NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 211: Somber March
"You bastard!! What did you do?!" roared one of the Zephyr Battalion members to his comrade, who seemed to have lost his mind and suddenly blocked the entrance by destroying the top-most part.
However, the "comrade" only laughed uproariously in response before a Wind Cutter sliced the man's neck off.
Purple blood spurted out of the severance, fountaining as the dead man's frame shapeshifted into a muscular, purple-skinned physique.
The head that rolled also wasn't that of a human but of a horned Fellkin.
Hal and the others' eyes widened.
Meanwhile, Cedar, the middle-aged man who had been with Zephyron since they were students of the Grand Magic Academy, clenched his fists.
They've been had again!
Who could've expected that, in the heat of battle, one cunning Fellkin Warrior managed to shapeshift into one of their men without being detected?
What was the bastard's motive in sacrificing himself like this?
Would his hard work even be acknowledged by the fell society this way?
Only the dead Fellkin knew the answers.
Outside, after a series of loud explosions, a voice sounded:
"Go, rendezvous with Targon."
The instruction barely passed through the rocky barricade, but Cedar and the others got the message.
They would have to go and leave Zephyron behind.
Taking one deep breath, the middle-aged man with a goatee decisively turned, as if the one outside wasn't his close friend and long-time comrade.
There wasn't the slightest hint of grief on Cedar's face, his expression as stoic as ever as he passed through the middle of the regiment, heading over to the other end to lead the march.
A few wizards were journeying on the path of light, and so easily illuminated the dark stretch of Az Tunnel with brightly glowing orbs that orbited the now-stagnant air.
Hal and Ennya watched with uneasy hearts as Cedar passed them by.
Were they really going to leave Zephyron just like that?
Based on the explosions that were sounding farther and farther away from the collapsed entrance, the Wind Magna was still fighting alone.
Can they even survive without him?
In fact, the better question was: was the Wind Magna done for?
They were so close to the best situation they could've hoped for!
Uncertainty filled the air, but Cedar remained stern and stoic, fully aware that if he showed any weaknesses, the regiment's morale would completely crumble.
He must hold firm and maintain a composed exterior.
Soon, the middle-aged, right-hand man and Zephyron's cohort members, along with half of the battered Zephyr Battalion, had reached the other end of the regiment.
The march to the exit of the tunnel then began.
They didn't even have the luxury to rest for a small while, and even injuries were treated on the way by the surviving few Augurs of the Thirteenth Regiment.
Hal would've helped with the healing. However, his Chaos Karma pool was almost empty.
He could only watch for a moment, take a deep breath to ease his heavy heart, and move forth with the rest, advancing after one last glance at the collapsed entrance.
This was Hal's first time outside the empire's borders, and he didn't even know where the hell he was, so he could only rely on the Imperial Wizard Army to navigate himself back to the safety of the empire's borders.
If they could even make it that far…
Zephyron's fate was unknown, and the Thirteenth Regiment could only hope that they could rendezvous with the Earth Magna, Targon, and the Fourteenth Regiment assigned to him.
That was their best shot at survival.
And so, Hal and the others walked through the dimly illuminated stretch, a somber atmosphere filling the air.
Some wizards breathed heavily, utterly spent, but they could only put one leg in front of the other.
They will die otherwise.
Hal was also quite exhausted, but at least he had the energy to look around.
The walls were of a strange, maroon and green hue, with weird rocky protrusions on the ceiling, while the ground was a mix of dry soil, rocks, and pebbles.
There were a few growths of flora, but that was the only sign of life inside.
Perhaps numerous beasts called this place their home once.
Now, a majority of them didn't even have the sentience to pick a decent habitat for themselves, lost in the accursed call of the fell.
Hal walked…
And walked for more than three hours, his legs starting to surrender to exhaustion, muscles trembling.
A distance away from him, the midget was stumbling, but so were her platoon members.
And a few of Hal's…
Rocky and a few, physically well-trained others were doing relatively fine, while the likes of Hao were pitifully panting, their legs shaking and screaming for rest.
But no…
They rest, they give the pursuing fell horde a chance to catch up.
The distance granted to them by the Az Tunnel wasn't that significant, after all, especially if they didn't make use of it well.
Soon, Hal couldn't bear to watch any longer, approaching the struggling midget, who was huffing and puffing, her gaze somewhat empty as she looked at the ground.
He stopped in front of her and knelt on one knee, offering his back to Ennya.
"Come, rest on my back. I'll carry you for a while."
The Fire Platoon members were surprised, especially the replacements for the originals.
They were so sure that the Magna Prospect of Chaos would suffer some brutal and cold words for his goodwill, such as:
"Who the hell are you? Get out of my way before I kick your sorry butt.
Or "I don't need your darned help."
But no.
Instead, the tiny Fire Dragon, as if used to the motion, unceremoniously perched herself on Hal's back, wasting no time to rest her head on the back of his neck.
Hal then stood up and walked forward like this was nothing new.
Some short distance away, the Chaos Platoon witnessed their leader's actions, and one of them finally decided to do the same.
Rocky walked ahead and picked Hao up, slinging the bespectacled shorty over his shoulder.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Let me down! Let me down, I said!!" protested the squadron leader.
"Shut the hell up and just rest, you damn nerdy! Save your strength. We'll need it later."