Aeon rolled on the ground a few times before stabilizing himself. The moment he recovered, he bolted down the path.
The situation wasn't looking good for him. He heard a few explosions but he did not look back. There was no way for him to see the people who threw the spells so he only hoped that the enemies casted magic from a distance.
As he was rushing, he thought about throwing the flag down the cliff. But then he realized that the enemies he was facing right now were ruthless schemers. They even went as far as waiting a day in an ambush site. What would have happened if no one showed up? For sure they would get rid of him before they look for the flag to avoid competition.
That would not be bad just for him. His team would also lose a member and there would be no chance of getting another flag again. If Suri was able to find the flag first, how was he going to defend it with the unconscious Korona?
His only choices were to run away with the flag, buying some time until Suri comes back and meets up with him, or jump on the cliff to regroup with Suri.
Despite all his thinking, Aeon focused very hard on the surroundings. He looked for any signs of magic activity. The cliff was quite narrow so he had to avoid getting trapped by the earth mage.
There!
He noticed something, but it was not earth magic. Nor was it wind. The air distorted then flames blazed. A pillar of fire blocked the path.
A fire mage. Their third member!
Having his first option closed, Aeon made an immediate turn and rushed towards the cliff. However, after running a few meters, Aeon stepped on a part of the ground that immediately cracked. His foot sank into a pool of muddy substance. The momentum forced his other leg to go straight into the pool of mud as well. He was only able to take three more steps before he came to a stop.
Shit!
Aeon looked down towards his legs. It wasn't actually mud. It was quicksand!
And he was still sinking at the moment as he struggled.
….
When Suri was sent flying towards the cliff, he immediately started casting a spell on his sword. Despite rapidly turning through the air, Suri didn't lose focus and successfully enchanted his weapon.
He released a small explosion to stop himself from turning, then he pointed the sword towards the sky and made a bigger explosion. Suri and Korona fell downwards like a meteor, but when they were about to hit the ground, Suri slowed their descent by releasing an explosion towards the ground. They landed on the ground safely.
Everything happened in a brief span of five seconds.
Suri looked towards the cliff. He could not see Aeon but he knew what he would do.
That person would surely run.
Suri checked on Korona. She was still out and would not be able to help. Despite that fact, Suri still rushed towards the bottom of the path.
He was just about to reach his peak running speed when he suddenly slowed down and stopped. From a distance, Suri saw three people heading towards the path. Another team!
Through the canopy of the trees, he traced the path upwards with his eyes. A wall of fire was now blazing near the center.
The fire must've caught the other team's attention.
….
Aeon was crawling through the quicksand when it suddenly hardened. He became a part of the ground just like that. Only his head and his back were out. The flag was sticking through the ground right beside his head. It was clear that he did not let go of it.
A group of three people approached him, Aeon could tell by the sets of footsteps. He could not see them, though, because his head was stuck facing the cliff. A familiar voice came from behind.
"What do you think about our setup?"
It was the wind mage's voice. The one from the waiting room.
Aeon smiled, "Not bad, to be honest. Though the path looked quite unnatural as if it was manmade."
Although Aeon looked and sounded calm, he was actually quite nervous. He was completely locked down and could not even gather any strength in his arms and legs. If he had magic at this moment, he would have been able to escape. He inwardly sighed.
"I know," the wind mage laughed, "my friend here, Samuel, is not very… how should I put it? Artistic? Although I instructed him on some improvements, it still wasn't enough for someone as keen as you."
Aeon heard another person grunt, clearly unsatisfied by what the wind mage said.
Before Aeon could respond, the ground around the flagpole started to part. It also revealed Aeon's left arm, still gripping the pole.
Someone tugged on the pole but Aeon held hard on to it. He was buying as much time as he could. He thanked the rule that banned killing. These three were quite capable of squashing his head at any moment.
He heard the sets of feet behind him shuffle. He could hear one moving away, and one moving closer. He looked over the pole and saw that it was turning red. He immediately let go of the flag.
That damn fire mage! I guess that's all for me.
Aeon sighed. He had failed his team. He suggested the spot to them so it was naturally his responsibility. He had noticed that the path may have been a trap, but he was quite confident in himself and Suri so he did not bother. They only responded by moving slowly, preparing for an ambush.
But reality proved him wrong.
Out of nowhere, two people emerged from the wall of the plateau where they stopped. They were still able to ambush their team, even trapping him. Aeon cursed his own arrogance.
When the flagpole disappeared from Aeon's sight, he conceded.
Maybe the academy really isn't a place for non-mages.
"Look out!"
Aeon suddenly heard someone scream.
Boom!
A huge explosion erupted just behind Aeon, and he grunted with pain as the back of his head was hit by dozens of rocks. Aeon cursed his luck and inwardly asked himself if things could get any worse. Well, it did.
The ground behind him cracked!
The part where Aeon was stuck on started to fall towards the cliff. Based on his current situation, if he really did fall, he would not be able to brace himself or hold on to a branch of a tree. He might just die right there!
Fuck! Is God really toying with me or something?
Aeon continued to slide through the cliff. He prayed that the block of earth that trapped him would get stuck on something. The only thing Aeon could move at the moment was his left arm. He frantically punched on the block, hoping it would break. Having no gloves, his knuckles started bleeding.
Aeon punched and punched but it showed no signs of breaking. The earth was condensed by the mage's spell so it was very tough.
Thud!
The block of earth collided with a boulder on the wall of the cliff, making it airborne. After some time, it crashed heavily on the ground.
….
A few minutes earlier.
Suri carefully followed the team ahead of him. He was now running through the path they used earlier like a ghost despite his large build.
Though the team he was spying on was careful about being followed, Suri was able to sneak behind them by maintaining his distance. He was even quite surprised with himself, making his confidence shoot up.
I'm going to create an opening for Aeon to escape!
When they almost reached the part where the wall of fire was burning earlier, Suri slowed down. He peeked through the turn in the path and saw the enemy team was gathered in a triangle. Apparently, these people had already seen the team who ambushed Suri and their group and was now preparing.
Suri took a few deep breaths. After looking through the path and confirming that he wasn't being followed, he carefully laid Korona on the ground and equipped his broadsword. The moment the enemies charge in, he would also go as well to cause some chaos. After letting Aeon escape, he would run back to Korona and jump through the cliff.
Yes. Yes. That's the plan.
He admonished himself regarding his poor planning abilities, and he lamented how he was very timid. If only he was a great strategist like his father…
Suri gripped his broadsword tighter, shaking off any unnecessary thoughts. He had to focus on the fight ahead of him. Although hit and run was not exactly his style, he had to do it.
Suri enchanted his sword then peeked at the other team again.
The three of them were each casting their own spells.
One of them was a Remoran. On the tip of his staff, a fireball grew bigger and bigger. The other two carried glowing short swords and were obviously Serans.
When the Remoran nodded, the two Serans jumped into the fray.
"Look out!" someone screamed.
Then the Remoran released the fireball. A loud explosion immediately followed.
At the same time, Suri rushed towards the Remoran. He decided he would push this mage inside the battlefield, forcing the other two to defend him.
It did not take long for the mage to notice him, though.
Suri swung his broadsword horizontally.
The mage responded by blocking with his staff.
It was a grave mistake.
Boom!
Success!
Suri successfully pushed the Remoran towards the battlefield. The latter flew through the air and collided with one of his teammates and the two crashed on the ground.
Without paying any attention to the mage he knocked away, Suri rushed in and surveyed the area.
What he saw scared him shitless.
Aeon was stuck on the ground, falling to his doom.
….