The group was forced to follow the dog. They didn't know what to expect. All of their dogs and handlers had suffered agonizing outcomes. They weren't sure if another swarm of bees or a sword awaited them. They complied because of the fear that the Shaman may prepare something worse for them if they didn't. The war dog pulled them through the wall of trees in front of them. The spot was deserted. At first the warriors thought if the dog had lost it after being stung a million times but soon the hunters found a trace. Moments later, they were certain that two men had stayed at the exact spot just minutes ago.
"One of them is wounded", a hunter added. The group was skeptical of his hypothesis. He could read it on their faces so he continued, "The smell of the herbs we use to tend our wounded".
"Any direction?", the Shaman asked.
"Can't tell but if the smell is still alive, they can't be too far away", the hunter dutifully responded. The war dog was getting agitated again. The Shaman looked at it and his doubts regarding the direction vanished. "Then we must hurry", said the Shaman as he strode ahead on his horse. The dog, along with its handler was in a sprint and as was the rest of the group. The group tore through the hedges and bushes in a blur, leaving a trail of dust in the air. Every corner they turned, only clues were found but not the targets. This kept happening again and again. the enthusiasm of the dog didn't seem to dwindle. The beast was certain of its detection. The Shaman grew impatient. He gestured the group to halt. The handler barely managed to keep the dog at the spot, yet it continuously strained the leash.
"Are you sure they are as close?", the Shaman finally asked the hunter. He was getting irritated chasing shadows. "I am certain. Don't know how they keep evading us", the hunter replied. The beast started barking and struggled harder. The Shaman tiredly gesture him to let the dog lead them. As the handler eased the leash just a bit, the dog leapt away from him with all its strength. The handler, even with all of his efforts, failed to stay on his feet. He was dragged for a few meters before he decided to let go of the leash. This time around nobody found the humor in it. The warrior pulled himself back on his feet and dusted himself. The group halted behind him. The beast had taken off into the dense vegetation causing all sorts of noise. The barks seemed to fade into the distance. Just as the monotonous bark seemed to vanish for good, a squeal was heard and the barking stopped. The squeal got the attention of everyone in the group. They spontaneously dashed in the direction. The Shaman let the rest of the group run in before him. He was certain that something extremely hostile awaited in there that had slain the powerful beast that easily.
The group stopped and looked for a go ahead from their leader. They stared in terror, uncertain whether they should investigate the gruesome fate of the hound or worry about themselves. The decision was not theirs to make. The Shaman was terrified himself but he had never been a fond of leaving things unfinished. The bunch looked at the Shaman for direction. He unsheathed his ceremonial sword. He said nothing, just promptly and silently pointed at the direction of the last squeal of the doomed beast. That was the cue for the leftover of the group to be the first line of defense in front of the Shaman and be ready to receive the first blow. By the look of it, their adversary didn't seem to inflict too many. The warriors stealthily marched into the tall bushes. The hunters accompanied them. The apprentices suddenly loved being by the Shaman's side. The front line walked through the green wall and found the swollen dog. It had only taken one clean swipe. More importantly, the mutt was right. They had missed their target again.
"There!", the Shaman screeched at the top of his lungs, pointing his sword at the silhouettes of men running away from them. The warriors took one look in the direction and took off. The entire group broke into a sprint and the Shaman's steed dashed behind. They screamed and let out war cries, seeing an end of the tiresome and forever scarring pursuit. As the rushing group neared the target, they almost fell, trying with all their strength to stop. The white monster was unmistakable. The White Boa stopped and shifted the wounded preacher from his shoulder to the other's. He wore nothing but a leather rag on his waist and a sheathed sword. Other than that, there were numerous markings on his body that boosted his fearful appearance. He turned to his pursuers. The group was horrified, seeing their most feared assassin at the side of their prey. The Shaman emerged soon after, ended up being equally shocked.
"Boa! You Filthy Traitor! You! Of all people! You shield the blasphemer?", he exclaimed, as he spontaneously jumped off the horse. Boa didn't seem to care what the Shaman thought of him. It was the warriors that troubled him. The look of hatred that dispensed form their eyes, disappointed him.
"These men do not deserve to die! You don't have to listen to this man. Stand down!", Boa commanded the warriors. His voice was of a commander who was accustomed to barking orders to his troops. His words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The Shaman let out a coarse chuckle.
"Don't act like a saint now, don't dishonor the countless men you have thrown to the gods", the Shaman taunted.
"I am forever the servant of the Chief. I have never unsheathed by blade for my personal gain", Boa responded, still looking at the warriors, still ignoring the presence of the Shaman. Tai scoffed at this and eyed the warriors, trying to see if they were buying what the assassin said to them. "Unlike you, who kills off all the witnesses of your doings in the name of our gods", the assassin continued. Shaman didn't need that in such a moment where the loyalty of the men was at stake. Before he could retaliate, Boa dealt a heavier blow, "The man behind me is the eyewitness of what this 'chosen one' does to your daughters. He caught him letting his demon out on a five years old girl and killing her in the process. There wasn't ever any blasphemy. He was just tying loose ends". The Shaman stole another glance at the men and this time around they looked convinced. There wasn't a lot to prove, everybody that had served at the high places had had their doubts. All they needed was to hear from someone else. As for the apprentices, they were the ones who had literally served him the girls. They just played dumb. The Shaman had to think quickly.
"The stone-cold killer accuses the monk!", he responded and let out another roar of laughter, half expecting the men to join him. They were too confused to do so.
"The mother of the girl has spoken. You can't escape now!", Boa said, again facing the men. He was in no mood to talk to the person whom he already disliked even before his big crime. The men were finally budging. They had been commanded by the Shaman for the last few days and had been forced to revere him since their births, so they were having a hard time turning on him. The Shaman saw the men stealing glances at him, expecting a response.
"The girl was possessed by a hundred demons. She couldn't endure her exorcism", the Shaman pleaded. He was aware that there had been whispers of his misadventures in the village. He couldn't evade it for long. Boa gave an enraged stare to the apprentices who were trying to go invisible. The rest of the men also looked to the apprentices. The Shaman was certain that the morons would give him away.
"Alright! So what! if I couldn't control myself? Nobody is an angel here. But I can make it right. More and more children are being born deformed in our lands. The wombs are cursed. The Chief himself has angered the gods! He has committed too many sins. He wants to get rid of me, the only one who can win back the favor of the gods. And he has sent his best to do the job", the Shaman countered. Tai was at his best. There had been recently reported cases of babies being born with disabilities in the village. The reason of which could be anything, from contaminated water to bad health of the mother, but the Shaman used it perfectly in his favor.
"Those cowardly morons, who claim to lead the tribes, worship the demon of greed. They suck out all the wealth of their people and call me when the crap hits the fan. The villagers themselves are drenched in sins far bigger than mine", he continued.
"You! The old one!?", he pointed at the most senior warrior who had confronted him earlier. "Aren't you the mercenary who kills for coins and blames it on the beasts of the jungle?", the Shaman asked in soft, pleading tone. The warrior was shaken and too embarrassed to keep his gaze up. "And you!?", another warrior was in his crosshairs. "How's the wife? Whom I relieved of her former husband on your request? Gods know how much strength it took to convince the man that his firstborn with her was gonna be a demon", he went on and another one added to the fleet of embarrassed faces. The Shaman kept stripping down everyone he could think of. He just left the chief for the dessert. It was not the right time. Soon enough, all were left red faced. Even the ones who were not in the honorable mentions, were aware of their crimes and understood that the Shaman was aware as well. It was a masterclass. All the progress the assassin had made on the minds of the group, went down the drain. The men, even the apprentices, who had seen his crimes firsthand, had their leanings reinforced at the Shaman's side. The warriors faced the assassin and readied themselves in an aggressive stance.
"Please don't make me do this!", the assassin pleaded. The men inched closer with their bare swords. The hateful stares of the warriors started to give away that they were preparing strategies to take the assassin down. White Boa sighed and hung his head. "Did you say proper goodbyes to your families?", he said as he understood that the men were too far gone. There was no response from the men.
"Run! I'll take care of them", the pale assassin said to the preachers as he unsheathed his sword. He bent himself into an elite swordsman's stance and gestured the warriors to come at him.