1 The Escape

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Liam felt the ground tremble. Rocks the size of a small house fell from the surrounding butte.

The tremors sent pebbles rolling into tiny fissures opening up all over the place.

A rock rose in front of Liam, blocking his path, and forced him to vault over it.

Unnatural darkness surrounded him in every direction. It buzzed and shifted, giving people a feeling it was alive.

Visibility did not extend for more than a few meters.

Every so often, pulsing red light shone from the sky, as if someone had set it on fire. It revealed the true face of the unnatural darkness.

Millions of black insects rushed out of the fissures, blocking him in every direction. Their sheer quantity turned the world dark.

Death throes echoed all around him, grating on his already frayed nerves. The red light displayed the gruesome fate of those caught by the insects.

A grotesque corrupted lay in Liam's path, whining in pain. The insects melted parts of its body and carried it back into the fissures.

He swallowed hard.

"How long will our defenses hold?"

His question was met by silence. Then in a hoarse voice that was barely above a whisper, Ioriel answered. "The zone ….. is ... going to end ..... soon enough."

He wrinkled his brow and glanced in her direction.

"And the boundary?"

"We are .... on the right ..... path. It shouldn't be ..... far from the zone." She answered after another lengthy pause.

"Do you have a plan?" Lupa noticed the weakness in Ioriel's voice. "I don't think she can hold on for much longer."

He gritted his teeth. "Just keep running. We can make it."

Another thundering crash echoed from behind them.

"FU*K! How long is that thing going to chase us?" Dunn wheezed, barely managing to squeeze his voice out.

"It has been chasing us for god knows how long," Jade snarled. "You expect it to stop now?"

Out of the blue, the surroundings brightened up, blinding Liam. He shielded his eyes and squinted, letting them adjust to the light.

True to Ioriel's words, they were out of the zone.

Liam tunnel-visioned on a hole made of purple smoke. It was out of sync with their surroundings, displaying trees when the entire land around them was barren.

"Look! The boundary isn't far. We can make it," Liam said in a joyful voice.

Everyone brightened up. Ebrum whooped, giving voice to their feelings.

An ear-splitting roar echoed, dousing their enthusiasm.

The pulsing red light outlined the monstrosity rushing out of the insect zone.

A pitch-black metallic horn lay on the beast's nose. Jagged teeth that were sharper than blades, dripped with blood and tissues. Legs, as wide as Liam's body stomped on the ground, splitting it. The gray skin had the appearance of armor crafted out of steel.

Purple channels ran along the length of its body, combining into runes. They throbbed as if they were alive.

The horn smashed through every obstacle standing in its way, leaving a trail of destruction.

The Brooden Rhox was a fearsome beast, but it was no longer as imposing as the first time he laid his eyes on it. The insects managed to melt its skin. Even such a terrifying creature couldn't make it out of the zone completely unscathed.

"It's injured," Bor said. "Do you think we can fight it?"

Liam hesitated. "I think we can, but it will be a close battle. There is no need to risk it. Let's just go."

She was unsatisfied. The endless pursuit left her with a stomach full of anger.

After glaring at the Rhox, she followed Liam.

The Rhox increased its speed, trying to catch up to the prey, but the distance between them only widened. Its extreme defense left it with a glaring weakness. Its speed was abysmal. The strong defense was the reason it managed to stay on their tail. It disregarded threats, charging through any zone with near impunity.

The escaping prey provoked the Rhox.

Raising its front legs, it let out an ear-splitting roar and stomped on the ground. The runes on its legs lit up, unleashing a spell.

Rock walls rose all around Liam, blocking the path.

He didn't slow down or try to find an alternative route.

"Bor!" he shouted.

She acknowledged his unsaid instructions.

Being an Orc, she was the strongest in their group. Combining that with her ability made her into the best ramming tool.

With bulging muscles; she charged ahead and crashed into the wall with a thunderous cry.

The stone wall crumbled giving them an easy way out.

"Orcs," Ebrum muttered, shaking his head.

"Orcs," Jade smiled.

No one could match orcs in a battle of brute strength.

Chuckling, they rushed towards the boundary when Liam heard a soft whistle like an arrow flying through the air.

He turned back and saw the Rhox's horn flying towards them.

His eyes widened, and he screamed, "IORIEL!"

There was no time to help her. The horn was too fast, and Ioriel too tired to dodge the attack.

Jade pulled her out of the way, saving her life.

Beyond all expectations, the runes on the horn shone with a bright purple light. It unleashed a blast of wind in every direction, pushing both Jade and Ioriel towards the Rhox. They were disoriented and needed time to gather themselves — time they did not have.

Liam's ability allowed him to foresee the spell and brace himself before the wind reached him. His friends were caught off guard. Only Bor managed to resist the effect by the virtue of her strength.

They were the only ones who were in a position to help Ioriel and Jade.

"Protect them." He said, "I will stop it."

Bor nodded.

She ran towards Ioriel while Liam rushed towards the beast.

The Rhox's cruel eyes gazed at the approaching Liam and did the thing it did best — charged.

Liam focused his thoughts, letting go of all distractions.

He waited with bated breath, hoping for the ability to activate, and smiled when his vision changed.

The world lost color, and shiny strings were floating all over the place. Everything in his surroundings slowed down, and the control he had over his body reached an unprecedented degree.

"Finally," he muttered under his breath, "something seems to be going right."

He focused on the strings that wound around the Rhox. Many of them ended up on the joint of its right forelimb.

Liam had to time his attack perfectly; otherwise, he would either miss, or the Rhox would squash him to death.

When the beast was close enough, it slammed its head towards Liam. He rolled to the side, dodging the attack, and in a single breath, unsheathed his sword, slicing through the beast's leg, cutting through its skin and muscle.

The wound was neither deep nor fatal, but it did the job. The Rhox lost its balance and flipped on its back.

Jade noticed it falling in her direction and raised the shield, bracing for the impact.

Bor reacted before the Rhox could crush them. She crashed into it with the full force of her body, changing its direction.

The Rhox smashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Are you guys okay?" Liam asked, unable to peer through the dust.

"No." Jade's muffled voice reached him.

"Get off. You are heavy," she complained.

The dust cleared showing Bor lying on Jade's shield.

She picked herself up and said, "You are welcome."

"I would have preferred the Rhox," Jade muttered. "You are probably heavier than that thing."

Rock spikes erupted from the ground. They zeroed in on Bor but failed to meet their mark.

"There is a time and a place for your nonsense." Lupa rebuked. Her emerald-colored eyes were shining with light. "There is a pissed-off Rhox right beside you and you are having fun?"

"Sorry," they uttered in unison.

"Lupa, Ebrum, you will protect Ioriel. She is too tired to defend herself. Dunn will be in charge of the long-range attacks. Jade will take care of our defense. Bor, it will be our duty to wound and kill the Rhox."

Everyone acknowledged Liam's instructions without fuss.

The Brooden Rhox gathered itself and bellowed at the sky. Getting hurt by the prey infuriated it.

Liam calmly faced its fury, no longer finding the actions scary. It was a far cry from the terrifying opponent it used to be. It was defanged and vulnerable.

The insects took of its defense, Liam its mobility, and the beast itself threw away its most powerful weapon — the horn.

Rather than waiting for an attack, Liam took the initiative. He rushed forwards, aiming for the place where the strings were densest.

The insects melted large parts of its stomach, leaving it defenseless.

The Rhox wasn't as reckless as it seemed. It noticed their movement and created an armor of rocks that protected the vulnerable parts of its body.

Another area of effect spell tossed huge pillars of rocks in their direction.

Bor, Liam, and Jade charged forwards disregarding the pillars flying towards them. When the pillars came close, they turned to sludge, splattering them with mud.

Seeing the spell fail, the Rhox rushed forwards, trying to use its body weight to crush them.

"Aim for the stomach," Liam instructed.

Jade was the first to reach it. She defended against the charge, stopping the Rhox dead in its tracks.

"You need more speed dumbass." She taunted.

Bor went for the stomach. Her ax smashed into the rock defense, fragmenting the armor.

It gave Liam the opportunity he was waiting for. His sword passed through the weakened armor, slicing through its insides as if they were made out of butter.

The beast roared in pain, thrashing its body. The runes all over its body lit up.

It was the last thing he remembered. He lost consciousness and did not know what happened afterward.