Like a domino effect in which one event triggered a series of other events. At first, there were only two guards, but a few moments later, four other guards came up, two more from the top floor and three people getting up from the bottom below.
I had just a dagger at my waist. My bow and arrows were shattered in pieces when I fell into the cargo. I also didn't have any Viglet after broken at the hunting some time ago. Despite having a weapon, I still feel uncertain it could take me out of this hellish situation. After passing through the corridor intersection, I turned to the right aisle. Because three more guards were chasing off from the left.
"Dammit! Why are too many guards here?"
Fortunately, they couldn't use Esze to get me. Before, they leashed out Esze but missed and destroyed an urn. Perhaps the goods at this place were so precious since then, they no longer use Esze. I looked back. The soldiers were numbered a dozen. Each of them carrying spears and shields.
Then I chose to descend the stairs. But stopped after finding Elvian soldiers were waiting for me downstairs. They made a line of fence shields so that I couldn't pass.
I panicked. At the behind, many people pursuing me, while in the front, there were fence shields. They intended to clamp me from two directions. I'm not losing my mind, then I picked up the jars and other small-sized furniture in the surrounding. Next, threw it continuously to the head of warriors. Reflexly they all raised their shields up for defense.
This was the moment I waited. With lightning speed, I ran down the stairs. When their shields were still pointing up, I made a high leap and trampled the shield as a stepping stone. Somehow it worked. Now I'm right behind their backs. Without wasting time, I bolted down the hall.
"Goodbye, Long Ears!" I yelled aloud. I couldn't help but laugh because too excited. Managed to escape pursuit. After making sure that no more people were after me, I ran through an open window.
=============================
The evening had come. Twilight sky became the background of birds flying back home, there was no single cloud in the sky. So the sun could be seen clearly wanted to hide behind the long mountains. The shadow of the trees already stretched to the east, opposite the sun on the western horizon.
Right now, I've been on the ground, no longer on top of the tall trees. It took a whole day to get here. After the previous incident, I was more careful in taking any action. Added with Elvian soldiers frequently patrolling, made my movements were limited. Maybe they already broadcasted information about the intruder due to soldiers who come after me increase dramatically.
I leaned my back on the wall while looking out the window. Down here there were a lot of houses and shops. I don't know why, the residential and shopping complex here seemed more elite and luxurious than the top of the trees. Each building is built of a brick wall, not from wood. The architecture looked first-class. For example, they were the balcony, the giant stakes, a very spacious rear garden, also a fountain as big as a football field. That's why custody down here is so strict. Because maybe this area has some significant buildings and homes of essential people in the Elvian race.
Fortunately, I found an unused warehouse. It seemed this room was the old weapons storage warehouse belonging to Elvian soldiers. In every place of the room, there were many various kinds of weapons that were rusty. The fact that the warehouse was located near the barrack confirms my guess.
This time I wouldn't be so careless. Although my stomach was hungry as hell, I didn't want to endanger myself to break into someone else's house again. That would make me like an intruder, just as they said.
I waited until the night comes. If you think about it carefully, doing this was useless because Elvian could see in the dark. It was easy for them to find a small bird in the night darkness. However, it was better than doing anything.
While waiting, I laid myself down on a bench in the corner of the room. Thinking about Glafelden city. I didn't know what Dimas was doing right now, I hope he wasn't too frantic and reckless to catch me up here. Grussel might be upset to hear that I accidentally carried over to the Elvian region. He would think of me as careless and useless as a pig. And then about Almira, I wondered what she would say when I managed to infiltrate the Elvian city?
For a moment, I did miss my usual grilled squid snacks bought in the city. Its taste and smell were absolutely on a different level than other snacks.
"Oh ... shit! Thinking about the food actually makes me even more hungry!" I said as my hand stroked the stomach.
*Crack!
Suddenly the door opened. My eyes met with the two incoming Elvian while talking. At once, the three of us fell silent and stared at each other. There was a silence for some time. After understood the situation, the two men were immediately snapped up.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? What the hell this smell ... where it came from?" One Elvian suddenly covered his nose. Maybe couldn't stand the pungent aroma of wet pickles that were still attached to my body.
"Ah, don't tell me you are the stink intruder that told by the commander before!" cried another Elvian.
I got up and stood reflexly. Walked back a few steps to keep the distance. Of course, I was shocked and panicked. But what made me annoyed was the nickname 'Stink Intruder' was addressed to me. Well, it was true. But I didn't want it either.
"No way! Who are you calling stink, huh?" I shouted with a bit of challenge.
Two people were watching me closely. Their gaze made me uncomfortable, seriously. As if their eyes touched my body directly from head to toe, even though I was still dressed.
"Just like the commander said."
"Yes, she's the real one!"
"She's really Haier-Elvian! This girl reminds me of the last mixed-race lived hundreds of years ago."
Wait a minute! They already knew the real me?? Ah, I knew it! It was clear that Ponytail Elvian caused this. He was the first to know about me. If not him, who else?
It seemed he was a high-ranking military or could be influential people in this city. So that could easily broadcast the information. Goddammit! When it got to Glafelden Town, there would be many problems.
It's better to put it aside for now. I had to prioritize how to escape from here. My eyes looked around quickly. This place was full of old weapons. Suddenly I got an idea.
My hands immediately took a shield. Its size was big enough that it could cover half of the body. This item was undoubtedly heavy, so I wouldn't throw it like a jar before. Two Elvian gasped at the door, waiting for further actions.
Once I had positioned it right in front of my body. I immediately jumped forward. Two people were still intended to stop my escape by crossing two spears at the door. At the last moment before the impact, I threw myself forward. If I had to deal with pure strength, I'd lost to them for sure. However, due to the shield's weight and its great force, I managed to breakthrough.
Two men bounced back slightly. Using that chance, I quickly run away as fast as lightning. One of them got up and went after me, while others ran in the opposite direction. Looked like he was going to tell the other soldiers. Damn! It seemed it would be more difficult.
"Hey, stop right now!" Shouted the soldier chasing me.
"Are you really that stupid!?"
There was no way I stopped. Did he think every burglar or intruder would stop whenever he yelled like that? I'm not an obedient dog, am I?
While running, I noticed something strange about this soldier. When pursued inside the building, I realized that they didn't use Esze because of goods and other furniture. Weren't all Elvians could use Esze, were they? But why the hell this man didn't use it? Yet right now, we were outside the building.
Less than one minute after left the warehouse, Elvian soldiers who were chasing me increasing. About ten people came out from a tiny road between the houses. Suddenly I took the path to a small alley to hamper them. This alley width was only one meter, thus made Elvian soldiers must pass alternately one by one. I saw some people who had to take a detour.
I was panicking at the moment. Today I just arrived in this city, it was impossible to know the ins and outs of the streets. I was afraid to take the wrong path. Not to mention the possibility of increasing soldiers or secret traps they had set. Right now, I just ran wherever there was room for escape.
"She's over there!"
"Capture her alive! Don't let her get away!"
Finally, I got it. If I recalled this morning that Ponytail Elvian ordered them to capture me alive. No wonder none of them dared to attack me first. Ironically, I should be grateful for that order.
The situation got worse when there were thirty soldiers in front of the street. Like a cornered rat, I took a path or whatever it was passable. Even got to break through people's houses to escape to the road behind it. My crimes looked more serious. I flinched when I found the roadblocks of a row of soldiers in the intersection ahead. Then I ran into the passage and climbed onto the roof of the house residents. Jump over rooftops and the fence like a ninja in action at night.
Running fast continuously for a few minutes made me exhausted. There were no longer soldiers chasing me. It seems my trick managed to fool them, but it didn't make things better. The fact that I was locked up inside the city remained unchanged. Elvian soldiers had started to block the roads. I had no idea when the situation would be this bad.
"Actually, is the sin of intruder that big? Why should they be serious like this?" I complained.
Right now, I was leaning on the fence of a house in a narrow alley. Relaxing a moment to calm the heart rate as much as possible. My hand wiped the sweat on the forehead and neck. I threw my gaze to the right and left. Quite deserted and silent. Elvian soldiers probably looked elsewhere.
Then the following events happened so quickly. While I was resting, a group of people dressed in black came out of the giant trees. They used a rope to get down fast. My eyes couldn't follow the pace. The next thing I knew, they had reached the roof of houses around or over a fence.
The group of seven people simultaneously pointed the swords at me. The sword was a little different from the general Elvian soldiers. This weapon was thinner and lighter. Suited to provide critical attack or kill a target in a blink of an eye.
"Surrender, Intruder! We will treat you well if you want to throw your weapon!" yelled one of them.
"Treat me well? If so, could you let me go from here?" I said with half-joking while alerting my dagger position. But they didn't move at all. No reaction whatsoever on the joke.
A Chill ran down my spine. Their aura looked different from ordinary soldiers. Not only they had threatening expressions, but also their eye gaze looked sharp. They were like the special forces.
"I give you three seconds to surrender. The commander ordered us to take you in one piece and not hurt. But I'm not gonna obey the order, what more when faced with a troublesome opponent."
"What would you do to me if I surrender?"
"You don't need to know," he replied simply.
I was not sure they would keep their promises after being accused of infiltration and making cities in the fray. It's a bad offer. I wanted to reject it. But how to escape from here? Maybe I could fool the ordinary soldier, but it didn't seem to work for this group. They would have cut me when I made even a little suspicious action.
The swords look very sharp. Gleaming as wanted to give intimidation to their victim.
"One!" He started counting. I panicked and was scared to death. Silent like a piece of stone sculpting. Then he went on quickly, "two!!"
The situation worsened when dozens of Elvian soldiers came in and immediately laid siege to me. I chuckled. This small street was filled with soldiers, while the roof was guarded by special forces. There was no way out. My heart almost stopped beating when he said, "Thr-"
*TRANG!
A metallic tinkling sound was heard so clear when my dagger dropped on the rocky road. Before he had completed the count, I deliberately threw the weapon. I gave up. Then sat down on the street and resigned when the soldiers walked over. Some people seized me and tied my hands together.
"Throw this bitch in jail! Then questioning her! Make this woman talk about her goal in here!"