In the darkness of the training ground, Daichi and the other Aerithran prisoners huddled behind a row of empty barrels. The explosions in Sector A had created the diversion they needed, but they were running out of time. The massive steel gate, which had been lifted momentarily by the power outage, was slowly descending, threatening to seal their escape route.
"We have to go now!" one prisoner whispered urgently. "The gate is almost closed!"
"But what about Mister Sorah?" Elara asked as she trembled with concern. "And my brother, Brokk? We can't leave them behind!"
Another prisoner replied, "We have no choice. If we stay here any longer, we'll be trapped."
"He's right," a third prisoner chimed in. "We have to take this chance. That man would want us to escape."
They hesitated for a moment longer, torn between their desire to wait for Sorah and their fear of being recaptured.
"Come on you guys!" Daichi urged. "We have to go now!" He dashed towards the closing gate, followed by the other Aerithran prisoners. They sprinted across the open ground with footsteps stirring up the sand.
Elara watched them go. She wanted to follow, to escape this prison and find her husband, but she couldn't bear to leave Sorah and her brother behind.
"Anya, stay close," she whispered, clutching her daughter's hand tightly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“We’re almost there.” The Aerithrans were closing in on the gate, their hopes rising with each step. Freedom was within their grasp.
Thwip!
Suddenly, an arrow pierced the chest of the prisoner running ahead of the group, sending him sprawling to the ground while spitting out blood.
“Gah!”
"Archers!" someone screamed.
A rain of arrows descended upon them from the watchtowers that lined the prison walls.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
The Aerithrans scattered, seeking cover behind barrels and crates as the arrows whistled past them. They had forgotten about the guards stationed atop the walls, their focus was solely on reaching the gate.
“Dammit!”
Daichi, clutching his deactivated Aether Sabre, dove behind a stack of crates. He could hear the arrows thudding into the wood around him, and he felt a surge of panic rising in his throat.
'What are we going to do?' he thought desperately. 'We're trapped.'
The Aerithrans who still possessed some of their Kana Flow abilities, responded to the attack. They channelled their ZenFlow Kana, manipulating the wind currents to lift themselves into the air. They soared towards the watchtowers, determined to silence the archers.
"Get them!" a guard yelled from atop the wall. "Don't let them retaliate!"
The archers released another volley of arrows, but the Aerithrans were too quick. They dodged and weaved through the projectiles.
"Take this, you sand-eating scum!" one of the Aerithrans yelled as he unleashed a powerful gust of wind that knocked an archer from his perch.
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Thud!
Another Aerithran, a young woman with long, flowing hair, summoned a swirling vortex of leaves that disarmed a group of archers, sending their bows and arrows clattering to the ground.
Elara and Anya who were still hidden behind their barrel, watched the battle unfold in horror.
"Mommy, are they going to be alright?" Anya whispered while eyeing the struggle.
Elara hugged her daughter close. "I don't know, Anya," she replied honestly with her own fear mirroring her daughter's.
“The wind is too strong! We need reinforcements!”
A guard atop the wall raised a flaming torch and waved it in the air, signalling for reinforcements. Seconds later, a horn blared in the distance with a mournful call that resounded through the night.
"We have to hurry," one of the Aerithrans yelled. "Reinforcements are coming!" They redoubled their efforts, battling the remaining archers with renewed ferocity.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
…
A couple minutes later, Squad Captain Chek and his men arrived at the training ground. Their faces were grim, and their armour was covered in soot and grime from helping the others battling the inferno in Sector A.
"What's going on here?" Chek demanded as he surveyed the scene of chaos and carnage.
"Sir!" a guard called out, hurrying towards him. "The Aerithran prisoners... they're trying to escape!"
Chek's eyes widened in anger. "Escape? How?"
"They... they somehow managed to free themselves from the Ethereum Handguards, unlock their cells and overpower the guards in Sector B," the guard explained.
"And what about the gate?"
"It's almost closed, sir. But they're fighting the archers on the walls."
Chek cursed under his breath. This was a disaster. He had been tasked with ensuring the security of the prison, and now, under his watch, a group of prisoners were attempting a daring escape.
He turned to his men and yelled, "Sand Devils, to arms! We will not allow these scum to escape!"
“ORAAH!”
The Sand Devils charged into the fray with their Aether Sabres blazing with energy.
…
Clang! Clang!
Daichi watched from a safe distance as the Sand Devils joined the battle. The odds were stacked against them. The Aerithrans, outnumbered and exhausted, were struggling to hold their own against the relentless assault of the guards and the Sand Devils.
He gripped his deactivated Aether Sabre tightly, feeling useless and helpless. He was no match for these trained warriors. He could barely conjure steam, let alone activate an energy blade.
Just as he was about to give up hope, he spotted Elara and Anya cowering behind a stack of crates near the closing gate.
“This is my chance!” With a burst of adrenaline, Daichi dashed towards them, weaving through the chaos of the battle.
"Hey, lady!" he yelled, waving his Aether Sabre to get their attention. "Come on! We have to go now!"
Elara looked up in surprise as she recognized Daichi. "But... what about Sorah?" she asked.
"He'll be here," Daichi assured her, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was true. "We have to trust him. Now come on!"
He grabbed Elara's hand and pulled her towards the gate with Anya trailing behind them.
They were almost there, just a few meters from freedom, when a Sand Devil spotted them.
"There they are!" he started charging towards them like a wild bull.
Daichi shoved Elara and Anya towards the gate. "Go!" he yelled. "I'll hold him off!"
He turned to face the charging Sand Devil. He knew he was no match for the soldier, but he would not back down. He would protect this lady and her daughter, even if it cost him his life.
"You little shit!" the Sand Devil swung his Aether Sabre at Daichi's head.
Daichi ducked under the blow, feeling the wind from the blade whistle past his ear. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a follow-up strike.
"Stay still, you little brat!" the Sand Devil was frustrated by Daichi's agility.
Daichi scrambled to his feet and ran, dodging and weaving through the maze of crates and barrels. The Sand Devil gave chase, smashing through objects as his heavy boots pounded against the ground.
“Huff… huff…” Daichi panted as his lungs burned with exertion. He glanced back and saw the Sand Devil gaining on him. He knew he couldn't outrun the soldier, so he had to find another way to escape.
He spotted a gap between two large crates and slid through it, hoping to lose his pursuer in the maze of containers. But the Sand Devil was relentless. He followed Daichi through the gap with his Aether Sabre held high.
Daichi continued running as he searched for a way out of this situation. He couldn't fight the soldier, and he couldn't outrun him. He was trapped.
Just as he was about to give up hope, he noticed a small, dark opening beneath a stack of crates. It was a drainage system, one of the many tunnels that honeycombed the area beneath the prison.
Without hesitation, Daichi lifted the hatch and dove into the drain, scrambling through the darkness. He could hear the Sand Devil's frustrated roar echoing behind him, but he didn't stop. He crawled deeper and deeper, hoping to find a way out of this prison and back to the open skies. But he didn’t get far, his path was blocked by impregnable steel bars. The only way out was the way he came.