Edward continued to run, rushing towards the door marking the exit of the library in a last attempt to throw off the Bloodmaws chasing him. They were right on him, his aura perception enabling him to sense them without having to glance back. It also meant he knew just how close they were to him right now. However, the door was also very close to him and getting closer by the moment, twenty meters... ten meters… The closest Bloodmaw behind him pounced to pin him down, Edward didn’t wait to physically reach the door, he was already close enough. He teleported behind it, the door being barely less than ten meters away. The monster behind him, fell on empty air, where Edward was just a moment before, and continuing on its momentum, crashed against the stone door with a loud thud. The other monsters ended their run the same way, the door shaking continuously from the different impacts.

Edward didn’t wait for the door to fail him, quickly climbing the stairs, he teleported once again, passing the door upstairs. He was back in the refectory with a big rectangular table in the middle of the room. The doors won’t hold them for long, I have to get out of here. The library had been lightened by the red lights, but here, there was no power left, it was pure darkness. Thankfully for Edward, he was still able to perceive his environment thanks to his aura. It may be the right opportunity to lose my chasers. They shouldn’t be able to see me in the dark, and with my aura suppressed, they will have difficulties pinpointing my location. He heard a loud crash coming from below, the Bloodmaws had managed to break the first door already.

Edward didn’t lose another moment and teleported on the table pursuing his run. When our expedition entered the ruins there were some traps made with runes engraved on the wall. Now, that I know that there are bloodthirsty monsters inside, I’m starting to wonder if those runes were more to keep the monster from getting out rather than to keep intruders from getting in. He leaped from the table, and dashed in the corridor, quickly reaching the entrance hall, some light coming in from the outside. It was still the night. I didn’t consider that I would cross those ruins so fast. I thought I would need more time to sneak past the monsters. But they are too numerous and there are not enough hideouts in the ruins, instead, I had to run as fast as possible to escape. And now, it’s still the night outside, shit!

He tumbled into the forest, he had managed to leave the ruins behind him. However, he didn’t stop there continuing to run for a hundred meters, before slowing down. Those monsters have lost sight of me, but that last door won’t stop them. If I continue to run blindly, I risk running into other monsters or to be caught up by the Bloodmaws. I need to hide, they won’t be able to find me with my aura suppressed. He looked around him. There are not enough leaves here to hide on the ground, and it would be a bad idea with monsters running everywhere. They could simply stumble on me by pure chance. He looked at the majestic trees surrounding him. I guess it’s climbing time, but this time I have a cheat.

Edward walked to the closest tree before teleporting upward for ten meters, holding the trunk with his arms and legs. He was strong enough that this task wasn’t especially difficult for him. He did it another time, ending up twenty meters above the ground, hidden by the tree foliage. This would hide him from anything looking in his direction from below him. Teleportation is such a versatile power. It’s not the first time it is saving the day. He looked at the two moons and the set of stars in the sky. Or rather saving the night, I guess. He stayed in this hideout to avoid the Bloodmaws.

He didn’t have to wait for long, he soon heard noises coming from the ruins, the monsters had destroyed the last doors keeping them locked from the outside world, they were now free to roam wherever they wanted. Shit, they are really leaving the ruins to come after me! What have I done once again? He watched and aura monitored what was happening as several groups of Bloodmaws walked under his hiding place without spotting him. At least, my plan is working, they are not able to find me. He waited for some more time, some other Bloodmaws continuing to leave the ruins and roam in the vicinity but less than he had feared. Some even walked back in the ruins’ direction.

Okay, this could have been worst. They didn’t all leave the ruin to chase me. Only the one closest to me should have come outside. If there are only several dozens of them, the amount is still manageable. I planned to kill all of them in the first place. The fact that they are on the outside actually works in my favor. Now I should be able to isolate them and fight them one by one instead of having a whole group at the same time. In the ruins their density was too high, any fight would have attracted other Bloodmaws before I finished the first one. I still have to warn the village however, they won’t like that I just released a new kind of monster in their vicinity.

How should I proceed? They are still Bloodmaws roaming around, and I could meet dark wolves too. Actually, I wonder how they will interact with each other. If they could fight, both sides weakening themselves that would be great, but I doubt it will be that simple. Several Bloodmaws together is not something a simple pack of dark wolves can take head-on. That regal wolf is another story though, it could probably kill a Bloodmaw in a one-on-one. But right now, my priority is to get out of there while avoiding another fight, I don’t want to draw more Bloodmaws out of the ruins.

Edward looked around him, the foliage of the tree was hiding him, but it was also hampering his vision, he was still able to see that other trees were quite nearby. I don’t even have to go back to the ground to escape from there. He let go of the tree trunk to climb on a nearby branch, he was on his knees progressing along the branch. It’s not the coolest position, but it is doing the job. Advancing forward this way, he was soon closer than the ten meters from the next tree. He relied on his power once more, teleporting to the next tree. This way, he was able to move from tree to tree without risking being spotted by the monsters on the forest ground. This was slower than running on the ground but it was a lot safer. Edward was also pretty sure that it was equally faster in the long run because he would avoid potential fights. While he was progressing this way, he heard roars from beasts fighting each other or hunting prey.

It took several hours, the sun beginning to rise, the sky turning to shades of pink and red before he was back on the path crossing the forest. I made it. I cross through those monsters’ infested ruins and came out alive. Edward stopped, chuckling to himself. He had spent almost the whole time in the ruins being chased by a group of monsters that would have quickly turned into a horde, devouring him alive, if he had enabled them to corner him. Even when he finally made it out of the ruins, the Bloodmaws continued to run after him. He had to hide in the trees and didn’t even dare to come back to the ground, scared that he would be forced into a fight and attract more monsters from the ruins.

It was only now that he was back on the path, which was supposed to be somewhat safe, monsters from the forest avoiding that area, that he dared to relax, the tension leaving him. He shook his head to regain his bearing. I’m not out of the woods yet. The most difficult part is done but I shouldn’t relax too much yet. God, I can’t wait to come back to the village. I wouldn’t say no to a hot bath. I need to warn them of the danger too. It’s not like they often go into the forest, but it is best if they stay in the village until I at least clear the surroundings of Bloodmaws.

When the expedition set off, we took two days of walking to reach this point. I don’t want to spend another night in the forest if I can avoid it. We couldn’t go fast with the expedition because we had food and material to carry, and the carriers were only normal people. I’m an awaken now, my body can take much more. It is much more resilient now, even continuous push-ups are not enough to get me tired. I should be able to jog for a long period of time without getting exhausted.

The sun is only rising up, if I want to avoid spending a night in the forest, it means I will have to do the travel in one day, which means going twice as fast as the expedition. A jog is fast enough, I will just need to keep the pace without stopping. I would have to run for something like seven, or eight hours, it seems doable.

Edward started to run, following the path, he even had the leisure to search in his backpack to nibble at a mushroom from time to time. He refrained to use his teleportation, saving it for an eventual ambush. Also, it was more of a marathon than a sprint, he had to be fast, but in the long run. Teleporting a few times wouldn’t necessarily be that effective for a long distance, and he would take the risk to exhaust himself instead.

After running for only twenty minutes, he spotted tracks crossing from the forest through the path. Edward slowed down to examine them. I’m not an expert, but those claw marks remind me a lot of the Bloodmaws. Adrien told me the beasts dislike this path. For whatever reason, it seems it doesn’t apply to Bloodmaws. This is bad, in practice it means the path is too dangerous for anyone below the awaken level. What a mess! I’ll need to come back to kill the Bloodmaws to correct my mistakes. I’m the one who brought them out. I can’t let the situation stay like this. I didn't expect them to go this far either, some must have gone further in the forest while I was hiding in the trees.

The problem will be how to kill the Bloodmaws without more coming out of the ruins. I’ll need to think about that. Maybe I could collapse the entrance or something? But then I won’t be able to go inside. And I know all those books in the library are priceless and could save my life several times over if I manage to learn their knowledge. I will need to find another solution. Edward continued to run, leaving the Bloodmaws tracks behind him. Even after a few hours, he didn’t encounter other tracks. At least they don’t seem to have continued to go farther away from the ruins.