"Mxm," Joaquin rolled his eyes. "With that kind of energy, you'll be dead before you even make it across the field."
"Why, it looks pretty empty to me?" Luo asked.
"Wow, an invisible enemy! Just how much more danger do you intend to put us in?" Beipan clapped his hands as he exclaimed.
The other students' mumbles grew louder, most were insults to Joaquin while few about turning back. The Idol Prince Wang tried to signal them to stop but they didn't seem to notice it. So he went over to Beipan to try and scold him.
"But I did nothing wrong, I was merely telling the truth," Beipan said in response to the Idol Prince asking him to stop blaming Joaquin.
"What is this about an invisible enemy then? Do you have any proof to back up your claims?"
"Of course I do, he even said it himself that we won't make it to the other side. You are probably the only exception to this because you're are using your ability to not sink in. But to the rest of us, even though submerged almost knee-deep into muddy waters we are barely experiencing any friction. Joaquin over there has been having a harder time moving, meaning we've been expanding Qi in order to walk around." Beipan paused there and glared at Joaquin with a smug on his solid golden face.
Joaquin squinted his eyes to avoid his habit of rapid blinking and looked forward. "I said this before and I'll say it again. I will not in any situation feel responsible for any of you. Go back now and we might be able to stand each other tomorrow." He grabbed Ains's arm and marched forward in the muddy waters.
"What do we do now?" Luo asked as he turned to face the Idol Prince. The Idol Prince tapped his forehead for a few seconds, he looked at the other students and then back at Joaquin dragging Ains further and further away.
He smiled and thrust his hand high up into the air, "DO YOU TRUST ME!"
There was a sudden shut down in all talking among the students, the Idol Prince looked at Luo with sparkly eyes as if he were about to cry. Luo sighed and gave in, "I trust you." He said in a tired but at the same time worried voice as he raised his hand.
The Idol Prince smiled once more and one by one the other students threw their hands into the air. "AHHHHH! WE WILL NEVER DOUBT OUR PRECIOUS PRINCE OF HEARTS! LET'S GOOOOO!" They screamed as they started their march forward into the muddy deep.
"LET'S GO…" Ains screamed a little but was silence by a glare from Joaquin, still, she threw her free hand into the air and celebrated along with the rest of the group.
The Idol Prince on the other hand was stressing out trying to get the students to stop, "everyone, everyone, I wanted us to go back." He turned and quickly gave Beipan and Luo a nervous pouty look.
Luo laughed and Beipan raised his hand to shout along with the crowd. "FOR THE PRINCE! LET'S FIND THE TREASURE!"
"No!" the Idol Prince exclaimed as he ran forward. He maneuvered through the crowd trying to get them to stop but he was unsuccessful. After all of their motivation was depleted and their energy running low the students struggled even more than Joaquin now to move forward.
"Hey what's going on here?"
"I can't move, I feel like I'm being sucked in."
Some fell and some stood in place unable to move at all. Their chatter and arguments seemed to go on forever when Luo silenced them.
"What seems to be the matter?" Luo said as he shifted his gaze to Beipan.
"It is what it is, the more they struggle the closer their deaths loom in," Beipan said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Had they calmed down and decided to control their Qi like us they wouldn't be stuck and would be able to move."
"Master, will they be okay?" Ains rushed in front of Joaquin and stopped him in order to ask.
'Maybe I should ask her to give me a piggyback ride."
"Master, master?" Ains called as she shook him.
"What? Yeah, yeah, they should be fine." He frowned and looked over to the group. 'For now.' Once they started to crowd him and pass him by, Joaquin decided to escape to the side and avoid their complaints. He didn't go that far left but instead, they went ahead far enough not to bother him.
"Is there anything we can do to save them?" Luo asked.
"Now if I did would I be standing around idly doing nothing for our Idol Prince?" Beipan grinned as he turned to the Idol Prince. The Idol Prince lowered his head with his heart feeling like it was about to leave through his throat.
"Of course you would," Luo whispered to himself. "Anyway, do you know what this is?" He pointed his finger to Joaquin.
Again Joaquin fought off the urge to blink rapidly by squinting his eyes so much they almost shut. "You're in no position to point a finger at me and you never will be." He said in a soft and slow tone that somehow managed to scare Luo into lowering his finger and apologizing.
"I dare ask again, do you know of a way to help our friends?"
Joaquin blinked rapidly and his shoulders rose, "friends!"
"Master is there something wrong?" Ains asked and was ignored.
"Even if I did know a way to save them why would I do it? If they died that would be fewer people to nag me and pollute my thought process."
Beipan chuckled at the response, Luo folded his fist and the Idol Prince leaped forward enthusiastically. "Can you help them? I'll give you anything I possibly can if you do!"
"Young Master!" Luo exclaimed as he tried to catch up to the Idol Prince.