It was the worst possible environment to be ambushed in, especially by enemies that seemed experienced; being left completely open in the clear field without any obstacles, while the enemies possessed complete ambiguity.
Arrows kept coming from different directions, some coming at different angles at the same time, confirming it wasn't a single enemy lurking by the trees.
'—This is a gamble, but I have to do it!' She decided.
Before the next set of arrows came, she lifted her staff high as an emerald glow emitted, causing the surrounding soil to ripple:
"Blossoming Spring of The Forest God!"
Flooding through the soil like a breath of solar life, the enrichening mana of the archmage penetrated the ground, embedding a radiance of vigor through it.
The field was terraformed completely; the soil was split apart as dozens of roots rose, rapidly growing to dozens of times their size. Roots turned to saplings, into mighty trees, extending their branches, twisting and turning, before creating an artificial forest within moments.
Arrows were blocked by the twisting trees that rose, creating a labyrinth of nature that rose like a sudden tidal wave.
The silver-haired archmage breathed out, sweating as she stood in the center of the dense, magical forest of her own creation. Such a large-scale spell didn't come at a low cost, tiring her greatly.
"Haaah…"
Exhaling with parted lips, she found her body running hot and her mana feeling much more absent; the sudden departure from most of her reserves of mana was the same, nauseating feeling of skipping a day of meals.
It was a gamble to use such a spell; "Blossoming Spring of The Forest God"—it created an environment that concealed the half elf, acting as protection from arrows and also a place where she could freely manipulate the entirety of the plants without any activation.
However, this provided one, frightening downside to it: the labyrinth of trees also provided a cover for whoever was hunting the woman.
'I don't need to fight. I can use the dense cover to sneak away and escape—I need to regroup with Emilio and Sirius,' she thought.
Within the boundaries of the mana-formed forest, trees twisted and spiraled, making for a confusing environment that was hard to traverse. She was hoping this unique forest, paired with defenses of its own, could hold off the unknown attackers.
'Just stay calm. If I'm panicking, I'll make mistakes. Whoever my enemy is, they're skilled. Any slip ups will be used against me,' she thought.
Keeping low, she slowly moved through the twisted landscape, ducking beneath abundant tree roots that stretched and contorted seemingly in every direction.
Even though the environmental advantage was hers, it was still unnerving for her as she crouched through the dense folds of nature, finding an uncomfortable silence filling the area.
Keeping low and pressed near a bush for a moment, she checked the aquatic map for a moment, seeing which direction to move in order to reunite with the others.
'I just need to keep heading north. I can do this,' she thought.
Even trying to move as quietly and silently as possible, moving stealthy wasn't a skill of hers; leaves crunched beneath her boots and twigs snapped, resounding like an alarm of her location.
Not even a few seconds after snapping a twig with a step, she found the sound of something approaching behind her rapidly approaching.
"Close…!" She commanded, reaching behind her.
Without seeing who or what was coming from the back, she brought a series of roots together, connecting into a wall that stopped whatever came.
THUD
Whatever had been stopped slammed against the blockade as it was formed.
Celly paused for a moment, catching her breath as she realized that she was likely at a complete disadvantage when trying to run.
'I can't keep this up. I don't know who is after me, but they're already wearing me down, and I haven't seen them yet. Think,' she thought.
It was only a temporary stop, however, as what was blocked by the barrier of thick, sturdy roots was immediately cut through.
Just as the walls of roots were cleaved though, footsteps dropped down onto the magically-sprouted forest.
"—"
Tucked away in a hidden spot, sitting within the hollow base of a tree with foliage concealing its entrance, the girl kept her mouth covered. She kept herself huddled into the cramped, claustrophobic space, staying completely silent.
Footsteps arrived nearby; perhaps only a few meters away by how they sounded.
Even though she heard the steps, it wasn't clear by any means; they were trying to be silent. If it wasn't for the fact she stifled her own breaths, the footsteps would've been inaudible.
'It's so quiet…It's hard to tell, but it sounds like there's more than one—just how many?' She thought.
It was difficult to see through the bush that sat directly in front of the tree's cavity, but she could partially make out long, silver hair flowing by as a pair of the quiet footsteps lurked by. In order to completely conceal her presence, she lowered her own mana signature.
STOMP.
–A heavy footstep suddenly slammed down, appearing not far in front of her hiding spot, arriving with a frightening presence.
A yelp nearly escaped her lips before she covered her mouth properly, clenching her own lips almost as if damning herself. She finally saw it: one of the pursuers that had been harassing her.
It was a male with pale, clear skin, thin and lean, but standing abnormally tall with long, silver hair cascading down his frame. A black-and-brown uniform, made out of fine leather was worn by the figure, seeming optimized for flexible movement.
What stood out most of all were the long, sharp ears of the figure, taking the archmage by surprise.
'An elf–?' She realized.
There was something abnormal about the elven man she saw, besides his lean, tall build; he possessed pitch-black sclera, sniffing the air carefully as a clicking sound emitted from his mouth as he scoped the area.
'That sound…What is he doing? Is he trying to find out where I'm hiding?' She questioned, perplexed.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺