I run with Malvira on my back. I cannot demand anything from her; she is barely holding on to me. She is in a tragic state, which seems almost impossible.
So many hours have passed, and her wounds still have not closed!
I do not have time to think about this, however. A guard rushes out from around the corner. I do not slow down. I strike his head with the club with all my might. The man falls lifeless onto the stone. I spot a sword at his belt.
It is time for a change of weapon!
If I remember correctly, two corridors and one courtyard separate us from the coveted exit.
The uproar grows behind us. I must speed up!
I reach the first crossroad and freeze. The escape route is blocked. Three guards. Worse still, they are shouting to summon more.
"Wait here for me."
I set the pale Malvira down on the ground and lean her against the wall.
I summon the state from the arena. I remove the chains from my own mind and unleash the fury. It is still inside me.
I charge. One of them notices me. Too late. I crash into them with massive momentum. I topple the first one, pulling the second down with me. A lightning-fast thrust pierces the nearest one's throat. I push the blood-choking corpse onto his lying companion.
A hard blow falls on my back. I jump away. A pivot. I parry a mace strike without breaking stride. I bounce off the wall, evading another swing, and instantly close the distance. A fluid slash opens his larynx.
I get to the last one. He thrashes under the weight of his dead comrade. A massive swing severs his head. Too massive. The blade strikes the stone floor and shatters with a ringing crash.
Shouts and the pounding of heavy boots echo from deep within the corridor. A quick glance at the corpses. The mace is too slow and unwieldy. An axe. It will be perfect. I drop to my stomach among the dead, hiding the weapon beneath my body. The floor trembles as more guards rush forward at the sight of the bloody carnage.
I wait. One step, a second. One of them is in range. I spring from the ground. A powerful upward strike with the axe. The jaw falls away from the rest of his face. I do not slow down. I use the weapon's momentum and fluidly transition into a spin. With immense force, I drive the axe up to the hilt into the chest of the second man. It lodges in his ribs. I tear a spear from his hands. Two more are slightly further away. Without hesitation, I hurl the spear. The tip pierces the first one right through.
Right after the throw, I sprint at the last one. He wields a longsword. At full speed, I bend down and grab a heavy stone from the floor. The enemy winds up for a swing. I dive under the blade, close the distance to zero, and smash the stone into his temple with all my might.
The sword slips from his limp fingers. I catch the weapon mid-air and slit his throat. It is over.
A dull pulse pounds in my ears. Thick saliva dribbles from my mouth. My muscles burn with living fire with every movement. There is no time to breathe. I return for Malvira. I heave her onto my back. She is limp. Only the courtyard remains. The final stretch.
I burst into the dark courtyard. Empty. Before us looms a wall of dense forest. Freedom. As I sprint toward the trees, the walls above the exit swarm with guards. The whistle of arrows cuts the air centimeters from my head. I throw myself into a zig-zag run to throw off the archers. A rain of arrowheads mercilessly lashes the sand around us.
Only a few more meters. The wall of trunks grows in my eyes. There it is. With massive momentum, I plunge into the dark thicket.
We have escaped.