Erik sprinted through the tunnel. For now, the thaids weren't on his tail, but that wasn't going to last for long.
The heat from the inferno he created lingered behind him, making the air scorching. But it didn't matter since the thaids' behind him were still burning. The problem was there were other tunnels from which they could reach him and the clones.
His attack bought them time, but he knew the bug-like thaids would recover quickly given their huge numbers. It made them unstoppable.
Each step brought him farther from the roaring flames.
He caught up to the others in less than a minute. The group was still running, but their breath was ragged, at least the ones of those that went inside the underground city and just came out of it.
"Master!" A clone said between breaths. "Did it work?"
"Yes," Erik nodded. "But I got two minutes, three at best, so don't stop running."
Erik glanced behind. "The fire will slow them down, but they'll find another way around it."
