A few streets away from the safe zone, Catra ran on top of some low-slung houses. With Harold and the children heading towards salvation, her focus could narrow onto a singular objective: rescuing Soliana.
She saw the constant barrage of projectiles thrown at her by more pythons and a few kobolds, and with the flexibility of a cheetah, she leaped, ducked and avoided every single one.
Then, Catra reached the point where a single jump separated the rooftop she stood on and the one Soliana was struggling on.
"Please! I can't hold them any longer!" the thin elf woman exclaimed, a mere ten meters away.
Her strength was failing to hold the metal door closed, not just because of fatigue… because of fear… Catra was scared too, perhaps more than she had ever been, yet one second looking at Soliana's face gave her strength. She was the only one who could save her… and that simple fact forced her to continue sprinting.
Failing this jump would cause that woman to die… Thus, she pushed. One step, another, and finally a powerful leap.
SWISH!
Catra stayed in the air for what felt like an eternity. When her body reached the apex of its arc, Soliana was pushed back and the metal door burst open.
Two skinny and dark humanoid entities walked through the dark hole where the door used to be. Their black, circular heads focused on the woman.
"Finally, brother! We can feast now!" one of them excitedly screamed.
"Yes, brother! Let us begin!" the other responded.
They were about to begin their attack, only for Catra to land on the roof, quickly roll, and stop directly in front of them.
BANG!
A powerful wave of air pressure struck both of them, sending their grotesque forms back and down the stairs.
"OH MY GODS!" Soliana yelped.
They didn't have time to waste. Catra ran to her and reached out a hand.
"Are you okay?" she asked, checking for any visible wounds.
"Y-yes… THANK YOU!"
Before Catra could respond, the humanoid monsters were already getting up.
"We need to go! Grab on!" the cheetah exclaimed and knelt to allow Soliana on her back.
Even if she didn't know anything about those monsters, they were no mere beasts. Her primal instincts screamed for her to run… or she would die.
"What?!" the woman asked in confusion.
One of the humanoids peeked through the door, and Catra noticed something. She could see how the monster's long and sharp right arm tensed in slow motion, ready to expand. They had to move, NOW.
The danger of it all made the girl quickly return her shotgun to the interlink and force Soliana onto her back.
"A beast-woman… this should be fun!" one of the creatures exclaimed.
The monster launched its attack, and it was horrifying: Its right arm extended at almost supersonic speeds. Catra instinctively twisted her body and hopped at the last possible second, dodging the sharp extremity.
Unlike her, Soliana screamed at the inhuman sight. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this…
The pointed extremity pierced the ceiling with a sickening thud and slowly snapped back to its original shape.
This wasn't just a rescue operation anymore… This was a battle for survival.
"HANG ON!" Catra said, sprinting away from the monster and concentrating mana on her legs.
Her sensitive furry ears twitched once more, and in that instant, she yanked Soliana to the side. They barely avoided the attack again.
Such growing pressure would have crumbled a normal human. Yet, Catra was a beast-person. She used her superior strength and speed to leap from the rooftop building they were on to the one on their right.
Jumping to the other side was the motivation those humanoid monsters needed to start following. They were fast. Almost as fast as her… nevertheless, her speed was enough.
Catra moved with precision and avoided their extending limbs to the best of her ability. The more she continued, the more she realized that her speed alone wouldn't be enough to lose them.
Catra hopped down from the roofs with this in mind and landed lightly on the muddy ground.
"Are they still behind us?!" she asked Soliana in strain.
The female elf looked back and screamed. One of the spear-like limbs shot out and flew directly at her head. She was saved by another leap from Catra, jumping onto a few discarded trash cans and over a tall fence.
She then sprinted for some more seconds before turning right, left, and finally, forward.
"Don't run, kitty cat! We just want to talk!"
The humanoid's taunting voices started receding into the distance, until finally escaping them, at least to the point where her instincts were confident they had.
"Are they still there?" she asked Soliana for reassurance.
"No… I think they lost us."
With a sigh of her own, Catra jumped onto a discarded bench, to a window, and finally landed on the nearest rooftop. This elevated vantage point made it easier to locate the infirmary, and after running a little, the female elf pointed to a group of warriors in the distance.
"Look! There's people over there!"
Catra fought against the tiredness in her legs and managed to get themselves seen.
"Survivors! THIS WAY!" the first warrior exclaimed.
They finally made it… they were safe.
The cheetah jumped off the roof and landed on the open field outside the infirmary, where many more survivors were being treated.
She gently let Soliana down from her back and tried to catch her breath.
"I thank you for saving me!" the woman cried with gratitude.
"I'm just glad you're safe," Catra responded with a smile.
It took a moment for reality to set in. She had saved someone from being killed… and for an inexplicable reason, happiness bloomed within her chest. She had saved a life…
Soliana didn't waste any time. She frantically looked around and saw a man in the distance: Harold. He was helping his wife patch up Charlotte's bleeding wound.
"This is gonna sting a little. Try to distract her," Alhen said, preparing a magical spell on a glowing leaf.
"Hey, princess! How are you feeling?" Harold asked.
"I'm… sniff… scared…"
Charlotte's body trembled. She still held tears that threatened to overflow.
"Hey, hey, It'll all be okay! Look! All of us are together again! And, hey… If you cheer up, I promise I'll buy you ice cream after all this is over! Doesn't that sound great?!"
"I… sniff… want vanilla."
When finishing, the girl's mother gently took Charlotte for one final examination, leaving Harold and Vulen alone. The man focused on his son and noticed he also held back tears.
The man dropped to one knee and gently settled a hand on his shoulder.
"What's the matter, son?"
"I'm… I'm okay…" Vulen whispered, trying to act tough, even if his body shivered.
Harold inspected the elf boy and understood how he'd endured being bruised and jostled. It caused a proud grin to appear on his face.
"Were you the one who saved your sister at the beginning of the attack?"
The boy looked at him and nodded.
"Son, many people would have left running. But you… you stayed there and helped your sister. I'm proud of you, warrior."
Those words were too much for the small boy. His already brimming eyes watered even more.
"What's wrong?"
"I… I don't want to cry… Warriors don't cry…"
A second of silence took place.
"Warriors are allowed to cry in two places. In their mother's or their father's arms. Do you understand? Now… come here," The man softly whispered and pulled his son closer.
Vulen let his tears come out in an unrestrained torrent against his father's chest.
"I was so scared!"
"It's okay… you're safe now… It's all over."
Then, there were no more tears left to cry.
"There, you see? All better, right?" Harold asked reassuringly.
The man pushed himself up and was immediately interrupted by the sight of Alhen. She was walking closer with a weary expression. She'd been watching them for a little.
"Hey, Vulen, why don't you go help your sister?" Alhen asked, signaling him towards the infirmary entrance.
"Okay, mother."
When the boy was far enough away, Alhen looked at Harold and accused him with silence.
"H-he was crying. I just wanted to cheer him up," he tried explaining.
"Stop the crap, Harold…"
The man swallowed. He knew this was about his infidelity.
"I just want to ask why? Why did you do it with your colleague? Was I not good enough for you?"
"Is this really the best time for-" the man tried to deflect before noticing the resentment on her face. He sighed.
"I… It was a mistake… We were at a party. We were drunk and things just happened…"
"Things just happened, huh? Right… Do you even care about us anymore?" Alhen annoyingly asked and started walking away.
Harold instinctively grabbed her hand.
"Look… I…" the man tried apologizing, stopping after seeing his wife's tears.
The whole situation suddenly got interrupted by a third presence.
"Harold!" Soliana exclaimed, running to him and hugging him tightly.
"Soliana?... I'm… I'm glad you're okay," the man said in surprise.
Alhen watched them clinging to each other from a few feet away. Conflicting emotions were there. She wanted to scream at him… she wanted to make him understand how much he hurt her… Though, she chose to stay silent and let the moment pass.
A few meters away from them, Catra held a smile of relief. She had done it… She had saved Harold from the same pain she'd endured… The pain of losing a loved one…
Her pleasant moment was interrupted by a buff elf who had shielded Harold back when he entered the safe zone.
"I thank you for assisting us in the rescue of civilians," the man said.
"I'm just happy to help. I should go back out there. Maybe there's more people left," the cheetah girl replied.
"I thank you, but we have that covered. You are really strong, and you're the only gun user that can help us right now. We need to evacuate. Guardian Ascal is battling a Frontfor at the north of town. If he doesn't stop it, Eldham itself will be doomed," the man explained.
"A Frontfor?"
"It is a small dragon-like monster. If it lays eggs here, the village will be filled with radiation for years to come. Ascal asked us to evacuate. And these magic barriers were not designed to be transportable. Hell, they don't even reach the rooftops!"
Catra couldn't help remembering that her father was also going to fight a monster at the edge of the village. She immediately reached for the device clipped to her belt. She was about to call him, only for a scream came from the rooftops above.
Two dark humanoid entities jumped down and landed at the very center of the evacuation area. They lifted a large cloud of dust.
Unlike some elves, Catra recognized that odor of death. It was them… Those dark monsters from the roof.
"Oh my gods… Spearhands…" the buff shield user whispered in fear.