Doesn't Take A Genius

"FASTER! GO FASTER!!!"

They ran.

No, they didn't just run, they were fleeing.

Fleeing with every ounce of strength they had, hearts pounding with desperation and fear.

Ian's command echoed through the air, and he surged ahead, faster than any of them, pushing his body beyond its limits.

Camelia was close behind, her determination a powerful force in the face of the chaos.

Fiona kept pace, unwavering, while Aldrich followed slightly behind, his eyes always on Trevor, the slowest of the group.

Their bodies ached.

Sweat poured down their faces, mixing with the dirt and grime of their flight.

Yet, they couldn't afford to slow down, not now, not when death was hot on their heels.

This wasn't a mere escape from danger; it was a flight from obliteration, a frantic race to stay alive.

And so they ran.

Behind them, a shadow broke away from the main group of pursuers.

With deadly precision, one of their pursuers armed with a bow stepped forward, pulling an arrow from its quiver.

The knocking sound was sharp in the quiet before the storm, and the arrow whistled through the air, its path set.

"Argh! My leg!"

The cry rang out through the forest as the arrow found its mark, striking Trevor square in the leg.

He fell to the ground with a pained gasp, clutching at the wound in his right leg, his body locked in agony.

"TREVOR!" Aldrich shouted, his voice full of horror.

Trevor writhed on the ground, unable to move properly, his injured leg refusing to cooperate.

The pain was excruciating, and the poundage of the situation settled in like a vice.

"Leave him behind! Damn it!" Ian's voice cut through the air, urgent and harsh.

He was still running, refusing to slow down even a fraction.

His mind was clear and his goal was decided. Stopping would be a death sentence.

But Aldrich couldn't leave Trevor behind, not in the hands of their pursuers.

Without hesitation, he turned back, sprinting toward him.

Fiona was quick to follow, and soon Camelia joined them, her resolve unshakable.

"Come on! Get up! We need to move!" Aldrich urged, his hand extended to Trevor.

Trevor, gasping in pain, took Aldrich's hand.

But his injured leg refused to bear weight, leaving him struggling to regain his footing.

"I can't—" he agonized, voice trembling.

Camelia, ever vigilant, turned to face the threat that pursued them.

From above, she saw the glint of metal arrows flying in their direction.

Her mind worked swiftly as she called upon the earth, summoning a barricade of stone to shield them from the incoming barrage.

Arrows clattered against the earth, but the barrier held, offering them a brief reprieve.

"He can't make it!" Fiona exclaimed, her voice tinged with frustration.

The situation was dire.

Trevor was a liability now. With his injury slowing them down, he has become a danger to them all.

"Not if I carry him." Aldrich's tone was firm, resolute.

He turned back to Trevor, lifting him with ease despite the burden.

He was already working under a body influenced by mana's enhancement effect, flowing through his body, enriching his strength to great lengths.

Such privilege allowed him the leverage to think to carry Trevor's body to shoulder extra weight and still believe he could outrun their pursuers.

Regardless of the risk involved, Aldrich would do it nonetheless.

Call him a fool for not having the heart to leave a friend behind at the claws of uncertainty.

Such thoughts meant less to him than the actual thought of what would happen to Trevor which at the moment stands out to be an undeciding outcome due to the conflicting factors he had experienced so far.

Fiona helped position Trevor on Aldrich's back, and Camelia continued to block the arrows with her earth manipulation, using the terrain to keep their pursuers at bay.

It wasn't a perfect defence, but it was enough to buy them time.

And so, they ran again.

They pushed forward, following the trail that Ian had set, hoping it would lead them to safety.

Soon enough, however, they reached a dead end.

The path before them split into three directions, and Ian's footsteps, once clear, had vanished.

There was no trace of where to go next.

"We should go left, left!" Aldrich shouted, immediately taking the initiative.

He darted to the left, his footsteps confident, the others following.

He didn't choose to go left because of an unverified instinct.

Now that would be just foolish to work with.

If observed on a constructive watch, one can see that the soil on the three paths was somewhat different, and the left being the odd one out.

Ian is a wind-owned elemental mystic. It doesn't take a genius to see that he had used his wind element to clear his footsteps, hence the change in the soil texture.

They ran without a hesitating glance to their behind, unsure if their pursuers were closing in or if they had gained some distance.

They couldn't afford to look back, they couldn't afford to waste a single second.

An arrow sliced through the air, narrowly missing Aldrich's ear.

He flinched, feeling the deadly rush of wind as it passed too close for comfort.

The threat was real, and it was relentless.

"At this rate, we're never going to outrun them!" Camelia's voice was tight with frustration.

She was right.

Their mana-enhanced state wouldn't last forever.

Once their mana reserve is exhausted, they would be vulnerable, easy prey.

"Camelia, can you dig a hole big enough for the three of us to fit in?" Aldrich asked, urgency in his voice.

Camelia's brow furrowed, her mind racing. "We're out in the open! If I try to dig now, they'll see us! It's too dangerous!"

Her words hung in the air, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

The trees provided some cover, but the path itself was wide open, leaving them exposed.

"And digging a hole large enough for all four of us would take time. Time we don't have," Camelia added, her voice laced with frustration.

The inscription needed to create the hole would require precise control, and the time it would take could be their undoing.

"Not if they're too distracted to notice," Aldrich mused, a plan already forming in his mind.

He turned to Fiona. "You and I will distract them. In the meantime, Camelia, get Trevor to the side and start digging. We'll buy you as much time as we can."

Camelia hesitated, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Distract them?! Have you seen the size of the army after us?"

What was chasing them wasn't just one or two.

There were dozens, maybe even more.

An entire army of walkers, relentless and determined.

They had no chance if they stayed and fought, no chance at all.

But Aldrich's mind was made up. "If you have a better idea, I'm open to suggestions."

The tension hung thick in the air.

Every second mattered.

"Fine," Camelia snapped. "But don't say I didn't warn you if things go south."

Aldrich's gaze hardened.

He wasn't looking for a fight, but time was slipping away. "Just make sure you're ready."

Camelia nodded, then helped Trevor toward the bushes, guiding him away from the path.

As soon as they were out of sight, Aldrich and Fiona stood their ground, ready to face whatever came next.

"Are you up for this?" Aldrich asked, his voice steady despite the danger looming.

Fiona didn't hesitate. "It's like you said, what other choice do we have?"