Running Through Aeptian

Footsteps of feet bearing armors clang on the polished granite floor. The corridor of the palace is buzzing with guards patrolling and going through the empty rooms, looking for Nox and the others.

The king's hand trembled from the anger building up inside him. First, Queen Celia of the snake men escapes, and then he has trouble locating the young man. As Nox comes to realize soon enough, not everything is as it seems in Aeptian Town.

The guards ransack the place searching for clues. The general is by the King's side, trying his best to keep his leader calm. Fearing for the worst, Roi stands behind the door, with his hand touching the grip of his dagger, preparing himself for a sudden barge through their door.

A couple of guards are about to go through the unmarked door, being the last one they haven't checked yet, when a loud boom followed by a wave of screams interrupts them

They don't waste time and run to the King for orders. King Gor commands a guard to stay behind and keep an eye out, whilst the rest run after receiving their instructions.

Roi, along with the others, let out a sigh of relief. Not being discovered buys them time to finish with their preparations and rest while waiting for Malia's father to rest some more.

Meanwhile, the king with his escorts reach the entrance of the palace. As soon as a guard sees him, he salutes. "Your Majesty, a hurricane of Desert Scorpions just blew past the town's gates!"

Shocked, the king takes a step back. From the corners of his eyes, he is tracking the location of his daughter. He clenches his fists and looks at the guard determined. "How did that happen?"

"We don't know... "

The king points in different directions while giving orders. The general sets out with a squad of his own, heading towards the Desert Scorpions. "When you see an opportunity, cut off their tails!"

"Yes, sir!"

In the meantime, Roi and Yulia have already left the room and are heading for the stables to secure their transport. Once they arrive, they notice that there's nobody inside.

"Oh, what's with this smell…?"

Yulia covers her nose and mouth with her palm. Roi chuckles at the sight. "You haven't been to a place like this before?"

"I grew up on a farm, you know!"

She looks around, cringing her face. Her nose is more sensitive than those of humans. "There's something else…"

The beasts go about their routine, with no one watching over them. The duo look at each other and smirk, thinking they could get what they need with no one disturbing them. While Yulia keeps watch, Roi walks inside, with cautious steps, in case they missed something.

The stables have a small stone wall anyone can easily jump over, surrounding the structure. As if something impaled them into the boulders, wooden spikes rise to create a kind of fence built with excess materials.

While walking, Roi comes to an abrupt halt, frozen in the same spot. He closes his eyes and concentrates on the land beneath his feet.

Yulia notices Roi stopped moving.

He has his hand on the hilt of his dagger, ready to strike if the situation demands it. Yulia's earlier complexion has him worried. Unsure of what might jump in front of him. "Apparently, Desert Scorpions overrun the town. I hope I won't encounter any…"

The girl wears a cheeky smile and teasingly says. "Well, the camels are one of their favourite things to eat…"

Upon hearing this, the young man turns around and walks towards the door. Before opening it, Yulia rushes in and bumps into him. "Sorry about that, but the guards are outside..."

Roi nods and turns to look toward the camels. "Let's just take what we need and be on our way!"

Back in the palace, through the long corridor, Nox walks with Malia and her family. With a swift motion, he opens the door and enters the hall. He crouches all the way to the front gate of the palace. After making sure that it's clear, he waves to Malia to follow him.

Along with Kali and her father they crouch towards Nox's location. Working together, they push open the heavy gate. One after the other, they walk out with their guard at its peak. Nox is the last one to walk out when a voice coming from behind startles him.

"You there, wait!"

Nox doesn't let the initial shock kick in and jumps outside. A few steps separate the main street from the entrance of the palace. At the last step is Malia, who's still looking around while they wait for Nox to follow them. The young man lands next to her and points at the gate. "Time to go!"

They run towards the plaza while figuring out a way to go through the gates. Nox looks back and a horde of guards is at their tail. He looks at his group and understands that it'll be quite difficult with the old man who still hasn't recovered and Kali, a young girl who's already panting.

They exchange looks with Malia and nod at each other. Nox picks up old Sholl apologizing several times for being rude, and Malia grabs Kali. their pace is faster, but it's more exhausting this way. A fact that already shows on their faces.

'Grimmy, can you control gravity without my command?'

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['Your stamina is already low. Using mana will weaken you further!']

'I don't care… Just once should be enough to scare them and give us some time to get ahead!'

['Very well! Tell me when!']

The young man and Malia run with all their might, panting. Sweat drenches their faces and clothes, but they refuse to give up or stop to catch their breath. Their speed gradually drops as they get more tired, but they keep going.

When the guards chasing after them notice their fatigued bodies, they draw their swords and spears, ready to strike them. Their sneers and mockery deal blows to their mentality as time passes.

Kali, who's hugging her sister and looks back while being carried, has a first look at the bloodthirsty guards ganging up on them. She hugs Malia ever so tightly as tears flow.

Old man Sholl, who is in the embarrassing piggyback position getting carried by Nox, keeps complaining that he can run by himself. He blushes so much that his face is as red as a tomato, and when he notices the townsfolk pointing in his direction, he looks the other way. All the while, he tries to comfort his daughter at the same time.

Nox ignores his pleas and keeps on running. The sound of his fast beating heart reaches his ears. All the other sounds around him fade out. His vision cuts out any distracting information, blurring the surroundings. His only focus is to move forward, and that's the only spot that's visibly clear.

Her arms become numb and her feet get dragged as they seem too heavy to raise. Unwillingly, she falls back and Nox is late to notice, until he receives a smack on the face by Malia's father.

Startled, he looks back and without a second thought; he shouts internally. 'Grimmy! Now!'

The ground trembles and pebbles crash in mid-air. A ring from above comes crashing down like a wave, planting the guards into the ground. The constant pressure hitting them breaks their bones. The pressed ground creates a crater of a smooth surface, as if a tool carved it.

Blood spews out of their mouths, ears and eyes. Most of them lost consciousness, while the rest screamed from the pain.

Without holding back, Nox used most of his mana, but he didn't care. He saved his friend, and he's happy about that. He smiles at the girl, who's looking at him with mixed emotions. Amazement and fear, one after the other, appear on her face.

In front of Nox, a red translucent window pops up.

[Warning!!!]

[Critical Condition!]

[Shutting down in ten minutes!]

'What does that mean?'

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['If you do not rest, you will die!']

'I can't rest... Not yet…'

[Shutting down in eight minutes!]

They are not chasing them anymore, but Malia and Nox keep running before more of them show up. Even if they did rest, they would miss the chance to escape when the royal guards defeat the Desert Scorpions.

[Shutting down in five minutes!]

Nox finds it more difficult to breathe. His vibrant purple eyes gradually lose their liveness, getting a pale shade instead. Malia, who's caught up with him, sees his struggles to keep going and stops.

Nox, half-blind, turns around and squints his eyes. His voice cracks as he pants. "Wh-What are you doing? We need to keep going…"

[Shutting down in two minutes!]

"Let me down…"

Malia's father struggled until he broke free. He turned his back on Nox and crouched. "I'm feeling better already. It's your turn to be embarrassed!"

[Shutting down in thirty seconds!]

Nox gasps for air as he tries to find the strength and climb onto the old man's back. His mind gives the orders, but his body can't execute them.

[19]

"..."

[18]

"..."

[17]

Their worried expressions over Nox soon turn sour when another batch of guards caught up with them. "There they are!"

[5]

Nox, unable to hold on, falls to the ground.

Old man Sholl picks him up and runs, following his daughters

[3]

[2]