The divine river basin will run with locusts part 1

The heat was oppressive, and sweat dripped down Gadaric's back as he and Satifa hid behind a building in the bustling city of Ur. Essyrian Sassan warriors ran past them, their eyes scanning the crowded streets for any sign of the fugitives they were pursuing.

"Of all places, that teleportation smog took us here. Right to the lands where we are most wanted," Gadaric muttered, his eyes darting around for any sign of danger.

"They were fast in reporting that we had escaped," Satifa replied, her voice tense with worry.

Satifa watched as Gadaric, disguised from head to toe in a mask and cloak, scanned the nearby walls. She couldn't help but feel exposed, her face and hands bare for all to see, showing she was not a sassan.

"Well, I think you could walk pretty freely in the city," she said, hoping to ease the tension.

Gadaric shook his head. "Yeah, but I'm not the problem, but you are. Look," he said, pointing to a wanted poster on the wall. It had a detailed description of all of them, except for Gadaric. But then, Gadaric's eyes lit up as he looked around at the locals walking by, dressed in long scarves to protect themselves from the sun's rays.

"I have an idea," he said and quickly snatched a cloth from a nearby vendor's stall. He deftly wrapped it around Satifa's face and hands, covering her skin completely.

Satifa felt relieved as Gadaric's quick thinking allowed her to blend in with the locals. She followed Gadaric's lead as he walked calmly through the crowded streets, careful to avoid drawing any attention. They ducked into alleyways and side streets, weaving their way through the maze-like city.

As they turned a corner, they suddenly came face to face with a group of Essyrian Sassan warriors, armed and ready for battle. Gadaric and Satifa froze, their hearts pounding in their chests.

They could easily dispose of them, but then the entire city would know fo their location. But as luck had it, the guards just walked past them.

Gadaric and Satifa breathed a sigh of relief as the Sassan warriors continued on their way, oblivious to the two fugitives in their midst. They waited a few moments to ensure that they were out of sight before resuming their escape.

"We need to keep moving," Gadaric replied, his eyes scanning the surrounding area for any further signs of danger.

"Yeah, but where?" she asked.

Gadaric then pointed to the main gates, which led to the outside.

They approached the gates, which still were open. But as they got closer, a powerful divine aura was felt. An ursang, a saint of Xerxes, came down to the ground.

The sassan guards knelt, as a living saint was in their presence.

"Why are these gates open?" the ursang uttered.

"Many people are coming and going to our city, oh great one. If we close the gates, a lot of the city's markets will make less gold."

"Close the gates. The fugitives have been spotted in this city and will not be allowed escape," the ursang commanded.

"Shit," Satifa cursed.

"Let these people through, but no one else anymore," The ursang ordered.

Satifa and Gadaric sighed in relief. Once more through sheer luck were they able to escape. They were already out of the gates when the ursang noticed something. He looked at Satifa's feet and saw, she was a human.

In a split second, the saint whirled around and lunged toward Gadaric and Satifa. Satifa was quick to react, pulling out her disguise and summoning a swarm of locusts to distract the saint. With a swift blow from his arm, the locusts dispersed, but it was enough to buy Gadaric and Satifa a head start in their escape.

The two of them ran for their lives, their hearts racing with fear and adrenaline. The ursang's enraged roar echoed behind them, getting louder with each passing moment as it closed in on them.

Satifa turned to Gadaric, panting heavily. "Why don't we fight them?" she yelled over the sound of the ursang's pursuit.

Gadaric shook his head, pointing behind them. "Look!" he shouted, as kevah riders mounted their steeds and galloped in pursuit.

"We have to do something," Satifa cried, summoning another swarm of locusts. But the ursang was too strong and the locusts only slowed it down momentarily.

"Fuck, soon the entire army of Ur will be after us!" Satifa exclaimed, frantically waving her hands in a futile attempt to stop the saint.

"Don't wave your hands!" Gadaric shouted.

"What? Why?"

"Just run straight, no zigzag or hand-waving," Gadaric ordered.

Satifa nodded, following Gadaric's lead as they ran straight ahead as fast as they could. The sound of the kevah riders and the ursang's angry footsteps grew louder and closer with each passing second.

Gadaric snapped his fingers in a steady beat. As the ursang was about to catch up, Gadaric's divine power kicked in, and the ursang froze in its tracks. In its eyes, it saw multiple duplicates of Gadaric and Satifa running in all directions, confusing it.

"What did you do to it?" Satifa asked, amazed.

"Just attack it now. It won't see you coming," Gadaric yelled.

Satifa summoned another swarm of locusts, which quickly closed in on the ursang. When it saw the approaching swarm, it tried to shake off the hallucination, but it was too late. The locusts flew with immense speed, biting into the ursang's flesh or sacrificing themselves like bullets, overwhelming the saint with their sheer number and ferocity.

But not long the garrison of the city was gaining at them. At least a hundred kevah riders and two hundred foot soldiers.

"Jump!" Gadaric said and jumped into the river with Satifa.