In just a few heartbeats, Jules and Ryan came up with a rough plan.
For some parts of it, they knew they had to wing it.
Standing behind a tree, Jules waited for the right moment as Cid, battling fifteen opponents, unleashed a powerful attack.
And when the moment came, the plan was set into motion.
Jules quickly drew mana from his core, straining his circuits as he fueled a bomb and enhanced his body.
Next, he threw a mana bomb, fully charged, towards the sky. A loud explosion was released in succession with Cid's heavy attack, setting some trees on fire.
Ignoring his surroundings, Ryan took some damage as he retreated a few steps from the three attacking him.
Reacting quickly, Jules threw another slightly charged bomb at them, but they managed to block most of the damage with a barrier two of them had cast.
Four out of five bombs had been used up.
These explosions provided enough time for Ryan to dash toward Jules.
Dipping his hand into his bag again, Jules brought out two potions, one green and the other red.
"Don't stop moving," Ryan instructed, ignoring the pains he felt all over.
Following him, Jules identified Ryan's injuries.
Three knives were lodged in different parts of Ryan's body, his fair skin revealing veins darkening at a concerning pace.
There were also cuts of varying sizes leaving a trail of blood as they ran.
Jules couldn't help but wonder how this man was still moving.
Previously, Jules had small cuts on him too, but he had incurred worse in his past life, making him used to this pain; Mana was also in play.
By now, he had consumed a low ranked potion to heal.
After pulling out the three swords, Jules threw the green potion to Ryan.
The potion Jules's loving mother had gotten him almost perfectly healed the injuries while reducing the poison's effects.
The red potion followed, recovering Ryan's already large core's mana.
As they ran, they dodged incoming magic attacks, using the thickening forest for cover.
They kept on running in between trees for a while, noticing their chasers had increased to five.
From here on out, they had no real plan.
"Fuck," Ryan cursed, the darkened veins becoming evident again.
Jules spared him a glance, before biting his lip and taking a huge turn to the left.
Ryan, forced to follow, asked with unhidden malice.
"Where are you going?"
Jules lingered, then shared his intentions as he kept his gaze forward.
"What does it look like? I'm trying to survive! I'm escaping this place!"
"Going closer to the North can lead us to a squad!" Ryan shouted in annoyance.
"What's even the point? What if there's enemy backup waiting for us?!"
Upon Jules's statement, Ryan's dark eyes grew darker with hatred.
"Bastard, you're the heir of the clan, as long as you exist, wherever you are, you remain a threat to them! There are still some people that can protect you within the clan. Cid has put his life on the line for you to survive!"
"I don't care what you say," Jules retorted naturally as though he was the original. "Here, my death is being planned! If leaving this clan reveals an inkling of survival. Then I'll do that!"
Ryan's attitude shifted as he let out everything he had bottled up over the past few days.
"Survive? Is that what you call this? You're just running with your tail between your legs!
"People like Cid, like me—we've fought, bled, suffered, all to live a better life! To have something worth fighting for!"
"I came here, risked my life, just to make my parents smile!
"But you? You have everything. A clan, a position, resources—yet you throw it all away just so you can cower in the shadows?!
"If you had faced your fears instead of running, none of this would be happening! The clan wouldn't be struggling to find someone to rely on!
"You're not living. You're just waiting to die. You're fading!"
A part of Jules faltered as he listened to Ryan.
He could tell Ryan was mostly talking about the original Jules, but the words dug deeper than they should have.
After all, his true intentions were to survive, escape the clan's issues, and find somewhere safe to stay beyond this land.
But that was exactly it–running.
If he ran from something as small as the clan's struggles, what would he do when the real dangers came? When the world began to descend into true chaos?
Running would not only strip him of the chance to grow stronger faster, but it would also leave him vulnerable to the unknown chain reactions of major events.
After years of isolation in his previous world, Jules was excited at the idea of living before he was brought to this world.
Did he just revert to the state he so much despised?
'Am I this much of a scaredy-cat?'
His steps slowed. The battle, the trees, the distant shouts–everything blurred as the weight of his choices crashed down on him.
Alas, he didn't have much time to wallow.
"Blegh!"
Jules heard a gagging from behind him, turning to look at Ryan who was on his knees, his skin pale as it covered a web of darkened veins underneath it.
Jules didn't even have time to process anything, a flicker of mana flashing in the corner of his eyes.
He felt an indescribable pain as an arrow buried itself deep in his shoulder.
"Arghh!" He let out, almost crumbling to the floor.
"Young...mast...er..."
Jules spared a glance to see Ryan calling out to him.
Jules's breath hitched as he fully took in Ryan's state.
Ryan was crying black tears with multiple arrows shot into his back, blood forming a pool beneath him.
'I was this consumed in my thoughts?'
Jules reached for a potion with his uninjured hand, but before he could uncork it, an arrow shattered the vial mid-air.
The last potion... gone.
Jules's face twisted into a frown as he watched Ryan slowly get back on his feet, gloom shadowing his expression.
"You... need to survive. R-Run…" Ryan gasped, legs trembling beneath him.
Before Jules could think of his next course of action, he heard a voice.
"Dumbasses! Why did you even stop in the first place?"
Attracting their attention was Joel's mocking voice.
Joel walked at a moderate pace from the direction of the battlefield, parts of his clothes burned and patches of his skin darkened like charcoal.
One hand was at his back while the other was raised, instructing the other four that surrounded to halt.
Jules stared at Joel bitterly, casting five Water Bullet spells and firing them at him.
Joel used a barrier to block, but it shattered under Jules's spell, causing him to tilt his head a bit to avoid.
"Young master, isn't it your nature to cower in fear?" Joel smirked, his eyes gleaming as he added, "Could you make things a little easier and just do that?
"I had to leave the concluding show with the Ol' Captain to catch up to you!"
Jules gritted his teeth, his fingers almost digging into his palm.
"I know you like running, but please don't do that. I might actually kill you."
Joel followed that with a hand gesture, causing the others to move.