~BOOOOOOOOOOM!~
A loud explosion cracked forth, creating a large hole within the great Fortress that stood on the beach. Debris scattered all over the sandy shores, with some even reaching the green forest just up ahead.
Now visible, due to the hole on the walls of the fortress, was the group of Elves.
They were at the very top floor of the Fortress, but that was no problem for them at all. They used Wind Magic to allow them to fall very slowly and freely to the ground beneath them.
As a result, none of them sustained any injury.
Their Elder, Gratiana, was also safely let down thanks to the nature of the Magic Bubble that her body was surrounded by. In the first place, the bubble floated, so it made transportation extremely convenient.
Once the last of the Elves planted her hell on the sandy floor, all eyes fell on Deli once again.
"Huff… what now?"
"Yeah! What should we do now, Deli?"
"Deli, what next step should we take?"
The young Elf was bombarded by questions from the other curious and worried minds around her. She should have known this would happen once she decided to take on the role of leader.
"We leave the barrier! Now that we have created that explosion, I'm sure they will be after us, so we need to move fast!"
All the Elves nodded instantly, trusting Deli completely.
None of them bothered to question the logistics of the strategy. For all they knew, the barrier could knock them back, or even fry them to crisps.
If, indeed, they were prisoners, then it only made sense that their captors wouldn't want them to escape. That made the most sense, and at least one of the Elves should have thought of it.
But these ones weren't critical thinkers or skeptics.
The moment Deli's first plan worked, they were sold that the rest of her strategy—assuming there was one—would possess the same level of success.
They all rushed towards the barrier, as far away from the fortress as possible, and thankfully… they weren't wrong.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})~FSHIII!~
Once again, Deli's plan worked flawlessly well and they found themselves out of the barrier of the enemy.
All forty-eight of the conscious Elves heaved sighs of reliefs as they secured their freedom, happy to be away from the grasps of the beasts who would have done whatever they pleased with them—no remorse whatsoever.
Despite this moment of victory, though, they weren't out of the woods yet.
"What now, Deli?"
"What should we do next?"
"We are returning to the Community, right?"
As they told her this, she took it all in stride and nodded with the signature Elf smile planted on her face.
"Yes! Let's return to the Community! You should all lead the way, though while I trail from behind to watch our backs."
Admiration shone from the faces of the Elves as they hugged their sister for her consideration and sacrifice.
They called her name with love and respect, all of them elated by the prospect of their complete freedom from the hands of the humans, and the judgment that would befall them all once their report was made.
"Come on, everyone! We have to hurr—!"
~RUMBLE!~
The sudden sound of loud footsteps caused all of the Elves to pause where they stood.
~RUMBLE!~
~RUMBLE!~
The sounds intensified, and the powerful tremors began to make the Youngs tremble as well. Terrified expressions clouded their faces as many struggled to get a word out.
However, after several failed attempts, they all did the most sensible thing.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"W-what should we do now… D-Deli?"
"Y-you brought us out here! Show us how to get out!"
"Hurry up!"
"Uwaaaahhhh! Deli, what should I do?"
"I don't want to die!"
Like little kids who were absolutely scared for their lives, their desperate screams pierced the air as they helplessly looked to Deli for salvation.
It was at this moment, however, that the young Elf ran out of ideas.
"I-I don't… know…"
Aghast faces stared at her almost instantly.
All of the Young Ones placed their lives into her hands and she failed them. The resulting effect was her head bowed, unable to look them in the eye after such a blunder.
"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY—?!"
~SNAP!~
Branches snapped within the forests, and twigs were broken into pieces as the seconds elapsed. Greater sounds of tremors pierced the air as well.
Until finally—
"ROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!"
—The feared calamity arrived.
Several Monsters burst out of the forest, all of them massive beyond rational belief.
They resembled massive lizards, with short arms and long, muscular legs. Their tails swayed back and forth, having spikes on them that trailed from the base of their neck, down their spine, up to the very tip of their tail.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Their rough, dry, and scaly bodies made them appear more like mud walls than actual flesh. The terrifying faces they had were reminiscent of Dragons, though with no horns and much more primal maws.
"ROOOOAAAAR!!!" With every powerful roar they made, sticky saliva poured out, spraying on the bodies of the Elves who watched them in absolute terror.
More of the Monsters appeared from the forest—most of them emerging from a far distance. Though, with the way they ran, it would only take some seconds before they eventually caught up to the group.
In such a frightening situation, now stuck between ferocious Monsters and the dwelling place of another kind of horrifying beast, the Elves were confused on what to choose.
But, the moment the Monsters made one final roar and tried to chomp the closest Elf, the Elves instinctively realized the only option they had.
"UWAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
They immediately ran to the same place that they just 'escaped' from.
Their trembling legs moved swiftly and they all proceeded to the haven that would at least protect them from the onslaught of the Monsters who were now chasing them.
Thankfully, the closest Elf to the Monsters was able to avoid being killed at the last second; so she too was running for her dear life.
With all of them now reaching the barrier, hoping to get in and gain protection from the towing creatures that desired to feast on them, the Elves arrived at a shocking discovery.
"Gahh!"
"W-why isn't it letting us in?!"
"No! NO!! NOOOOO!!!!"
They were denied access to safety.
*
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Thanks for reading!
I originally planned a 10 Chapter Mass Release, but so many unexpected incidents happened, and I was only able to manage this.
Apologies to you all. I'll be doing another Mass Release at the start of next Month and also on May 6th. I won't let you down then!
Cheers!
