The ground never stopped trembling, but Khan only focused on digging ahead. His damaged arm remained above his head, enveloped by the chaos claw spell to act as a drill, eventually bringing him back to the surface.
Khan forcefully pushed himself out of the ground, rising into the air while carrying the alien corpse. The area had already turned into a mess of cracks and holes that kept widening due to the endless earthquake, so he aimed for the dark sky to retain safe and stable footing.
Everything about Khan screamed in pain, and the corpse's weight didn't help. His body needed rest, but his mind fended off those troublesome sensations. He didn't only have to understand where he was. The previous speech put him in a pensive mood, making him ignore his suffering.
Cegnore's night sky stretched everywhere. Khan could see among that darkness, but no familiar landmarks appeared. He was lost, and the environment didn't hesitate to change.
The earthquake intensified until the surface gave in. The ground under Khan crumbled, fusing all the cracks into one massive hole that continued to expand.
The hole never reached the gorge's size but was deeper, stretching into the planet's true face to submerge one of the natives' nodes. Khan glanced at its bottom to check that no water was coming out, but his attention moved to the next matter at hand afterward.
Khan's situation had worsened. He had been lost for a while, and his injured state deepened the previous issues. He still didn't have water or food, and a corpse had joined his trip.
The additional weight alone wasn't an issue. Khan could also deal with thirst, hunger, or injuries. Yet, those problems were worrisome when they joined forces.
Khan lingered in the air until exhaustion showed its presence. He had traveled for an entire day, fought a fourth-level warrior, and used spells non-stop. Even his resilience had limits, and he couldn't face them in the sky.
The huge hole forced Khan to fly for a while before finally descending and landing on stable ground. The tremors had stopped, at least there, and Khan dropped the corpse while sitting cross-legged at its side.
Stopping renewed Khan's awareness of his poor state. His body truly was a mess. His right hand was barely functioning, and even his face itched. He needed proper medical attention, but getting there would take a while.
'Don't sleep yet,' Khan ordered to himself. 'I don't want to see them so soon.'
Facing the nightmares right after the events in the underground chamber would be awful, so Khan slipped into a meditative state to stabilize his injuries. The technique would make him hungrier, but that was better than bleeding.
Khan lost track of time and focused on moving his mana, making it flow across his body before addressing the injuries. The superficial burns were fine and easy to fix, but a lot had dug deeper into his skin, prolonging his meditation.
The meditative state broke when the morning's first lights hit Khan's face. Cegnore's cold star was rising on the horizon, marking the night's end.
Khan didn't feel any better when he opened his eyes. Everything continued to hurt, and his stomach complained to no end. He felt as if he had returned to the Slums, but his secret stash of spicy chicken wasn't there.
The situation was helpless, so Khan opted to do the only sensible thing. He checked his surroundings to confirm the absence of threats before looking at the corpse. Many would find that huge dead body disgusting, but those thoughts didn't even enter Khan's brain. Besides, his eyes were on the cape, not the alien.
"[You don't mind, do you]?" Khan asked, patting the corpse's shoulder before pulling the thick cape from under its back.
The cape was huge, especially for humans, and Khan didn't hesitate to lie on it. The clothing's fabric wasn't ideal for his injuries, but he still turned it into a bed and fell asleep.
As always, the nightmare was on time, and Khan tried not to pay too much attention to it. Of course, his attempt failed, and his body was also tired enough to make him sleep longer than usual.
Cegnore's star was still shining when Khan woke up. One look at the sky told him that the morning had yet to end, but his hurting body quickly distracted him from the inspection. He had also sweated a lot, and the cape instantly turned into a towel.
After wiping the sweat away, Khan resumed his cross-legged position and inspected his right arm. It was bad, but he had seen worse, especially when performing the bare-handed Divine Reaper. His bones had still fractured, but his body was slowly learning how to endure that martial art.
'I'm surprised it's still attached,' Khan sighed, lowering his arm to rub his eyes with the working hand. He briefly checked his injuries and belongings, confirming his phone and knife were still with him, and a groan escaped his mouth afterward.
Khan jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain the gesture caused. He could choose to meditate, but the journey was still long, and it was better to leave while his body still worked. It would be shameful to die out of thirst or hunger after surviving such a difficult situation.
"[Time to fly, buddy]," Khan exclaimed, grabbing the corpse from a comfortable spot. "[I hope you won't turn out to be a random soldier once we get back]."
A long, slow journey followed. Khan didn't have landmarks, and the valuable clues in the symphony were almost non-existent, but he followed them whenever they appeared.
As Khan advanced in those directions, the clues grew stronger and easier to follow, but his injured state forced him to take many breaks. His thirst was slowly reaching a critical point, too, generating strange ideas that involved digging to find rivers.
Luckily for Khan, the Slums had prepared him for those harsh situations. He retained his calm and kept his rational side in charge of his actions, prioritizing returning to the Thilku over fulfilling his current needs.
That decision paid off. After two full days of travel, Khan finally spotted a distant red halo that pierced the planet's morning light. Something illuminated the area ahead, and he knew exactly what it was.
Khan had to cross a few more kilometers before the scene became clear. He saw a new trench with two spherical machines standing at its sides. The robot's scanners were already active, and red beams soon converged on Khan's distant figure, growing brighter as they inspected him.
Khan was starving, dehydrated, and still exhausted. The beams blinded him, and he let them as he crashed to the ground. The corpse also dropped at his side, and he mustered the entirety of his strength to keep his back straight.
Everything began to spin and lose clarity. Khan felt like fainting, and his head swung back and forth since his back couldn't stay still. In theory, he had returned to his allies, so he could relax, but his time in the Harbor had taught him the value of showing his superiority.
The noise of bikes and cars filled the area as Khan did his best to remain awake. Thilku had come to rescue him, but he noticed them only when they were beside him. The first team that arrived featured simple soldiers, who began to ask random questions, but Khan didn't listen to any of that.
"[Water]! Khan shouted, using his remaining strength to raise his voice. "[Food]!"
The Thilku heard Khan's words clearly, but the corpse at his side distracted them. The dead alien was almost unrecognizable after the trip due to all the dust and ground covering it. Yet, those soldiers could guess its identity, and their minds weren't ready to believe it.
Of course, a soldier eventually snapped back to reality and pushed his companions to do the same. Before Khan could realize what was happening, he found himself inside a large car, holding a cold bowl filled with unknown soup. A Thilku was at his side, helping him with the food, and a proper doctor soon joined them.
Confused moments passed as Khan's body finally absorbed some nutrients. Khan's awareness went back and forth, sometimes long enough for the nightmares to return.
It took a while, but clarity eventually returned. Khan opened his eyes and felt his senses unfolding in every direction, returning to their previous range and precision. He was in a metal room featuring only the bed under him and a series of scanners pointed at his figure, and his belongings rested in the corner nearby.
'I made it back,' Khan realized, trying to rub his eyes, only to notice that bandages had appeared. Half his body was covered in them, including his face, and a metal structure encircled his right forearm, keeping it still.
'Right,' Khan sighed, waving his right arm a few times before jumping out of bed. He wasn't fine yet, but staying still had never been his good point, and politics were probably already waiting for him.
Nevertheless, the room's door opened before Khan could retrieve his belongings, showing Onp's stern figure. The alien stormed inside, letting the entrance close behind his back before inspecting Khan from head to toe.
"[You disobeyed direct orders and left the team behind]," Onp suddenly scolded. "[We considered sending you to the humans without treating you]."
"[I don't care about this]," Khan shook his head, stretching his legs as he resumed approaching the corner with his belongings. "[Set up a meeting. I know how you can conquer this planet]."
