The afternoon was quiet. The leafy green grass and trees on the riverbanks made the place quite picturesque. All would have been fine, save for the eerie sound. There was barely a cricket call, or the singing of birds.
The only sound permeating the place was the sound of the waterfall. Hidden behind the waterfall was the group of survivors. Everyone was on high alert, for they knew, just beyond their sight, some scary monsters lurked.
Standing behind the wall of water, Haiser took in a deep breath. Turning around, he looked in the eyes of everyone and cracked a smile.
Suddenly, Haiser took off running. In an instance, he had broken through the wall of water, making a dash towards the forest. The countdown had begun, there was no turning back now. In ten seconds, everyone else would come dashing out too. This was the plan Cate had devised, but with two minor changes.
The first was, as per what Cate had suggested, there were supposed to be two or three runners instead of just one. Moreover, the runners were decided to be decided by casting lots, but astonishingly, Tim had volunteered.
After the encounter with the griffins, Haiser could tell that these were not to be trifled with. He also knew that the skills needed to take them down were not something the current group had, except for himself. He therefore made an impromtu plan to face off the griffins himself.
As a prince, hunting was something he was accustomed to. He too had had to face off big game, and some unconventional ones too. In fact, he had had to face off worse odds. With his experience, he would need to do things that would shock the others, so he decided to have a headstart.
On one hand he had a small shield, a buckler, and on the other, a desert eagle. It was an old era weapon, but still just as effective. As he moved, he kept his senses on high alert, watching out for any little form of movement.
Suddenly, he felt a deep and immediate sense of death. From his right, he felt as though he was about to be consumed by the worst kind of horror. His senses were swinging warning bells in his mind.
Almost instinctively, Haiser jumped and somersaulted, bringing his shield to cover whatever it could. Almost in the nick of time, Haiser felt a huge impact on his buckler. The next moment, he was tossed away like a rugdoll.
What was most shocking was that the beast did not even make contact with him. From where it had attacked, it had not moved. Haiser came to a sudden realization, the fiend could make sonic attacks.
Finally, it added up. The beast's roar had been super scary, especially considering the actual beast was no bigger than a dog. It's roar should not have been that intense. Haiser berated himself for not realizing that sooner.
The threat level on the griffin increased by several folds. This was because the beast could also make ranged attacks as well. Haiser frowned with realization. From Cate's data, she did not inform them that the beasts could make sonic attacks. One had to wonder, was it intentional, or had she not encountered such an attack before.
Haiser barely had the time to think things through. Because of the toss, he had been flung away and landed on his back. Moreover, that attack had sent him within range of the other beast.
Like a phantom, the little griffin shot from its hiding place, lunging at Haiser with its teeth bared, almost savoring the taste of the meal to come. Spinning wildly, Haiser brandished his buckler once again, blocking the attack.
The next moment, Haiser feinted down, seemingly for no reason. However, the third griffin came flying out of the corner, executing a perfect pincer attack. Fortunately, because of Haiser's pre-emptive action, he had managed to dodge it by millimeters.
Haiser now realized how difficult this hunt was. Not only could the griffins fly, they could make ranged attacks, and they possessed the ability to coordinate and fight as a team. All this time, Haiser had not found a chance to counter-attack, since he received the first attack.
"You've had your fun, now, its my turn," Haiser said as he spun, rotating and standing instantly. Without pausing his movements, Haiser raised his hand. The next moment, several bullets came flying out of his gun.
The attack had been too fast, his movements too unexpected. Logically, he should have retreated, gaining some ground against this onslaught he had found himself in. However, instead of retreating, he had advanced, firing his gun as he did so.
Perhaps the griffins had gotten complacent, or too self-assured. The moment Haiser started firing, three bullets impaled on of the griffins right on the temple. With his firing rate and the speed of the bullet, it did not even know what killed it.
Sadly, the others were alert. Seeing such an expected attack, they had scurried back to the forest, hiding.
"Want to run," Haiser thought as he gave pursuit, "Can you?"
Jumping in the air, Haiser grabbed a branch. Leveraging on the branch, with his momentum, he spun 360 degrees. As he did, he continued firing.
Back in the cave, the others were busy counting down the seconds. When the first sound of gunshots had sounded, they felt their blood boil, anticipating the fight. Each gunshot was taunting them into action.
At some point, Haiser stopped firing, which made them assume the worst. This only served to make the tense situation more intense. Finally, the ten seconds were over. Everyone burst out of the waterfall like bats from hell. They had their guns at the ready, their fighting spirits soaring.
However, the next moment, they were filled with equal parts disbelief, shock, elation and disappointed. Why? Because Haiser was standing by the waterfall, with three griffin carcasses lain before him.