Ch 55: Final Look Behind

When the dust and smoke settled, Zane emerged, with him a golden diamond shield that had lost its luster.

'Identify'

Shield Aegis of Aurora: A masterwork of enchantment and craftsmanship, bears testament to the peerless skill and timeless wisdom of the elven blacksmiths of Nivena. Forged beneath the shimmering canopies of ancient forests, where whispers of magic and the songs of nature intertwined...

Material: Thousand Refined Blood Iron (Unique)

Durability: 160

Rune: Aurora (Cooldown 164 days)

Aurora: A defensive spell designed to shield its user from elemental damage for a brief period of time. Upon activation, it absorbs the ambient elements, harnessing their power to restore energy to the rune.

This shield was the one he had found in the treasure room, encased in a very luxurious box. When he saw the stats and its defensive skill, he was very amazed. This was the highest level item he had seen.

Furthermore, it was the first time Zane had ever seen a shield. He thought it might be the only one in the City of Capricia, as having a shield was a known taboo.

Without the shield, Zane wouldn't dared stayed in the room even for a minute and set up a trap for Ezio.

...

Zane observed the room, it was filled with burn marks while some part of the roof and walls collapsed.

He tightly gripped his sword when he saw the person he was looking for. In the center of the room lay Ascendant Ezio, his lower half reduced to ashes while his upper body and head had extreme burnt marks.

Zane marveled at the resilience of an Ascendant's body. He had utilized all his remaining exploding rocks for this purpose, yet it seemed they hadn't been sufficient to finish the job.

Ezio attempted to speak, but more blood flowed. Hatred and anger were evident in his eyes. Zane approached his upper half and, with a swift swing of his sword, beheaded Ezio.

---

When he arrived in the Grand Hall, he saw Cecilia standing close to the doors with her two blades ready for any type of situation.

Zane nodded to Cecilia affirming her unfounded worries.

They were about to leave but he saw Gerax laying down in one of the corner, his face is no longer as handsome as before but covered with burn marks all over..

He tried poured out multiple potions in his mouth, and left some to his sides. Externally, he looked as if he was dying but Zane with his eyes saw that he was only tortured thoroughly. But he wasn't in any critical conditions. Zane saw some movements from him and knew that he was about to wake up.

'He will heal soon, but I am not sure if my potions will be able to fix extremely burned skins.'

"Let's move out quickly," Zane started running while Cecilia followed.

---

Zane and Cecilia hurried to the wall where they had been stationed and discovered that everyone had departed. In the center of the area where they used to rest, a note was stabbed into the ground.

"We've left. Take care. -Gramps"

Gramps stayed within the weak group, others wanted to bring him to the fight with Ezio but he pretended to be old, wounded, and weakened. With his age, the others doesn't have choice but to believe him.

"Zane, they have left. Let's move along as well," he heard Cecilias voice.

Zane took out a detailed map he had found in Ezio's room. He had intended to share the information with the others, but they had already departed, rendering it unnecessary. Beyond the walls lay an expansive swath of forest.

"Others will likely struggle to determine their location. The northern forest, Verdantpeak is marked with dangerous mountains and various beasts, as indicated on the map," Zane explained to Cecilia.

"The closest city would be IronHold to the north. Alternatively, if we head east-northeast, we'll reach a city named Sea Rock. However, I recommend Mountain River City. The nobles are bound to continue pursuing the escaped slaves. Their initial search will focus on the nearest city, likely marked by an ambush."

"Mountain River City is designated as neutral ground as marked on the map. It is less likely to be controlled by the nobles. Once we arrive there, we can secure transportation to take us further away."

...

When Zane and Cecilia were close to the wide opened gates, Zane had a final look behind him. The northern gates were set up in the hills and mountains, from there he can see the burning city of Capricia.

Zane planted his foot outside the gates and soon both him and Cecilia swift sprinted towards the forrest.