Exile grimaced as he heard the cheers from within the city. This most likely meant that they were prepared for this kind of scenario. 'The sand will disorient our forces, making them easy pickings if they're used to this kind of thing...' Exile felt he knew what game Parthus was up to with this move.
"Harik! Get your men and stay close to me! I'll guide you through this storm!" Exile commanded as he turned to meet the eyes of his own comrades.
Each of them nodded back to signal that they had found different people they could communicate with. The main concern that he now harboured was whether the enemies in the city would chase them or be content with driving them away. He was more inclined to believe the former would turn out to be true.
As one, a tidal wave of bodies surged in the emptiness of the desert as the Skardians split, trying to make a run for it. Arrows continued to rain down, striking them in their exposed backs as they tried to outrun the coming calamity.
Meanwhile, Exile had to slow his pace for the NPCs to keep up. Harik's group was near the rear of the retreat so they were exposed to the most danger. However, under Exile's guidance, they had slung their shields over their backs to protect themselves against the arrows as much as possible.
"Move!" Exile roared as the dull thuds of the shields being struck reached his ears.
Several cries of agony rang out as arrows managed to find their target's legs and arms. Harik's left forearm was pierced as he grit his teeth and continued to run through the pain. Exile frowned as he looked at the injuries and the coming sandstorm. A horn blew from within the city behind them, and the cracked gates slid open.
'Damn! They're going to chase us already?' Exile's eyes widened as the players on the walls jumped off to join the NPCs charging out of the gates. Arrows fired wildly as the enemy was unable to properly aim as they ran after them. A few more of them found their marks before Exile sighed.
'I have to do something. Otherwise, they'll be worn down and unable to escape.' Exile grit his teeth as he glanced at the oncoming sandstorm. He knew he could not beat it with a Miracle of his own so that left him with his other Spells. 'Only Heart of the Hearth will keep them healed for as long as possible. But that will only buy them two minutes and I won't have enough DP to stay another hour.'
Exile cursed as he thought about the hard decision he had to make. At that moment, he locked eyes with Old Un, who was ahead of him with his own group. With a solemn nod of his head, Exile activated Heart of the Hearth.
Harik frowned as he suddenly felt a longing for home well up inside of himself. Memories of sitting around the fire together with his family surfaced in his mind. As he was confused as to why these memories and feelings would surface at this particular time, he felt a strange sensation in his arm.
His eyes went wide as the arrow in his forearm was started to slide all the way through. He could feel the sting of other injuries healing rapidly. Over the next thirty seconds or so of running, the arrow dropped to the sand without leaving a mark behind. It was almost as if he had never been injured at all!
Harik glanced at those around him and noticed that they were in a similar position. Their wounds were gone, and they wore determined expressions as they picked up the pace. Harik's gaze became fervent as he stared at Exile's back. This was their saviour. The God who was doing all that he could to get them out of there alive. At that moment, Harik swore that he would spread Exile's name when he returned to Eraldsfen.
"Harik... My time is running short... Keep going and lead your people to safety. Don't lose sight of that group." Exile pointed ahead to Old Un. "If you follow them you won't get lost. I'll find you when you return to Skardia."
Harik frowned as the memories of his family faded from the forefront of his mind. The effects of Heart of the Hearth had worn off but saved many of them from certain death. Exile suddenly pointed at Harik with his axe, and the latter noticed a golden light appear on his own body.
Exile nodded as the effects of Minor Grace took hold. Providing Harik with a Divine Barrier equal to 20% of his health. He nodded in satisfaction to see that it worked as intended. 'My time is nearly up...' Exile wanted to boost their chances as much as possible, but unfortunately, no suitable option appeared when he used Minor Miracle. All the choices cost more than the 1 DP he now had left.
Exile groaned as he settled for bestowing Minor Grace on the man next to Harik. Now he could only wait for Avatar to wear off. 'I wonder if this will bring any changes in the Divine Realms...' Exile let out a soft grin. A wave of joy was spreading within himself as he remembered what it felt like to be pressured. To no longer stand at the top of a game. Most importantly, the feeling of actually enjoying playing a game and pitting himself against others.
His eyes darted to his comrades amongst the Skardians. 'And I can't forget the feeling of having reliable friends to enjoy it all with...' Exile let out a sigh as the time limit on Avatar ran out...
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