( 2 months later, Terra Nova Online )
There was an old saying on Earth which said 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' and for the Virex Corps soldiers hunting down Eren, this was a reality.
Having been tasked by the Emperor to bring down the 'Demon Whisperer', Sir Cedric and some of his strongest Virex Corps members marched Eastwards towards the Eastern border where Eren was last seen leading a group of demons.
However, unbeknownst to them, while they traveled Eastwards, they were being stalked by a mentally unstable Dem Paltrow, who was now out for blood against all who wronged him, including the Virex Corps.
Sir Cedric was not weak, being a Master Assassin himself, he was an extremely strong warrior and alongside him was a crew of 7 equally talented Virex Corps soldiers, which although were not 'master' level fighters, were still quite formidable in their own right.
Had Dem been in his right mind, he would probably never have picked this fight as the probability of him being gravely injured or even dying in this fight was pretty high, however, aggrieved as he was, he no longer cared about his safety as much, as having nothing to lose, he was willing to take the risk of fighting all eight of them at once.
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One of the roads leading to the Eastern Border, which the Virex Corps were currently traversing, passed through a narrow wooden bridge, suspended atop a 1000 feet deep valley.
It was not a route where heavy carriages could pass, since the wooden bridge could not bear the load, however, was a route that reduced the need to travel across the valley, saving 6 hours of transportation time.
As long as one solitary mount passed the bridge at a time, the bridge was sturdy enough to hold, which is why Sir Cedric chose this path, however, unbeknownst to him, by choosing this path, he provided Dem with the best opportunity to mount an ambush.
As the Virex Corps group approached the narrow wooden bridge suspended atop the 1000 feet deep valley, the atmosphere within the group was quite merry.
No one was on guard against any danger as the journey so far had been uneventful, and they had no reason to suspect them being in danger yet.
The first soldier, atop his horse, slowly started to cross the bridge, while his comrades made fun of him behind his back.
The old bridge creaked under the weight of his fat mount, however, held steady overall as it did not seem under the risk of snapping.
Suddenly however, a glint of silver flashed in the air, catching Sir Cedric's eye as alarm bells started to ring in his head.
However, unfortunately for him, it was already too late to react by the time he spotted the threat, as the dagger sliced through one of the suspending ropes, causing it to snap with a sharp crack.
*SNAP*
As the rope snapped, the bridge tilted violently, causing the horse of the Virex soldier to lose its footing and plunge into the abyss below.
The soldier, however, managed to grab hold of the remaining rope, his fingers clinging desperately for life.
Trained and powerful, he attempted to pull himself up, but the old rope groaned and strained under the weight, threatening to snap if he put additional force on it.
"Help! The rope is snapping!" he cried out, panic seeping into his voice, which prompted Sir Cedric to act swiftly.
"Form a rescue line! Secure the ropes!" he commanded, as three of his men immediately sprang into action, tying ropes around themselves, which were then fastened by Sir Cedric and the other two soldiers, giving them assurance that they would not plunge into the abyss below even if the bridge's rope snapped.
The three men moved quickly but cautiously across the bridge, the planks creaking ominously beneath their feet.
As they reached the dangling soldier, they began the delicate process of pulling him up and just as they were about to hoist him to safety, a barrage of daggers—ten to fifteen in total—whistled through the air from the opposite side of the valley.
The daggers severed not only the remaining bridge lines but also the safety ropes tied around the rescuers' waists in what was a feat of weapons mastery that was impossible for normal warriors to execute.
The man who threw the daggers was at least 200 meters away from his target, which must appear as miniscule lines to him, yet despite the distance and the roaring winds he managed to breach his target with pin-point accuracy, which went to show just how proficient of an assassin he was.
Unfortunately, under his assault the bridge gave way, and with a sickening snap, all four soldiers plunged into the abyss, their screams echoing through the valley.
"No!" Sir Cedric screamed, his voice filled with anguish as he watched his men disappear into the void.
On the other side of the valley, a black-robed figure finally revealed himself after claiming the life of four Virex soldiers as although Cedric could not see the enemy's face, he could feel the malice emanating from him from a mile away.
"We're being hunted," Sir Cedric said, his voice cold and determined. "Regroup! We're taking the longer path and staying vigilant."
The remaining soldiers, faces pale and grim, nodded in understanding as they began to move away from the bridge, now on high alert, knowing that someone was after them.
Cedric had only chosen this path because he had assumed it to be safe, however, it proved to be a big lapse in judgment on his part.
However, now that he knew that an enemy was after him, he was not going to repeat the mistake twice, which made the hunt that much more thrilling for Dem who was doing proper assassin work for the first time in over a decade.
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/// A/N - Chapter 12 of 15, I hope you are enjoying the mass release! ///