Chapter 28: Norman makes his move
While Gorn was busy with his new-found routine, the city was about to undergo some changes.
“Come out!” said commander Norman with a very imposing voice. It didn’t sound like a yell, but more like an order that could not be ignored.
Soon, Sara came out. With a quick glance, she could deduce that her place was completely surrounded by experts.
“Can I help you with something, captain Norman?” her voice was extremely polite, with a hint of fear being present as well.
Norman had a calm expression. A huge scar went across his face, ruining his rather good looks. Gently stroking his beard, he said: “You have three options. Submit to me, leave the city or die.”
Sara swallowed her saliva while a wave of cold went down her spine. “We will leave the city in maximum three days.” Her voice was trembling with fear. Commander Norman was not a person known to joke around. If he said it, he meant it.
“The option to leave the city is valid only for you. And that is only because I have some respect for your father.” All of a sudden, the scar on his face looked even more ominous.
“If you respect my father, then why are you doing this?!” Sorrow and anger was visible on her face, and her eyes became teary.
Without any notice whatsoever, Norman disappeared. In the next moment, he was in front of Sara, grabbing her by the neck. Lifting his other hand, he gave an order. All his men began their attack. Everything seemed chaotic, but that was far from the truth. Everyone knew exactly what he was supposed to do. The more competent guards under Sara were met with the appropriate opponents, rendering them useless.
Some were killed, some were incapacitated, while some tried to flee. It was a complete disaster. Even if all these actions were happening, Sara had no time to worry about others.
Norman’s grip hardened, making it extremely difficult to breathe. Looking into his cold eyes, Sara felt death approaching more than ever.
‘I don’t want to die!’
Panic and despair got a hold of her. No matter how she struggled, escape seemed impossible. Norman’s grip relaxed, allowing her to break free. Like a caged bird, Sara went directly for the skies. She was absolutely terrified, wanting to escape as far away as possible. Everything else was not important anymore.
She didn’t try to help anyone, escaping being the only thought in her head. Her men saw her fly away into the vast skies, each one of them having different thoughts. Part of them were happy, while the rest felt anger and disappointment.
Even though there were some capable men among Sara’s guards, ultimately they had no chance, being totally outclassed by the opponent.
Things were finished quite fast. Sara’s laboratory was no secret to her enemies, and was dealt accordingly. While a few men remained to thoroughly take care of business there, the rest gathered in a group and marched towards the Mercenary Guild, which was situated in the other end of the city.
Norman was leading while everyone else followed. Their speed was not fast nor slow. His men were shouting powerfully, scaring the shit out of everyone inside the city.
Like a powerful behemoth, his group was getting closer and closer towards their destination. What needed to be done in secret was already done, now remaining only to handle the finishing details.
“What the hell is going on?!” thought the normal citizens. The ruckus caused by Norman’s people stopped the entire city in its tracks. Some stared blankly, having no idea what was happening, while some seemed to have a rough sense about what was going on; taking the appropriate measures that they seemed as necessary.
The Mercenary Guild, or more correctly what remained out of it, caught notice of what was happening. This was not something unexpected, and the best measures available were already taken.
Soon, the two sides clashed against each-other. Unlike what happened at Sara’s place, the mercenaries put up a good fight. Regrettably, Norman had no current worthy opponent inside the whole city.
He was unstoppable!
Commander Norman dealt with the strongest opponents while his men took care of the rest.
.
.
.
“What the hell?!” exclaimed Rebeca.
The girls were currently getting ready to go for their usual training routine. It soon became apparent that something sinister was happening. After a few moments of analyzing the situation, someone spoke.
“It’s time to execute the plan! Quickly!” said Elisa while urging everyone to hurry.
Without any delays, the girls grabbed an already prepared backpack, then headed towards the exit of the city. Elisa’s decisive order to leave allowed them to avoid the upcoming chaos.
Like previously planned in case of some unforeseen situation, they were headed east towards the meeting point. After arriving at a decent distance away from the city, their pace slowed down.
Everyone gasped at the majestic wilderness ahead. “Be prepared for battle at any second!” commanded Elisa.
“What do you think happened at the city?” asked Rebeca, somewhat ignoring what Elisa just said.
“Now is not the time to talk about these matters!”
A nearby bush rustled, and in the next second three reapers dashed towards their group. The attack came out of the blue without any other warnings. Elisa, Rebeca and Mara were the first targets. This was only because they were the closest to the monsters, and for no other reason.
Elisa blocked with the sword. In her face was now a ferocious pair of red eyes coupled with rows upon rows of sharp teeth. The reaper was threatening to bite the sword into pieces, then eat her alive. She quickly glanced at the side. Seeing her daughter in the same situation, Elisa overpowered the reaper, kicking him away dozens of meters.
Running towards Mara, Elisa decapitated the reaper that had barely any intention on doing anything else than shredding his current target to pieces. Meantime, the reaper she kicked away attacked her again. The timing was very bad, her body being exposed from that particular side.
Nora, who was in a daze, instinctively took action to help her mother. She kicked the monster away yet again. She could have used her sword to injure or kill the creature in one swell swoop, however, she was in a state of panic and could not make the wisest decision.
Elisa quickly followed with a decisive blow, killing the monster. During all this time, Rebeca barely killed the reaper that attacked her. Her techniques were exquisite, and her power level was no longer low, nevertheless, she could not use them due to fear.
“Everyone alright?!” asked Elisa while analyzing the situation. Thankfully, those reapers were of the weakest, and their brain almost non-existent.
Everyone was safe, not having any major wounds. While their bodies were fine, their minds were in a state of shock. Everyone looked scared shitless; everyone except Ella.
Ella just stood there at the back of the group. Her gaze was rather normal, making it hard to tell what she was thinking.