He placed her over his shoulders and with a few jumps reached the top of a tree. A small pulse of energy left his body and a few minutes later a humanoid bird beast grabbed Nuka's body and flew off.
Damon and Nexas were sitting under a tree taking a break. Damon could barley feel his arms from carrying the cubs and Nexas was the same way. A loud rumble made Nexas stomach tremble slightly so Damon handed her some dried meat from his storage, but he had no water.
"I'm worried Damon."
"Me too." He said pulling her in his arms.
They sat there for a while in deep thought until a sudden feeling came over Damon. Standing up he looked around cautiously with furrowed brows, it was the same gut feeling he had a couple times before and each time his gut was right.
"Come on, We have to keep moving."
He took out two more tempo elixers and they rushed off into the distance. Many thoughts rushed into his head. The main one was if Nuka was still alive or not.
Another issue was bothering him as well, he didn't know how he would protect Nexas even if they made it off the planet. She was a humanoid beast, a very young one which was unheard of.
They would either kill her or lock her up in a lab or something. People on planet Syair were able to keep beasts as pets and companions, but it was thanks to a infusion that allowed them to connect and control a beast. It all depended on if their blood was able to handle the infusion. The infusion could produced 3 outcomes, one was giving a person the will power to tame a wild beast, another was for a beast to be born through the blood of the person, which was called a blood beast.
With the cubs he had a chance at least, but with Nexas he knew that wasn't the case. It was no way he could take her with him and he didn't know what would happen to her if she stayed. He made a promise to Nuka without actually realizing how crazy the promise was, a promise he didn't know how to keep.
"I believe in you Damon, you'll figure it out." The words of Nuka played back in his head over and over as they ran.
Looking over at Nexas, she had a determined face that solidified her will to push. His jaws tightened as he battled his feelings, Damon could tell she was strong minded like himself. He was only a year older, but to him she seemed younger, almost like a little sister.
They didn't stop moving after their five minute speed boost ended, it was only when the terrain turned into rocky hills. Looking at his map, they were on the quickest path. The terrain was too wide to go around and it would take them much longer if they tried.
Taking off their hoods which deactivated the cloaks skills. They let the cubs walk around for a bit while he figured out the best way up.
"Damn it, climbing up these hills with our hands full will be tough as hell. Not to mention it'll slow us down."
The unsettling feeling he had before didn't disappear. In fact it was growing, which made him worry even more.
"Come on there has to be something I can use to help us carry them." He said out loud looking through the systems crafting options.
He found multiple things that he could make into a strong carry bag, but lacked all the ingredients. Scratching his head in frustration he was just about to decide the hell with it all and just continue on when Nexas walked up with huge leaves and vines.
"We can carry them in these. Mother use to carry me like this."
Within a minute Nexas had made a baby hammock type sling that wrapped around her shoulders and waist. Damon pulled on it realizing it was very sturdy. Walking back to the forest line he grabbed a few more.
They were running, jumping and climbing up in no time with the cubs on their backs when a large boulder began moving.
[ Stone snake high maturity - a snake with the ability to mimic rocky land.]
Damon immediately used false will, its boulder shaped head raised, then lowered back down watching them carefully before turning away moving up the hill in the opposite direction.
Taking in a breath of relief, he was thankful it wasn't an infected beast. Their hoods were back on and cloak skills were active, but the snake could see their body heat. He figured it out through the system.
"So being able to see body heat bypasses the effects of the cloaks. That's good to know." He thought.
They were out the rocky hills almost 10 plus hours later, false will was fading and it was his last one, but since he was able to grab more blue circadians he could make more. He quickly did so and gulped it down hoping it'll do its job and keep beasts away.
He knew it didn't work for the infected ones, but the last thing he needed was to worry about the infected and normal ones as well. They walked for a while, and Damon racked his head about Nexas and taking her with him. He thought of what he could possibly tell them.
Nothing he came up with sounded convincing. Nobody would listen to him, he was fifteen years of age and had no type of political or decision making power whatsoever on his planet. It was no way it was happening.
Nexas looked at him and could tell he was troubled way more than before. Rememberig what he told Nuka before they left, about his people not accepting her crossed her mind. In fact it was on her mind once before as well, she was young, but not dumb.
"You're trying to think of a way to help me right."
He looked at her taking in a breath with a long exhale.
"Yes, I just don't see how." Damon said rubbing his forehead.
"I know how, you can kill me, you can take my core and bring me back. Just like you did with the cub. I'll be with you and no one would be able to tell "
Damon face went blank, he stopped walking and just stared at Nexas.
"That's a good plan right." She asked without hesitation like it was nothing.
"There's no way in hell I can do that, besides, it's certain time limits dealing with that skill. It all depends on your maturity level, but you're special. A young humanoid beast, I don't know how long it'll take or if it's possible." He shouted out in confused anger before he realized it.
"So you won't kill me, that's the problem right. You've killed beasts before."
"What! no, you're different. You sound just like a girl, I mean technically you are a girl, but you know what I mean Nexas. I can't and I won't do it. I'll just have to take my chances."
Damon began pacing back and forth mumbling to himself how ludicrous her idea was, he also thought it was actually brilliant, but the thought of him harming Nexas made him sick
Nexas took off the hammock pouch sitting the cub down and hugged Damon as tight as she could.
"Mother trusts you, she hasn't trusted anyone for a very long time. Therefore I trust you. I know it's only been a couple of weeks or so of us knowing each other, but there's a bigger picture here and you know it Damon."
Hearing her words he hugged her back placing his chin on top of her head. She was right, but he couldn't bring himself to kill her even if he could bring her back. Just thinking about him doing such a thing after the times they've spent with eachother just wasn't right to him.
"I don't know what's going to happen if I stay here. I don't want to get sick like so many others on this planet. Like my father."
She said stepping back.
Damon looked at her with caring and understanding eyes, thinking how amazing she was.
"I believe in you too, everything will work out with a little luck." She said with a smile.
With a short burst of energy she jumped back out of Damons reach. Raising her claws, Damon watched with wide eyes.
"Nexas! Noo, don't."
"You can't heal me from this Damon, so just bring me back."
She pierced her chest snatching out her core like picking an apple off a tree. Her body dropped to the ground lifeless like a rag doll. Damon was speechless, His hands trembled and tears flooded down as he shakingly took steps towards her.
His heart beat climbed as anxiety crawled over his body. He grabbed and pulled on his hair turning around in circles in frustration, his breath felt short just looking at her.
"Got, Damn it!." He said dropping to his knees in front of her, It all happened too fast.
Grabbing her soulcore he cried and cried while the cub walked up to her body nudging it whimpering with a emotional light growl. Even it understood she was dead which made him more emotional.
After some time, the feeling of something coming became stronger snapping him out of it. He wiped away his tears clearing his face, he took the cloak off her wisping everything in his storage including her body.
Picking up the cub and hammock pouch he bolted off using static jump combining it with another tempo Elixer. Tears continued to come down periodically as he ran,but eventually his sadness turned into anger. It was the only way he was able to deal at the moment."