Chapter 366: Chapter 366

The way out of Limbo was not far but it couldn’t be considered as close either, especially not with hundreds of hostile creatures in the path.

“Damn,” Lyra grunted as she quickly dove into a building that appeared to be a general store with the Saintess in her arms.

The Saintess grunted along with Lyra as they both felt the harsh force from hitting the ground hard in a desperate attempt to hide from the enemies. “Is this the only way?” the Saintess asked.

“I wouldn’t know. I have only been in this city for less than half a week. If there is another path, I wouldn’t know.”

A tremor spread into the building, an intermittent tremble that gently rocked the building. The enemies were getting closer. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveIꜰire.net

“Do you know what’s coming?” the Saintess inquired.

“Oroks,” Lyra answered.

“Good… at least you’re not in the dark.”

“Is that any comfort?”

“Can you fight an Orok?”

“A single Orok is no problem, but I am no match for a dozen of them, let alone hundreds.”

“Can we just avoid them?”

“If I know the roads and paths well, then yes. But sadly, I do not. And I can’t scale the walls and roofs as quietly and swiftly as Erin.”

“Then, it’s not much of a comfort.”

“You know this city, don’t you? Do you have a plan, Saintess?”

“Please, call me Zoe.”

“Is that appropriate?”

Zoe smiled wryly. “Given the circumstances we’re in, I’m past caring. I don’t remember the last time someone, or anyone, has called me by my name.”

“Well then, Zoe, do you have a plan?”

“I spent my days reading and studying histories, poems, and poetry. I don’t believe any ideas I have would be… adequate.”

“But you do have an idea.”

“What about you, Miss Adventurer? Isn’t this your realm of expertise?”

“If I’m alone or with other adventurers, then I would be inclined to act upon my ideas. But alas, you’re with me. I’m sorry to say this but you are a burden and I’m not strong enough to act efficiently with a burden.”

“...I understand, Miss Adventurer.”

“Lyra, that’s my name.”

“Lyra… you should escape on your own.”

Lyra stared at Zoe with a dumbfounded expression. “No way in hell I would do that. I would be tried and executed. And I would not have a good night’s sleep again if I ever willingly abandon a damsel to her demise for my own benefit.”

“....Lyra, what is that?” asked the Saintess, a seemingly out-of-place question. She was staring intensely out the boarded-up window, but there was a small hole among the boards.

Lyra followed Zoe’s gaze and found a creature standing across the street, staring at the building they were hiding in. The creature was all black, standing on two legs, with an appearance similar to that of an overgrown bat. “Oh, no…” she gasped.

Lyra nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. “That’s a Shrieker.”

Zoe felt a chill go down her spine. She had read a lot. She knew enough about how many monsters and creatures were named. Their names were often attributed to their primary behaviours and tendencies.

Sure enough, the creature shrieked loudly and deafeningly at the building they were hiding in.

“We have been found!” Lyra shouted and immediately bolted for the back door. “Run!”

Zoe picked herself up and hurriedly followed Lyra out the back door.

As they rushed through the back alleys of the buildings, the tremor intensified. The Oroks were closing in on their position.

“Where’s the egress?”

“Just straight ahead, past two streets.”

Just as Zoe was thinking the path was simple enough, three Oroks appeared in their path. They howled at their presence, signalling the other Oroks.

“Fuck!” Lyra cursed and quickly dropped two of the Oroks with her arrows but the last one reacted quickly enough. It dodged Lyra’s arrows and charged at her. Lyra took a few steps back as she hurriedly reloaded her bow and fired another shot at the charging Orok.

The arrow was released. It flew straight for the Orok’s head but it easily side-stepped the arrow and continued with its charge. However, it collapsed to the ground after a second with an arrow lodged in the back of its head.

Before Lyra could relish in her victory, shouts and grunts came from behind. More Oroks were onto her and the Saintess. Without looking back, she grabbed the Saintess' hand, pulled her into her arms, and sprinted for the egress.

“I can run by myself, Lyra.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Lyra responded, without putting Zoe down. As she crossed the street in front of her, they were exposed to more of the Oroks. The monsters uttered a chant in unison before pursuing the two.

“We have been found!”

“You think?!” Lyra retorted as she dove into an alley right before a flurry of arrows came raining down on the street.

“They’re trying to kill me…” Zoe muttered.

“Were they not already doing that?”

“They were just trying to capture me. They chased after me for so long but they have never tried anything . I assumed they didn’t want me dead.”

“They must be really desperate now.”

They alley was narrow and it was long, stretching through multiple blocks of buildings. Thankfully, the Oroks were a hasty bunch. The narrow alley halted their chase as they all tried to enter it at the same time. Their numbers could not fit and they ended up plugging themselves at the entrance of the alley.

Lyra noticed this but before she could be relieved for even a second, the ground began to shake so violently that it made her lose her balance. She and the Saintess went tumbling to the ground. Whether they were hurt or not from the fall, they didn’t give a thought to it. There was no time for that.

“What just happened?” Zoe asked. She was struggling to get to her feet.

Lyra was already on her feet. Falling while running was a common thing for an adventurer, as they often needed to run from danger on uneven and harsh terrains. She was staring at the sky.

Zoe followed Lyra’s gaze. “Whoa… what in all that’s divine is that?”

A piece of the city’s land was floating in the sky, drifting in the air as a leaf would. It wasn’t just a single piece. More followed and with each piece of land breaking off from the ground, the world would shake.

“It’s happening,” Lyra said. “It’s coming. We should get out of here now. No more questions. Just get out now.” Lyra did not wait for Zoe’s response and once again, pulled the Saintess into her arms and sprinted towards the egress.

In an alley across a street that was breaking apart piece by piece, there was a rift in the fabric of space. It was the egress.

“There! We’re almost there!” Lyra shouted. A wave of relief washed over her, but she didn’t let it dictate her actions. She didn’t let her guard down. They were still not out of the proverbial woods.

As if to reward her vigilance, and to insult her efforts, a figure appeared at the entrance of the alley just as Lyra was about to dart into it. It was an Orok but this one was all red, as if fire was burning from within its body. It was wielding two pairs of axes, one in each hand. Yes, it had four arms, four hands.

“A red Orok…” Zoe gasped. “This one must be the leader of the Oroks.”

“I have never heard of a Red Ork before, let alone seen one, but that’s a sound assumption.” As Lyra was musing, she let Zoe down from her arms. “Zoe, I will distract it. You run for the rift, alright?”

“Lyra… you know I can’t do that.”

“If you don’t, we will both die here.”

“Get down!” Lyra pushed Zoe aside as the Red Orok lunged at them. The Orok’s axes cut through the air but inches away from drawing flesh and blood. Lyra quickly recovered her bearings and fired two arrows at the Red Orok.

The Red Orok cut down the arrows with ease and charged at Lyra once more. She hopped away from the Red Orok, creating some distance, before firing more arrows at the Orok. None of the arrows reached the Orok’s skin. Its senses were far too much for Lyra’s arrows. Lyra could only be on a constant retreat as the Orok advanced with every offence. It was quickly gaining ground until Lyra lost her balance due to another tremor that shook the entire world.

The Red Orok was largely unaffected. It stumbled but it did not fall. Lyra did. The Red Orok pounced at the opportunity with all of its axes brandished and swinging.

Lyra felt her body freezing and her blood chilling. She felt the end coming for her and she could do nothing to stop it—

But someone else could.

Something flashed across her eyes. Something red and radiant. It was instantaneous but she saw it. A crimson streak. Whatever it was, it saved her. The Red Orok stopped whatever it was doing and stared at Lyra with a blank gaze. As Lyra began to wonder what was going to happen, there was a voice that didn’t fit the situation.

“Are you alright, Lady Saintess?”

The Red Orok looked just as confused as Lyra. It turned around, looking behind it.

Lyra could see a figure standing beside the Saintess. The figure was a woman with red hair all bundled up, dressed in a tight-fitting armour that accentuates her figure quite perfectly. She had a pair of swords strapped to her waist. Lyra hadn’t seen the woman before but she knew who it was from what Erin and Aedan had told her. “Azaela…”

After helping the Saintess to her feet and making sure she was unharmed, Azaela turned around to face Lyra. “Are you hurt or wounded gravely in any way?” asked the Grand Apostle of Ruva.

The Red Orok howled, as if it was angered from being ignored. It brandished its axes at Azaela and charged straight at her.

“Stand back,” Azaela said calmly and positioned herself in front of Zoe. She drew one of her swords without any urgency in her movements.

The Red Orok swung all of its axes down on Azaela but she received the blow with a raised sword.  If it were anyone else, the person would be pulverised by the clash but not Azaela. She stood firm and strong as the axes clashed with her blade. The Red Orok grunted from the unexpected result. Its opponent didn’t even budge.

“What’s a creature like you doing here? Who’s your master?” Azaela asked calmly.

The Red Orok screeched at Azaela and swung at her again.

“I see. You’re intelligent but not to the point of being speech-capable,” Azaela muttered her observation. She drew her other sword and blocked the Red Orok’s blow. She then immediately retaliated with a deadly dance of her swords.

The Red Orok couldn’t even register that Azaela had attacked. And when it did, it was all too late. Its vision was split into half, vertically, and its entire body followed shortly in a similar fashion.

“You did well, all of you,” Azaela said. She looked around, a frown wrought her face. “We’re missing two people. I was told there were four.”

“Sir Franklin has died valiantly in the line of his duty,” said the Saintess. “But the other, an adventurer, was fighting a strong enemy while we fled. She stayed behind to ensure our escape. Lady Azaela, can you—”

“No, we must leave now.”

“Are you joking?!” Lyra shouted. “Are you seriously expecting me to—”

“I’m afraid she’s right, Lyra.” There was another, an expected presence and voice.

Lyra turned to the voice. “Aedan? You’re here too?”

“Yes, I’m here. And there’s no time to lose. We must get out of Limbo now. As for Erin, we have other ways to get her out. But first, we must leave Limbo, now!”

As Lyra was about to argue, a ghastly shriek echoed throughout the world of Limbo.

“This is no time to argue,” Aedan said. “We are getting out of here, even if I have to drag you out by force. That thing is coming.”