Chapter 9: The Heroes
The winds blew eerily as the group crouched behind a cluster of rocks, gazing out at the city of Blackwater. Jwhbsrinvfriygrf gestured for silence, his eyes scanning the walls for any signs of guards.
Mask, ever the strategist, examined the layout of of the city, his mind racing with potential entry points. Elf_lover's eyes seemed distant, her thoughts consumed by her past with Ren. Ren himself appeared lost in thought, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the inner turmoil within.
Sword Monarch, meanwhile, adjusted his sword, his pride and narcissism momentarily set aside as he focused on the task at hand.
"Alright… lets go" Jwhbsrinvfriygrf whispered, his rapier already drawn as he led the way, closely followed by Mask, Ren swiftly followed behind, concealing the sound of their footsteps with the aid of his wind attributed skill while the sword monarch brought up the rear, his sword poised for any unexpected threats. The young lady whose cultivation centered around nature and illusions allowed her to easily blend into the shadows.
As the group approached the gate, a pair of guards emerged, chatting idly.
"Yo, that girl was pretty sweet. I haven't had such a good night sleep for a while" The first guard said happily, walking towards a nearby bush.
"What are you doing?" The second guard asked, his companion answered, "Draining the dragon of course"
The second guard scoffed as he added, "I hope you haven't broke her or else you'll face the consequences from the boss for wasting one of the sacrificial la-"
Swish!
He paused mid-speech as a blade knuckle found its way into his throat, blood gush out of his messed up throat, the words forever stuck in his throat and his expression forever frozen in agony.
A white-masked individual swiftly pulled out his bladed knuckled from his neck.
"Why did you stop mid-speech?" The man is finally done draining his dragon and he seemed a little annoyed at his comrade's silence, thus, he swiftly turned to give him an earful but a cold and sharp metal glint is what appeared from the corner of his eyes!
"What the?!" His eyes widened as his Qi circulated fast and he formed a blackish barrier around his right arm which he raised in order to block the attack!
"Die!"
Swoosh!
A silvery light is the last thing he saw before an arm was seen flying freely in the air, a thin line of blood on his throat, he looked at the figure with eyes full of indignation as he struggled to speak, "Who… are-"
"Death" Another dagger plunged into his neck from behind as a beautiful lady appeared, her red lips slightly curled upwards.
"Let's hide the bodies" Jwhbsrinvfriygrf said and immediately went for one of the bodies and hid it behind a messy dark bush.
Ren made himself useful as well and repeated jwhbsrinvfriygrf's actions too, the Sword Monarch stood with folded arms glancing at the corpses with eyes full of disdain.
"Let's get this over with" Ren said, his eyes full of killing intent, after all no human will still maintained a casual and carefree mood after hearing the words of the now deceased bandit.
Talking about human's live and dignity as if they were livestock? Who the hell does that?!
Jwhbsrinvfriygrf nodded and motioned for the group to follow him, leading them deeper into the deserted city's dark shadows.
"Hmm?" Ren turned his head sideways, feeling as if something or someone was watching him.
Their destination, the hideout presumed to be hidden beneath the center of city. Little did they know that the shadows themselves seemed to be watching, whispering warnings of the dangers that lay ahead…
Unfortunately for the group, they were not capable of listening to it.
***
A dark winding stairway led them deeper into the city's underbelly/ the air grew thick with the stench of rot and decay.
"Just what the heck is down there?" Ren muttered, as he strain his eyes to see as far as possible in the darkness, with a wave of his hand, he helped clear the morbid air, but the smell still lingered, a constant reminder of the city's dire circumstances.
"I don't like this," Sword Monarch whispered, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "It feels like a trap"
"Silence" Jwhbsrinvfriygrf hissed, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "We're close."
Mask nodded in agreement, his eyes his gaze scanning the shadows for any signs while Ren had an expressionless face as they descended.
The distant cries of animals outside the city growing fainter, replaced by the distant hum of dark energy and low sobs.
"How sure are you that we haven't being discovered yet?" Sword Monarch asked, his tone full of wariness.
"Don't jinx us" Elf lover said, her voice sweet even though it is but a whisper.
Ren ignored their short exchange, his senses on high alert, so did mask while jwhbsrinvfriygrf gestured for them to stay silent.
Suddenly the stairway opened up into vast underground chamber. The room was filled with bandits, their faces twisted with cruel intents, in another part of the city, a large number of people were on their knees, with sunken lifeless eyes, hands collectively tied by a rope. A glimmer of hope passed through their eyes but it swiftly disappeared like a candle flame that was snuffed out by the passing winds.
"Guess he already did" Mask smiled wryly.
Ren's gaze landed on the farther end of the room, on a raised dais, stood the leader of the bandits.
"Well, well, well," One of them sneered, his voice dripping with malice, at the same time, an aura of the foundation establishment realm erupted. "What do we have here? The little heroes, come to save the day"
Ren grunted as green energy swiftly rose from his body, but before he could act, jwhbsrinvfriygrf has already walk forward.
Standing composed before the imposing bandit's aura, he calmly said, "Indeed, we are here to stop you. You are not summoning anything in this city"
Another powerful aura, even stronger than the last bandit's aura, erupted making each and every one at the scene except for Ren's team leader to shudder.
"Unfortunately, you are too late, 'Hero'," The bandit leader laughed, a cold and mirthless sound. "The ritual is already underway, as for you… you are just in time to join the sacrifice!"
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone