Murim Recurve

"Dammit, it would kill us all at this rate." The leader coughed as he got up, sprinting the moment he took in a deep breath. At present, he didn't have the luxury to stop and think. Whether the Pakou was a wild beast or someone's Pranic Avatar, all he had to do was kill it and capture Re'Kha.

There were only three scouts now, including him. So, they didn't have any choice but to act fast. The other two scouts had shortened the distance with Re'Kha by now, on the verge of catching up with her.

One of them summoned his Pranic Avatar in hopes of buying time against the Pakou while removing his mask. Now that they had exited the settlement, there was no longer a point in wearing them, for the Kalhas only lived in places protected from the rain.

In the open like this, they wouldn't come across them. The scout had thought as such when he removed his mask, gazing at the back of Re'Kha, commanding his Pranic Avatar to lunge at her. Though, simultaneously, both he and his Nerou focused below her nape, gazing at an eyeball hidden under.

The distance was pretty short while they made eye contact. The Pranic Avatar vanished, transmitting all the Fear Qi produced in it to the respective scout. It was unknown whether it was the rain or the tears he shed as the scout plucked his eyeballs and threw them to the ground, losing balance in the process.

He slammed into the ground, making a long trail as he slid through the water, stopping when his head crashed into a rock. The other scout had just removed his mask when he noticed his teammate fall to the ground.

Re'Kha immediately skid on the ground, coming to a halt before turning around, sprinting towards the scout. Her right hand flashed blue as she sent out a palm projection towards the scout, using her left hand to brandish a whip while rotating her body.

The momentum from the spin made her whip fly faster towards the scout while making her two attacks consecutive. The scout unleashed a palm projection of his own with the left hand, meeting her palm projection. Both cancelled each other, splashing out like water.

His right hand unleashed another palm projection that slammed into the whip, stopping it. The scout glared at Re'Kha, preparing to use his Hand-Whip Projection when his eyes widened, his focus zooming towards the vial below her neck.

His hands shot towards his eyes as Re'Kha coiled the whip around his neck, pulling it with force to create an abrasion. A blood vessel in his neck had been opened, causing blood to spew out nonstop. Re'Kha lashed the whip on the heads of the two scouts, causing wounds that bled blood after a couple of hits.

She then gazed at the leader, sprinting towards him while motioning with her hands at the top, waving it once while covering the two vials in her dress. The Pakou let out a guttural sound, flying atop her as it focused on the leader.

By the time he noticed the two scouts drop without reason and the actions of Re'Kha, the leader knew that they had failed the mission. 'She can make use of the Kalhas. If I cover my eyes, I wouldn't be able to block the Pakou but if I keep them open, I'll fall victim to the Kalhas she controls.'

He sighed, "This mission is a failure."

Without hesitation, he plopped open a substance hidden in his molar, causing it to seep into his throat. Within a couple of breaths, the leader fell dead on the ground. To avoid leaking any information through torture, he chose suicide.

Re'Kha adjusted her dress, covering both the vials as she stopped before the leader, lashing out with her whip just in case he pretended to be dead. Her attack caused blood to flow out of his head as Re'Kha watched from a distance, feeling the flapping of wings as the Pakou landed beside her.

"Grrrreee…Grrkkkhhhaaa…" The Pakou pronounced with difficulty as the rain drenched it completely, causing the water to flow over its body and meet the ground. Through her Water Qi perception, Re'Kha witnessed just how big the Pakou was, "I never thought you would come to my rescue."

Her hands trembled as her facial muscles shivered, Re'Kha placed her hand on the neck of the Pakou, wrapping it in her embrace as she leaned on it, "Thank you, Re'Shi."

"Grrr," The Pakou gazed at her covered figure, seething with rage as it noticed her actions. Re'Kha had lost her eyes, now no longer able to see. Its tail gently patted her back, consoling her as Re'Kha began to cry.

All along, she had been under stress, striving to survive every moment without anything to depend upon. She had lost her vision, the fear stemming forth from such a loss was unbearable. With danger lurking around, her world was dark, unable to gleam any hope.

She had been betrayed by the people from her Clan, which further acted as a noose that tightened around her neck, making her doubt everyone she knew. But now, the individual before her calmed her, causing her bottled-up emotions to gush out. For, she trusted the individual before her, considering everything they had experienced together. He didn't have any reason to betray her, not in the past, neither now, nor in the future.

The Pakou stood in silence, growling at times to console her. Re'Kha could finally relax, the struggle till this point finally allowed her to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The chilling rainwater no longer caused her to feel alone and abandoned but acted as a medium that washed away her worries.

"Re'Shi," After some time had passed, Re'Kha stopped crying as she felt the intensity of the rain slowly begin to decrease, "I have left some things in the settlement. Let's grab them all before the rain stops."

"Grrr!" The Pakou lowered itself, allowing Re'Kha to climb aboard its back. With a flap of its wings, the Pakou slowly took off to the air and flew towards the settlement while Re'Kha pointed the way.