Bain shivered, quickly leaving the scene and heading for the nearby hills and bushy terrain. And in a blink of an eye, he had already moved a great distance, rustling past several bushes, trees, and open fields with tall stalks of wheat a few feet taller than he.
~Bang!
His heart skipped. Not good!
"Come out, boy… We know you're in there." Said a deep and playful voice belonging to the burly lead figure amidst his gang of ruffians.
They stopped leisurely, snickering and jesting at Bain's unfortunate situation.
Hehehehe~
"Boss, I reckon he has wet himself."
"Pff!~ What sort of criminal would wet himself from a gunshot?" A man they called fatty, couldn't help mocking.
"Heh… A newbie like him won't be able to survive a day out in these parts," another added.
He had seen a close-up on Bain back in town, feeling the boy should be one of those scaredy-cat criminals.
One could find all sorts of criminals on the Mainland.
There were those bold and hot-tempered, those who always used others as a gun, those who were sneaky, those who were backstabbing scaredy-cats, and many others.
Scary-cat criminals could do anything for survival, even lick their feet if they commanded them to.
The criminal who spoke out, and many others, felt the boy should be a scaredy-cat, an obedient one who would come out when called.
The burly boss grinned. "Boy! Come on! This daddy will be nice to you."
The boy's flesh was good. If they could sell him to 'Fantasy Dream,' wasn't that more money in their pockets?
Tsk!
If the boy wants to blame anyone, he should blame his parents for giving him such a smooth body!
The boy was bound to be a man-whore.
.
Catchack!
The burly leader recoiled his pistol. "Boy, don't make me come for you!"
Shooting or injuring the boy would make his payment less. After all, who would want damaged goods?
Just treating these goods and returning them to their original beautiful nature was hefty around these parts.
The burly leader thought it through. It would be a waste to injure the boy's good skin heavily.
Nodding to his gang tactfully, the leader slowly advanced towards the stalks of wheat accompanied by the rest.
"Grass! He's gotten away!" One of them exclaimed wildly, with a hint of shock on his face.
"Search! Search! Don't let our money disappear!"
"That bloody son of a b**ch! How did he do it?!"
When running through a wheat field, one could pinpoint where another was because of these swishing movements the wheat stalks made.
They had been staring at the stalks intensely, seeing the wheat stalks stay at a standstill, only lightly blowing to the wind naturally. So how did he do it?
(?_?)
Run. Run. Run!
Bain pushed the branches before him, giving up his slow escape.
He initially fled the scene thanks to a skill called the Shadow Glide, created and taught exclusively to him by Shinji.
Now that he thought about it, it couldn't be a coincidence that many of the things his brother taught him were useful here.
Although not too sure, Bain had a hunch his brother might have known their family of 3 would be harmed.
'Brother Shinji… Who were you protecting us from?'
"Over there! He's over there! After him!"
~Bang! Bang! Bang!
.
In the dark sea of night, one boy and several men began their race.
Shots were fired, people fell, others were almost out of breath (the fatty), and many were speeding up in a fury.
Bain slid underneath a log, quickly getting back on his feet, and immediately searched for any sharp objects or twigs around.
He played around with what he had, setting up crude traps for his chasers.
However, with so little knowledge, all he could do were these. If it were daytime, many shouldn't be able to fall for them.
But in the dead of night, he was bound to have some success with this. And just as he expected, 2 ruffians leaped over the log, missing their footing.
Was it accidental?
Ahhh~~
"F***! F***! F***!"
"The bloody bastard even has time for making jokes with us?"
"Asshole!... You better pray you're lucky to escape. Boy, don't let me catch you!"
(*Q*)
Jump, run, slide, duck.
Bain fled, listening to these hardened criminals spew their worst.
To survive, he might have to use 'it.' But he made a promise to Shinji.
'Sorry brother, tonight… I might use it.'
He thought of his current condition, realizing he had but one problem.
The forest terrain region was too complex, making him expend too much energy for someone who hadn't even had a meal yet.
To backtrack on his journey here, he was sent to the aircraft, traveling for so long on an empty belly.
Then, he got shoved into the water, swimming for an hour without rest amidst the restless sea creatures and the criminals at war out on the sea. And now he was running, using all his reserved energy to flee. So how could he not feel weak?
Bain moved as fast as he could, trying not to focus on his body's frailty and immediate need for food.
Unfortunately, though his will was strong, his body swiftly broke down. And soon, he repeatedly stumbled, slowing his pace without realizing he was now within a vast secluded farmland in the woods.
"Hahahahah~ Boss! Boss! I see the brat!"
"Heh… Brat! You dare play with your fathers?"
Bain's heart skipped a beat, listening to the heavy footsteps draw nearer and nearer.
Surrounded!
…
The popular tunes from the night crickets and the low rustling leaves were the only sounds that resounded in Bain's ear.One boy with a sharp stone in his grasp, stared at the many circling him. 'I'm almost at my wit's end.'Bain quickly caught himself from falling, looking at the person the rest referred to as Boss.The gang of miscreants wore boots, baggy pants, and different styled tops. Some wore tank tops, others wore light jackets, some stuck to tee-shirts, and others went shirtless.He stared at them in scrutiny, realizing that no one was pointing a weapon at him. This was an important hint!'It's either they deem me so worthless that they don't bother raising their pistols at me… Or they need to capture me intact.'Come to think of it, why did they chase after him so much when he never offended them? In any case, he felt his thinking was smart.'I'm valuable.'Bain concluded, finding leverage over the situation. And the one they called boss, slowly lit a cigarette amidst the t
Mmm~~~Bain moaned softly as nature's quiet sounds registered in his brain.Where am I?He opened his eyes abruptly, examining the strange wooden cabin he found himself in.Hiss!~~He had a headache.'What happened? I remember that he was surrounded with no way out... But then someone... Someone… Someone!'Bain was about to spring up when a calm voice echoed out."I see you're up."Who?Bain quickly turned his attention to the cabin door. And there he was… The silver-haired stranger!With unhurried steps, the man stepped into the cabin in full farming attire with a hoe in his hand and a basket of wheat on his back."Easy boy... You don't have enough strength in you." The silver-haired man said, slowly putting his hoe and basket.Bain placed his hand on the mat he rested on, trying to pull himself up and lean against the wall.With a skeptical look, he gazed at the good-looking man who was now taking out the many stalks of wheat from his basket."Relax."The man gave him a brief yet la
That red mark…Bain's eyes glowed with a fiery light.The thin piece of paper was sticking out from underneath several books. He could see particular characters and symbols that, wouldn't you know it, belonged to none other than the Absolutes!Them again? Bain's interest was more than piqued.What did they want from the Silver-haired man? Though the man looked trustworthy, the Absolute court was another matter.Bain carefully moved his hands, still keeping his head stiffly facing the man.Could he do it? Would he eventually succeed?~Tack. Tack. Tack. Tack.The flames once again danced underneath the heated pot.The space was obviously hot. But when the Silver-haired man spoke, it suddenly grew heavy and frosty."Mainland 01… Violence, murder, chaos, and freedom to do whatever criminals want… That's what you ordinary folks think. However, you're all forgetting one simple fact. Even in Hell itself, there are rules."~Pang!The Silver-haired man swung his blade once more, giving the ill
Bain listened attentively.The silver-haired man referred to himself as Ryu.From his tale, he used to be an ordinary worker, that is until his newly wedded wife betrayed him. And the finishing blow that broke him was when she married another, bringing her lover and her greedy family into the house.Yes… Her lover was with his good friend.Ultimately, the woman managed to secure all his savings and all he had ever worked for.They say revenge was a painful dish served best when cold. But in his case, he decided to turn up the heat on his betrayers.He drugged them, tied them together in the basement, waited for them to wake, and gave them a piece of his mind before setting up a gimmick designed to blow the house up 10 minutes later.Sadly, because the buildings on his street were built too close to each other, his revenge act led to the burning of 2 neighboring homes.It resulted in the death of a neighbor's newly born children and the death of another neighbor's son playing in a room
It was a trap!... It was all set up!But why? Why had Ryu kept him alive rather than killing him previously?Bain felt his chest rise and fail speedily. But despite the pain, he knew the first principle of escaping was to do it as quickly as possible.The longer he remained in the enemy's control, the less likely his chances were of fleeing.His body was on fire, with a gushing wave of dizziness slowly eroding his consciousness.No!'I can't afford to fall asleep. Before my body gives way, I must take Ryu down.'Get up!Bain stabilized his staggering body, putting off a defensive stance. Seeing this, Ryu, who had always been calm and collected, burst out in cruel laughter."Boy!... If you think you can escape, you're much more foolish than I thought." Silver-hair Ryu smiled, reaching for his inner chest pocket with a sly smile on his face."Now, now, little one… Since you're new here, you probably haven't heard of me much. Some call me the silver Mad Hatter, others the Silver Maniac…
Judging from the boy's stance, a single blow from him should send the boy fast asleep. Good boy… Ryu maniacally inched closer with the syringe, not taking Bain seriously. But then, something happened. What?!!! Ryu crossed his hands against his chest in defense. But it was already too late. Boom! He smashed into the fireplace, burning his ass on the fire below and having the boiling hot broth pour on his body. Part of Ryu's face was burnt to a peel, with his mouth oozing blood. This… This can't be! He recognized the force that pushed him back. The boy… The boy was an enhancer! But the boy had no weapon on him. So how could he release enhanced powers? Wait! Ryu's eyes darted about in transfixed shock. The boy didn't need a weapon… His body was the weapon! Terrible! Terrible! Ryu squirmed amid his pain but soon revealed an excited smile. Hahahahahaha~ It must be the world's will for him to run across such a perfect subject. So how could he let him go? Pain? What pain? R
-Heart Headquarters, Arrow City, Southern Territories, Mainland 01-.In a vast and grand room, several men stood motionless. Some wore suits and others loose shirts. They formed straight lines along the path, creating a wide space between them.~Bam!A bloodied figure plunged into the room, falling on his nose in anguish.Following him were 2 other men; one wearing a suit with an emotionless face, and another wearing a red open-buttoned flowery shirt, having a playful and silly expression on his face.But don't let his friendly smile fool you. This man was colder than the freezing seas of Gantia."Owww~... A buddy, I think we broke your nose." The playful man commented, putting his hands in his pockets and kicking the bloodied man in the butt."Claus… That's enough." A deep voice from ahead echoed, and the playful man restrained himself.He was loyal and completely obedient to his leader!'I don't want to die. I don't want to die.'The bloodied man didn't care about his injuries, gro
James' heart sped up, seeing those mysterious eyes flash his way. And before he knew it, he was stuttering."I, I, I, I….""Mr. James…" The cold voice ahead called slowly, yet it made James' clothes feel damp with sweat.The figure unhurriedly stood, revealing himself into the light.Inky dark hair, raven eyes, and a face christened by the gods, the man was indeed good-looking. But James had no time to admire his beauty.His eyes were dark and deep like an abyss, drawing those who stared to fall into its bottomless pit.~Bam!James didn't see the kick coming."Ahhhh~... Ugh-Ugh"Son of a b**tch!His nose was all broken!James inwardly cursed from habit, controlling himself from cursing loudly. Did he dare? Of course he didn't. His fear for Mr. Hearts kept his lips sealed.And while he was rolling and holding his nose in anguish, Elric placed one hand in his pocket, taking and releasing a thick fog of smoke from his massive cigar."Mr. James… we didn't bring you here to listen to your