Hazard Lands Revenge

Chapter 2 – Recruiter

Author’s Notes – Things are finally going to move along. Thanks for reading.

Any similarities between this novel with the real world, other fiction and events are purely coincidental.

Enjoy!

--* Fenlei City, Griswall Manor *--

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

Loud explosions filled the air, as a cascade of bullets descended onto the rata vines, decimating and splintering them. Nik fell to the ground, as his hands covered his head. A look of shock ran through his eyes as he stared at the men clad in green approaching him.

“Group One, secure the location, prevent any civilians from entering. Group Two, go in, rush the Stage One and kill it. Group Three, stay with me and secure the civilians,” a loud voice echoed out along with the sounds of gunfire.

A group of six soldiers slowly approached, their guns raised high in the air as they shot down the charging vines. Covered in green army clothing, they slowly approached the three students on the ground, gradually grinding down the vines with lead. The remaining three soldiers went to the gate and prevented any curious bystanders from watching.

*Thud*

The three vines that were shooting off towards Nik fell to the ground, lifeless and drilled with holes. The boy could only stare in surprise as he watched the three men continue marching forwards, destroying any vines that approached. The other three remained with him, and the other two students.

The soldiers who had been shooting the whipping finds for the past minute had finally diminished the plant's supply of vines and arrived directly in front of the throbbing heart.

“Foolishness! To think that you filthy creatures would dare to try and destroy me! Know your place!” a feminine voice echoed out from the heart. The crimson sheet that had been covering the plant slowly diminished, as if it was being absorbed. As the blood was absorbed, the plant began to change as an eerie red replaced its previous wild green coloring. From the ground, vines seemed once more appeared and began to harden and reflect light, just like metal.

“Shit… Code Two, all units focus fire on the plant; don’t let the Stage Two act!” the voice from before ordered. The sounds of gunfire grew even more intense the other soldiers abandoned their posts to face the rampaging vines. This time however, instead of holes being drilled into the vines, the bullets merely bounced off of it, leaving only a small mark on the body.

In an instant, the soldiers who had held the upper hand before were now forced into a massive downhill battle.

“Change to incendiary rounds! Group One, stop the vines from attacking, Group Two and Three, aim for the main body.”

Instantly, three men stopped firing and dropped their clips. As quick as lightning, they grabbed another clip from their belts and inserted it into their guns and resumed their shooting. The sound of roaring gunfire became much more explosive, as massive rounds flew through the long rifle barrel and into the air; their trajectory aimed at the vines that sought to strike forward.

Flashes of light emanated from the bullets as they impacted the vines. Small-scale explosions echoed throughout the mostly empty garden as the vines were forced back while writhing in pain. Grabbing the opportunity, the other six men stopped firing and loaded their incendiary rounds as well. Soon, the garden looked like a battlefield, multiple explosions occurring every second against the vines and plant heart; it was as if hell had come on earth. Fire expanded from the explosions, covering the vines and heart with a bright yellow glow.

Though it looked very brutal, in the end, only the vines were injured from the incendiary rounds, the heart proved to be much tougher to penetrate and damage. A look of worry began to flash in the faces of the soldiers: one can only carry so many rounds, and currently, they were approaching their supply’s end.

“Hahahaha! Foolish beings, you think you can destroy me with your little weapons? In your dreams!” the ground began to shake as the voice went quiet. Vines after vines began to rise out of the garden soil; each one looked infinitely sturdier than the ones the soldiers have been attacking. It was as if a sea of vines had surrounded them. Nik and the two others could only stare in shock, their bodies trembling in fear.

“Stage Three…” the soldier’s faces were as pale as snow, the explosions suddenly stopped, as the soldiers let go of their weapons. They had already resigned any hope of surviving the battle.

“… Initiate Code Z,” the voice that had been commanding slowly ordered, a hint of regret in it. As he finished calling out the order, a dome appeared above the three students’ heads. It appeared as if from nowhere, and instantly covered them. Its walls were transparent, allowing a view of the soldiers and plant outside.

The nine held a resolute, yet mournful look filled their eyes. Each one of them sat down in a circle and began to chant. The plant heart did nothing to stop them, curious of its prey’s actions.

“We are…” the soldiers started, their voices seemed to combine and grow, “the nine who sacrifice.”

“We cannot destroy…” a slight shimmer appeared in the air, “but we can delete.”

“We will let go…” the plant instantly became alarmed, and started to drive its vines towards the soldiers, “and find the Abyss.”

“The Will of the Ancients…” an agonized screech pierced the air as the vines bashed against the soldiers, yet could not come within a meter of the circle, “reigns supreme.”

“Let us bring…” the shimmering light surrounding the soldiers became black, as the vines fearlessly whipped about, but to no avail, "the end of existence.”

“NOOO-----!” a terrified scream echoed out a rip in space appeared just above the soldiers and absorbed the black matter surrounding them. The vines which had been tirelessly attacking the soldiers veered from their targets and shot into the black hole, unable to resist the suction of the empty space. The three students could only watch in awe underneath the glass dome, completely safe from the pull. As the soldiers finished the chant, their bodies fell lifeless, and started to float towards the hole they had created.

Multitudes of vines were pulled in, yet the heart remained rooted into the ground. The vines that were not yet absorbed into the abyss stabbed into the soil, reinforcing the heart’s position. It seemed as if it would hold up against the force.

As time passed, the tear in space gradually grew smaller and smaller, shrinking into the size of a pea. Then pop! It was gone. The heart remained in the ground, countless vines hidden beneath the earth, holding it.

“Hahaha… Your mystics are unable to stop me! No one wi-“ the voice stopped abruptly. A foreboding atmosphere covered the wrecked garden, the red vines shook in fear as they continued to dig even deeper into the earth, unwilling to come out.

Above the circle of dead soldiers, another tear in space appeared, just like the one earlier. As time passed however, instead of shrinking, it grew. And grew. And grew.

Soon, the black hole was as large as an elephant; the suction force grew along with it exponentially. Soil was ripped from the ground, vines unable to resist being pulled alongside them. The heart looked as if it was being weeded out, losing its grip to the earth.

The dome of glass began to shake and crack, but it did not break. Nik and the two others could only stare in fear, as the black hole kept growing, until soon it was the size of a house.

“You cursed humans! You will not survive the Tribulations!” the plant screamed in rage as the heart was driven into the tear. As it went through, the hole collapsed and completely disappeared. The dome covering the students shattered into millions of shards, as a massive shockwave fell upon the garden and manor, decimating everything it touched. They continued to sit there, unable to comprehend what had just occurred in front of them.

The garden was a wasteland. The manor nearby had walls torn out, the earth in the garden was uplifted savagely. As for the plant, the vines that were not taken into the abyss laid still and unmoving. Without the heart to control them, they were just ordinary vines. Broken pots were blasted everywhere, and all the corpses the plant had preyed on were all gone, sucked into the abyss alongside it.

Breaking the now peaceful silence were footsteps.

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

Looking back at the gate behind them, the three students could see the a middle aged man in a suit slowly approaching them. His face was covered in scars, yet still manages to radiate a dignified aura. He stared at them with piercing gold eyes, and then continued on to examine the garden. Taking note of the damage and the nine missing soldiers, he sighed.

“Lieutenant Colonel James Lambert, Third Tribulation Brigade Officer, at your service,” he introduced himself, his voice similar to the one earlier. Regret hidden inside of it.

Nik was the first one lapse from his daze, “Nik Morris, Second Year student of Grinn Shai High,” he saluted. As he did so, a faint smile escaped the colonel’s mouth.

“Jasmine Griswall,” a faint voice floated in the air. Gold eyes shifted over to the girl on the ground; she had her face to her legs, streaks of liquid running down her leg.

“Griswall…” Nik made the connection. He recalled that the boys had called the other girl: Mira Griswall, the crying girl's sister. It was quite obvious that she was filled with grief after almost losing her own life, her own sister, her home and perhaps even her parents.

“Hudsonn Moulic,” the last of the three introduced himself, his giant arms saluted just like Nik.

“Hm…” the colonel seemed to be in deep thought as he closed his eyes to think. The three students waited awkwardly, as the two boys stared helplessly at the crying girl. Soon, the colonel opened his eyes, a glimmer of amusement in them.

“As per the orders of the Fenlei City Brigade, I, Lieutenant Colonel James Lambert, hereby recruit Nik Morris, Jasmine Griswall and Hudsonn Moulic as Privates. Welcome to the army, soldiers,” he sneered, mischievousness covered his face.

“Huh?” the three yelled. Today, a mysterious student, a sorrowful girl and a giddy boy would have their futures changed forever.

Recruitment Orders

The army has lost too many soldiers. We cannot keep the wild beasts and plants from rampaging without any personnel. Under the name of the City Watch, the Officer Counsel is ordering an international drafting period. All soldiers must recruit at least one individual to join the army. Failing to recruit a single member will result in demerits. Recruitment officers and Commanders are to find at least ten recruits. This drafting period will last until the end of the month.

Time Period: 10/3/2043 – 10/31/2043

Requirements – Soldiers: One Recruit, Officers: Ten Recruits

Failure – Minor military demerits

Report on the Blood Rain 2:

Further examinations reveal that the Blood Rain, does in fact, have an effect to humans after prolonged exposure. After being bathed in rain for a few hours, subjects experience bouts of uncontrollable violence. Their bodies are much stronger and sturdier compared to normal human bodies, but their hormones are out of control, resulting in unpredictable actions.

After a day of exposure, the subjects seem to lose semblances of consciousness, yet their bodies retain mobility, usually driven by primal instinct, which often results in violence, acting almost like zombies. Warn all citizens to avoid being exposed to the rain for a long period. Though signs of violence might still surface, most test subjects retained their sanity when only exposed to rain for a short period, with breaks in between them.

It seems that the Blood Rain still affects the body’s muscle mass and endurance, without making the subject’s sanity falter too much. This may be used for military purposes to strengthen our military forces. Currently, we are testing the Blood Rain’s effects on animals to determine whether we can strengthen them without losing their sanities, just like with normal test subjects. Further examination is needed for plants.

-Central Science Institute