Force Within

Golden Lake Arc: 4 | Twins

ZEKE

It was fortunate that Avi and I pushed each other away, allowing us to evade his leap and whip. We separated, taking cover behind large trees near our respective positions.

"Great instincts, as expected," the man laughed heartily, seemingly enjoying himself.

As I peeked from my hiding place, I noticed he retrieved another steel whip from his waist, now wielding two in his hands. He is dangerous.

In the distance, I spotted Avi behind a distant tree, clutching her daggers in both hands. Our eyes met, and she suddenly shouted, "Leap! His core is Leap!"

My heart pounded as the man changed direction, heading towards Avi. I gripped my spear, unsure of what to do, but I also yelled to redirect his attention.

"Avi, go ahead to our meeting place now! Run!" I shouted loudly, successfully diverting the man's attention towards me. But Avi stayed at her place, refusing to leave.

"No one can escape from me! I can take you both down, even if you're apart!" the whip guy boasted.

I felt nervous as the man seemed to prepare for a leap. My fears came true when he indeed jumped.

"Circling Leap Splash!" he yelled as he soared high, rapidly twirling himself with his two steel whips. The steel whips extended and, with their sharp edges, sliced through nearby large trees until they were stripped bare.

The fallen trees reached our hiding spots, but we swiftly flattened ourselves to the ground, avoiding the sharp whips. I was shocked to see our bag still intact behind us. That was a close call!

I quickly rose and left the bag on the ground. We hadn't been hit, but now our location was exposed due to the man's destructive leap attack.

The man pursued me, his whips lashing furiously. Fortunately, I keep on dodging by weaving among the fallen trees.

"Run, run, you little pest!" he taunted while furiously laughing. This man is indeed scary.

I was consumed by anxiety but allowed my instincts to guide me to stay alive. Although he is chasing me, I prefer to be the target rather than Avi. I try to run and evade, leading the man away from her.

Please, Avi, run. I'm giving you some time.

I continue to dodge and run while holding my unused spear. On the other side, I realized how lucky I was not to have been caught yet. Until I stumbled on a branch that had fallen, and my body crashed to the ground.

"Fool! I got you!" he triumphantly exclaimed.

The man laughed loudly as he prepared to strike me with his whip. In a surprise move, Avi, hidden in the distance, hurled two daggers at the man's back. He yelled in pain and momentarily collapsed, blood oozing from his wounds as he turned to identify his assailant.

While I was grateful for her actions, I felt anxious for her who had intervened. In the dark distance, I saw Avi. She threw her daggers from afar to save me from the man. Her face displayed both concern and fear.

"Please, Avi! Go! Trust me!" I shouted in her direction while the man was still recovering. We need someone to reach the Boards of Captain for help; that is our objective.

Please, Avi, follow my order.

I looked at Avi, and I knew she saw the desperation and determination in my eyes as I urged her to leave. She lowered her head and saw her cry. Eventually, she sprinted away from the forest and away from us.

"That's it, Avi. Thank you," I whispered to myself with relief.

Now, I only had to deal with this man and his whips. To some extent, I had relieved Avi of my worries. Even if I lost my life here, as long as Avi is safe and could help the people escape that force, I would be content.

Not surprisingly, the man is relentless. He saw Avi running away and leaped towards her. Little did he know that Avi's trust had given me the strength and confidence I needed.

I quickly retrieved the spear I had left earlier and hurled it towards the man while he was still midair. With the force of my throw and the spear's trajectory, it pierced through his back and emerged from his abdomen. I hadn't expected my throw to be that accurate, but he fell to the ground, the spear still impaling him.

He cried out in pain, and tears replaced the laughter from earlier. Who's laughing now, huh?

He dropped one of his whips and is struggling on the ground, hampered by the spear lodged in his abdomen.

At that moment, I considered leaving him and escaping, but I realized I had to take his whips to prevent him from harming others and to ensure his quick capture.

While he continues to crawl, I slowly approached him, attempting to ambush him. He turned quickly and lashed out at my leg with one of his whips.

The events unfolded rapidly as I found myself on the ground with blood streaming from my legs. His whips had sliced through my legs and feet with one swift strike. The pain made me scream and cry. I continued to crawl towards him, refusing to give up.

"Please stop! Surrender!" I shouted, hoping he would cease his attack as I inched closer.

"I want to see how long you'll last, you asshole!" he retorted, coughing up blood.

I keep crawling towards him, determined to immobilize him in one place. My legs and feet were wounded, but I had wounded his body as well.

I managed to grab one of his whips on the ground and crawled closer to him. My movement is slow due to the loss of blood and increasing dizziness.

"Stop now! Surrender!" I shouted once more, hoping he would give up. But he refused to give in. I was so close to immobilizing him.

Then, out of nowhere, two tall figures appeared in front of me. I couldn't see their faces as they were turned away from me, facing the man who was planning his escape.

My vision became blurry, but one thing was certain: they were the same height and build, only their hairstyles differed.

I was shocked as the one of the two figures thrust his pitchfork into the man's thigh, while the other drove a quarterstaff into the man's opposite leg.

"You fucking assholes! Who are you?" The man cried out in agony as he lost consciousness. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him finally defeated.

"No more leaping for you," one of the two tall figures said, looking at the unconscious man.

Before I completely lost consciousness, I turned my head to see the two men who had suddenly appeared. I couldn't make out their faces, but I knew they were identical.

"Good job, kid." the other one said.

"Twins?" I whispered just before passing out.

Please be safe, Avi.