NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3 - 3 Sneak Attack
Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Sneak Attack
The man took a closer step again;
"But the time for talk is over. I really must say, I haven't enjoyed a hunt like this in a while! You had us running circles around each other these past few days."
He rubbed his palm together enthusiasically;
"It was fun while it lasted, and I sure am glad that my---"
He corrected himself;
". . 'OUR' efforts haven't been in vain!"
The girl's fidgeting started to become more and more urgent, like she was going to try to make a break for for it.
And sure enough, in one swift motion, her body weight shifted from her tendons to the balls of the sole of her feet and she sprang forward like an alley cat, towards a small opening in the left flank, hoping to take one gutsy move at freedom.
"HA!" The powerful man sidestepped with an equally dazzling speed, blocking her path like an immovable mountain;
"You Succubus might be pretty, but you certainly aren't very bright!" he jeered leefully; "Don't be foolish, there's no way in hell we're going to let such a handsome reward slip out of our hands, especially not after sucessfully hunting you down. . ."
"Boss!" One of the minions was speaking now; "Can we bind her up now?"
For all his good intentions, he ended up catching a fist in the face;
"Don't ever interrupt me again you punk!"
From the height he was, Nexus watched the drama unfold methodically. Here was a Succubus, cornered by men who were clearly bounty hunters! It was not looking good for the girl at all!
The system chose that exact moment to issue a mission;
[NEXUS K. VADER, YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, IS TO INTERVENE IN THE SITUATION BELOW.]
[PROTECT AND RESCUE THE TRAPPED GIRL FROM THE BOUNTY HUNTERS.]
[FREE REIGN ON WHATEVER METHOD YOU CHOOSE IS GRANTED.]
[LICENSE TO MAKE USE OF VIOLENCE IS APPROVED.]
[SAVE THE SUCCUBUS IN UNDER FIVE MINUTES.]
[PROCEED.]
The Cultivation System's mission prompt came in a little bit late.
Way before now, Nexus had already made up his mind to save the girl from these unseemly characters- with or without the System's permission. As much as Nexus loved to justify his reasons for wanting to step in, deep down, he knew this was not one hundred percent about some moral quandry.
Nexus' muscles tensed, and a surge of andrenaline surged through him as he immediately swung into action. Thanks to the timeline, dawn was just a short while away. So, the limited visibility afforded him some kind of advantage.
Like some veteran Olympian, he swung from his tree branch onto a much lower branch, landing on the balls of his feet without as much as a sound slipping up.
From that height, Nexus hovered above the group like a guardian angel, taking full scope of the environment, and plotting his descent on the group.
The broad canopy-like layout of the trees gave him the perfect cover. He tensed, and then leapt a few more feet in the air, landing on a much sturdier branch, which brought him closer to the action.
His jungle-adapted ears stayed at alert, waiting for any sound at all that would prompt him to bear down on them before they could realize what was happening.
Below him, the band of hunters remained oblivious to the imminent threat that was dangerously looming over them like a bird of prey. They had let their guard down, thinking the worst part of the hunt was over.
"Damn it this such a drag," one of them complained; "What's so special about her that she needs to be captured alive?"
"Yeah," another chorused; "We already lost days tracking her down, now we gotta to carry her all the way back as well? Can't we just kill her already and take her ring or something?"
"You fools!" the leader barked: "If you kill her, what's to say some other hunter won't come along and claim her as his kill? Bind her and stop bitchin' like a bunch of sissies."
As the ignorant group fumbled about looking for the ropes to bind the girl. Nexus continued to peep from above with the shadows of the broad tree leaves covering him.
He timed his jump properly.
The group of eight had broken formation. Four, including the boss, stood before the girl like stoic mnacing pillars. While the rest bumbled around, looking for ropes. A soft, almost unnoticeable whistling sound followed as Nexus dropped from on high.
His black invasive form landed behind the man that was the furthest from the group. Nexus' dagger slashed at his throat, silencing him before he could even make a sound. Before the first body dropped, Nexus sidestepped brilliantly, and punctured several quick holes in the bodies of the other three.
With several heavy thuds, the men dropped to ground like logs of wood.
This invoked the attention of the remaining four. One called out in apprehension;
"Ivan! Helsing! What was that?!"
Nexus, still maneuvering from the shadows, took advantage of the chaos, and silently crept his way around the group. The men, obviously aware that something was wrong, turned their backs on the girl, to face the unknown danger behind them.
Nexus, having planted the seeds of chaos, took advantage of the disruption, and stole behind their backs. He grabbed the girl from behind, placing his palm on her mouth to keep her from screaming, and stole off in the opposite direction.
As he frantically tore through the woods with the girl in his arms, he observed that the girl had been weakened. She could not resist his powerful grip.
Meanwhile, by the time the leader saw his men bloodied on the ground, it dawned on him that this was but a distraction. He turned back, only to see that the girl was gone! His eyes flashed dangerously as raw, dangerous indignation filled him.
"SHIT!!" He swore; "FUCCKKK!!"
He stamped his feet so hard on the ground, he stubbed his own toe;
"Whoever you are-" he roared into the forest; "I'm gonna get you- you sleazy motherfucker! BETTER RUN!!! RUN I TELL YA!"
The leader was boiling at this point. He was like a enraged rhino that had been stripped of his prize.
He could not believe it!
"Er, boss, what do we do?"
He turned his anger on the man;
"What kind of dumb question is that? You wanna tuck yer tail between yer legs and go back home? Is that what you want?! Of course we're going after the Succubus! Get back to base, and get the others, we're going after her and the thief who dared to steal our prize!"
The man bolted off at once, leaving the boss pacing about and stewing in his anger.
He had good reason to be angry. For three full days and nights, he had been on the road with his men, tracking down the succubus! She had given them the slip a couple of times. However, because she never slowed down to sleep or eat, she ended up burning the candle from both ends.
The leader knew she would be weak to the point of exhaustion. So, whoever had stolen her would have to shoulder her weight as she would be in no position to flee. All he had to do was wait for reinforcements.
Two and a half hours later, with the early morning sun in full splendor, the leader charged through the forest at the head of two dozen very riled up men. The faces twisted in mask of vengeful fury, they rode their horses like a band of mad men, tracking the thief and their prized succubus.
Just as the leader had anticipated, they caught up within a very short time.
The horsemen noisily reined up before Nexus, and the succubus on his back, and surrounded them.
With a satisfied smirk on his face, the leader dismounted from his horse, all then while wearing a broad smile on his face.
"Ah, you're young ain't ya!" He said patronizingly;
"I should have known. Only a youth would do something as careless and as stupid as stealing a hunter's bounty."
He continued his monologue in a very condescending tone;
"Son," he pointed to the girl on his shoulders; "That succubus belongs to me. Didn't your mother teach you it's very unethical?"
A scornful smile streaked across his face; "Or perhaps I should meet your mother and teach her a thing or two."