Kuthong Forest infiltration (3)

The three made their way over to the cell confidently. Despite an Imperial Sentinel and twenty soldiers guarding it, it did not deter them. If they showed fear or hesitation, it would only invite suspicion! They had to act normal at all cost. Seeing this, the sentinel frowned and approached them.

"You're not allowed to be here. Stand back," he said.

Freon smiled. "We are on orders from the commander to take the heir. This is the key."

"The commander?" the sentinel's frown deepened. He thought about it. The commander had the only key to the cell and restraints. Stealing or attacking him with so many soldiers around would certainly create a commotion. But there was nothing of the sort. As much as his doubt was growing, he still stepped aside.

The trio internally shouted for their success as Benedict unlocked the cell door. Shirley was the first to rush up and check on Elizabeth. However, as soon as her hand touched Elizabeth, she was stunned. Elizabeth was icy cold to the touch! The girl was hunched over in an awkward position from the restraints. With the barest minimum of clothes, she was awfully exposed to the elements. Her skin lacked the normal vitality and instead looked red and cracked. Elizabeth was completely unresponsive to touch. It was like touching a corpse! Shirley held back the urge to scream. It was truly too awful to look at.

Benedict and Freon caught on quickly. The knight knelt and hurriedly felt for her pulse while fuming inside. What happened to Elizabeth was unforgivable! He closed his eyes and focused, drowning out his surroundings. He could feel it. It was extremely faint, like a dying flame amidst a storm, but it was there nonetheless. She was not dead yet! Frostbite was a killer. If she stayed like this for another hour, then death was a certainty! They had to quickly and carefully warm her up for her to recover. Meanwhile, Freon undid the restraints, allowing Elizabeth to slump into Benedict's arms. Benedict's heart hurt as he directed his hateful gaze to the soldiers outside. If he could, he would cut them into a million pieces!

Shirley and Benedict slowly carried Elizabeth out with Freon close behind. They stepped less than thirty paces when their expressions rapidly changed. The commander, Imperial Sentinel, and plenty of soldiers were storming over. The commander had bloodshot eyes that shot daggers in their direction. Run! The trio immediately knew their ploy was a bust. They sprinted as fast as they could while carrying Elizabeth into the forest. Seeing this, the commander showed an evil smirk. If he let a bunch of children slip from his grasp, then his reputation and pride would be thoroughly destroyed! He cast a pitiful gaze. How could they escape that easily? On his command, the two Imperial Sentinels and nearly thirty soldiers chased them down!

The difference in speed was evident. One had to carry an unconscious person while the other was free to move. The meager gap shrank nearly instantaneous as the Imperial Sentinels unsheathed their weapons. Goosebumps rose all over the three's backs. They were in deep trouble! The sentinels' sword light flickered with killing intent. Benedict's mind worked the fastest, passing Elizabeth to Freon, while simultaneously drawing his sword. The smartest choice would be to discard Elizabeth. That way, at least the difference in speed would not be so big. But he could not! He could not abandon someone again! With a sharp heel twist, he managed to parry the first blow from an Imperial Sentinel. However, his arms were shaking from the impact.

The sentinel stepped forward with imposing momentum. As if nothing could stop his march, Benedict felt an insufferable pressure weighing down on him. The sentinel's sword moved. Before Benedict could react, the sword was already piercing his skin. His face darkened as it sliced straight through. Blood spewed everywhere and he howled in agony. Having been deceived, the Imperial Sentinel showed no mercy. He twisted the blade, aggravating Benedict's injuries even more. The knight's consciousness threatened to collapse to the intense pain. Benedict coughed out blood as the sentinel pulled the bloodied sword out. Death stood over him.

At the same time, knowing that Freon could not fight, Shirley also held nothing back as she spun around with her halberd. The sentinel did not even bother looking when he effortlessly knocked the halberd away. With his enhanced senses, nothing could escape his notice! Shirley's attempt at a quick attack was foiled! She discarded her halberd without hesitation, drawing her sword to engage. The two clashed and sent sparks flying. But Shirley's technique was far inferior to her opponent. It was full of holes. Faced against an Imperial Sentinel, she was no different from a baby. The sentinel scoffed and bypassed her flimsy defenses with ease. Her eyes narrowed as the blade cut toward her.

Fear paralyzed her. She wanted to leap back or dodge, but her body was frozen stiff. She felt the impending loom of death! The sword hacked down with unstoppable force, cutting through her clothing and flesh with ease. Less than a heartbeat later and a deep grievous wound appeared across her chest. Shirley spat out hot blood as she held her chest in disbelief. Strength drained from her body like water. Like Benedict, the girl could do nothing. She turned her head back to see Elizabeth and Freon once last time when her vision dimmed. All around her, the soldiers were catching up. Would her journey end here?

But she saw Freon let Elizabeth down as he reached for his wand. At this point, Freon knew. Escape was impossible unless they tried absolutely everything. Even if his Core was empty, how could he willingly let his friends be cut down in front of him? He brimmed with fighting spirit as he channeled his World Energy forth. The fight in the prison was a little under twelve hours ago. During that fight, he tapped into his World Energy slightly and the consequences were dire. In fact, he had yet to fully recover from then. It was like an open wound. It could not be rushed, unlike Magical Energy. However, he could not care less. World Energy flowed into his triple magical circle spell, causing his legs to slacken and arms to waver. Even his mind started to feel foggy. But this was just the beginning! He needed much more to turn the tides!

The two Imperial Sentinels' eyes shot over to Freon. No matter what, an Arcanist was dangerous! For example, with a swordsman, their power and range all had limitations. If you were far enough, then a sword could not harm you. That was an absolute rule. Yet Arcania did not have such limits! If there was enough Magical Energy, then anything was possible! Unfortunately, a golden rule was that the more powerful a spell was, the longer it took to cast. This was especially emphasized when using volatile World Energy. There was no time to cast when the sentinels abruptly changed targets! They dashed, cutting toward Freon with their swords.

Freon panicked when he realized his mistake. Arcania was an incredibly taxing mental art. A single lapse in concentration was all it took to destroy his spell! The flow of World Energy stormed chaotically through his wand and body. It was a backlash! His channels strained to contain it as every part of his body was damaged. Blood leaked out of his orifices as his legs gave out. His eyes were filled with horror as the two Imperial Sentinels coordinated to cut him down! It was over!