Escape

"How much further?"

"I don't know! Just keep running."

Luno and Mira exchanged words exhaling strong breaths. Right now, we in a forest running away from a huge troll whose intention is to kill us. Thankfully, Maneuvering through the forest was simple because the path we're on is cleared of most obstacles dua to the broken trees, wheel tracks and footprints twice my own size.

I, Yusof Harim is also running through the forest carrying a blonde woman on my back.

She was a victim of a troll attack and her cart was dragged along with her into the depths of the forest, causing her to sustain severe injuries. Luckily for her, Luno and Mira arrived just in time to heal her.

"Is it catching up to us?" I asked. I didn't look back and I couldn't detect anything, but I still need to know.

"I can't see it, so it probably isn't."

"Just keep running, we're not done until we're out of the forest."

Mira and Luno who were right behind me replied to my question. I gulped my saliva to moisten my dry throat, I still couldn't see the exit of this forest, our job isn't done just yet.

"HAAAAAAAAARGH"

The trolls' roar echoed throughout the forest. I glanced behind to see how far the troll was from our location - it was catching up on us.

It wobbled as it moved due to the injury I inflicted on both of its legs. The troll clearly has lags in its movement but because we're small and couldn't cover much distance in a short time, even the slow injured movements from the troll was enough to match us.

"We have to slow it down! It's catching up with us!" I said.

"No need, the damage you caused on it made it significantly slower than normally is!" Luno replied as she glanced behind.

"And if it does catch up, leave it to us!" Mira added.

*BREAK*

What was that?

Curious hearing a peculiar sound of something snapping, I turned my head behind. I saw the troll breaking a large tree close to it and lifting it's broken body horizontally with both of its arms.

Crap!

"HAAAAAARGGH"

The troll roared and tossed the tree towards us. The sounds of leaves rustling became louder and louder as it came closer to its impact destination - us.

"Watch out! Mira! Luno!"

This is bad! Really bad! I can't do anything but evade. My movements are hindered from carrying the woman on my back but I still can - however before I was about to move, I could see both of Mira's arms had blue glowing veins, she held her staff and pointed to the sky.

"WATER FORM : RELEASE -"

The light blue head of Mira's staff glowed an ocean blue and water bursted out of it towards the sky. Mira's staff was still gushing out water and right now the volume was probably as much as a large pond, which made me awe at the sight.

The water crashed at the tree coming at us. However, it was unaffected by the water, still falling towards us at great speed following its trajectory unchanged.

"Gah!"

Mira let out a scream as she released the last of the water from her staff. When all the water released into the air crashed into the tree, Mira's staff glowed an icy blue.

"-FREEZE"

The water starting from the last drop Mira released started to freeze. Almost all the water froze instantly, it had amazing speed to the point that my eyes couldn't catch it.

The water that covered the entire tree's body in a collision course to intercept it froze in mid-air, along with the tree.

The tree that crashed through the water froze along with it, stopping its fall course onto us completely.

Amazing.

I said under my breath as I moved my vision towards Mira for a brief moment. She already started following me and Luno running away from the troll.

knowing that the tree is no longer falling towards us we continued our sprint towards the outside of the forest.

The troll continues to pursue us. Often stopping to break more trees to throw.

Even with the troll's reduced speed from the injury I inflicted on it and the troll occasionally stopping every once in a while, it was still able to match our speed. We've been running for so long and the distance between us and the troll remains the same.

After a while, I was able to see the piercing light out of the forest.

"Hold on! I can see the end!"

I encouraged them, who were like me, already sweating buckets and breathing heavily from prolonged sprinting.

"HUAAAAAAAAARGH"

The troll roared and I heard another sound of a tree being tossed. This is the 7th tree.

"Luno!"

I heard Mira's sudden voice and abruptly stopped running to see what happened.

I stopped running forcefully causing my entire body to vibrate. My eyeballs shook and my legs almost twisting from the force.

The woman who I made cling onto me also vibrated.

"Aaa.. Harder.."

She whispered to my ear in a seductive manner.

Eh?

My cheeks turned red and I unintentionally swallowed my saliva in reaction... T-t-that was a pleasant surprise but this is not time for that!

Maybe later but not now!

I shook my head to regain myself on the matter at hand. I turned around and focused my eyesight on what happened that made Mira stop.

Luno, who was at the utmost back of us three, turned her body facing the troll. She held her longsword that was slightly bigger than mine with both her hands.

Luno gripped her sword with both her hands and lifted it above her head.

As she did so, brown glowing veins become visible from her arms and hands - this caused dirt and dust to accumulate on her sword, seemingly preparing it for a strike.

The veins became brighter on the end of her arms and her hands as the earth continued to accumulate on her sword.

"Stay back!"

She swung her sword with the accumulated earth downwards, releasing a shockwave consisting of earth towards the sky - or more precisely, towards the tree getting tossed at us.

The shockwave sliced the tree in half.

The dust and dirt that followed the shockwave hit various parts across the rest of the tree. The bits of earth that hit the tree same speed and power as the shockwave nullified the tree's force in a perfect collison.

Amazing.

I caught myself in awe observing their power again. If I were to ever fight Luno or Mira they would wipe the floor and windows with my face.

I looked towards Luno whose arms were shaking from that attack.

Both of her hands and her sword are still glowing brown.

She lowered her sword and arms towards the ground to rest and gradually regain strength.

Huh?

I caught a glimpse of her veins altering color from brown to light green before quickly turning brown again and disappearing.

It was too subtle, so I disregarded it thinking it's probably a hallucination. Well, I don't know how Magic Flow works. I'll assume that the veins that appeared on Luno and Mira's arms, which is the Magic Flow, could freely change color.

"Let's go." Mira said to a panting Luno and me who stood in front of them.

"You both.. go ahead. I'll hold it off." Luno replied saying something surprising. I widened my eyes and tried to stop her.

"Luno yo-"

"Huh? What are you saying?"

But before I could say even two words, Mira spoke in an angry tone that completely nullified my voice. I couldn't see her expressions clearly but I can tell that she was distressed at hearing what Luno said.

"The troll... clearly won't stop chasing us.. if it follows us until the cart.. who knows what would happen.. we'd just be putting Aner and this woman's husband in danger." Luno replied calmly as she recovered herself from the attack earlier

She re-entered her battle stance, with her sword held horizontally at a height a little above her head - showing that she isn't backing down from the decision she made.

"Well you can't just stay here!"

"Someone has to hold it off.. and it's best if it's me."

Mira's increasing anger towards Luno isn't fazing her at all, instead she insists on staying behind. Mira continued to berate her.

"No! I won't let you do it alone! It's too dangerous!"

"Mira, you need to help Yusof if there is anything ahead. I can hold against it myself."

I gritted my teeth in that statement. I don't want to be protected like a damsel but she is right.

If I were to encounter any enemies like this alone on my way, I'd die because of my inability to fight. Moreover, with me carrying a woman on my back, it will bring me to a larger disadvantage than I already am to begin with.

However Mira still berates Luno trying to convince her to come along.

"No, You can't! Look at yourself! You used too much mana from that attack earlier!"

"I'm fine Mira, I can still fight it, don't worry, I don't have the slightest intention of letting it get to you."

"No! You ca-"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH"

The troll roared. It came into our sight, running at a great speed. Although it ran wobbling from the injuries from its legs, the troll was covering the distance between us.

We stopped running since Luno sliced the tree tossed at us in half, and now Mira is still rebuking Luno. Giving the troll enough time to catch up to us.

"Go! Mira! Yusof!"

"Let's go Mira! We don't have much time!"

Luno and Me, who knew what is the most important thing right now, tried to convince Mira to escape while Luno held the troll off herself.

"Hng.. You better not die! Promise!"

"Come back safely, Luno. We're all waiting for you."

Mira said in her shaking voice while I calmly spoke to Luno. Mira, though reluctant, followed me ahead to leave Luno. I turned my body to the front to begin running.

Huh?

I caught a glimpse of something passing by. It immediately disappeared as I spotted it but I could tell that something was wearing a brown hood.

"Yusof! What are you standing around for! Let's go!" Mira scolded me for standing around.

"Y-yes!" I replied, stuttering a little as I began to move my legs, leaving Luno.

"HAAAAAAARGGH"

The troll roared, but I didn't let it faze me. Me and Mira both ran ahead, towards the light at the end of the forest that grows brighter every step we take.

However, that short glimpse of that something occupied my mind for the entirety of our escape.

It looked strangely familiar.