serious," Bjorn said. "Do this, and you're free."
"What do you want to gain from me activating…" the battle commander started only to be interrupted by Bjorn.
"Are we fighting the obscuron or doing any thing yunno… aggressive? No?" The Viking paused. "Are you in or not."
The man was silent for a long moment, his hands clenching and unclenching in his lap. And then, finally, he nodded.
"Alright," he said quietly. "I'll do it."
Tatehan and Bjorn exchanged a glance, and then they left the cell, the door sliding shut behind them.
As they walked back down the corridor, Bjorn spoke quietly. "You think he believed it?"
"Yeah," Tatehan said. "I think he did."
"Good," Bjorn said. "Then we're set."
Day Two: Final Preparations
The second day passed in a blur of final preparations. Torvan worked tirelessly in his workshop, fine-tuning the scanning device, running diagnostics, making sure everything was calibrated perfectly.
Riven and Lyra coordinated with the Skyblade pilots, mapped out the extraction route, and ensured that all communication systems were functioning.
Jace trained, running drills, practicing his sprint-and-grab maneuvers, pushing himself to maintain peak performance.
And Tatehan...