Chapter 73: A narrow path to survival

The undead were closing in.

From the rocky outcrop, Kael counted at least thirty creatures pursuing the fleeing students. More were emerging between the trees behind them, their decaying bodies moving with an unnatural persistence. Broken branches and scattered leaves marked the path of their advance.

The students had already lost their formation. Two were supporting an injured classmate between them, while another limped several steps behind. A boy carrying a short spear repeatedly turned to attack the undead, only to retreat whenever they came within striking distance.

They were running out of ground.

Ahead of them, the forest floor sloped toward a rocky depression. Its far side rose sharply, with loose stones covering the incline. Trying to climb it while exhausted would be difficult enough without an undead horde on their heels.

If they continued in that direction, they would be trapped.

Seraphina’s expression tightened. "We have to get them out of there."

Leon studied the approaching horde. "And lead all those undead straight back to the sanctuary?"

"I’m not suggesting we do that."

"Then where do you intend to take them?" Leon asked. "We don’t know how many more creatures are in the forest. If we draw this group toward another concentration, we’ll have even more people to protect."

Seraphina turned toward him. "If we waste time arguing, those students will die before we decide."

"Charging in without a plan could get everyone killed."

Kael was having a headache listening to these two.

"That’s enough," Kael interrupted.

Neither of them looked pleased, but they fell silent.

Kael crouched near the edge of the outcrop and examined the terrain. The fleeing students were approaching a shallow streambed, mostly dry except for a narrow ribbon of muddy water. Its banks were steep enough to slow the undead, but not steep enough to stop them.

The streambed curved around the base of the outcrop before disappearing between two rock formations. Beyond the formations, the ground rose into a stretch of dense woodland.

That was their opportunity.

"Leon, how many of those things can you hold off at once?" Kael asked.

Although Leon openly disliked him, Kael had no other choice but to try to get his help this time.

Leon frowned. He wondered why Kael asked him. But anyway, he replied in all honesty. "A few, if I can keep them from surrounding me. Why?"

"Because I don’t need you to kill the horde. I need you to keep the first few from reaching the students."

Leon was about to disagree, however, when he thought of Seraphina, he chose to remain silent.

Kael pointed toward the narrow gap between the rocks.

"Seraphina, can you cover that passage with ice?"

"How wide is it?"

"About three meters at its narrowest point. The ground beyond it is uneven."

She followed his gesture, studying the passage. Her eyes narrowed as she considered the distance.

"I can freeze the ground and raise an ice barrier, but it won’t hold against that many undead for long."

"It doesn’t have to. We only need enough time to get everyone through."

Leon looked from the passage to the fleeing students.

"You intend to bring them through the gap, then block the undead behind us?"

"Exactly. We draw the creatures into a narrow approach where they can’t surround us. Once the students are through, Seraphina blocks the passage while we retreat through the woods in the opposite direction from the sanctuary."

"And if the undead break through the ice?" Leon asked.

"Then we’ll already be moving."

Kael glanced at the white spider perched on his shoulder.

"Quinn, can you make a web across the streambed?"

"Qiu!"

Quinn’s bluish markings flickered. It raised its front legs, then pointed toward several trees growing beside the rocks.

Kael understood the response.

"Good. Anchor it between those trees. Keep it low, but don’t make it so thick that we can’t cross."

Quinn scuttled down his shoulder and hurried toward the nearest tree.

Seraphina watched it go before turning back to Kael. "What about the students? They won’t know where to run."

"I’ll signal them. You two get into position."

Leon gave him a skeptical look. "You’re planning to direct a group of panicking students while a horde is chasing them?"

"Unless you have a better idea, yes."

Leon held his gaze for a moment, then drew his weapon.

"Fine. But if this goes wrong, I’m dragging you out myself."

"Put that concern toward something useful."

Kael rose and moved along the outcrop, searching for a point where the fleeing students could see him. He found one near a crooked tree whose branches extended over the streambed.

He drew his sword and stepped into view.

"Over here!" He shouted. "Follow the stream! Don’t climb the slope!"

The nearest student looked up.

For a moment, the boy seemed too exhausted to understand the instruction. Then he spotted Kael standing above the streambed and waved frantically toward the others.

"They’re up there! Move toward the rocks!"

The group changed direction.

It was not a clean turn. One student stumbled against another, nearly sending both to the ground. The injured boy they were supporting cried out as they struggled to keep him upright.

Behind them, the undead continued advancing.

Kael dropped from the outcrop onto a lower shelf of rock. The landing jarred his legs, but he absorbed the impact and kept moving.

"Keep your eyes forward!" He called. "The passage is just ahead. Don’t stop until you reach us!"

A girl carrying a wooden staff glanced at the undead behind her. Her face had gone pale, and her breathing came in ragged gasps.

"They won’t stop! We hit them, and they just keep coming!"

"Then stop trying to kill them. Run!"

She hesitated before following the others.

Kael reached the mouth of the passage just as Quinn finished its work. Thick strands of magical silk stretched between the trees, forming a low, nearly transparent barrier across the streambed. The silk glistened faintly in the dim light.

It would not stop the undead by itself. That was never the intention.

It only needed to disrupt their advance.

"Seraphina, now!"

Seraphina stepped forward and swept one hand across the ground.

Frost spread over the muddy streambed. A thin layer of ice formed beneath the students’ feet, extending through the narrow passage. She controlled the spell carefully, leaving the rocky edges exposed so the fleeing students would have something to grip if they slipped.

The first student reached the gap and nearly fell. Kael caught his arm and pulled him upright.

"Keep moving."

The boy stumbled past him.

One after another, the students entered the passage. Leon stood at its outer edge, intercepting the first undead that emerged from the trees. His weapon struck the leading creature across the chest, knocking it sideways into the streambed.

The undead fell, but its limbs continued clawing at the ground.

Leon cursed under his breath and drove his weapon down again.

Another creature lunged toward him. He stepped aside and struck its knee, disrupting its balance before kicking it into the fallen undead behind it.

"How many are there?" He demanded.

"Enough that counting them won’t help!" Kael replied.

Leon shot him an irritated look but kept fighting.

The first undead reached Quinn’s web.

Its legs caught in the strands, and it pitched forward. The creature behind it stumbled over its body, dragging more of the webbing loose as it struggled.

For a few precious seconds, the narrow streambed became a pile of tangled limbs.

Then the others began forcing their way through.

"Seraphina!" Kael called.

"Not yet!"

Three students were still outside the passage. One had fallen, while the others were trying to lift him.

Kael ran toward them.

The nearest undead had already freed itself from the web and was dragging its ruined body across the ice. Its fingers scraped against the ground as it reached for the fallen student.

Kael arrived first.

He cut diagonally across its neck, but the blade met resistance. The strike opened a deep wound without severing the head.

The undead continued reaching.

Kael adjusted his grip and moved closer, turning his wrists as he drove the sword through the base of its skull.

This time, the creature collapsed.

The student looked stupefied and wondered how Kael managed to defeat it. Their attacks didn’t even deal substantial damage to it. And yet, Kael easily defeated it.

He pulled the blade free and grabbed the fallen student’s arm.

"Can you stand?"

The student awakened from daze, "M-My ankle..." he gasped.

"Stop trying to use it for now."

Kael hooked the boy’s arm over his shoulder and hauled him upright. The student’s weight dragged against him, but Kael braced his legs and pulled him toward the passage.

A second undead came around the fallen creature.

Kael turned to meet it.

He could not afford a prolonged fight. Every second spent here gave the others more time to surround them.

He drew a controlled breath, following the familiar rhythm of the Four-Two-Six Breathing Technique. His mana circulated through his body in an uneven current, still far from the precision he wanted.

Instead of forcing it through his entire sword, he concentrated on guiding a small amount toward his hands.

The sensation was subtle at first, like pressure gathering beneath his skin.

Then the mana reached his grip.

His sword felt lighter.

Kael stepped forward and struck the undead across the neck. This time, the blade passed through the decayed tissue more cleanly, cutting deeply enough to bring the creature down.

He felt the mana scatter almost immediately.

So that was the difference.

He had not merely strengthened his muscles. He had guided mana through the movement itself, reducing the resistance between his intention and the blade.

The result was far from perfect, but it was useful.

He could work on the refinement later.

Right now, he has people to rescue.

"Move!" He ordered.

The injured boy stumbled into the passage with Kael supporting him. The other students followed, dragging their fallen companion between them.

The last student crossed just as the undead broke through the remaining strands of Quinn’s web.

Seraphina raised both hands.

Ice surged from the ground, climbing over the narrow passage in a jagged wall. The barrier was uneven, with thick sections near the base and thinner ridges above. It was not designed to withstand a sustained assault. Its purpose was to force the undead to break through one at a time.

The first creature slammed into it.

Cracks spread across the ice.

"Everyone, keep moving!" Seraphina shouted.

Kael released the injured boy to the students who had come to collect him, then turned toward the barrier.

"Leon, fall back!"

Leon delivered one final strike to an undead that had slipped around the edge of the ice wall before retreating into the passage.

A second impact shook the barrier.

The cracks widened.

"That’s our cue," Kael said.

He led the group through the rocky gap and into the woodland beyond. Seraphina remained at the rear, watching the barrier until everyone had cleared the passage.

When the third impact struck, the ice wall collapsed.

The undead poured through.

Seraphina retreated at once.

"Don’t head south!" Kael called. "That leads back toward the sanctuary. Follow me!"

He guided the students between the trees, moving northeast along the slope. The route was not the fastest way back, but speed was less important than preventing the horde from discovering the sanctuary.

The undead pursued them for several minutes.

Then the terrain began to work in their favor. The trees grew closer together, and the ground became uneven with exposed roots and scattered boulders. The undead could continue forward, but they could no longer move as a single mass.

Kael led the group around a large rock formation before signaling everyone to stop behind a cluster of trees.

"Quiet," he whispered.

The students obeyed, their faces tense as the sounds of pursuit approached.

A few undead wandered past the opening between the trees. One stopped and turned its head toward them, its clouded eyes searching without recognition. After several seconds, it continued following the trail left by the fleeing students.

The others moved after it.

Kael waited until the sounds had faded before relaxing his grip on his sword.

They had escaped the horde, but the danger had not disappeared. The undead were still in the forest, and they had left a clear trail behind them.

A young man with a bloodied sleeve sank against a tree. "Are they gone?"

"For now," Kael answered. "Don’t mistake that for safety."

The boy lowered his head.

"We thought we could handle a few of them. They were slow at first, so we kept fighting. Then more came out of the trees."

"How many of you were there originally?" Seraphina asked as she approached.

"Eleven. We lost two when they surrounded us near the abandoned building. Another three went missing when our formation broke." He swallowed. "I don’t know if they made it."

Seraphina’s expression softened, but she did not offer empty reassurance.

"We’ll search for them once we have enough people and a safe route. For now, I need you to tell us exactly where you encountered the undead."

The student nodded.

Leon walked over, wiping his weapon against a patch of grass. "We rescued them, but the horde is still moving freely. If it finds another group, we’ll be back where we started."

"Not quite," Kael said.

Leon looked at him.

"We now know the undead can be delayed by narrow terrain, and their numbers are less dangerous when they can’t surround us. We also know the sanctuary isn’t the only place where we can create a temporary defensive position."

"That doesn’t solve the problem of the ritual," Leon replied.

"No, but it gives us more options."

Kael looked toward the forest where the undead had disappeared. The crimson light filtering through the canopy made the trees appear darker than they were.

They could not keep rescuing students one group at a time. Eventually, they would run out of time, strength, or luck.

They needed to understand how the undead were being controlled, where they were coming from, and what the people behind the crimson barrier intended to accomplish.

But before he could investigate any of that, he needed to make sure the students he had just rescued could survive the next hour.

"Seraphina, check the injured. Leon, help me establish a perimeter. Quinn, stay alert and watch the surrounding trees."

"Qiu!"

The white spider climbed back onto Kael’s shoulder, its bluish markings glowing faintly.

As Kael moved to examine the nearest approach, he noticed the unfamiliar sensation lingering in his hands. His mana had already settled, but he could still recall the moment when it had flowed into his sword without being forced.

He had spent too long treating mana as something to cultivate before he could use it properly.

That was a mistake.

Cultivation and practical application did not have to be separate stages. If he could learn to guide mana through his movements while fighting, he could improve his combat ability without waiting for a dramatic increase in his reserves.

The breakthrough was small, and repeating it consistently would take practice. Still, it gave him a clear direction for his next stage of training.

Kael glanced at the injured students gathering beneath the trees.

First, he would get them back to the sanctuary without leading the horde there.

Then he would find the source of the undead.

And whoever was responsible for trapping them inside the forest would have to deal with him.