LIZETTE’S POV:

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The time past second by second as the cold rhythmic footsteps continued to pound and creak across the old wood floor of this ancient mansion. Almost as if planned, the footsteps confused and frightened Lize, even with her extensive history of near-death escapes.

All right, calm down Lize, you have survived worse, worse… Lize spoke mentally to herself.

However, it was only giving a pep rally to a dying cause.

Like trying to light burnt ashes.

Lize, who was trying to focus on anything other than the fear growing like maggots and the ever-present threat of death, pressed her delicate hand on the wooden wall within the secret compartment where she was hiding.

Cold.

Smooth.

Firm.

She tried to find the three words that would best describe it, A method of calming down. However, with the ever-looming presence of death, she could barely focus on keeping her breathing down let alone find any sense of peace or calm.

Move faster you asshole… Lize cursed to herself. I am going to go insane if you don’t move faster!

But it was no use cursing them, they were trained for this.

See, The Wyvern Brigade was a top-tier insurgency prevention unit. Fully armed with professionally trained soldiers and tier four weapons. Their namesake, the wyverns, were terrifying rank 6 magic beasts, having the bloodline of dragons is truly a broken thing. Trained in suppressive maneuvers and tactical skills, they were a force to be reckoned with. It was almost certain they had gassed the house with a mood changing drug to make the survivors panic and reveal their locations.

They were a terror for all who opposed the crown prince.

When the crown prince ascended to the throne, he came in with an iron fist, sending out his soldiers immediately to crush any who opposed him, even those who slightly disliked him were not spared. In his paranoid fear of his brothers overthrowing him, he had them all assassinated too.

This included the noble family that Lizette was staying with at the time.

They are all dead… Richard and Elaine… Their kids and servants... The Brigade even murdered the four-year-old Gabriela… Lize started to tear up before forcefully forgetting those thoughts. Do not think about it Lize!!! Focus on escaping alive then cry!!! I Can’t die yet…

As she was having an intensely emotional talk with herself, barely staying still under the effects of the mood-altering gas, she heard the footsteps of the Wyvern Brigade member stomp out of the room and into the hallway, moving on to the next room.

Finally!!! Thank the gods!!! Lize nearly screamed in happiness but was able to barely contain it.

As quickly and quietly she pulled up the trap door and jumped inside. Looking around, it was a dark and damp circle shaped tunnel, almost exactly like a miner’s tunnel with the wooden supports and the poorly carved path of stone.

Dashing along it, she came to the exit about a minute later to her great relief.

Peeking out from behind the bush she looked left and right before dashing out, sprinting towards the gardener's shed.

Why the gardener’s shed? Well because her noble family had a secret, randomized teleportation magic formation. Randomized to be untraceable obviously.

While she was dashing across the lawn to the shed, she saw seven wyverns stationed out by the front of the house, alert and ready to catch any who try to escape. Oh shit. She screamed mentally, terrified that they would notice her, and almost as if staged, all the wyverns turn their head and spot Lize.

ROAR!!! The thunderous cry of seven wyverns nearly sent her tumbling as the shock wave from their mighty voices crashed down upon the barren expanse of the lawn. Barely managing to keep her footing she ran faster than she had ever in her life as she sprinted headlong towards the gardener’s shed. But in a moment of extreme unluckiness, she trips and stumbles. As she stumbles, she looks behind her and sees a sight that could scare your soul out of your body. Seven wyverns madly flying towards her from a thousand feet away, closing the distance fast.

1,000…

900…

800…

It was terrifying. Like a rabbit seeing the hounds closing in. Mustering all the strength she could find she sprints the last ten meters and yanks open the rusty door, now the scaly fire-breathing monsters are only 5 hundred feet away. Frantically throwing pots down and pushing away gardening tools she uncovers the dusty portal in the back of the room. Hearing the ever nearing thunderous, ground-shaking wing thrusts getting ever nearer she hurriedly sits on the magical formation and speaks the incantation as she watches from the cracked door the group of wyverns flying closer, closer, closer.

300…

200…

100…

It was right as they were about to crash into the gardener’s shed that a flash of brilliant blue lit up the interior and Lizette disappeared, hoping for the randomized teleport to be anywhere other than this, and she got her wish…

Much to her dismay...