Chapter 19: The Chase Begins

The relic felt cool and solid in Kael’s hand, its faint blue glow pulsing gently as if it were alive. Holding it, Kael felt a strange weight settle on his shoulders—a mix of relief and dread. They had the relic, but now came the hardest part: getting it back to the scouts without losing it to the other competitors.

Sera, Alec, Tarin, and Mira gathered around Kael, their expressions serious as they realized the same thing. The clearing was silent for a moment, but they knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Every remaining competitor was now a threat, and they would all be converging on Kael’s group to take the relic by force.

“We need to move, fast,” Alec said, his sharp eyes scanning the treeline. “Now that we have the relic, we’re the target. Every team left will be after us.”

Sera hefted her hammer onto her shoulder, her face set with determination. “Let them come. We’ll knock them down like the last group.”

Kael shook his head, though he appreciated her confidence. “We can’t afford to fight everyone. We need to outrun them, use the terrain to our advantage. If we’re pinned down, we won’t last.”

Tarin adjusted his bow, nodding in agreement. “Kael’s right. We’re strong, but if too many teams come at us at once, we’ll be overwhelmed. We need to outthink them.”

Mira, standing slightly behind the group, spoke up quietly. “I can keep healing us if we’re wounded, but I don’t know how long I can keep that up if we get into constant fights. We need to be smart about this.”

Kael glanced down at Dalen’s unconscious form. The assassin had been their biggest threat so far, but now he was out of the picture—for the moment. Still, Dalen’s group had been just one of many. There were others out there, teams that had been lying in wait, conserving their strength for this exact moment. Kael knew they wouldn’t all be so easily defeated.

He looked at his team, the people he had fought alongside, and knew they had to play this perfectly.

“Let’s move,” Kael said, turning toward the dense forest. “We head back toward the starting point. Stay alert, and stick together.”

Without another word, they set off, running through the forest with the relic in Kael’s grip. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, casting long shadows through the trees, and the forest had grown eerily quiet. Kael’s Sharp Senses (Stream) were on high alert, picking up the faint sounds of movement behind them. He knew the other teams were already on their trail.

They had barely made it a few hundred meters before the first attack came.

A figure darted out from behind a tree, sword flashing toward Kael’s side. Kael reacted instinctively, spinning around and parrying the strike with his own sword. The impact reverberated through his arms, but Kael didn’t waste a second. With a quick counter, he slashed at his attacker’s arm, forcing them to retreat.

“We’ve got company!” Kael shouted as more figures emerged from the trees.

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Tarin loosed an arrow, striking one of the attackers in the shoulder, but more were coming. Sera stepped forward, swinging her hammer in a wide arc, knocking two of the enemies back with sheer force. Alec moved swiftly, his dagger flashing as he parried a blow from one of the attackers and countered with a quick strike to their leg.

Kael’s group was holding their ground, but the attackers weren’t backing off. They were clearly desperate to take the relic, and their numbers were growing.

“We can’t stay here!” Mira shouted from behind them, her voice filled with urgency. “More are coming!”

Kael’s eyes darted around the battlefield. They were outnumbered, and even though they had the advantage of skill, they couldn’t afford to be overwhelmed. They needed to keep moving.

“Fall back!” Kael ordered, blocking another strike and slashing at his opponent’s leg, sending them crashing to the ground. “We need to get out of here!”

Sera swung her hammer one last time, creating enough space for the group to retreat. They broke into a run, weaving through the trees as fast as they could. The sound of pursuit was close behind—footsteps crashing through the underbrush, shouts of anger and frustration as the other teams chased after them.

Kael’s heart pounded in his chest as they ran. Every second counted. The path back to the starting point was long, and they couldn’t afford to be caught before they got there.

“We’re not going to shake them like this,” Alec panted as he ran alongside Kael. “We need a plan.”

Kael’s mind raced. Alec was right—they couldn’t keep running without a clear strategy. The other teams were too determined, and eventually, they would catch up. Kael quickly scanned the surrounding forest, searching for any advantage they could use.

And then he saw it—a narrow path branching off from the main trail, leading into a dense thicket of trees and rocks. It wasn’t the most direct route, but it could give them the cover they needed to break the line of sight with their pursuers.

“This way!” Kael shouted, veering off toward the narrow path.

The group followed him without hesitation, crashing through the underbrush and into the thicket. The trees grew thicker, their branches intertwining overhead, casting deep shadows on the forest floor. It was harder to move through, but that worked in their favor. The dense foliage would make it difficult for the other teams to follow them closely.

As they pushed deeper into the thicket, the sounds of pursuit began to fade, replaced by the rustle of leaves and the soft hum of insects. Kael slowed his pace slightly, allowing himself to catch his breath as they moved further away from the main path.

“Think we lost them?” Sera asked, her voice hushed as she glanced over her shoulder.

Kael shook his head, still on edge. “For now, maybe. But we need to keep moving. They’ll regroup and try to find us again.”

Alec wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing labored but steady. “That was close. But we can’t rely on running the whole way back. If we get caught in the open again, we’re done.”

Kael nodded. “We need to be strategic. The relic makes us a target, so we can’t let anyone know where we are until it’s too late.”

Tarin, still holding his bow at the ready, glanced at Kael. “Any idea how far we are from the starting point?”

“We’re still a ways off,” Kael admitted. “But if we keep moving like this, we might be able to make it back before the others catch up.”

Mira, quiet but focused, stepped forward. “We’ll have to fight eventually. It’s not just about getting there first. The others will be waiting, and we need to be prepared for that.”

Kael knew she was right. The relic wasn’t just a prize—it was a magnet for conflict. The closer they got to the finish line, the more teams would converge on them, and it wouldn’t be just a matter of running anymore.

“We’ll fight when we have to,” Kael said, his voice calm but determined. “But if we can outthink them, we’ll have the advantage.”

As they pressed on through the dense thicket, Kael’s Sharp Senses (Stream) remained on high alert. He could sense the presence of others nearby—whether they were teams hunting them or simply competitors trying to survive, he couldn’t be sure. But one thing was certain: they weren’t safe yet.

Suddenly, the sound of movement caught Kael’s attention. He froze, motioning for the others to stop. They all fell silent, listening carefully.

Footsteps. Not behind them this time—coming from the side.

Kael’s eyes narrowed as he tried to pinpoint the source. His senses flared, and he realized with a sinking feeling that they were being flanked.

“They’re coming from both sides,” Kael whispered. “We’re about to be surrounded.”

Sera tightened her grip on her hammer, her eyes scanning the area. “Then we fight.”

“No,” Kael said, his mind racing. “Not yet. We need to draw them in, make them think we’re trapped.”

Alec gave Kael a quick look. “You’ve got a plan?”

Kael nodded. “We let them get close, then we split up. They’ll have to split their forces to chase us. We regroup at the clearing ahead and hit them when they’re divided.”

Tarin grinned, already drawing an arrow. “I like it.”

Mira’s face was serious, but she gave a quick nod. “Let’s do it.”

The group moved into position, preparing for the ambush. Kael could hear the footsteps growing closer, the faint whispers of their pursuers as they closed in on what they thought would be an easy target.

But Kael was ready. They were going to turn the tables on their enemies.

This fight wasn’t just about survival anymore.

It was about winning.