Chapter 23 - Escape 5
Traveling through the burning woods, I finally reached an area the fire hadn’t touched yet.
This part was tricky. If I kept running through this zone, the pursuers would easily discover my plan.
I turned to the fire crows.
"Can we skip the fire? They’ll find us if we keep going like this."
The crows gave a aningful look and shifted their feathers back to black. Cow-Cow and the two birbs on my shoulders complied.
We moved in darkness again, guided only by moonlight, the forest fire, and the glow of enemy torches.
To my right, a slope lay about a hundred ters away. I could slide down and leave the hill, but too many lights flickered on that side. Cavalry or footn would discover if I headed that way.
I turned left instead. The path was uneven, littered with prickly dead bushes. I leapt over so, but vines tangled around my legs.
After peeling them off, I kept running. Ahead, I saw a faint edge. It could have been a cliff, a slope, or just a small drop. Playing it safe, I slowed down and peeked.
It was a sharp drop, two or three ters deep. I was glad I hadn’t tried parkour without thinking, as I would have ended up dead or crippled. I grasped the ledge with one hand, balanced the sealed wine jar in the other, and gripped the swords between my teeth. Then I dropped. My feet hit the ground, but the impact rattled my spine.
Since the pursuers were coming from the south and west, I turned north. I might wander into Invidia territory again, but that was better than being hunted by an army.
The chicken-crows leapt from the cliff, flapping their wings. So glided ahead, landing to scout. With the gang, I moved away from the hill.
The path wasn’t friendly. Dry bushes blocked , barbs scratched my calves, and my lted leather pants tore further. My speed slowed to a crawl.
Glancing back, I saw lights on the hilltop and heard cheering. They must have found the crows’ treasure. That would distract so of them.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Their laughter frustrated , as those treasures could have been mine. Still, surviving ca first. My survival instinct pushed forward. I slipped out of the bush area while keeping my head down.
Because I was crawling, my hands touched the ground. The earth trembled faintly and sent feedback to my hands. I wanted to press my ear down to listen, but it would waste ti. More horsen were rushing to surround the hill.
As long as I could leave this area, I would slip out of their searching net. I crawled like a recruit in boot camp, though I had never been to one. The crows copied , lying prone, but on my back. I did all the work.
"CAAA! FASTER!"
Shut it, birbs.
200 ters.
220 ters.
250 ters.
300 ters.
The distance between and the hill grew. My heart rate was no longer at 200 bpm, and my lungs felt lighter. The escape was easier than I had imagined.
Git Gud, Zoli. I won!
BOOM.
Sothing trampled the ground so hard that it stunned . I tilted my head and looked behind.
A silhouette lood. There was a heavy knight on a warhorse at the cliff edge. He held a torch, staring into the darkness.
We were over 300 ters away, but I recognized his face and his iconic armor.
Zoli Diripio.
Man, he worked fast despite his weight. Well, he was Avaritia’s top general for a reason.
"OVER THERE!"
Zoli pointed in my direction.
Hold up. How did he know?
Wait. He was a level 5 musou knight. According to the ga’s lore, Musou knights could sense each other’s aura.
God dammit.
I jumped up and started running blind. Fire crows scattered, igniting as they flew. Only Cow-Cow clung to my back, gripping my hair. The rest of the flock scattered in every direction as if they could read my thoughts.
Good luck, friends. Godspeed. See you again one day.
Cow-Cow transford again, illuminating the area. With light, I dashed over a bush and steered away from open ground where horses could access or charge through.
BOOM.
Another quake shook the hill. Zoli had ridden down, chasing .
Did I really have to fight that fatty head-on?
Was this a scripted duel?
But Lia was supposed to duel him, not !
Screw it. I couldn’t outrun a horse. I needed a place to make a stand. Sowhere Zoli couldn’t fight on horseback.
My eyes wandered and caught sight of another cliff 300 ters from my location. There was a mine cart and a cave.
That was an abandoned mine. Different from the entrance I had seen earlier. However, that was the different entrance to the sa mine.
This might have been fate.
I ignored everything else and sprinted toward the abandoned mine.
Behind , gallops thundered like the grim reaper’s footsteps. I sprinted with all my might. I even forgot that I carried a jar of wine in my arms and a sword in my mouth.
I grabbed one sword from my teeth and spun. Activating bullet ti, I hurled it at Zoli.
The sword transford into a spinning fla wheel, flying straight at his face.
The knight raised his gauntlet and caught it. His steel turned red. White smoke exuded from his hand.
His horse neighed as Zoli pulled the reins.
Just like in the ga, projectile musou attacks could stop his cavalry charge. He was stunned for a few seconds, giving enough ti to enter the abandoned mine.
I leapt over a broken minecart, which blocked the rails and the entrance. Cow-Cow flapped his wings and flew ahead into the cave.
I glanced back. Zoli stopped at the entrance and dismounted.
Objective one: "Dismount Zoli Diripio." Completed.
Objective two: Started.
Mission Objective: Survive the duel or escape!
I doubted that I could defeat him. I clenched the dragon seal and prayed that I wouldn’t need to use it.
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