Chương 7: "Gutless Rats Get Slaughtered”

Ch 7 "Gutless Rats Get Slaughtered" The news that she had brought trouble to Misty Hollow village made her feel nauseous. If she just let it happen, wouldn't she be the demon that the people of Green Wood accused her of? Amber leapt out of bed, ignoring the burning protest from her abdomen. Her flesh had begun to fuse over the days of care and cultivation, but she was not yet recovered. She quickly grabbed her bag out of the corner in one hand and her cloak in the other and ran to the front room.

"Child! What in Heaven's might are you doin' up?" Old Daisy stood up with the urgency of a caring mother.

"I heard you two talking and…." the words became caught in her throat, sudden emotion welling in her chest as she thought of her kind caretakers and the danger that she had brought upon them.

"Hush now, children are meant to be protected. Go back and lie down!"

"Now Daisy, maybe he should-" Old Coi started to speak, but Old Daisy shut him up with a glare. There was a sudden rapturous knocking at the door that jolted all three heads in the room towards the shut wooden entrance.

"Open up! We know the girl's in there!" More loud knocks came as the trio stood frozen. They had found her fast. Too fast. Her mother had always told her, words spread faster than fire.

"Go back child! Let Old Daisy talk to them!" The woman said with so much resolve you would think she had some hidden reservoir of power.

"We're out of time." Amber knew the situation was hopeless. She felt foolish thinking she would find out what happened to her family, and that she would find peace for them. She couldn't even protect the two people who had taken in a stranger with the air of trouble thick around her. She reached into her bag and pulled out two items, the white jade bottle, and a gleaming obsidian knife. Old Daisy's eyes went wide at the sight.

She quickly ran in front of the door to block her young guest, "Now I don't know what kind of life you've been livin', but you leave this to the adults!" Amber knew even if she was perfectly healthy she still wouldn't be ready for another drop of Saint Tiger blood. Much less in her body's ragged, recovering state. But there was no more time. Death was knocking no matter what she did. She uncorked the bottle and let a burning drop roll onto her tongue, scorching her throat all the way down.

Her eyes went wide and her pupils became slits. The uncontrollable heat bubbled up from her belly and drenched her body in sweat. It rapidly dissolved off of her burning flesh, giving the girl a steaming aura. Old Daisy and Old Coi shrank in fear as they could not comprehend the sight of what the helpless little girl they took in had become.

"Move!" Amber snarled with an imposing air, her head snapping forward with golden eyes dilating into slits. Her emotions could only be fury with the raging Saint Tiger Qi racking her body in tumultuous waves.

"Last chance or we're breakin' this door down!" The threat rang loud from outside.

"But- " Old Daisy was cut short as her husband, frantic with worry snatched her out of the way. Laughter rang from outside the entrance, "Guess it's the hard way!" The man on the outside took a step back, ready to charge the door. He didn't get the chance to as the door burst forward with shattered hinges and crashed down on top of him with great momentum and force! The man yelled as he was crushed under the door, blood seeping out in all directions as Amber Fang stood on top of the now pile of scrap wood.

Barefoot, in only a short hemp gown, she was a fierce sight to behold as her wavy black hair flowed in the cold wind. Ripples of orange Qi streamed into the sky, distorting the air around her. Her teeth were bared like a Tiger, strong black lines framing her amber colored glowing eyes. Sweat was pouring down her face.

There were three other men frozen in shock around her as she quickly dug into the one on her right's belly with her obsidian knife, leaving a terrible flow of blood as the man collapsed to the ground clenching his guts and screaming in horror. Her left hand formed a claw shape and drug it across the man in front of her, slashing him with long gouges of jagged cruel orange Qi from waist to face, leaving him screaming and collapsing in blood. The man on her left quickly turned to run.

His survival instincts screamed at him not to let this wild demonic girl close!

"Boss!" He shouted, tears in his eyes as he ran towards the big man behind him. With the sickening sound of cold metal, The man's large boss cut him down.

"Gutless rats get slaughtered!" He barked. It was the large man, Wild Hog, who had hunted Amber and the little tiger! His appearance was a bit different, the big ugly man now he had 4 fresh scars still red and mean across his face. One eye was closed, either injured or lost. His face was dark and scowling.

"So you've come to show respect to your mother," Amber Fang growled as her black hair swayed.

"Bitch!" He shouted, "Tell me where the tiger is and I won't take too much time cuttin' ya to death!" His men around him were clearly not as resolved, but they were more numerous than before. He had gathered his cronies, but even they had heard of the frightening scene that had taken place in the forest. They were here for an easy job, only rallied together with the promise of lucrative profits from a baby spirit beast.

They weren't like their boss, a normal man with an incredible innate constitution that could rival cultivators. This time, weapons were drawn and all pointed in her direction with a menacing gleam.

"I- I thought she was nearly dead!" One of the men shouted.

"B-b-boss, you said this would be easy!" Another shouted. A rain of complaints was silenced by the large man's thunderous voice.

"Shut it ya cowards! Anyone brave enough to fight, ya'll get a bigger share of the Tiger's rewards! The rest of ya good fer nothins, set fire to the village! Show them what happens when ya fuck with Wild Hog!" The large man shouted, thrusting his sword in the air. Amber's eyes shook with fury, sweat streaming down her forehead.

"Don't you dare!"

"Bwahahaha or what? Yer not fooling anyone!" He bellowed, "She's on death's door, get 'er!" 6 of the braver men stepped up with drawn blades.

"Just a little girl! We're not men if we can't kill her!" One shouted. The rest shouted in agreement as they ran towards her. There was no room for fear. That hadn't stopped the anxiety in her last time, but now she was too full of boiling Saint Tiger Qi to feel anything but fury as it threatened to tear her apart from the inside. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Her limbs felt like they might blow off at any time.

To control the Saint Tiger Qi flow in the past she had to run through her stances in order to guide and direct it, to meld with it and strengthen her body. She had no time for that now, nor the mind to focus on technique. The 6 men were moving in with drawn wicked swords of differing origins, and they were moving fast. As Amber's mental state become overwhelmed by the Saint Tiger Qi's rage, one thought rose to the top: Kill!

She leapt to the side on instinct to avoid being surrounded and control the number of men that could approach her at a time. Amber swayed as the first sword strike came down upon her, just missing her by millimeters as she struck out in a stab towards his face with the brilliantly shining black knife. She barely had experience with fighting, much less killing, and her knife lunged with fury rather than precision.

The dark blade of her dagger plunged into the man's cheek meat, and she slashed it from inside his mouth out to the other side, leaving his jaw hanging open by mere threads of flesh! He screamed in horror as best he could with his non functional jaw while two other men ran around him, swords coming at her from both sides at different angles. She moved swiftly, dodging both swords and kicking one man behind her as she stabbed the man on the opposite side in the gut.

Her blade caught and slid off of his leather and chain armor with a shower of angry sparks. The other man recovered from his missed swing and swung it back around but failed to sever the girl's neck as she quickly crouched down like a coiled tiger.

"Watch it ya bastard!" A fourth man yelled as he had almost ate the blade meant for Amber. Amber sprang upward with explosive force, ignoring her body's pain, and sliced skyward with Tiger Claws. Streaks of savage yet majestic orange Qi ravaged the man's armor and flesh underneath but missed his face as he threw his head back to narrowly avoid a critical wound. She took a leap backward to avoid being encircled.

Agony radiated not only from her straining wound but the Saint Tiger Qi rampaging inside her without guidance. She did not care at the moment if she ruined her cultivation. If she faltered, then who would protect those who had protected her? Besides, death was better than proving those bastards at Green Wood village right about her! Fire was erupting around her. Her ears filled with the screams of villagers abandoning burning buildings and weeping at their lives crumbling around them.

With two of Wild Hog's men down and screaming in horror, one crushed under the door, and two still on their feet but bleeding, the other 2 paused at the gruesome scene in front of them. They were amongst the veterans of the group who had real battle experience, but the ferocious assault in front of them gave them pause. In their hesitation she darted away from them towards one of Wild Hog's men that was busy torching a building. Saving the village was the priority.

She came upon him quick from behind and dug her knife into the junction between his neck and collarbone. Hot blood sprayed across her face as she twisted the blade. The man's scream died in his throat as he collapsed. Amber was already sprinting to take down another arsonist, her bare feet blurring, caked in blood and dirt.

"After her!" Wild Hog bellowed, his anger swelling at the amount of men he was losing. The wild man felt his facial scars burning in anger. He himself for all his rage did not dare approach the dangerous girl until she had expended more Qi. He grasped his closed eye with a dark scowl as he watched the girl end the lives of several of his men. Old Daisy and Old Coi held each other and stared in horror at the scene.

Their village was burning around them, and the girl they had worked so hard to protect was flying and killing men like a demon!

"Get that little bitch ya pussies!" Wild Hog bellowed as he started grabbing men by the shoulders and shoving them towards her. A new group of forward assaulters and a few that could still stand from the last group gathered themselves and ran towards her. She was running furiously as she sped to take down the arsonists. Two more died by her hand in a flash of Tiger Claws and black obsidian by the time the group of around 10 men had caught up to her.

"Don't let them destroy our homes! We must fight!" During the scramble the village men were beginning to rally and attack the men torching their livelihoods. Wild Hog's men were being quickly preoccupied by villagers with pots, pans, and farming tools swarming them. They hadn't counted on resistance by mere villagers! New fires ceased but the atmosphere became loud and violent as screams and blood intermingled.

The Village men that rushed them were like wolves, overwhelming them with numbers that threatened to bite them to death. As Wild Hog's men fought back they slashed and stabbed with their superior weaponry, dropping the unarmored men easily. But those who lived did not falter. Wave after wave of men roared and began to fell some of the invaders. With the amount of new fires ceasing, Amber turned back towards her pursuers.

Her senses were going wild with death piling up around her, and her mind was overwhelmed with boiling anger under the influence of the blood drop. The young girl was a menacing sight: teeth bared and straight hair disheveled, she somehow looked no less frightening as her body began to hunch over with her arms hanging downward. She was pushing her already damaged body past it's limits.

Her obsidian dagger and the blood dripping from it gleamed frighteningly in the firelight as the atmosphere grew darker in the setting sun. Her screaming pursuers were now upon her in a mix of thrusting swords and swinging metal. Amber swayed in and out, barely evading the bite of the swords. One man managed to land a hard kick on her and she rolled into the dirt, grabbing her midsection.

"Not so tough now!" he bellowed. She looked up and smiled with slightly fanged teeth. The man looked down in horror as he realized her black knife was sticking out of his gut, his hot red fluids escaping their fleshly prison. He screamed at the realization and fell as Amber rolled to avoid another sword and picked up her knife out of it's fleshly sheath in one smooth motion.

She grabbed a handful of dirt with her other hand and threw it into the face of an on comer as she shoved her knife into the chest of another man who screamed in terror at the new hole in his body. She felt as if her body was moving automatically with wild instinct. The girl leaped backwards out of two more swords' paths and landed on all fours, growling.

"She's a demon!" one of the men shouted, his voice cracking with fear as he tried to decide to remove or leave the knife in his chest, lest he bleed out.

"She's on death's door!" Wild Hog bellowed, "Push now!" Amber felt her abdomen wound wincing open, and hot blood seeping through her hemp gown. That kick had been the final straw that reopened her gut cut. The Saint Tiger Qi was keeping her upright, but it was also tearing her apart from within. Each movement sent waves of agony through her body, yet the burning rage of anger and Saint Tiger Qi wouldn't let her stop. Two men advanced on her. They were moving more cautiously now.

They nodded at each other as one feinted left while the other charged from the right. Amber twisted away from the feint, leaving her unable to fully avoid the second attacker. His blade caught her across the upper arm, slicing into her and leaving a shallow cut that immediately began weeping blood.

She hissed in pain but used the momentum of her failed dodge to spin, grabbing her knife out of the chest it had been stuck into and bringing it around in a wide arc that opened the other man's throat in a cascade of blood. It was a lucky hit, as Amber wasn't used to aiming for precise vitals. He stumbled backward, clutching at the gushing throat wound with wide, terrified eyes. Wild Hog watched from a distance, his expression darkening as his men had fallen one after another.

Some even to pathetic villagers with farming tools and cooking utensils!

"Useless!" he spat with vitriol.

"Useless! Useless! Useless!" A few of the more valiant villagers ran up to the mountainous Wild Hog, and he laughed with rage at the thought that mere villagers believed they could oppose him.

"Stupid move!" He grabbed a grown man by the head and tossed him like a catapult into several others, turning them into a pile of screams and groans. The last man facing Amber faltered as his confidence left him, but he had no time to run. His hesitation cost him his life as Amber had a moment to breathe through Burning Sun for the first time since the fight started.

The Qi inside her finally flowed with some semblance of cohesion as she leaped forward with Tiger Breaks the Mountain, her piercing elbow collapsing the man's sternum and sharding rib bones into his lungs. He collapsed in a heap of sputtering blood flowing from his mouth. Her condition was ragged, but enough of the Saint Tiger Qi had dissipated that her mind thought more clearly, utilizing techniques to control her Qi flow and limit any more damage from the Qi ravaging her insides.

She would have died already or exploded a limb if she had not already undergone the Saint Tiger blood baptism. She coughed up a mouthful of thick red fluid as she struggled to use Burning Sun to bring the violent Qi into a more harmonious state within her. Her hearing blurred as more men rushed her, she couldn't tell how many. Her flesh was red with heat. She ran towards them and struck with Tiger Ascends the Mountain, her right knee shoving a man's jaw deep into his own head as he collapsed in a bloody mess.

Prideful Tiger! Resentful Tiger! She struck viciously around her in a blurring focus with burning Qi as men screamed and dropped around her. The Saint Tiger Qi was finally flowing more cohesively as she guided it with her Blazing Tiger stances and her movements grew sharper and fiercer. Her golden eyes shimmered like flame as they became the last thing several men saw, either suffering the bite of her gleaming black dagger or the brutal slashes of her Tiger Claws.

As the final man around her dropped in a thick bloody mess, she felt her knees shake as she took a step forward to avoid falling to the ground. Her breath was haggard and her body was in poor shape.

"Ya care about this one, don'tcha?? Bwahahaha" Her concentration was broken as Wild Hog's deafening roar carried over to her. Even through her chaotic physical state the girl felt her heart stop. He had Old Daisy dangling in the air by her frail neck, a menacing curved sword gleaming in the other hand. The kind women was terrified and gasping for air as tears streaked down her face.

"Y-you!" she spat out. Amber felt a surge of desperate rage. Old Daisy had saved her, nursed her back from the brink of death, and now the merciful woman would pay for her kindness with her life.