When Luke rushed toward the source of the cry, what he found caught him completely off guard.
He didn’t guess it wrong. The one who screamed was indeed Zuri. However, what surprised him was the situation unfolding itself.
"What...?"
He had expected some massive beast to be the cause of her desperate scream. Instead, it was only a bear dragging Zuri toward a nearby cave.
She lay completely unconscious, her body limp as the beast clamped its jaws around her leg. Blood streamed from the wound, leaving a crimson trail across the ground as it slowly pulled her away.
Without a second thought, Luke charged.
Activating <Shadow Walk>, he silently closed the distance, careful not to alert the bear and risk it harming Zuri even further.
His body moved faster than ever, urgency burning in his eyes.
A flaming dagger materialized in his hand. He leaped onto a nearby branch, using it to propel himself higher before locking onto the bear below.
The moment it came within range, he gripped the dagger with both hands and dropped.
SQUELCH
"GRUAGH!"
The blade sank deep into the bear’s neck. The searing pain forced it to release Zuri as it stumbled backward in panic.
Luke gave it no chance to recover.
Leaving the dagger buried in its neck, he summoned his steel claws.
The enraged beast thrashed violently, trying to shake him off.
But it was already too late.
PLUNCH
His claws plunged deep into its sides, ripping through flesh as thick streams of blood poured from the wounds.
The bear roared in agony, staggering wildly as it struggled to escape both the pain and the man relentlessly tearing into it.
Yet every desperate attempt was met with another merciless strike.
Again.
And again.
With no chance to fight back, the beast’s resistance slowly faded. Its strength gave out, its spirit faded, and before long, so did its life.
The beast’s movements gradually slowed. Its agonized cries grew weaker until, with one final shudder, the bear collapsed to the ground, the last traces of life leaving its body.
Luke let out a slow breath and climbed off the carcass.
There was no doubt about it.
It was nothing more than an ordinary bear.
He had fought cautiously because he had been convinced it was a magical beast. After all, the person it had captured was no ordinary woman. Zuri was a renowned warrior capable of wielding magic.
Yet now, as he stared at the lifeless bear before him, all he felt was confusion.
’How did she lose to it?’
The question lingered in his mind, but he pushed it aside and decided to check on her.
However, just as he took a step...
"Not so fast."
Darkness swallowed the world around him.
It came without warning, as though every light in existence had been extinguished in an instant.
"You nearly ruined my perfect hunt."
The voice echoed through the darkness.
It belonged to a grown man, deep and furious, yet Luke couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
"Who are you?" he called out, his eyes scanning every direction. The darkness was suffocating, swallowing both sight and sound.
"I am the ruler of this land. Someone who wishes to live here in peace for as long as I draw breath. Yet people like you, always eager to hunt, trespass into my domain and still expect me to show mercy."
Luke let out a mocking chuckle.
"You speak as if you’re above us. Yet you’re hiding in the dark, too afraid to show your face. Sounds more like you’re beneath us."
A faint laugh echoed through the void.
"You have quite the venomous tongue, I must admit. But it carries far less venom than the snake that bit that woman."
Luke’s eyes widened.
’A snake...?’
That explained the bluish tint spreading across Zuri’s skin.
Poison.
He needed to get to her immediately.
"Then let me take her and leave. We won’t disturb you again."
Luke burst into motion, sprinting left, then changing direction without hesitation, searching for any way out of the unnatural darkness.
Yet no matter how far he ran, the darkness followed.
"There is no amending the mistake you have made. There is only one punishment for it."
Something suddenly stirred within the darkness.
A sharp whistle cut through the air as a tiny projectile shot toward Luke’s back.
"And that punishment is death."
Thk!
The dart buried itself in his back.
Luke groaned in pain, immediately reaching behind him to pull it free.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the small dart in his hand.
"You fu..."
His words never finished.
His eyes rolled back, the strength drained from his body, and his knees gave way.
Thud.
He collapsed onto the ground.
The unnatural darkness vanished almost instantly, as though it had been tied to Luke’s consciousness.
And it had.
A man draped in a dark shroud stepped out from the cave and slowly approached the fallen hunter.
The only part of his face left uncovered wore a wide, splitting grin as he looked down at Luke’s helpless body.
Ptuh.
The man spat onto the ground beside Luke before sneering,
"Dozens have come before you. Many were far stronger. You’re just another goat that wandered into my trap."
He crouched beside Luke and leaned in close.
"Now, it’s your turn to be sla... huh?"
His words caught in his throat.
Luke moved.
It happened so fast that the shrouded man barely had time to react.
Luke grabbed the front of his cloak near the collar and violently slammed his forehead into the man’s face.
THUNK!
The impact rang through the clearing.
The shrouded man cried out as he stumbled backward, landing hard on his rear.
Luke sprang to his feet.
"Never assume someone’s dead unless you’ve stabbed them twice."
Without wasting another second, he spun around and sprinted toward Zuri, who still lay motionless in a pool of her own blood.
"Stop, you!"
The shrouded man roared and thrust out his hand.
Darkness surged forward once more, swallowing Luke whole.
Luke let out a dry chuckle.
"Not again."
’System, elevate my Intelligence stat.’
A moment later, the command took effect.
The suffocating darkness gradually faded from Luke’s vision until he could see clearly once again.
"No!"
The shrouded man cried out in disbelief as Luke reached Zuri.
Sliding to a stop, Luke gently lifted her head onto his thigh before pulling the cork from a healing potion.
Her jaw was clenched shut, her tongue stiff from the poison.
Using his fingers, he carefully parted her lips and slowly poured the potion through the gaps into her mouth.
Across the clearing, the shrouded man finally regained his composure and rose to his feet.
"Taro!" he bellowed.
A deafening howl echoed through the forest.
Moments later, the ground began to tremble.
Something enormous was charging toward them.
His greatest weapon.
...Yet despite calling for it, the shrouded man felt a knot of unease tighten in his chest.
That bastard...
Why was he grinning?
•••••••
A/N:- I hope you liked the Chapter. Elevated the plot pace a little and not every sex scene would last for several Chapters as someone suggested. Thank you for commenting.