Chương 4: "Nothing He and His Boys Couldn't Handle”

Ch 4 "Nothing He and His Boys Couldn't Handle" The morning mist swirled and danced about the trees, ascending in the budding warmth of the day.

"Hey, kid! Kid! Wake up!" Amber Fang awoke from her peaceful slumber with a startled jolt as a dirty leather boot roughly kicked her awake. She looked up, her eyes wide in terror as she stared up at a mountain of a man. There was nobody near her village that had looked like this! He was wide and tall, big bellied, and had a menacing looking but simple curved sword at his belt with obvious chips and rust. It didn't look any less sharp for all the wear and tear.

The man's shadowed figure looked imposing to the small girl as the morning sun rays came from behind the man. She didn't dare move as her barely awoken mind tried to process the situation she found herself in. Her eyes quickly darted from side to side. There was no little black tiger cub in sight. There didn't seem to be anyone else either. She was still against the same tree and sitting on the same mossy ground she had fallen asleep on. Her bag was still on her body. She was on high alert, but frozen.

It might make things more dangerous if she chose to run.

"Kid, hurry up n' tell me, have ya seen any black cats 'round here?" The gruff man sounded upset. Were they hunting the little tiger? Amber glanced at the ground and saw the trail of blood leading straight to the tree she was at! He couldn't be ordinary if he was hunting a demonic or spiritual beast like the cub. The mother would be a fearsome existence, capable of destroying entire villages within a few breaths.

"Hey kid, answer me! I can see the blood! Tell me whose it is." The man grew impatient with the young girl.

"Wait..." He squinted at the small cloaked figure, her face dark under a large bamboo hat. He smiled an ugly wide smile.

"Yer a girl huh? Take that hat off!" the man laughed eerily.

"Show yer big brother if yer pretty." This was enough for her to move. Amber sprang off the ground from all fours and quickly darted off into the forest. The risk of staying here was greater than staying, she decided.

"This little girl knows something, don't let 'er get away!" The man bellowed, his voice shaking the leaves around him. So he wasn't alone! Just as the thought came, the leaves in front of her separated and a rough looking older man in dirty leathers popped out. He had an equally ugly smile as the first man.

"I see 'er! I see 'er!" He yelled as she quickly changed her path. It wasn't long before two more men came from behind trees and she almost ate soil changing directions. They seemed to be coming from everywhere! Suddenly, she was surrounded with no where to go as 8 men closed in on her, weapons gleaming and rancid smiles alit. Young Fang's head snapped in every direction to no avail. Her only weapon, a small obsidian knife, was in her bag with no time to dig it out.

They stopped a few paces from her, leaving her trapped in a circular formation.

"Now why would ya run from these friendly older brothers?" The mountainous man who had first found her stepped forward, showing his aggressively crooked teeth with upwardly curled lips. His blade remained at his side, clearly unthreatened by the young girl. The men around them were shouting in agreement and laughter.

"I haven't seen the cat you're asking about," Amber's voice wavered slightly, the blood on her cloak becoming illuminated as the sun rose.

"Don't lie to me, girl. We been following that sonnabitch fer days." He crossed his arms.

"We followed that blood right to ya. Now yer going to tell us exactly what happened. How happy ya make us tells us how good we're gonna treat ya." The big ugly man chuckled menacingly.

"The blood is mine," her voice creaked, "I… cut myself gathering herbs yesterday." Amber spoke through her shaky throat. She never had to lie before, and she was severely lacking in confidence.

"We'll have to see for ourselves then if yer lying," he licked his lips with a smile. Amber Fang tensed her muscles, her mind grappling as to either flee or fight. She had never had a sword pointed at her, much less 8 of them! The gleaming metal had its own kind of authority, bringing about several dreadful scenarios. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, she heard more men running towards the encirclement through the woods. She knew there was danger on this path. She knew she had to be strong.

How dangerous and how strong she would have to be demanded an answer with unfortunate speed. The encircled girl took a deep breath through Burning Sun and adjusted her stance, still very tense but methodical. Her mother had told her she could deal with anything if she just stopped and breathed instead of panicking. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Grab 'er!" the mountainous man motioned to two other men, one on either side of her. The two men were upon her, hands reaching for her thin arms to restrain her. A wave of Qi went through her body as her eyes snapped open. Tiger Breaks the Dam! Her elbow connected sharply with the first man's sternum, driving the air from his lungs with a gruesome crack, and a horrendous sound escaped his mouth.

As he doubled over, she spun her body and threw a fierce kick, Raging Tiger, that landed with a second crack, delivering the second man onto his ass. They were only men, she realized. They didn't have Qi! What the hell were they doing hunting a spirit beast, and how did they get past the mother? There was no way ordinary men could even attempt something like that! But there was no time to wonder. Amber Fang was pleased at the effect of pushing Qi with her Blazing Tiger stances.

She still did not want to take her chance with 8 grown men with swords. But she quickly realized that 8 men had turned to 14 men as those who had been searching farther away began to gather around the formation. There were probably even more coming. She might have easily destroyed 2, but how many could she survive coming at her from all sides? She didnt want to find out. Her chances of escape sank into her stomach.

"Two's not enough, eh? Bahaha! Not bad, how 'bout six then?" The large man smiled menacingly as he motioned over to some more men who stepped forward. Amber eyed the gleaming weapons on their belt. Was today the day she would have to face her first sword?

"No knives! We got to find out what she knows about the tiger. She jus' might be some worthwhile merchandise 'erself too." He had realized this girl could use Qi, although she hardly seemed battle tested. Nothing he and his boys couldn't handle, he figured. She must belong to somebody, and therefore she must be worth some money. The 4 chosen men moved over but stopped short of her attack range. No one was the first to approach, having seen the tragic fates of their allies.

Amber coiled her stance with her hands raised. She felt much more confident if they obeyed their boss and weren't using their steel weapons, though it proved difficult to completely release the tension. She was still far from 100% after the punishing gauntlet of the blood baptism, a sleepless night, and running for her life, but after some cultivation and a nap she felt okay enough. The men glared at her, not yet daring to approach as vicious golden eyes studied them.

Their trepidation had built considerably between watching the two men she had already felled still sprawled in pain and the coiled girl waiting to spring into action once again. The tension rose until the big man's voice clapped like thunder, " Move it! Or give up yer share of the hunt." The men looked at each other awkwardly, "Let's get 'er together!" The few precious extra moments had allowed Amber to inhale and regain a bit of Qi through her Burning Sun technique.

She understood that there was no escape from this circle. And if she didn't fight, she would die without knowing what happened to her family. She certainly didn't want to think about what her fate was if she was captured alive. A wave of Qi coursed through her body to her legs as she ran at them, leaping into the first one with a Qi-enforced right knee. Resentful Tiger! She let a war cry loose from her lips as her knee found the sternum it sought and dropped the grown man in a heaving gasp.

His flailing body caused the man behind him to stumble, giving the black haired girl a chance to pivot and deliver a right hook-like strike, Prideful Tiger, barely catching the tip of another's jaw, whipping his head around. She twisted her body quickly to avoid two different blows and a third man landed a bronze knuckle-laden punch that whipped her head backwards. Damn! she thought. Fighting multiple opponents sure wasn't easy. A slight taste of metallic fluid filled her mouth.

Her head snapped straight again, her arms delivering two palms that knocked the wind from two men, then glared at the man who had landed a blow on her. He roared and swung his brass knuckle again. Amber easily ducked under it and spun her body in a full rotation, whipping her leg around. Tiger Hunting Dragon Eggs! The assailer's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the pain between his legs as his floundering body hitting the ground. He lost consciousness too fast to even scream.

"Who's next?" she asked, with a burning glare as the other men hesitated to approach. All of the men watching visibly cringed, some empathetically guarding their pelvis with their hands.

"What a vicious bitch! I nearly felt that one!" The big man laughed. Two of her downed opponents were climbing back to their feet. Amber Fang wasted no time in driving her knee into one's head before he could rise, and kicked the outside of the other's knee, sending them both back to the ground in pain and blood. Two more came and she yelled in fury as she let loose a series of 6 consecutive Blazing Tiger stances rock each man, their bodies shuddering as they dropped to the ground.

They didn't stand a chance now that she had found her rhythm and her Qi was circulating properly. The last of the six men stood with this legs shaking, facing down the brutish girl. He wasn't sure if the shaking came from fear or anger. She beckoned him forward with her outstretched hand.

"You… you won't make a fool of me!" he screamed as he drew a long dagger from his belt and charged forward, howling in anger.

"Ya idiot! I said no knives!" The big man shouted, but his man was already possessed by fear and resentment. Amber's eyes narrowed. Cold steel was coming straight at her! This was a new experience for her. She knew she couldn't freeze, or death would claim her.

"Die!" her assailer screamed, flailing his blade wildly. Even a slight touch could end her life, she thought as she eyed the swinging edge. Her body moved before her mind did. Her hand clenched and magnificent streaks of orange Qi flowed from her finger tips as she swiped upwards. The lines around her eyes darkened and her pupils sharpened into slits momentarily as she felt the Saint Tiger Qi flicker inside of her. Her upwards swipe rended the man's flesh with 4 equal lines running from his waist to his bald head.

The cheap leathers of his jacket split open as blood gushed forth. He cried out before he fell over with a wet thud as he collapsed in his own blood, screaming all the way down. In the moment between life and death she had recreated the Qi claws she had done in the cave! She hadn't dared rely on a technique which she didn't know if she could do a 2nd time, much less in battle. Faced with the possibility of death, her body had moved on it's own. Suddenly the circle of men went quiet.

Not only had she taken on so many men by herself, she had nearly torn the last one apart! They were stunned. Damn… Young Fang thought to herself as she grasped at her stomach. She had misjudged his reach with the knife. It had extended his reach much farther than she thought. Her attacker had sliced her a bit with his flailing cut as he died. The girl stared in shock through her sliced shirt at the angry red line crossing her stomach, and she felt a hot steam of blood beginning to leave her body.