Chương 16: Wooden Corpse (Part II)

Lucian sidestepped another charge from the wooden puppet. The childlike construct remained undamaged even after he had tricked it into slamming against two separate trees. Fast, but predictable, Lucian thought. At the same time, he noticed Wang Chen rushing toward one of the armoured beggars. That one is almost as hopeless. Maybe my lack of Blood Essence created a worse version of a ghoul. What a shame.

From the way Wang Chen ran, the loud noise of his footsteps, and the dagger he waved wildly as if he might cut himself before even reaching his opponent, it was obvious that the young merchant had no real combat experience. He will not be able to capture these mortals, Lucian noted inwardly as he sidestepped again and unsheathed the sword at his waist. Instead of slashing or thrusting the weapon at the puppet, he struck it with the blunt side of the blade.

Lucian watched the puppet's movements carefully before darting to his right, using a tree trunk as cover while the puppet lunged after him again. Both moved quickly, zigzagging through the forest as Lucian pursued another fleeing armoured beggar. The puppet's speed was nearly twice his own, and it was rapidly closing the distance. Just as the puppet launched itself forward in a headlong strike, Lucian swung his sword against its wooden head while shifting his body to follow through with the impact.

His arms flexed like springs as he redirected the force, and the blow propelled him forward through the forest. As he had planned, he avoided crashing into any trees or bushes, and the distance between him and the fleeing bandit shortened dramatically. Lucian landed smoothly on the ground. The wooden puppet was already behind him. After two quick sidesteps and a rapid assessment of the terrain, he sprinted forward again. The puppet lunged once more.

And Lucian repeated the trick, using the wooden puppet's strength to move his body. He spun with the motion, his feet drawing together as his sword carved a vertical arc through the air. He landed directly behind the fleeing bandit before the man could react. Lucian's feet touched the ground at the same instant his blade severed the man's right arm, and then with a swift motion, he slashed through the tendons in the bandit's legs. The man collapsed with a scream.

Lucian sidestepped another charge from the puppet and immediately moved toward one of the five remaining fleeing bandits. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. A faint smile appeared on his lips even as his cold eyes analyzed the forest for the best path. I had forgotten how interesting it is to fight like a mortal, he thought as he slipped behind another tree to avoid the puppet's attack.

While Lucian hunted the bandits and Wang Chen chased another, Bai Xiaomeng hid inside the open silver box Lucian had left behind. She clutched the dagger with both hands, trembling. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she whispered repeatedly.

"Do not come, do not come…" After Wang Chen left her side, the sensation of being alone, and most importantly, unprotected, struck her hard. Even though there was less noise and blood now, the situation still dragged her back to that terrible night. So she could not bring herself to do anything but hide.

"Please… Be safe, Young Master!" And farther from her, in the forest, her Young Master Wang Chen stood above a corpse with a bloody, gaping cavity where its head had been. His right arm trembled, his fist dripping with blood, some his own, most not. Fragments of bone and brain matter clung to his fingers as he stared at the bandit's body in shock.

"I… I…" he murmured, blinking as he tried to understand what had just happened.

"I told you to stop…" He picked up the dagger he had thrown earlier and missed with it. Clenching it tightly, he turned to his left and ran toward the place where he thought he had seen another bandit fleeing. Wang Chen did not want to think about what he had done or how it had happened by accident, but there were some things a person can't control. For example, he couldn't forget the bandit's frightened eyes glancing at him. Suppressing the emotions rising inside him, Wang Chen focused on the pursuit.

Without the burden of the supplies, the sealed box, and the slow pace of travel, he realized he was much faster than before. In fact, he had no idea how fast he could run. Several times, he had to slow down to avoid slamming into trees. Time passed, and just as he began to fear he would never find the man again, he heard a strange voice. It was soft yet commanding, and the meaning of the words seemed to form directly in his mind.

"Return." Skidding to a halt and nearly crashing into a tree trunk, Wang Chen recognized Lucian's voice. He immediately turned back and ran toward the campsite. When he arrived, the clearing was illuminated by the orange glow of the fire. Five wounded men lay on the ground, bleeding and groaning. Most had lost either an arm or a leg, and all had been disarmed. Wang Chen also saw Lucian running in wide circles around the camp, occasionally grabbing supplies while the wooden puppet repeatedly missed its attacks.

"Help Bai Xiaomeng treat these mortals," Lucian said, interrupting his thoughts.

"After that, you may retrieve the corpse and bring it to me."

"Uh," Wang Chen froze for a moment.

"How do you—""Your hand, the smell, and the trembling," Lucian interrupted again. He nodded toward the direction of the sealed box.

"This Lord will not command your servant again. I already did so, and she ignored me. Go yourself. Otherwise, you will have to treat these four mortals alone."

"But what about that thing chasing you? And there are five—" Wang Chen stopped speaking when he saw Lucian grab one of the crying men by his remaining leg and drag him across the ground while sprinting toward the darkness, the wooden puppet close behind. At that moment, Wang Chen realized something else. If he concentrated, he could see through the darkness far more clearly than before. Yet, instead of testing that discovery, he lowered his head.

He feared what he might see if he looked too closely, so he hurried toward the sealed box, dismissing other thoughts except the one about Bai Xiaomeng being safe.