piece of cake!”

I was running through the forest surrounding the mansion, it was a huge and wild plantation with no planning. It had been 20 minutes since I started from the mansion. Chris opened up an opportunity for me and I don't know to what extent it was safe for me to assume that he was speaking the truth, but since the opportunity had presented itself I had to seize that!

Chris told he would start 4 hours later than me, I didn't trust him but I had decided. There might me a fence and there might be guards there! But facing them won't be as difficult as facing chris! I carefully jumped over a few roots that had grown up above the ground and sped up. For the past 30 minutes I had been taking care of my breathing and alternatively jogging and then running. I was saving up as much energy as possible as I paced through the uneven lands. This stamina won't last long, after some time I would have to only walk for a long period of time to regain my energy so I tried to cover as much distance as possible now.

I didn't know what lied ahead but I very well knew what I left behind! I won't be the scared idiot who always fights to their life's risk. I won't run away from my reality any longer! Come what may, even if chris stood in front of me right now ready to fight me I would show him where he stands. 'Afterall as the crown's Moon I won't lose to the Shield'.

The terrain changed a bit with a little upward slope and I slowed down my pace jogging through the climb. I didn't look back but I kept myself well aware of my surroundings, it was rather safe and quiet except for my running and rustling of the leaves. I stopped in the path as I reached the top of the slope and then started walking 'I guess I could only run for 30 minutes'.

As I walked further for another 45 minutes a thought crossed my mind, 'why didn't I think of this earlier mara!' I said to my heart while slapping on my forehead. Now instead for the right direction I just had to find a tall tree, and there were a lot of tall trees in this forest garden! I looked around and immediately found a easy to climb tree and I approached it. It looked like a pine tree but wasn't one, who cares all that matters is me being able to climb the tree. I fitted my left foot in the first groove of the tree and jerked myself up towards a branch, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

I stood up on the branch close to the tree trunk so I don't break the branch and have a great humpty dumbty fall. I kept climbing carefully through tough parts as well, and after solid 20 minutes of hard work I was at the top of the tree. The wind here felt extraordinarily fresh, my adrenaline kicked in as I looked down to how far away the ground was. I haven't felt as alive as this since a very very long time! I embraced the winds for a moment and immediately got back to work, the reason why I came up here was to find a rather man-made path. Yes this was a forest BUT this was also on a owned property, basically this forest was the backyard garden to the main mansion. I looked behind to see the mansion at some distance and ahead I saw the hillock, I bent a little bit so the top of other trees wasn't restricting my view.

On the right I saw nothing but forest but on the left! At some distance, there it was! The clear path the led straight towards the hillock. It wasn't that far away from where I was. I slowly climbed down the tree making sure my every step is secure. And started running in the direction of the path.

It took me approx 10 minutes to reach close to the path. As the path came into view, so did the guards walking in and around it. I hid behind a tree and waited for a good opportunity, if I take the forest road it would take me good 8-10 hours to reach the hillock; but if this path straight leads to the hillock I might cover the distance up in 4-5 hours Only problem is the guards stationed here.

I waited and waited for an opportunity to show up but nothing, I could even walk in the forest along the path if I walk this close the guards will see me and I will then have to fight them all! I couldn't decide and I didn't have the time I had to reach near the hillock before chris starts his journey.

"Fine!" I said to myself, "I'm ready bring it on" I jumped in my place and threw a few punches in the air, "You can do this Aphie! What kind of Moon you would be if you can't even defeat a bunch of lowlife soldiers!?". Okay! I was ready I stretched my arms a bit and cracked my neck. This time I observed them and I could already see a pattern, I just had to be fast enough so the next guard doesn't alert everyone else.

Taking my chance I approached the guard standing still and with one swift motion twisted his neck, I caught him before he falls down and gets attention towards us. As the guard walking approached back towards us, he got a bit suspicious and got his one hand over the gun hanging by his belt. Just as I planned! As he approached the tree behind which I was hiding with the dead guard, I got ready and let the guards fa from the left of the tree. The approaching guard got alert and ran towards the dead guard, I came in from the opposite side and hit the guard in the back of his head.

He didn't fall unconscious and turned to check who it was, and I was ready here with my punch. I landed a full-force blow on his jaw and his head went fuzzy I could tell! Before he could regain himself I picked up a big rock and banged it on his head. He fell down unconscious, I kept looking at both of them a result of my handy work. My throat became heavy as my confidence in myself resurfaced. 'There is no time!' I started checking them for any weapons that would come handy ahead.

There would be more guards ahead! And if I keep analysis and taking on each one of them it would be a pain in the ass! I found a gun, a ID badge entry card, some cash! 'Woahhoho I never expected a guard to keep cash on him!'. Anyways I took all of it, I searched a little more and BINGO! I found a taser and the emergency alert alarm button.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed, "with this the path ahead will be just a piece of cake!"