Having successfully escaped the pursuit, Altair, Feran, Quartzis, and Lazric continued to move relentlessly. The night was late, but safety was still far from their grasp.
The night wind blew cold, carrying the distant rumble of thunder. The sounds of nature mingled with the anxiety that enveloped the four of them.
They found a small cave in the middle of the forest, deep enough to hide temporarily and recover their strength.
Feran sat leaning against the cave wall, his breath heavy and his body still aching. "So, where do we go now?" he asked, looking at Altair with a tired face.
Quartzis took a map from his small bag—a map given directly by Professor Aldemar before their escape. "According to the map, the best way to escape is to stay within this forest. But..." Quartzis pointed to a symbol in the corner of the map.
"There's an Imperial military training base there."
Feran immediately rose from his position, a sharp glint returning to his eyes."So we still have to go through them. Is there no other way?"
Altair looked at the map seriously. He knew that one wrong decision could endanger everyone's lives.
Dangerous Journey
As dawn began to break and a thin mist enveloped the forest, they resumed their journey.
With cautious steps, they moved away from the main paths and chose to follow narrow gaps filled with dense bushes. The sounds of wild birds and snapping twigs were their companions throughout the journey.
However, something felt unusual.
"Stop." Altair suddenly raised his hand, his eyes staring sharply ahead.
Feran and the others froze, following Altair's gaze.
In the distance, Imperial troops were patrolling. Several scouts appeared to be carrying large hooded falcons, ready to be released at any moment.
"They're hunting us," Quartzis said softly.
Lazric swallowed hard, his body trembling slightly.
"So... do we keep going or find another way?"
Altair looked at the sky. The falcons would find them soon if they didn't act quickly.
Strategy to Deceive the Enemy
Altair thought fast. A direct fight was not an option.
"We can't fight them in the open. But we can trick them."
"How?" Quartzis asked hopefully.
Altair turned to Lazric.
"Lazric, can you make a small explosion? It doesn't need to be strong, just enough to panic them."
Lazric nodded as he opened a small bottle containing a shimmering blue liquid from his bag.
"Leave it to me."
A few minutes later...
BOOM!
A small explosion shook the ground from the north. A plume of smoke rose high, accompanied by the smell of burning metal.
The Imperial troops immediately ran towards the source of the explosion, preparing to face the enemy they thought had appeared there.
"Now! Let's go, before they realize it's just a diversion," Altair said quickly.
They immediately moved in the opposite direction, breaking through the dense forest and slipping through a gap between two small hills.
Facing an Ambush at the Border
After two hours of non-stop travel, they arrived at the hills overlooking the Imperial training base.
However, what they saw made their chests tighten.
The troops there were not training. They were fully armed, guarding strategic positions, and seemed to be waiting for something.
"Something's wrong..." Altair murmured.
Before they could make a decision, a sharp whistle sounded from the east. A fast shadow flashed behind the trees.
WHSSHH—!
BRAK!
A sudden attack erupted from the other side of the base! A group of individuals dressed in all black emerged from behind the bushes, attacking the base brutally and in an organized manner.
"What is that?!" Quartzis exclaimed in surprise.
Feran observed their formation carefully.
"That's... not the Duke's army. They're trained, but not from the Empire."
"Could be rebel forces," Feran said, narrowing his eyes.
"They could be our chance to get in undetected," Altair added.
Feran nodded.
Infiltrating Through the Chaos
The battle at the base intensified. Smoke billowed from several points, and shouts of command mixed with the roars of death echoed in the air.
Altair observed the situation carefully, then spoke quickly.
"We're going to pretend to be part of them—the attacking group."
"Are you serious?" Quartzis asked, stunned.
Altair nodded.
"Grab their clothes or attributes if you can. And... we need one of us to pretend to be a casualty."
Lazric immediately stepped towards one of the fallen attackers not far from them. He pulled off the black scarf of the soldier and wrapped it around his neck.
"Wear this," he said, throwing some pieces of cloth and headbands to the others.
Feran nodded quickly.
"I'll be the casualty. My body's been wrecked since earlier. No need to pretend."
Skillfully, they wrapped parts of their faces and bodies with dusty black cloth, then supported Feran as if he were seriously injured.
Altair put Feran's arm over his shoulder and walked quickly, pretending to drag him away from the front lines.
Quartzis and Lazric followed behind, acting as if they were comrades escorting a dying ally.
As they passed through the crowd of troops busy fighting, some soldiers only glanced briefly and then returned to the battle.
"Quick! Get him to the back!" shouted one of the rebels, mistaking them for part of his forces.
Altair nodded and continued walking without answering. Cold sweat ran down his temples, but their steps remained steady.
Another explosion shook the ground not far from them, causing everyone to take cover for a moment.
They used that moment to move further, crossing the border path and approaching the outer side of the base. Now they were only a few dozen meters from the gap leading to the exit towards the eastern forest region.
Out of the Danger Zone
Once they felt far enough away, Altair and the others quickened their pace. Feran began to stand on his own, though still pretending to be weak.
"Did we make it?" Lazric asked, holding his breath.
Altair glanced back, seeing the flames and smoke billowing high from the base.
"Not yet. But we're closer to our goal."
Quartzis looked at the map again.
"From here... if we continue east, we can reach the outer gates of the Niaris region in two days."
Altair nodded. His eyes were still serious.
"Two days without mistakes. Come on, let's keep going."