1527 Phase 1 Completed!
Creek. Creek!
The nightcrawlers sang, and the burly leader calmly tightened his grip on his horse's reins.
Hee-he-he-hee~
--Silence--
Except for the sounds from the horses and that from nature, the atmosphere was now filled with a burdening silence that slowly crept up on one.
With swords at hand and bows strung tightly, the gang of highly trained members peered at their surroundings from the corners of their eyes.
And soon, they heard it.
Grrrrr!!!!!~~
Loud, gritting noises echoed from within the forests all around them.
Wolves in a pack?
Or some other beast moving in a group?
The burly leader kept an expressionless face, with his head still facing the same direction he did when they stopped earlier.
"How many?"
"At least 80." A skinny but fearsome man replied.
And many nodded in agreement.
The air was solemn, and their senses were heightened.
They couldn't see the eyes of these beasts yet. But the gruff sounds and several other aspects gave much more information than for skilled persons like themselves.
At least 80? That means there could be 100 or more.
The enemy dared to come out because they knew they had the advantage of numbers over them.
But even at this, they, highly trained T.O.E.P men, would never panic in the face of danger.
The burly man's eyes glistened with a dangerous light.
For now, it's still early to tell who will fall and who will stand victorious.
"Be prepared."
.
Rustle. Rustle.~
The trees and greenery began rustling naturally, making it hard to guess whether it was nature's doing or the many beasts slowly advancing toward them.
Their hearts tightened for only a brief no net, and their bodies hinged, ready for battle.
Barely a second had time by, yet the entire time was already tense!
RUSTLE. RUSTLE. RUSTLE!~
Over there!!!
A certain bush began shaking madly, making them subconsciously hold their breaths.
What? A one-buck-toothed rabbit?
1, 2, 3...
It's a trap!!
Many inwardly screamed.
But it was already too late. The enemy appeared before them, sending their force claws and teeth at them.
"Dogs?!!!!!"
Everyone was only momentarily shocked, coming to terms with the reality before them.
In this world, there wasn't too much of a difference between dogs and wolves.
Though a dog was more trainable, a majority were still fierce lone beasts who wondered about the towns, cities, and forest zones too.
Some were forest dogs, growing up their entire lives in the jungle, and some were city, town, and village dogs, always in the company of people.
Again, some dogs, just like some humans in this world, didn't care about what flesh they targeted.
So they would readily eat human flesh without qualms.
It was just that when compared to wolves that had a strong defensive back, dogs obviously fell short.
So to see them showcase their intelligence and work as one team, similar to wolves, they only felt their brains buzz for a second.
At the same time, they also saw how skilled these beasts were and how disadvantageous their situation was.
.
Whoosh!
The massive Chrompo dog jumped back, avoiding the burly leader's sweeping sword.
Up, down, roll, slide... The dog maneuvered fiercely around the leader's horse like a star killer.
It was a battle worthy of its big status.
On the horse, the burly leader twisted in several directions, trying to hit the giant dog that moved underneath the horse, finally biting a chunk of the burly man's shin.
Gahhhh~
The man's face trembled and turned slightly red. But no matter how much pain he endured, his lips remained shut, making no agonizing sounds.
'Damn you, beast!'
Swish!!
The blade cut through the air, murderously aiming for its prey.
But just when it was about to land its hit, something jaw-dropping happened right before the burly man's face.
What???!
The burly man was flabbergasted, seeing the giant dog not only backflip high in the sky but also send one of its hind legs to deliver a fierce kick at his face.
Pah!!!!
The burly man had his entire jaw trend to the side by that punch.
Blood shot out of his mouth, and his teeth instantly became loose.
If he hadn't been quick to stabilize himself, he would've definitely fallen off his horse.
Holding onto the reins, his entire body trembled in disbelief.
This... This... This...
What are its paws made of? Stone?
How can they be this hard?
.
Grrrrr!!!~~
The chrompo dog landed proudly, seeing how distraught its enemy was.
Its eyes glowed yellow, its teeth as fierce as that of wolves, and its retractable claws moving in for the kill.
At this point, even the burly leader had to admit that the dog was one hell of a formidable foe.
But things can't keep going on like this.
Dammit!
The burly man's face immediately darkened.
"Beast! Enough fun!"
Bam!
The burly man landed on his feet, finally ditching his horse to fight.
But it wasn't just him but several others that also realized the horrors of these flesh-eating dogs.
No! They couldn't continue taking them like regular dogs, but wolves out to have a taste of their flesh.
Today, they were bound to have dog meat at their disposal to eat for the next few days to come.
Whoosh! They twirled their weapons and strung their bows again, taking several close-up shots at their opponents.
Grrrrr~~...
Perfect!
The dogs had a gleeful glimmer flash past their eyes as their strategy was now commencing just as planned.
And with a little action, they slowly shifted the battle away from the caravans.
Though the distance wasn't great, the whistling sounds only they could hear affirmed they were in the right position.
Good!
Their tasks were to keep the enemy engaged until they got yet another whistling order.
And sure enough, within the surroundings, several people moved stealthily towards the 12 guards/drivers.
In the bushes, Lucy jerked her body, ready for action.
Alright.
Phase 1 completed... Now, it was time for phase 2!
