Nova Force Book 1

John, Analu, and Sarah were out in the forest, hunting for monsters that had been terrorizing the nearby settlement and gathering materials. They had set out yesterday. As they were making their way back to the settlement, they saw a strange man in armor standing on the edge of a clearing. They had seen him a couple of times before, but they had never spoken to him. He seemed to be scouting the area.
 
"I wonder why this man has been lurking around here lately. Saw him twice yesterday, and now he's back," remarked Sarah, her brow furrowed with suspicion.
"Could be some new guild or maybe a new settlement gearing up for war... But wait, that armor he's wearing, it's unlike anything I've seen before," John mused aloud, his gaze fixed on the mysterious figure.
"Yeah, and did you see the way he looked at us just now? Gives me the creeps," Analu chimed in, her voice tinged with unease.
As they debated the stranger's motives, Sarah's keen eyes caught sight of something in the distance.
"Look, over there, about half a mile up, smoke rising. And that doesn't look like a campfire. Let's go check it out," she suggested, her voice urgent.
"Yeah, let's tail this guy and see what's going on," John agreed, his curiosity piqued.
Feeling a sense of trepidation, the trio trailed the mysterious figure, their footsteps silent as they moved through the dense undergrowth. As they drew closer, the acrid scent of smoke filled their nostrils, mingling with the coppery tang of blood.
Their worst fears were confirmed as they emerged from the cover of the trees. Before them lay the smoldering remains of a once-thriving settlement, now reduced to ash and rubble. The air was thick with sorrow and despair, the echoes of tragedy hanging heavy in the air.
"Oh my god... This is... This is just heartbreaking," Sarah gasped, her voice choked with emotion as she surveyed the devastation before them.
The man joined up with a group of 9 men making it 10 in total. They were now discussing something about meeting up and the bigger settlement but Analu and the others did not hear what they were saying entirely.
 
"Wait, 'the big one'... Are they talking about our town?" John's voice was tight with dread as he voiced the chilling possibility.
"It's the only big village around here," Sarah replied grimly, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of hope.
Unable to stand idly by, Analu stepped forward, her voice trembling with righteous anger as she confronted the remaining soldiers.
"Why are you doing this? What gives you the right to destroy innocent lives?" she demanded, her gaze unwavering despite the danger.
The soldier's response was a mixture of defiance and contempt, his words dripping with malice as he recognized Analu from their previous encounter.
"It's her... I remember her from yesterday. We were going to deal with her, but I couldnt leave my post" he sneered, his eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his dark helm. "And now, it's time for you to pay the price for meddling in our affairs."
"Be alert, she has two more friends hiding somewhere around here." Said another soldier as they encircled her.
With Analu surrounded by the menacing soldiers, the air crackled with tension, the threat of violence looming heavy in the air. But despite the odds stacked against her, there was no trace of fear in her eyes as she braced herself for the impending onslaught.
Before the soldiers could make their move, a mysterious mist began to envelop them, swirling and coiling around their forms like a shroud of uncertainty. Instantly, the leader's voice cut through the haze, his warning ringing out with urgency.
"Nova force abilities! Be on your guard, men!" he bellowed, his eyes scanning the mist for any sign of their unseen adversary.
In a blur of motion, Analu disappeared from sight, leaving the soldiers momentarily disoriented. Then, with a suddenness that took them by surprise, she reappeared behind one of the soldiers, her grip tightening around his skull with lethal precision.
"Wind Cannon!" she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the chaos as a powerful blast of wind erupted from her outstretched hands, sending the unfortunate soldier hurtling through the air with bone-shattering force.

 
The leader's gaze narrowed as he assessed Analu's prowess, a flicker of respect crossing his features.
"You're no ordinary girl," he acknowledged, his tone laced with both admiration and menace.
Unbeknownst to the soldiers, John emerged from within the mist, his presence heralded by the sharp crack of ice as he incapacitated one of their comrades with chilling efficiency. With each clash of sword against ice, John's movements were fluid and precise, his hand wreathed in frost as he deftly parried their attacks.
"I'll handle this lot," he declared, his voice ringing out with confidence as he faced down his adversaries.
Meanwhile, Analu squared off against the leader, her resolve unyielding in the face of his fiery onslaught. With a contemptuous sneer, he ignited his sword with flames, the heat radiating from its blade with searing intensity.
"I'll end you with a single blow," he boasted, his voice dripping with arrogance as he unleashed a torrent of flames toward Analu.
But she met his challenge head-on, her expression unwavering as she summoned the full force of her power.
"Second Stage, Wind Cannon!" she declared, her voice resolute as a gale of wind erupted from her hands, tearing through the flames with unstoppable force.
In a dazzling display of elemental mastery, the wind tore through the inferno, engulfing the soldier in a cyclone of destruction. With a thunderous roar, the flames were extinguished, leaving nothing but smoldering embers in their wake.
As Analu and John fought valiantly against their foes, Sarah watched from a safe distance, allowing them to exercise a little.
 
ohn's demeanor remained cool and collected, his icy prowess matched only by his nonchalant demeanor as he toyed with his adversaries.
"Bored already," he remarked casually, his voice tinged with amusement as he stifled a yawn behind his hand while his other hand clothed with thick ice was clashing with the swords of the other soldiers.
But his moment of respite was short-lived as another soldier rushed forward, his bravado masking a thinly veiled threat.
 
"Freeze, you peasant! The boss might have a use for someone like you. Surrender now, or face the consequences," the soldier declared, his tone dripping with arrogance.
 
A mischievous glint danced in John's eyes as he seized upon the soldier's unwitting choice of words.
 
"Freeze? You said freeze, right?" John inquired, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he arched an eyebrow in mock curiosity.
 
Without waiting for a response, John sprang into action, leaping back several meters with effortless grace. With a swift gesture, he halted his ongoing skirmish with the other soldiers, raising his hand in a commanding gesture.
"Sarah, Analu, go!" he commanded, his voice ringing out with authority as he directed his companions to safety.
As Sarah and Analu retreated to a safe distance, their trust in John unwavering, John focused his attention on his foes. With a sense of satisfaction, he tapped into his formidable powers, channeling his mastery over ice with effortless ease.
 
"Now, where was I?" John mused to himself, a sly grin playing across his lips as he recalled his earlier challenge.
"Oh yes, freeze!" he declared, his voice ringing out with power as he unleashed a torrent of icy energy.
In an instant, the entire area within a 60-meter radius was enveloped in a glacial embrace, the soldiers trapped within a frozen prison of John's making. As the frost spread, encasing them in its icy grip, John stood victorious, his confidence unshaken as he surveyed his handiwork.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent a final wave of frost rippling through the air, sealing the soldiers' fate with a chilling finality. And as the frost settled, John stood tall amidst the frozen tableau, a silent sentinel against the encroaching darkness.
"Hey guys, you forgot one of them." declared Sarah, ''Yea it's the guy who you disliked because of his rude glare. He's all yours." replied John. 'Yea, you can take him." instructed Analu.
The soldier who had ran away after his leader had been defeated was trying his best to get as far away as possible to relay the information to the other soldiers.
Sarah took charge of the pursuit, her determination was palpable, her resolve unwavering in the face of their fleeing foe.
"Analu, you're the quickest among us. It should be you going after him, but since you've already done the heavy lifting, I'll handle this," she declared with a steely glint in her eye.
Analu nodded in agreement, a silent acknowledgment of Sarah's selflessness.
"John, mind lending me your ice?" Sarah requested, her voice tinged with urgency.
"Of course, take what you need," John replied, his confidence in Sarah's abilities unwavering.
With a touch of her hand, Sarah channeled her energy into the ice, causing it to melt and form a swirling torrent of water at her command. As the water enveloped her, she charged it with her energy, propelling herself forward with newfound speed and agility.
 
"Jet Stream!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the forest as she surged forward on a wave of water, her form a blur of motion as she closed the distance between herself and their fleeing adversary.
Analu and John watched in awe as Sarah raced ahead, her movements fluid and graceful as she effortlessly closed the gap between them and their target.
"Did you know she could do that?" Analu asked, her admiration evident in her voice.
John shook his head in amazement. "No idea, but it seems our training has paid off," he remarked, his pride in Sarah's abilities evident.
 
Meanwhile, the soldier's heart raced with fear as he heard the sound of rushing water behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught sight of Sarah, her form obscured by the swirling mass of water that surrounded her.
"What's that sound?" he muttered to himself, his heart pounding in his chest as he realized the danger that pursued him.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he stumbled over a root and fell to the forest floor, his attempts at escape thwarted by his own clumsiness.
Desperation clawed at him as he scrambled to his feet and pressed on, his eyes wide with terror as he felt the looming presence of Sarah's watery form drawing closer with each passing moment.
With nowhere left to run, he backed against a tree, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he awaited his inevitable fate. Closing his eyes in a futile attempt to shut out the impending doom, he could only listen helplessly as the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder, the sensation of cold dread washing over him like a tidal wave.
As Sarah closed in on her target, her presence bore down upon him like a force of nature. The soldier's eyes widened with primal fear as he felt the weight of her gaze upon him, his breath catching in his throat as he realized the futility of his struggle.
With a swift and decisive motion, Sarah engulfed him in a swirling vortex of water, the torrent cascading over him with relentless force. Gasping for air, the soldier thrashed against the watery prison that enveloped him, his struggles growing weaker with each passing moment as his lungs burned with the desperate need for oxygen.
In the dim light filtering through the canopy above, his features contorted in a mask of agony and despair, his eyes wide with terror as he fought against the suffocating embrace of the water. With each passing second, the life ebbed from his body, his movements slowing until finally, with a final shudder, he went limp in Sarah's grasp.
As the water receded, leaving him sprawled on the forest floor, his chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths, the last vestiges of consciousness slipping away as darkness claimed him. In that fleeting moment of surrender, his face was a portrait of defeat, his features slack and pallid against the backdrop of the unforgiving wilderness.
Sarah stood over him, her expression unreadable as she surveyed the fallen soldier, her resolve unyielding even in the face of the chaos that surrounded them. And as the echoes of their encounter faded into the stillness of the forest, she knew that their journey was far from over, their path forward fraught with peril and uncertainty.
"So weak," said Sarah as she lifted him up to bring him back where the others were.
As she retured they decided to check the village for any survivors and also to stop the flames burning the village away. It took them a good tgirth minutes to finish doing this. But something hit them like a light bulb once more. "The bigger one.'' said John.
"Hey Analu, go to our town. We'll take over from here. They mght be in danger.

"Alright, you guys be careful." she replied as she took off.