Divine Beast Ascension

532 Under Attack?

Everyone else went silent after hearing that, including the man with a broken shoulder.

Oli finally got a better look at who they were dealing with. “... I see. You’ve probably avoided direct combat this entire first round and just ambushed everything that approached you. With your own snow fox on the team, that’s the best strategy after all.”

The team was made up of four humans and a white fox, but the fox was smaller than the ones Oli had encountered and had additional flecks of grey across its fur.

“I don’t know what region you represent, but we’re not looking for a fight. You decided to attack, so I countered. And I would like to leave it at that.”

“Then why are you holding her captive?” questioned the opposing team leader, who began to step closer.

But Oli shook his head. “Every step you take will be an additional broken bone. So stop and listen… Me and my team are going to continue on our way. She will be with us for only a short distance. We’re going to head twenty-five krin in the direction of the beacon, and then we’ll let her go before moving on. But if any of you so much as move or shout, then I’ll break her jaw and legs before we attack the rest of you. If you understand, nod your heads.”

The enemy team didn’t say anything. They looked to their leader, wondering what they would do next.

“... May I speak?”

“Yes,” Oli replied. “What do you want to say?”

.....

“Let her go now and we’ll let you pass without a fight,” stated the enemy leader.

But Oli shook his head again and sighed, “That’s not how hostage situations work… If I trusted you enough to not take a hostage, then why would we be here? It’s either we take an uninjured hostage or we fight. Which would you prefer?”

“...” Against the ropes in the negotiations, the opposing leader clenched his fists. “... How will you prove that she’ll be unharmed? And that she’ll really be where you claim to leave her?”

“Got any rope?” Oli asked, catching everyone off guard. “I’m willing to tie a rope around her wrists, a rope that you’ll have hold of. You’ll be able to tell when she stops walking and will then be allowed to move and retrieve her while we resume our rush toward the beacon.”

“But what if you just cut the rope?”

“And what if I hand her over and you just fight us anyway?” retorted Oli. “You’ve got five team members including him with the broken arm. We’re outnumbered. If we were hostile, I would’ve gone for the head, not the shoulder. Think about it.”

The opposing leader was forced to acknowledge at least that much as fact, but he did so reluctantly. “... Will you accept me as your hostage instead?”

“If that’s what you want… there will be conditions. First off, hand over your weapon and toss over your void ring,” Oli ordered.

Without hesitation, the leading man lobbed a spear into the snow beside Oli, followed by the one ring off the man’s finger. “Now what?”

“Have your team back away while we exchange her for you. No closer than ten krin but stay in sight.”

The opposing leader nodded to his teammates, who quickly complied.

“Alright. Now, step forward. And if you try anything, I’m killing you both,” remarked Oli, increasing his threat without hesitation.

“Okay… I’m walking up now.”

Oli also walked forward while Fulkar gathered the opposing leader’s items in the snow.

“Fulkar, is that his genuine ring?” Oli suddenly asked.

Fulkar gave it a quick scan. “I think so.”

“Is his orb inside it?”

“... No.”

The opposing leader’s face twitched. “You can’t ask me to give that up. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to escape anything drastic with my life–”

“Toss your other ring now or I break her jaw.”

“... Here.”

… crrrsh…

Fulkar picked up the second void ring from the snow and promptly nodded. “This has more weapons and the team leader’s orb.”

“Good… Then we can continue with the exchange.” Oli started walking forward again, still going slow. “We’ll return your ring after this is over, but we can’t have any surprises. I’m sure you understand as a team leader. You would do the same for your team, right?”

Nodding slowly, the team leader dropped to his knees and raised his empty arms while Oli approached him.

“Again,” Oli reminded everyone, “try anything and I’m killing you both. If I feel any essence come from you whatsoever, then consider yourself dead.”

“I understand…” the opposing leader sighed.

Oli let Fulkar take the women captive with his threatening sword while Oli rested his mace on the opposing leader’s shoulder. Seeing them comply, Oli nodded to Fulkar.

The young woman was promptly released and felt a relief seep into her body. The rest of the opposing team also felt sweet relief seeing Oli hold true to his word.

While Oli tossed the woman’s void ring into the snow near the enemy team, Fulkar retrieved a rope from one of the hostage’s rings and used it to tie his hands behind his back. The rope clearly wasn’t strong enough to hold a cultivator back, but it was enough to prove that the hostage was compliant.

“Now, we’re going to walk away. After twenty-five krin, we’ll release him and continue on our way. Nod if you understand.”

With a communal nod, Oli and his team began to move out. They slowly trudged through the storm until they gradually disappeared from the opposing team’s view, leaving only the rope as a trail to find the captured leader.

“... Thank you.”

Oli was taken aback to hear the sincerity behind the captive’s voice. “Why thank me?”

“You didn’t harm her. That’s what mattered most, and you upheld your word. So, thank you.” Though the captive leader was disappointed to be in that predicament, the genuine concern in his eyes was baffling to Oli and the others.

Sighing, Oli softly replied, “Thanks for complying. This is best for both teams, I think.”

“Maybe…”

“HELP!!”

CRACK! CRUNCH!

Oli’s team was instantly alerted by that shrill, distressed cry. They all instantly recognized it as the formerly captured woman’s voice. And the fact that the scream was paired with the loud cracking of bones was all the more alarming.

“YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO–”

“Fulkar, what’s happening?” Oli asked while loosening his hold on the captive leader and storing his mace.

“A team of four has attacked them,” Fulkar succinctly answered.

“My ring–”

“Here.”

Upon hearing Oli’s order, Fulkar tossed both rings back to the man with his weapon stored inside.

“THANK YOU!” the man roared while sprinting back to his team. “PERMAFROST PROVINCE THANKS YOU!”

The man hurriedly disappeared beyond their view but Oli felt something click in the back of his mind the moment those last words rang out.

“Everyone, we’re helping out!” Oli bounded back toward the team under attack, forcing others to tag along.

Fulkar complied without any argument or hesitation. He knew that if Oli ordered it then there must be a reason, even if there wasn’t time to share that reasoning at the moment.

Freele leaped into the air, riding a small tornado to catch up in a flash. She was also neutral to Oli’s decision and followed his orders no matter what. Since Oli had proven himself as a capable leader so far she wasn’t going to question him now.

Yeter, on the other hand, was raring to go, ecstatic even. He kicked up some snow before racing off at top speed, shouting, “Sweet, sweet revenge!”

In seconds, the battle came into view.

Face first in the snow was the fox, bleeding out and unconscious. Its leg and paw looked to be crushed or pulverized somehow.

In front of the formerly captured girl was the rest of the team. The man with a broken shoulder let his arm painfully dangle while fending off an attacker with a sword in his good arm. But it was obvious that he would soon be overwhelmed and eventually lose.

The guarded woman and the remaining woman on their team were fighting in tandem to hold back their attackers, an enemy human and a Long-tailed Lynx.

As for the team leader, he used his spear to fend off a brawny man wielding a set of thick, heavy gauntlets.

‘Attack but don’t kill,’ Oli ordered via telepathy after confirming who the new team was.

“COME HERE, KAROS!” Yeter yelled, instantly informing the entire battlefield about which side Oli’s team was taking.

The expressions of the losing team brightened as they saw Yeter chase after the lynx, allowing the woman duo to safely hold their own.

“HUH?! What are you doing?!” billowed the brawny man with gauntlets. “You can’t get your own kills and can only steal them?!”

“Says the man who dumped a perennial panther on us!” Oli roared. In a burst of dark essence, Oli’s speed briefly rocketed forward, allowing him to flank the gauntlet-wielding man in a split second. “Excuse me! I don’t know your name, former hostage, but I’m owed this fight so back off!”