Chapter 97 - Volume 3.20 Danger
It's understandable that before embarking on a journey, one should anticipate enduring several hardships and challenges. However, if that journey coincided with the main characters in a novel, you must accept that it would be more of a frenetic living. Because protagonists are real people who bring difficulties with them wherever they go.
Protagonists are all magnets of disaster.
'Well, and it's also a fact that villains will be always after the protagonists.' Malaya cursed her luck as the cloaked people walked closer to the two children.
"I'm scared, Lorn." Lila held the backcloth of her brother firmly.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Lila. Just stay close to me. They will never do anything with you as long as I'm here."
"You just need to answer my question and we will leave as quietly as possible." The leader of cloaked people said.
But Malaya and Lorn knew too well, that they would not leave them just like that.
'Especially now that they've lost all their sacrifices,' Malaya said, clenching her fist. She counted the cloaked individuals. They were only five in number.
"Ahhh!" Malaya's heart beat faster when another cloaked person pulled Lila.
"Lila!" Lorn, to Malaya's surprise, skillfully attacked the cloaked person with his rake.
'That movement.' Malaya observed as Lorn attacked one more cloaked person who tried to get near them. 'That's how one handles a sword.'
The two cloaked people were struck down, unconscious and not even prepared for Lorn's fighting ability.
All of a sudden, black snakes came out from the hands of the leader of the cloaked person. It was heading fast at Lorn.
Lorn sensed this and he motioned his hands as vines suddenly emerged from it.
'He could use magic well.'
It struck most of the snakes but it was not enough as hundreds were still coming from them on different sides...Lorn winced when he felt a jolt of pain when he used his magic.
'Damn.'
"Lorn!"
He hugged Lila when all the snakes jumped in front of them. However, Malaya made it in time.
With her Trinity, third form, the grappling rope, she fired it towards the branch of the tallest tree and scooped the children with her arms. The snakes only hit the ground.
Malaya landed on the other beside the tree. And put the two kids behind her.
"That was close kids."
"Malaya!" Lila happily exclaimed.
"You!" Lorn was surprised. "Why are you here?"
"It seems, I got you involved in some mess." Malaya winced when one snake was biting her left ankle.
"Ah!" Lila screamed when she saw the snake.
"It's you!" The leader of the cloaked people exclaimed in delight when he saw Malaya. And he was even more ecstatic when one snake was biting Malaya's left leg.
"Hah," Malaya fell with one knee up. She immediately held the head of the snake firmly and threw it away. "Yeah, it's me."
She could feel cold sweats dripping down her head and back. 'Crap. I'm getting dizzy.'
But Malaya just stood up as she still smiled in front of the cloaked person. "I'll go with you if you let the children go."
"What are you saying?" Lorn exclaimed in fright. "We can handle ourselves..."
"No, you're not." Malaya shut him up. Then she breathed deeply. "Remember that when I tell both of you to run, run."
"But you got bitten because of us."
"Your priority right now is to protect your sister," Malaya stated. "And I'm grateful that you beat up two of them and didn't tell them where I was; I truly owe you a lot now."
"But I don't want to leave you!" Lila this time shouted as she was on the verge of tears.
"It's alright, I'll follow after I beat up these bad guys," Malaya said with a smile but her pale face was not convincing at all. "Just listen to your brother, alright?"
"Do you think anyone of you could escape..." The leader of the cloaked people didn't finish what he was going to say when Malaya fired her grappling rope straight to his face.
"Run!" Malaya screamed.
"Malaya!" Lila screamed.
"Let's go!" Lorn pulled his sister with him as they started running.
Malaya threw her Trinity and it boomerang towards the other two who tried to go after the two kids. "You will be fighting me," she said with a grin.
With quick movements, Malaya dashed to the first one who was struck by the boomerang and was stunned for a moment. She struck its stomach. Pulled his arm and did a German suplex.
"Argh!" The man who was caught off guard hit the hard ground.
Malaya immediately let him go when he was not moving now. She caught her Trinity as she jumped towards the second cloaked person.
"You!" The second cloaked person holding his head, since that's where the Trinity hit him, ran to Malaya with rage.
'Lucky,' Malaya grinned. 'An enemy who was controlled by emotions were the easiest ones to fight. Well, as long as there is no magic included.
Malaya evaded his right fist. And with a precise and quick motion, Malaya elbowed his back, then she raised her right foot and kicked its back.
The second cloaked person fell on the ground writhing in pain. Before he could stand up once again, Malaya landed a strong punch on his face completely knocking him out.
Malaya straightened herself looking at the last cloaked person. He was holding his nose that was bleeding due to the attack earlier.
But in the very least, instead of feeling anger, the said individual was just looking at her with a sinister smile as he was playing with the snake with his other hand.
The cloaked person removed his hood, revealing a bald man with a large stitch wound across his left eye down straight to the left side of his mouth.
"Interesting." He said with myrrh in his eyes. "You were able to defeat them despite being bitten by my snake. But too bad, it seems that's all for you now."
Malaya felt a loud thump from her bitten ankle. She winced, but she smiled back at the stitch guy. Her smile, however, did not reach her eyes. She would still hold out till she was won over this guy.
"But don't be too afraid, my snake's poison isn't meant to kill," the stitch bald man said sinisterly. "Their poison will simply and gradually enter your system, and once it reached your brain, you will become entirely mindless."
'Ah. I see that's what not frightening at all.' Malaya clenched her fist as she heard the stitch's guy's words.. 'Are you freaking kidding me.'