Hedin and Emilia moved towards the loot house. Hedin stepped forward and ascended up the short flight of stairs. Then, as he stood before the door, about to open it, he turned around to glance at Emilia.
"How do you want to negotiate for the lost item? Should we fight for it?"
"Um... I don't want to fight for it. The one who stole it must have had a reason to as well. If possible, I want everything to be resolved without conflict."
Hedin sighed softly.
"But.. neither you, nor I have any money on us. We can't give anything of monetary value. As for other things, say information - I'd say we're even more starved in that case. Fighting really seems to be the only option." He explained patiently. Then, he stood quiet as he watched Emilia's expression shift from unwillingness to understanding. And then again to doubtful.
He shook his head.
"Well, we'll just have to improvise. Let's see if they return it nicely first."
Turning back, he raised his hand to knock first.
But before he could, as if on cue, his blood chilled and a tremor fell through his body, travelling down his spine. His hair stood on edge and his pupils dilated.
His body, trained through years of danger and life threatening situations recognized a feeling that he was all too familiar with. Pointed bloodlust. Intent to kill. Not long after, as his senses, turned sharper, he found a sharp odour, undoubtedly one of blood assault his senses.
And then, a soft whisper amid the sound of clanking metal.
"Old man Rom..." The voice, soft and barely audible seemed almost pleeding. Another, even softer voice accompanied it. One of gagging and choking.
Hedin's mind instantly cleared up and all hesitation was thrown out of the window. From the moment he had walked up the short flight of stairs, only a couple of heartbeats' worth of time had passed!
Emilia noticed him freeze for the briefest instant and then, stood in bafflement as the man grabbed the handle of his blade and kicked open the door in a single motion!
Bang!
The door opened with a loud bang, scattering flakes of light on the dimly lit interior. The inside was humid and a sweltering heat lingered in the air. The wooden floor seemed a bit damp and the lingering sunlight from the outside hit the floor like brilliant grains of gold.
The world seemed to still as Emilia froze in shock. Hedin wasted no time. His eyes lit up and two miniature suns lit up inside them. The darkness illuminated before his eyes and he took in everything that was going on inside!
At the far end, an old man with a darker skin tone laid gagging on the ground, holding his bloodied neck while a small lady with blonde hair kneeled by his side - tears marring her youthful face. The man seemed gigantic, even by a hunter's standards, but his wounds, two in number - one at the stomach while the other at the neck - took the attention away from his impressive physique.
Hedin's eyes, holding miniature suns darted across the entire loot house, whose interior was pretty sizable.
And then... his eyes fell upon the assailant.
"Hed-" Emilia's words were cut off by a swift gale of wind!
Boom!
The wood beneath Hedin's feet splintered as his figure dashed forward like an arrow released from a bow! His tall figure, as it dashed forward into the dark warehouse, struck forward leaving a gust of wind in it's wake!
The ringing of cold metal rang out, and then -
Clang!
"Oh my~" A sultry voice sounded in the air loot house. Hedin stationed himself partly between the two figures laying on the ground and the door to the loothouse, looking right towards the assailant with his weapon drawn. His eyes were focused and serious while his face lacked the unbothered air that he carried not too long ago.
"Hedin!" Emilia's melodious voice seemed like a disonant note in the tense environment. And as she stepped into the loothouse, her eyes widened. She momentarily observed the injured man at the far end before her eyes turned to the figure that stood opposite Hedin.
It was a woman, breathtakingly beautiful. Her dark black hair cascaded down her shoulders and to her lower back like snakes coiling around their prey and was braided into a long tail that reached her hips. Her eyes were a deep mix of black and purple and angled down towards their edges, giving her a somewhat delicate expression.
Her skin was white, almost pale to the point that Emilia thought she were looking at a reanimated corpse. She seemed to lack any blood in her body, almost like a vampire.
The way she stood in the dark shadows, with her voluptuous body made her seem like the epitome of eroticism. The way her lips curled up, the way she angled herself down and projected her right hip outwards. And her clothing, as if to match the asthetic the woman was going for, was equally provocative and bizarre.
Her outfit consisted of a pair of black elbow-length gloves with purple trimmings at the top, a pair of black high-heel shoes, and a black dress with purple decorations that was both strapless and backless and featured brown tights. The dress, that clung to her body fairly tightly, also had thigh-high slits on either side and an exposed front that flaunted her bellybutton and cleavage. It was the deepest V-neck Emilia had ever seen, and she would have berated her for indecency had she seen the woman in a better scenario.
"Oh? You even have friends?" The woman purred. Her voice was equally as bewitching as her appearance.
Without waiting for another moment, she moved over to the man who was laying on the ground, barely hanging onto life by a thread.
Her eyes momentarily glanced towards Hedin's back.
She kneeled next to the yellow haired girl, the same girl who had stolen from her. Strangely enough, the woman didn't seem to mind and calmly watched her get down to heal the man. Neither Hedin, nor the woman took any chance at starting the confrontation, simply observing each other.
"Old man Rom... please save him..." Emilia heard the small girl next to her. She passed her a small smile, attempting to alleviate her worries as much as possible as she started to heal the man. His neck had been pierced through with a sharp blade, same for his abdomen.
Though, the wound down below seemed to not be as severe; perhaps because his abdomen was covered with a large amount of muscle that seemed to have stopped his intestines from spilling out.
"Don't worry." Emilia spoke, her eyes focused on the wound and the light that now surrounded it. "I'll be sure to save him."
For now, she placed her trust in Hedin. Truth be told, she didn't feel too comfortable with turning her back on a killer. But she trusted Hedin to keep the assailant at bay; at least until she could finish the healing. If that was not possible, she could always have Puck come out - even though it would severely limit the healing process.
While Emilia began to heal him, Hedin turned his head slightly, not daring to take his eyes off the woman. After he confirmed that Emilia was helping the man, he opened his mouth.
"Hey, young lady."
The blonde haired girl twitched at his words. Her red eyes looked at him, still stained with tears.
"Get out of here. This place won't be safe anymore." Hedin spoke with a tone of finality. He turned his eyes - still filled with the miniature suns - towards the woman.
"My? Ignoring me? That hurts my feelings you know~" The woman cooed, her voice slicing through the tense air.
The young girl tensed up, her gaze rapidly darting between Hedin and her.
"But- but old ma-"
"I won't say this again." He spoke, his voice carrying a notable power to it, causing a shift in the air.
Hummmm!
The air rippled with phantom light and his figure shimmered. "Get out of here. I'll deal with this woman..."
The woman in questioned smiled madly.
"Is that so?" Her eyes narrowed, carrying a dangerous glint. "I'll be sure to properly admire your insides... fufufu~ Let us see!"
And then, chaos erupted.
Hedin planted his feet into the ground as the woman dashed into the shadows. The silent wind flashed past her. Her movements were unnatural, almost inhumane - and if not for Hedin being capable of the same, he would have cried out in panic and fear.
A whistle, and the cold winds of death slipped over him.
Clang!
Fwissh!
Hedin deflected the curved blades with his own. The strength behind the blows made him take a few steps back. It felt as if there was the weight of several tons of force behind them!
His eyes instantly narrowed as he reconsidered her threat level.
Her figure dashed from wall to wall, jumping off the support beams and the furniture, using the entire loot house to her advantage.
"Let's see how long you can last up."
At the same time, the young lady with the blonde hair got up from the floor. The wind shifted around her, covering her like a thin armor. And then, she dashed.
Whooosh!
Her small frame easily reached speeds that would be deemed too fast for any normal human, rushing straight at the open door!
Clang!
The sound of metal, and sparks flew. Hedin clutched his sword, barely having deflected a curved blade thrown at the young lady, just before she had escaped to the outside.
Not a second later, his hair stood on edge.
Above!
Hedin's mind screamed at him, urging him to duck. And so he did. A short burst of wind, tinted with killing intent flashed over his body, right where his neck had just been. He propped his blade next to his body -
Clang! Cling!
Two impacts, each made from a separate dagger. The woman landed on the ground before him, her slanting eyes curving upwards in a gleeful manner.
"I was a bit irritated that she got away." She brought the dagger to her face, licking it's sharp edge with her tongue. "But it seems like I found something worth my time. I'll enjoy gutting you to my heart's content! Make sure you don't break too soon though."
"I know your type." Hedin spoke, his words cutting through the darkness. The loot house, until now enveloped in shadow began to light up with a phantom source of light. Particles of light appeared in the air, gleaming and shining, casting eerie and jagged shadows across the wall.
The killer woman's eyes narrowed slightly, before she continued the chat in a sultry tone.
"Oh? That's not a good thing to say to a fine lady, you know~"
"You're the sadistic type." Hedin declared with a tone of finality, not caring of her words. He pointed the tip of the blade towards her, his eyes narrowing in disgust. "You enjoy pushing your beliefs onto those weaker than you. Enjoying the pain you can inflict on others. Your kind makes me sick. Relishing in your make believe bubble of superiority just because you can punch a bit harder or move a bit faster."
His tone carried a certain amount of venom. His muscles tensed up with slight rage.
"You disgust me." He continued. "Throwing away life like it's nothing. That's what you are, right?"
The woman was quiet for a moment. A pregnant silence hung in the loot house and the tension was almost tangible, weighing on Emilia's heart like a small boulder.
She did not why she felt that way. She had never felt such nervousness in terms of combat, at least not since she had faced Melakuera and escaped from the frozen village.
Unconsciously, she turned to look back. There, the woman with the knives stood still, basked in moving shadows due to the lingering lights.
And then, a smirk became apparent on her face.
"That's right." She chuckled. "My name is Elsa Granhiert." She brought the knife to her face, letting the new ambient light reflect off of it.
"People call me the bowel hunter..."
...
"Hedin Haverill." Emilia heard Hedin introduce himself, his tone laced with venom.
Emilia focused back on healing the man below her, scooting over a bit on her knees, positioning herself in such a way that she could partially see the fight as well as heal the injured man.
Elsa chuckled.
She was breathing somewhat heavily as her eyes were riveted to Hedin's towering frame. He was a head taller than her and had a pretty face. Then, her eyes slowly travelled down his frame, resting squarely on his abdomen.
She snickered.
And the battle began.
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(Image Here)
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A/N: Read upto 10 advanced chapters on my patreon.
Link: patreon . c o m/Yesnth Just remove the spaces from between.
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Also, do remember to drop some power stones. It does help a lot as it improves the ranking.
Bonus chapter at 150 stones~
Cheers~