Levalis nodded while Kyle held her tighter. She formed a very large amount of energy between her hands. With everything she had left, she pushed it at the machine that made Kyle feel wrong.
There was an immediate explosion that seemed to be expanding.
Levalis didn't look back. He was already running. Kyle used an earth ability to help move them faster. Lana slumped in his arms with the amount of energy she expended. He held her close with one arm while trying to keep them from being injured by falling rock.
The ramp they were running up was crumbling and the walls were caving in. It was taking all of Kyle's concentration to keep them moving. Levalis' legs were going as fast as they could, but Kyle was the only reason he had solid ground to run on.
He soon realized the earth ability wasn't enough. They'd never make it out in time. The mountain would kill them.
"Levalis, stop running!" he yelled. He created a solid platform for the panteri to stand on then used telekinesis to move them.
"Lay down!" Kyle yelled as he maneuvered the rock to dodge the projectiles heading their way. They finally made it to the cavern. His sweat was dripping from his face. A few drops fell on his sleeping wife. He could narrowly see the exit and was suddenly glad it was so big.
Keeping their rock surfboard close to the ground in the middle, he narrowly steered to avoid the falling hazards. Just as they left, the cave entrance collapsed. The mountain was still crumbling and he didn't trust the stairs.
In a split-second decision, he drove the rock strait toward the forest, allowing gravity to help them. He wasn't used to taxing his MC but today was not a normal day.
At the edge of the forest, the group could see a flying rock heading their way. It was Tanisha who realized it wasn't flying. It was rapidly falling. Kyle was not in control.
She raced into the ruined area and used her own telekinesis to slow the descent of the rock. Kyle could feel the pull on the rock and allowed it to take control. He cradled Lana in his arms.
She was still breathing. He knew she simply used too much power. By the sounds of it, she solved two problems in today's actions. He could hear explosions beyond the mountain.
Tanisha got them safely on the ground and ran toward them when a massive explosion occurred in the distance. The ground rumbled and the mountain finished its implosion. Even the bigger ones behind it and on the sides were affected but not to the same degree.
Kai stared at the cloud that resulted from the explosion. "Isn't that the direction of the corrupted area?"
Kyle nodded, "one of those machines had some kind of metallic wiring that direction. My guess is the scimmia activated it somehow and it was slowly leaking its energy into the land."
"That was a massive explosion. Was there anything that could have been learned? We could really have used that technology against the Walkers," Kai asked trying not to accuse the kids of ill-doing.
"When we got there, Lana was fighting a scimmia. We wanted to help but thought we'd only get in the way, so I sent Dobin and Kent out with Rosalie. In the fight against the scimimia, the technology got destroyed and Lana passed out when she gave the scimmia the killing blow. We barely made it out. There was nothing we could salvage."
Kai nodded. He didn't try to refute Kyle's statement because he had no reason to. Dobin didn't say anything different to him. Dobin didn't tell him anything at all when he returned earlier in his own mad dash. He simply joined the others waiting anxiously for his family to return.
"We should get back to the school now. You two can debrief the commander once she's rested," Kai said as he tried to get his panteri to turn around and head back.
All the panteri lay down. Levalis was exhausted and he wasn't going to allow Lana to leave his sight until he knew she was okay. She was his son's caretaker. There was no way Kent was leaving the planet with Lana unconscious.
Dobin climbed off Rosalie and offered some water to Kyle for Lana. He adjusted her so she was laying across his lap. He cleaned the dirt from her face, not even curious about his own appearance.
He admired her beautiful face as he tipped the water bottle just a bit to give her a few drops.
"I think we need to set up the shelter to allow her proper rest," Kyle told the group.
"She can get proper rest back at school. If these panteri don't want to take us back we'll go back on foot," Kai responded. He jumped off his mount as if to confirm his plans.
Levalis stood and growled. The rest of the panteri surrounded him and growled as well.
"Teacher, I think you fail to understand the situation. Levalis is the father of the kitten Lana is raising. There's no way he's releasing his son into anyone else's hands. He won't let her or Kent leave until he knows she's okay," Kyle replied.
His voice grew more sternly, "she is also the owner of this planet upon graduation. If there is any additional technology hidden on this planet, do you think she'll authorize exploration if you piss off the father of her furry child?"
Kai's jaw popped. He thought they had spent too much time on the planet and felt this leg of the trip was wasted. At the same time, the young man had valid points, so he nodded, allowing them to put up the shelter and rest. He had to admit, he'd like a nap as well. He just wanted it to be in his own bed.
They put the shelter up and Kyle placed her in bed. He made sure everyone had food then joined her. Kent wanted to as well, but Rosalie invited him for more training.
She didn't know when she'd see her nephew again and wanted him as ready for the world as possible.
It took several hours for Lana to wake back up. Her head was pounding. Kyle gave her some desserts to increase her blood sugar, and it worked.
"Where are we?" she asked.
He explained what happened after she passed out.
She sighed, "we do need to be getting back. We have things to accomplish still."
Kyle chuckled, "you mean you have things to accomplish."
She grinned. He leaned in and kissed her passionately.
"Last chance to take advantage of a babysitter…" he whispered in her ear.
She giggled and enjoyed some private time with her husband. When they emerged from their room, the others had just finished eating once again.
"Are we ready to head back to the teleporter area? I'd use my ring, but I want to make sure the houses I created are good to go," she said with a smile.
Kai was the first on his feet, "I wanted to go back earlier but was out voted."
Lana nodded, "I heard. I understand both sides of the argument. Frankly, I think the military would be fine with my animal companion receiving a few more hours of training as it will only increase my combat power."
Kai nodded. They left in the usual fashion, Lana checking the dome for anything left behind. The panteri travelled faster to get them back to the shelter. They wanted to spend the night in their own home as well.
They went straight to the trees Lana put in, allowed her to make sure there were no issues then took them to the area the old shelter was in.
As Kai was getting ready to activate the teleporter, Levalis and Rosalie stepped forward.
"Is it possible to send Rosalie back with you so Kent can continue his training? I know he'll get stronger at your side, but he could use training in how to use his body as well," Levalis said to Lana.
Out loud, Lana said, "of course Rosalie can come back with us and continue Kent's training."
Kai's eye twitched. He was the teacher here and she was making such a decision. He took a deep breath, knowing she was right but felt she could have asked even though she knew the answer already.
Rosalie joined them in the circle, and they all returned to the school.
As they stepped outside, Lana's badge went off. She looked at it, "it's Gerald!"
She quickly answered. Before she could say anything, she heard, "Lady Bianca is acting like Lady Barica…"