Chương 407: Suprise Attack

Under the cover of night, no normal person could have seen where they were going. The forest was far too thick. Leaves blocked most of the moonlight, while fallen trees and thick roots covered the ground. A normal person would have tripped within minutes. They could have hit a tree or fallen over a root they could not see. But the people running through the dark were far from normal. Though I suppose I have made that clear enough by now, haven't I, dear Unwritten?

The group tore through the forest like wild animals. Korin pushed himself as hard as his weak body allowed. His huge frame crashed through branches and bushes as he ran. Now and then, a voice that was not his slipped from his mouth.

"Kill them... Rip them apart..." The words were quiet. They almost vanished into the sound of their footsteps. Korin's breathing grew worse with every minute. His chest rose and fell in rough breaths, and every step seemed harder than the last. Shade stayed beside him with ease. One arm remained ready to catch Korin if his legs gave out. He did not need to ask if Korin was alright. It was clear that he was not. They had been running for almost an hour and a half. Korin was getting worse.

Nova had already been placed on the forest drake's back. When her legs finally gave out, Eskar had nearly thrown her onto the beast without stopping. The drake now kept a steady pace while carrying Nova and the supplies. Even the young drakes seemed to handle the run better than Vale and the others. Maybe that kind of strength was simply part of their nature. Vale gritted his teeth and looked at Nym.

"How much longer?" Nym checked the device in her hand.

"About half an hour." Vale's face tightened as he looked back at Korin. The giant was shaking now. His heart was beating so hard that Vale could almost hear it. His breathing had become rough and uneven, and his body looked close to giving out. Korin no longer looked like someone simply tired. He looked like a dying man. The voices had to be close. Far too close.

"We'd better hurry," Vale said.

"We can't slow down." He looked toward Eskar.

"We can enter the domain once we reach it, right?" Eskar nodded.

"Yes. The domain surrounds the founder's prison. From what I've seen, it covers a large area." Relief crossed Vale's face for a moment. Good. They only had to reach it. Then Nova shouted from the drake's back.

"How much longer?! This isn't comfortable without a saddle!" Eskar rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you spoiled enough already?"

"No. Not at all." Eskar stared at her for a moment. Then he gave a quiet laugh and picked up his pace. The others followed. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Vale pushed himself harder too. His pace slowly became a sprint. His chest burned with every breath, and his legs begged him to stop. His ankles hurt with every step, while his stomach twisted so badly that he thought he might throw up. Still, he kept running. They could not stop.

Leaving Korin behind was not an option. Reaching the domain too late would be even worse. Vale forced himself to ignore the pain and kept moving. Even on Earth, running this long at such a speed would have been hard. Only trained athletes could have done it. They were not superhuman here. Their bodies still had limits. They simply had enough strength and training to push those limits far beyond what most people could manage. Vale glanced at Nym.

She was breathing hard too, but she seemed to be doing better than him.

"You holding up?" Nym looked at him before turning back to the path.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She gave him a small smile.

"Just keep up, alright? I care too much about you to lose you in a forest at night." Vale smiled. Her words warmed him more than he expected. He already knew how she felt about him. Still, hearing her say it made him happy.

"Will do." They ran deeper into the forest. The trees blurred around them. Branches struck their faces, and leaves flew beneath their feet. Their steps and breaths filled the night. Then something moved. The trees beside them shook hard. Vale turned toward the sound. Something large was coming. It was not just moving through the forest. It was breaking through it. Trees bent and snapped as the creature forced its way between them. Broken branches flew through the air as it followed their path.

"Goddammit," Vale said.

"That's at least Category Four. We can't stop and fight it." Eskar looked toward the noise.

"I agree." He did not slow down.

"Let's see what it does. If it comes for us, I'll deal with it. Until then, we keep moving." Vale nodded.

"Good plan." They kept running. For several minutes, the creature stayed behind them. Trees cracked, and branches snapped as it followed. Whatever it was, it was not giving up. Vale looked back. He could not see it clearly. It was too far away and hidden by the trees. Still, he could tell it was keeping up. That was strange. Whatever it was, it was fast enough to follow them. Perhaps its large body was slowing it down. Most large monsters were made for strength, not speed.

Fast monsters were usually smaller and lighter. But this creature had another advantage. It could keep going. Most large beasts would have grown tired after a few minutes. This one kept coming without slowing down. Vale narrowed his eyes. Then the creature stopped. The forest became quiet again. Vale waited for a few seconds before letting out a slow breath.

"Guess it's gone." He looked at Nym.

"How long?" Nym checked her device.

"About ten minutes." Vale smiled.

"Alright. Once we reach the domain, we stop. We've run enough tonight. We can rest before we move again." The others nodded.

"Finally," Vale muttered. They were close now. Very close. They had crossed a huge part of the forest without meeting anything truly dangerous. Somehow, everything had gone their way. How lucky. How very lucky. They had no idea that their luck had just ended. Eskar noticed it first. His single eye moved toward the darkness. Something was wrong. Before anyone could react, Eskar lunged toward Vale and shoved him to the ground. A moment later, something dropped from the sky.

A huge claw cut through the darkness and grabbed Eskar around the body.

"Eskar!" The attack ripped him from the ground. Huge wings beat once above them, sending leaves and branches flying as the beast pulled him into the air. Eskar did not struggle. Instead, he looked down at the group.

"Go on without me!" His voice stayed calm despite what had happened.

"I can handle this!" The beast turned and flew away. Vale quickly got back on his feet.

"Eskar!" But it was already too late. The beast vanished beyond the trees, carrying Eskar into the dark. Nova's voice shook behind him.

"Is Eskar going to be alright?!" Vale stared into the darkness where Eskar had disappeared. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he gave a quiet laugh.

"If there's one thing I know about Eskar, it's that he's a man of his word." He turned back toward the path. His face was serious again.

"So yeah." He tightened his grip.

"He can handle himself."