"O...k..." she managed to say, tucking some of her long hair behind her ears.
The poor woman was shivering. Of course, the jacket helped keep her warm, yet the Benjlakki soldier felt some sort of trauma was at work within her. This time, Zechariah knew for sure something happened to her. It all reinforced his decision to protect her. The moment she pointed in the direction they had to go wa when he nodded in confirmation that they were heading out. The soldier next took note of her trying to spell out her name, something that made it clear to him she nearly lost her voice.
E-V-...
A red light appeared before she could complete the spelling of her name, setting her into a state of panic. Whatever was in that forest had to be fought, of that Zechariah was certain. He prepared by removing the clip from his pistol and replacing it with a fresh one, since recharging clips took time. After that, the soldier put up his pistol while bringing out his assault rifle, cocking it while removing the safety.
"This won't be easy. We'll try finding an indirect route while we're in that forest, if my suspiscions are correct. I'm betting that Metargo pilot is in there, somehwere." Motioning for the woman to follow him, he ventured into the forest, in the direction the light came from. Surely enough, he heard gunfire, the kind he knew well. "Whatever is out there, he seems to have engaged it. If at all possible, we may have to avoid his battle. I don't know what he'll do if he spots us." He turned around and turned the solar-powered energy shield on so that the woman would be better protected. "If battle does break out, I'd rather you be safe." Surely enough, after a littel further, he sptted Aaron, fighting some sort of rider. "No use getting involved in that. We better try to find a way around that mess. Come."
He made sure she was still foloowing him while he trekked the forest, reminding himself of the general direction of the town. Along the way, penguins were pinpointed. "Something's not right. Those penguins, under normal circumstances, shouls be seen along coastlines, at least near the polar regions, where it's colder. Keep the shield on. I'm heading in for a closer look."
Of course, the moment a penguin saw him, combat began. Laser beams came out of the eyes of the birds, a clear sign these were not any regular penguins. Of course, gunfights were never easy. Evasion and cover were essential to surviving such battles. With his uncanny reflexes and dexterirty, this was not difficult for him, except he realized more than one life was at stake, at this point. He had to make good on his promise, no matter what. One pull of his assault rifle as he moved around, and two of the new hostiles were down, five more still out there. They were all focused on him, since he proved tougher to beat than other targets. He was swift, he was accurate, he was precise and strategic. All this added up to one difficult battle for both sides.
Another pull of the trigger, three more penguins defeated, four more to go. These were smarter than the others. They took cover as he did, copying his movements. They act like learning bots. Zechariah had to take them all out with one blow, at this point. To do that, needed more space to work with. Using a direct line of fire to keep the enemy at bay, the Benjlakki soldier lured the penguins to a more open space before throwing a grenade at them. The moment it landed, he knew he timed it perfectly. The hostile penguins were now no more. He swiftly came back to the woman's side, a soft grin on his face. "You alright?"