Chapter 388
It was an escape, not just from the battle, but from the war itself, from the squalor and the endless, mindless conflict. He had seen enough carnage to last several lifetimes, and the sight of that swirling vortex offered a tantalizing promise of something... else.
He moved with a surprising agility, weaving through the chaos. Ratmen, driven by their primal instincts, clawed and scrambled past him, oblivious to his change of direction. Their single-minded focus on destruction was his greatest advantage. He was a ghost among them, a shadow slipping through the cracks of their frenzied advance. The remnants of his once-proud armor clinked softly beneath his tattered cloak, a faint counterpoint to the cacophony of war.
He reached the edge of the battlefield, the ground littered with the charred remains of the first wave. The air still crackled with residual energy from the sigil’s detonation. The portal shimmered just beyond, a swirling kaleidoscope of colors that seemed to shift and change with every blink. It was close enough to touch, yet felt impossibly distant, a mirage in the heat of battle.
Suddenly, a guttural shriek pierced the air. A hulking ratman, its muscles bulging with unnatural strength, turned its bloodshot eyes towards Chief, recognizing him. It had been separated from the main horde, perhaps disoriented by the earlier explosion. Now, it spotted Chief, a solitary figure moving away from the fight. A low growl rumbled in its throat, a sound that promised violence.
Chief froze. He was battered, bruised, and exhausted. A direct confrontation with the ratman would be suicidal. He had to think fast. He glanced back at the portal and noticed that most of the portals were closing as civilians were quickly thinning in number, its beckoning light now a desperate lifeline. He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. He couldn’t afford to be caught here.
With a burst of speed he didn’t know he possessed, Chief darted behind a ruined cart, the ratman enraged roar echoing behind him. He scrambled over the wreckage, ignoring the sharp edges that tore at his already damaged armor. The ogre, clumsy but powerful, smashed through the cart with a swipe of its massive claw, sending splinters of wood flying.
Chief sprinted towards the portal, the ratman hot on his heels. He could feel the heat radiating from the swirling vortex, the pull of its otherworldly energy. He was almost there. Just a few more steps. The ogre lunged, its massive hand reaching out to grab him. Chief ducked, narrowly avoiding the grasp, and stumbled forward, throwing himself headfirst into the swirling colors of the portal.
The hulking ratman was about to follow behind when a lighting coursed through its body as it fell down dead.
A mage with a frown on its face looked at where the portal closed, a ratman got away. he could only hope that those on the other end can take care of it.