บท 54: No Choice
Though neither Morne nor Geleb could read Earl's thoughts, the latter could tell that something was wrong thanks to the years they had spent together.
But as he limped forward, struggling to continue moving as the roars of the trial's guardians sounded closer and closer, he knew that now wasn't the time to discuss it. There were far more pressing matters to attend to first, one of which was getting out of here alive.
So Earl was left to stew in silence, and the three moved forward at a snail's pace. It took only a few minutes for Geleb to catch his breath, but no matter how hard he tried, his legs refused to cooperate. He had no choice but to continue relying on Earl's assistance, dragging the trio's speed down in the process.
Yet another roar reached their ears, closer than any had been before, and they knew then that running was now pointless.
"Get behind me, boss," Earl said, propping Geleb up on the wall and planting his feet between Geleb and the sound.
Morne stepped in place beside the large man, and the two shared a knowing glance.
Now was when they would determine if they would die here, or live another day.
Neither saw hesitation in the other. If they were to go down, they would do so fighting.
Their gazes turned to the rustling walls, and the monstrous shape emerging from around the corner. But with their eyes trained ahead, there was no one to watch behind them.
A screech assaulted their ears as a giant, leafy monster pounced on Earl from behind and pinned him beneath a massive green paw. Its thorn-like claws dug into Earl's back, shredding the clothes and the flesh beneath into ribbons.
It roared in triumph and bent over, devouring Earl's screaming head in one clean bite before turning to Morne and Geleb.
The beast was huge. It was no wonder the maze shook every time one of them moved. It was a full two heads taller than Morne and shaped like a tiger, with a head of green petals and two red roses for eyes.
Its entire body was made up of leaves and stems, and yet contained within was enough weight to leave deep footprints in the grass. When it roared, Morne could spy a tongue made of pink petals and giant thorns for teeth, dripping with the blood of the deceased Earl.
Though it "looked" at Morne, he could tell that it didn't truly see him. Its rose eyes were just for show. The strange, dark green spots under those eyes and the sharp leaf ears atop its head were a different matter, though. While it lacked sight, it made up for it with excellent smell and hearing.
Even now, those dark green spots pulsed as it tried to smell Morne and Geleb underneath their improvised Gent perfume, and its ears flicked as it detected their breathing, especially Geleb's, which was hitched as he held back sobs.
The noble stared at the remains of Earl in a state of shock.
The only friend he had ever known had been taken from him just like that. Earl didn't even have a chance to fight back.
Geleb suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He knew that besides fear, Earl's last thoughts were filled with anger at him and Morne for ignoring his suggestions. Earl had likely blamed his death on them, and that tore Geleb up inside.
Because it was his fault.
If he weren't so weak, Earl would still be alive. If he wasn't so pathetic, they could have kept running. If he had trained with Earl like the latter had suggested dozens of times over, would his friend have met such a gruesome end?
The second plant beast shouldered its way around the corner, joining the first in "staring" at Morne and Geleb. During the odd stand-off that ensued, the third and final joined, walking in from the other side and cutting off their path of retreat.
The beasts seemed to think for a few seconds, trying to determine if these were the intruders they sought. Yes, they sounded different, but the creatures could smell nothing out of the ordinary except for the blood of the corpse under the first plant beast's paw.
Was that the only one?
Their thoughts were interrupted as Geleb finally failed to hold back his tears, a single choked sob escaping from his lips.
Instantly, the plant beasts' heads snapped toward Geleb, and a low growl came from one of them as they crouched, stalking forward.
"Splinter shot!" Morne shouted.
A yelp came from the third plant beast as dark magic splashed against its face and sharp pain filled its petals.
It clawed at its face frantically, trying to dislodge what it thought was an insect or bird, completely forgetting that neither would be able to harm it under normal circumstances as it sought to stop the pain.
Morne uttered the incantation twice more before the plant beasts could react, and the other two soon shared the pain of the first, yowling and clawing at their faces.
Morne snatched Geleb's wrist and took off. The fresh wave of adrenaline allowed the noble to ignore his aching legs for the moment, and they sprinted at full speed through the maze.
It wasn't long before the plant beasts got over their pain and gave chase, but their large sizes mixed with the narrow paths significantly slowed them.
Still, they knew approximately where each turn was, and frequently used the walls as a way to quickly change their directions, bouncing their shoulders off the grassy barriers and producing the signature rustling that Morne and Geleb had come to associate with them.
It was because of this that Morne knew the creatures were only a stone's throw away from them, and he urged Geleb to go faster.
"I don't – think I can go – on," Geleb gasped. He had already squeezed himself dry during their first flight. The adrenaline he was using now was the last dregs of what he had left, and it was already starting to run out.
Morne didn't respond, not letting go of Geleb's wrist. It wasn't a matter of whether Geleb could go on or not.
They had to keep running.
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