It was yet another quiet day in the small town of Lumbworth. Everyone was minding their own daily lives, going on as another common day rolled by. No one had noticed the little beggar sitting around the corner of the only tavern in Lumbworth. The little beggar didn't appear unusual; in fact, he was so ordinary he almost fitted into the background. Lion's Pride. These two words were elegantly carved into the wooden sign that hung high above the door of the tavern. As usual, the tavern was bustling with activity. People are drinking, chatting, eating, gambling, and overall, having a great time. However, this calm day was disturbed by the sudden arrival of them.
They wore black cloaks that concealed their whole body, only showing the lower part of their faces. All you could see was the cruel smile on their lips. Ambassadors of Darkness, they were called. Several gasps sounded from the tavern, as three Ambassadors barged in the front door. Immediately, the chaos in the tavern quarters cleared. It became so quiet that the only sound people heard was the thumping of their heartbeats. Seized by fear, they could only stare at the Ambassadors in horror, not knowing what to do.
There was one certain individual who seemed to be unaffected by the arrival of these phantoms in black. He sat in the furthest corner of the hall, drinking a shot of ale alone. He had fair skin and a very well defined built. A rather handsome fellow. The Ambassadors' sight fell upon this man, and the one in the front gave a smirk, as if he was a predator that just found his prey. With a click of the tongue, the trio of cloaked figures advanced towards the drinking man. People parted when the Ambassadors started walking, giving them a clear path towards the indifferent man. Even as they drew closer and closer, the man seemed to have no intention of moving. The trio stopped in front of the man, and the one in front broke the awkward silence rampaging in the hall of the tavern.
"We have finally found you, Flying Fox." A voice cold as ice resonated through the hall. Although it was not loud, everyone heard his words clearly.
"Perhaps he used chi," Sounds of chattering and whispering arose from the crowd that was silent moments ago. Once again, some livelihood returned to the tavern. The Ambassadors and the man they called Flying Fox did not seem to notice the commotion around them. They remained still, as if they had turned into statues.
"What happened seven years ago, do you remember it?" The cloaked figure in front inquired. Not waiting for a reply, he continued. "We are here to bring retribution. Please do not take this personally." He took a bow while swinging his cloak open. The hood still covered his face, but the rest of the cloak floated upwards, revealing a very well toned body. Then, as fast as lightning, he unsheathed his sword and took a quick jab towards the Flying Fox. Just as the sword-tip was about to taste some fresh blood, Flying Fox suddenly reached out his hand and pinched the blade with his thumb and index finger. The Ambassador found that he could not move his sword, not even a centimeter forward, while being held in place by the Flying Fox.
The other two Ambassadors immediately knew that the situation was not going well for their comrade, and so they also unsheathed their swords, charging towards their opponent. The Flying Fox saw that coming, and released his resistance on the blade while rolling to the side to avoid the oncoming attacks from the other two Ambassadors. Upon regaining control over his weapon, the first Ambassador recovered and started attacking Flying Fox again. Eventually, the trio managed to surround the Fox in a triangular formation.
Knowing that he is in a dire scenario, Fox's thoughts swirled at a very fast speed. He was thinking of ways to escape their triangular formation. A quick thought passed through his mind, and he suddenly grabbed the glass of ale that he was not able to finish. He threw the glass in a swinging motion, aimed towards the Ambassador closest to the exit. The ale flew at the poor victim at a very high speed, and he had no choice but to focus his chi on his hands and pushed out his palm at the projectile. The clash of the two different chi's shattered the glass. Not expecting that the one who threw the glass at him infused his own chi into the motion of throwing, the poor Ambassador received a shower of glass shrapnel. This was what Fox had been waiting for, and he bolted out of the door, exerting chi into every set to maximize his acceleration. The other two unharmed Ambassadors chased after the now escaping Fox, also using chi as they ran.
The Fox ran out of the tavern, and took a right turn, hoping to get into the forest, where he would have many places to hide. Clever as his nickname suggests, Fox could easily conceal himself in any terrain. The forest would be his best bet.
Damn. And I thought I had gotten away from the Blood Circle. - Fox thought as he continued to exert chi in his steps, keeping a decent pace. What he didn't see was the young beggar sitting in the corner, and he stepped on the half broken bowl that was in front of the poor young one. Crack. The sound of breaking ceramic pierced the silence of the day. Most people had hidden in their homes when the Ambassadors of Darkness came, and the town was now virtually deserted. Fox glanced down at the small figure in rags, and was about to apologize when he sensed a blast of chi aimed towards him. Without thinking, he reached out his left hand to grab the object thrown at him. What greeted Fox was an explosion of pain. He quickly pulled his hand in front of his eyes to inspect the wound, and what he found was a small needle probing into his flesh. A small radius of purple-ness surrounded the point of entry, and it was slowly spreading. Poison. The Ambassadors had shot a poison-coated needle at him.
What Fox needed now was a safe place to exert the poison out of his body using chi, but the Ambassadors currently tail him. Ignoring the debilitating pain in his palm, Fox prepared to sprint into the woods, which was just a few hundred meters in front of him. However, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Gazing down, he found the young beggar holding on his sleeve, refusing to release it.
"Let go!" Fox bellowed while swing his arm in a wide motion, trying to shake off the beggar's grip. However, the frail looking figure had an unexpectedly tight grip on his sleeves.
"Not until you pay me back." A rather timid, but determined voice entered Fox's ear. The Fox found himself staring into a pair of eyes filled with fearlessness along with a tinge of vigilance.
A sigh escaped Fox's lips, and he growled: "Here's five silver, go buy one." Pulling out a handful of silver coins, Fox offered way more than the value of a bowl to buy his freedom.
"No. I want a bowl." Stubbornness ran amok in the young one's voice, and he still refused to let go of his iron grip, as if afraid that Fox would disappear the moment he releases his grip. (Which is what would actually happen.)
"Just take the silver and let go."
"No. I want a bowl."
"For crying out loud! Let go!"
"No! I want a bowl!"
"Why you little son of a…" Fox did not get to finish the sentence, for he noticed the Ambassadors were catching up, and the piercing pain in his hand was expanding. Spitting out a curse, Fox grabbed the beggar by the collar and took off, dragging the poor young boy with him. One extra person did weigh down Fox a bit, but it did not affect him as much as the pain from his left hand. The Ambassadors were now gaining up on him slowly, but steadily, all thanks to the poison and the extra person.
If I were in a normal condition, they would never catch me. – But it was no use, for he was not in a normal condition, unless if you consider being poisoned normal. In a matter of moments, the Ambassadors were merely forty meters behind the two. But they had also entered the forest, which presented an abundant source of escape routes. However, Fox's mind was not in its best condition, due to the poison slowly seeping further into his body. His whole hand was turning indigo, and a putrid smell oozed out from the tiny needle wound.
Their pursuers are now barely twenty meters behind, and still gaining on them. A feeling of despair filled Fox's heart- So, this is how I die.
Out of nowhere, a minute voice rang from behind Fox: "Take a right three hundred meters forward and then leap as high as you can." The little beggar that had been silent for the whole time suddenly spoke. The Fox did as he was told and leaped into the air as he made a right turn. Boy, was he glad he did. If he had not listened to the little boy's warning, he would of fell right into a large hole on the ground. The hole had been so perfectly concealed into the ground that if not for knowing to jump first, Fox would have fallen into it.
The Ambassadors, on the other hand, were not as lucky. They plunged into the dark rift in the middle of a bunch of trees. Knowing that before long, they would climb up that hole, Fox didn't have time to appreciate their falling stance. He would need to find a safe place to exert the poison that has now flown into his arm.
"There's a cave nearby, we can hide there." The young beggar spoke with his small, timid voice again.