Alpha Instinct

"Run!" Leonard ordered, the urgency in his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

They barely had time to turn before Kaleb was already disappearing on the horizon, towards the horses. "What are you waiting for? An invitation to become Ursulo chow?!" he yelled, his voice fading into the distance, "...WAKE UP, YOU LOT!" he finished, already far away.

Evelyn smiled, shaking her head. "When it comes to running, he's unbeatable... What a joke of a mage."

"Evelyn," Mikaela called, her voice tense, "can you carry Silverin? She won't be able to run."

"I can handle it," Evelyn replied, without hesitation. "But my arm..."

"I already took care of the worst of it," Mikaela interrupted, "but you need to be fast."

"No problem." Evelyn nodded, activating "Subterfuge." The shadows of the dead forest lengthened, wrapping around her like a cloak. In the blink of an eye, she was behind Silverin, lifting her with visible effort, but surprisingly steady, despite her recent injury. They vanished together into a nearby shadow.

The heavy footsteps of the Ursulos drew closer, making the ground tremble beneath their feet.

Raviel, without a word, threw his shield on the ground and shouted, "Slide!". Xavier, as if they had rehearsed this hundreds of times, jumped onto the shield.

Xavier activated his ELEV, concentrating energy into his crossbow. "Hook shot!" he yelled.

A luminous cord of energy shot from the weapon, embedding itself in a sturdy tree hundreds of meters ahead. With a violent jerk, the shield, with Raviel and Xavier on it, was pulled at high speed, sliding across the uneven terrain towards the horses, covering about 400 meters in a matter of seconds.

The roars of the Ursulos grew ever closer, mixed with the sound of falling trees and the rustling of their desperate run.

Mikaela and Leonard, the only ones without enhanced movement abilities, ran with all their might.

Leonard looked back. The immense jaws of the Ursulos, drooling and exhaling a nauseating stench, were too close. He activated "Ghost Steps," his speed increasing dramatically, leaving Mikaela behind.

"Damn it!" he thought, panic tightening his heart. "I can't leave her alone. I need to help her."

He decided, then, to reach the horses as quickly as possible and return to get her. Pushing his ELEV to its limit, he moved like a blur, crossing the 400 meters that separated him from the horses in a few seconds.

Upon reaching the animals, he prepared to go back, but, looking at Mikaela, his heart froze. One of the Ursulos was about to reach her, ready to deliver a deadly blow.

"Look out! Get down!" Leonard shouted, his voice hoarse with desperation.

Trusting Leonard implicitly, Mikaela executed a slide tackle, sliding across the ground. The Ursulo, in full stride, delivered a lateral attack that passed millimeters above Mikaela's head. The force of the blow displaced the air with such violence that it ripped out a few strands of her hair. Unbalanced by the attack, the Leirion fell, rolling uncontrollably across the ground.

The second Ursulo, close behind, jumped over the first, already preparing to attack Mikaela from above.

Leonard closed his eyes, helpless. There was nothing more he could do. Mikaela, still on the ground, looked up, seeing the gigantic shadow of the Ursulo grow over her.

"Look out!" a voice shouted.

BOOM!

Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

An immense ball of explosive lava struck the Ursulo in mid-air, launching fragments of molten rock, fire, and pieces of flesh in all directions.

"Bullseye!" Kaleb yelled, his voice vibrating with a mixture of relief and triumph.

"Mikaela, let's go!" Leonard shouted. Mounted on his horse, he leaned sideways, extending his arm to her.

Mikaela grabbed Leonard's hand the instant he passed. With a pull, he hoisted her onto the back of the horse. "Yaah! Yaah!" he shouted, spurring the horse to run.

As they approached the rest of the group, who were already fleeing on horseback, Leonard joked with Kaleb, "Thanks, Kaleb! But you forgot to yell the name of the spell this time..."

Everyone laughed, relieved, as they galloped away. Mikaela hugged Leonard tightly, but gently, her face brushing against his back. And, even though she knew he couldn't hear her, she whispered, "Thank you... for not giving up on me..."

"Did you say something?" Leonard shouted, almost losing his voice over the roar of the horses' hooves pounding furiously against the ground.

"No! Everything's fine," Mikaela replied.

After a few minutes of frantic galloping, they reached a clearing. They decided to stop there, with no sign of Leirions on their trail.

With nightfall, they decided to set up another camp and rest. Mikaela finished healing Evelyn's arm, which had been fractured at the elbow during the fight with the panthers.

Leonard watched Evelyn, impressed. She hadn't even complained, her willpower was evident.

Kaleb, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, approached Raviel, scratching his nose. "Bet you won't be going on another patrol tonight, huh?" He said, with a crooked smile.

Leonard glared at him. "Kaleb, are you naturally stupid, or do you take lessons?"

Kaleb, not understanding the reprimand, just shrugged.

Xavier, who was working to light a fire, called everyone's attention. "Hey, guys!" he said, his voice grave. "Get ready. We made a serious mistake."

"What? Why?" Leonard asked, frowning.

Silverin spoke up, her face shadowed by the flames that were beginning to crackle. "The Church was very clear in the scroll they gave my group, Leonard. Never, ever, leave an Ursulo alive after a confrontation."

"That doesn't make any sense," Leonard argued.

Silverin gave him a piercing look. "What do you think makes an Elite a Named?"

"The number of lives they've taken. Everyone knows that," Leonard replied, automatically.

"Exactly. And do you think they achieved that by accident? That they simply stumbled upon so many powerful neumonds?" Silverin continued, her voice laden with meaning. "No. They hunted. They pursued their prey. And the Ursulo that fell... it will alert the leader."

A chill ran down Leonard's spine. "Ursulus Rex..."

"He'll hunt us down," Silverin confirmed grimly. "Starting at dawn... they don't have intelligence, but that's their instinct. To hunt humans."

Leonard felt a knot in his stomach. I need to prepare. The thought echoed in his mind, urgent and inescapable.