City of Ravens (8)

"Don't move!"

Out of nowhere, a voice shouted as I was climbing up the mound to reach the flower. Behind me, three men wearing camo and pointing their rifles my way. Seeing the blackness in the barrels, my heart slowed down as my mind blanked out.

The three men, wearing camo suits and masks in slow steps approached closer while their guns stayed pointed at my head. "Don't try anything or you will say goodbye to your life. Slowly go down, if you try making a run for the flower we will shoot you." The man in the middle said.

All three men were holding automatic assault rifles, equipped with scopes, grips, and what looked like extended magazines.

"Who are you?" I asked. My voice was trembling slightly, but I was able to hide it with fast speech.

"Don't ask questions. Don't talk at all. Now take that knife of yours and throw it at the ground. Use your index and middle finger." He said, but his eyes were not focused on me, but rather on the flower that was behind me.

"You want the flower? You can take it, I won't risk my life for a worthless plant."

"Worthless? You are either trying to fool me, or you are an idiot. And I think it's the former. Now drop your knife, Orthrus skin, and the body camera."

"The Orthrus skin? So, you guys are just bandits."

"Yes, yes, we are no more than lowly scums of this world, we head it many times. Now, do as we say."

I didn't move.

"Listen, we were following you since the morning. We know where your stash is, we know how strong you are, and we know that we can kill you with just pull of a finger. Don't act brave and give up."

"…"

"Go on. Don't waste time."

Having three barrels pointed at you was an efficient form of persuasion. My soul image is not capable of blocking bullets, and the vest I'm wearing won't even slow down bullets of this caliber. As for dodging… not in a million years.

Reluctantly I took the pelt of my back and threw it on the ground. I then did the same with the knife.

"Good. J, go grab the flower. Don't damage it. L, get the knife and the pelt."

One of the men went up the mound and started to gently dig out the flower. When the other one approached me while aiming at my chest. "Move back," he said while nudging with his weapon.

'Rumble!!!'

When I lifted my foot, the ground shook, and I lost my balance. Falling to the ground, I watched as the bandits started shaking in fear, losing strength in their legs and sliding down to the floor.

A shadow loomed over me as debris fell around me. Warm liquid dripped on my face, filling my eyes dyeing my vision red. Above me, J. that was tasked with grabbing the flower held meters above ground by hands that were each the size of a person. The chest in the right and the legs in the left hand.

The hands holding him were covered in moss, with skin that looked like old tree bark, deprived of any signs of it being alive. When the giant hands moved small debris fell, they moved up to a head with same skin and moss as the hand.

With its mouth wide open it swallowed the body in one gulp. Blood dripping for its hands and flash stuck to its skin, it looked at the other two bandits.

I felt petrified. I knew what this monster was, and I knew how dangerous it is.

Leshy.

I forced my body to move. Grabbing the knife from the ground, I quickly crawled out of his way. Behind me heard gunshots and screaming spreading.

'Thud!'

The lower half of one of the bandits hit the ground beside me. Looking back, I saw the Leshy chewing on the last bandit while looking at me. With my soul image manifested I ran as fast I could.

'Thump, Thump, Thump,' from behind a low sound of footsteps kept coming. No matter how fast I ran or how many turns I made it was coming, closer and closer inching towards me. I wanted to disappear out of this place, as far as I could.

Leshy is a terrifying existence that is on the same level as a Sky Panther. The most significant difference between the two is their defense and attack. Sky Panther is master of attack, a Leshy is master of defense.

While you could kill a Sky Panther with a very high caliber rifle, Leshy won't fall that easily. If it were not slower and had smaller physicals capabilities, then it would be the strongest existence in the hunting grounds.

While it was slow, its stamina was tremendous and could give chase for days. I could continue running for another few hours, but what then? My soul essence will run dry before that, so the problem was even more significant.

'Crack'

A bigger brunch I stepped on broke under my weight when I fell my mind was still focused on running, and I tried to crawl back up and continue to run. But my leg was stuck in the roots of a tree, with all I had I tried to pull it out. The roots were thick, extremely thick.

'Thump, Thump, Thump,' The closer the footsteps became the stronger my heart was beating. I pulled myself closer and one by one I broke the roots with my hands.

'Thump, Thump, Thump,' I was halfway done. Few more and I would be free.

'Thump, Thump…' I pulled my leg out of the roots, and the sound of footsteps stopped. With a shadow looming over me, my heart stopped. Standing above me Leshy was looking down on me.

I tried to move when I felt a hard hit on my back. Crushing me to the ground, my soul image screeched as it cracked under the immense pressure. I was dead.

I could feel life slipping away from my body, the higher I was lifted by the hand the more I felt like giving up. Images of the bandits dying flashed in my mind, the warm blood and their screams. I struggled with all I had, with all the strength I could garnish.

I expanded the soul image maximizing the strength output, tearing the wood like skin, but the Leshy didn't even budge. Getting closer and closer to the wide-open mouth the time slowed down. Everything became still, the falling leaves and the blood colored saliva of the Leshy frozen in place.

The remaining of the soul essence that I had was sucked out of my soul and entered the symbols on my arm. The symbols light up with a black light as energy started to circle around my arm. Black feathers shaped like spearheads appeared and attacked the Leshy. Slashing at its skin and inside of his mouth.

When they slashed at his eyes, he let go of me, covering his face from the feathers slashing it up. I hit the ground, and with no protection of soul image my ribs broke, all the air escaped from my longs and pain filled my body.

I gasped for air while forcing my limbs to move. The pain felt dull, but it jolted my mind to work even harder. With all that was left in me, I run.