A campfire crackled at a safe distance from the pair. They had walked for just over an hour before finding the kidnappers' camp. The two sat amidst the tall vegetation, catching only glimpses of the fire and the men's shadows.
Gabriel realized his companion had been right about the number: eight men armed with nothing more than knives and pieces of metal. At least, from where they were, there were no visible firearms. Even though guns were banned, people like them always managed to get hold of some.
Two small trucks were parked facing each other. The silhouettes of the captives were visible in the back of one truck. The other had its cargo hidden under a tarp. The men's laughter and chatter almost completely drowned out the muffled sobbing of the victims, who Gabriel noticed were likely gagged.
"There are eight for sure," Naomi whispered. "I think we can start now."
"Yeah, I'll move to the left. See that bush?" Gabriel pointed toward a dense shrub near one of the vehicles. When his companion nodded, he continued, "I'll sneak over there. Once I'm in position, I'll signal you."
"Got it, I'll approach the fire," Naomi responded immediately.
Even from a distance, the camp's division was clear. Two men were on guard duty: one near where Gabriel was headed and the other a few meters away. The rest were seated around the fire.
Feeling his hands grow slightly clammy, Gabriel wiped them on the grass beside him, which caused the ring on his index finger to catch on a leaf. He glanced at the black onyx ring, similar to Naomi's, but quickly refocused on the targets.
With a brief exchange of glances, Gabriel began to move. At first, it was easy to approach, using the vegetation and tree trunks for cover. Once the captives in the truck bed were clearly in sight, he dropped flat to the ground behind a log.
He took a good look at the captives, most of whom were women and children. They're probably being sent to some brothel, he thought, as he crawled quietly through the underbrush.
Bits of wood and the occasional rock dug into his chest and stomach, but he paid no mind. The men's conversations grew louder, but his focus on the task at hand turned their words into mere background noise. At last, he reached his destination.
Surveying one of the nearby guards, Gabriel slowly rose to his knees. Keeping his eyes on the target, he reached for one of the knives strapped to his left shin and withdrew it.
Remembering what Naomi had said about the men being careless, he waited patiently for the guard to turn his attention elsewhere. When the moment came, Gabriel signaled his companion by letting the firelight briefly reflect off the blade, directing the flash of light back to where Naomi was waiting.
Without wasting a second, he turned his focus back to the nearby kidnapper and overheard him talking to another.
"Looks like this time we'll make a good haul."
"Especially with the bonus," replied the other.
Rustling a few branches in the bush, Gabriel caught the nearest man's attention, causing him to turn immediately.
"What was that?"
"Huh?" the other man responded.
"Didn't you see? The grass moved."
"We're in the middle of the forest, it's probably some animal, maybe a bird's nest."
The idea of finding eggs lit up the closer man's eyes, and he immediately turned his attention toward where Gabriel was hiding.
"Boiled eggs would be nice," he said as he turned to his companion.
"Help yourself," the distant man replied, turning back toward their cargo.
With fluid precision, Gabriel drew his second knife, holding one blade in each hand, and waited. He watched as his target walked carelessly toward him. When the man was less than a meter away and bent down to inspect the bush, Gabriel struck.
With a swift motion, Gabriel launched himself at the man, driving the knife between his ribs, aiming for the heart. It happened so quickly that the man didn't even register what hit him. He died instantly as his heart was pierced.
The corpse collapsed onto Gabriel, who absorbed the full weight along with the warm spray of blood that splattered against his face from the fatal blow. Slowly, the killer let the body settle into the bush, making it seem as though the man was still searching for the eggs that had cost him his life. Then he waited.
"Hey!" the other kidnapper called out, not too far away. "What'd you find over there?"
When there was no reply, he approached, calling out again, "Was there really something there?"
In the blink of an eye, Gabriel let the body fall, still with the knife lodged in its chest, and with a swift throw, he sent his second blade flying. It struck the man squarely in the eye, penetrating deep into his brain.
Moving quickly, Gabriel caught the second man's body as it spasmed from the brain injury. He pressed his knee against the dying man's throat, choking him until the body went limp.
Pulling the knife from the victim's eye, Gabriel wiped the blood and eye fluids on the dead man's shirt, cleaning both blades. Two down, six to go, he thought.
Leaving the two lifeless bodies behind, he crept closer to the campfire. Staying low, Gabriel searched for new hiding spots, but the firelight greatly reduced his options. There was really only one place left: beneath the truck where the majority of the captives, seemingly asleep, were held.
He sheathed his knife back in its leg holster, keeping only his throwing blade in hand as he silently slid along the side of the truck. The sound of something approaching caught his attention. Several captives were banging against the cage bars upon seeing him, making desperate noises as if pleading for help. It wasn't long before most of them were pressing against the bars, begging to be freed.
Gabriel felt his mouth go dry. He glanced back at the fire just in time to see the six remaining men moving toward the sound. He had been spotted, and on instinct, his free hand went to the pouch on his belt, pulling out one of the glass spheres filled with gunpowder. He hurled it toward the fire while simultaneously throwing his knife at a nearby kidnapper's throat. As the blade pierced the man's esophagus, the sphere hit the flames, causing a quick explosion—not enough to kill, but enough to disorient everyone.
Still partially blinded by the sudden flash, Gabriel saw his companion spring into action. From the chest of one of the men, the black tip of Naomi's katana emerged with a spray of blood.
The man died instantly, and as his confused companions turned to him, Naomi withdrew the blade, spinning her lithe body. Wherever the weapon passed, it left a trail of blood in the air. Her movement was precise; by the time she completed the circle, another throat had been slashed, leaving three men standing. Naomi advanced on the next, who, unlike the first two, tried to reach for his knife but wasn't quick enough. With a firm thrust, Naomi drove her katana into his chest, the blade piercing straight through his body.
Kicking the dying man aside, Naomi freed her sword just in time to duck under a metal pipe that had been swung at her head. She felt the air from the swing brush past her face and countered by driving her katana deep into the stomach of her attacker.
She turned toward the last man, just in time to see Gabriel taking him by surprise. With one hand over the man's mouth, Gabriel pulled his head back slightly and dragged his blade across the man's throat, unleashing a brief cascade of red.
They both stood still amidst the bodies. Only one kidnapper remained alive—the one Gabriel had struck in the throat during the explosion—but he wouldn't last long.
"Wow!" Gabriel exclaimed. "I never get tired of watching you work."
Naomi, her face expressionless, glanced at him, shaking the excess blood from her blade onto the ground.
"Let's free them," she said, heading toward the cage.
"Yeah, but you guys could've helped out a bit more, don't you think?" Gabriel said to the captives, who were still thrashing about in panic. "Would've made our lives easier."
But the captives' desperate sounds only grew louder, causing both of them to tense up.
"Something's wrong," Naomi murmured.
The sound of something unlocking made them both turn, just in time to see another man opening the cage that had been hidden under the tarp.
"You're all going to die here!" the crazed man screamed, but before he could say anything else, the iron door of the cage flung open with such force that it crushed his chest and sent him flying two meters back.
The entire vehicle groaned as a massive head covered in long black fur and scales emerged. It was a beast, standing two and a half meters tall, with a tail of equal length. A giant bear rose up on its hind legs, with scales around its neck fanning out like a cobra's hood. Scales also grew in patches across its body, fully covering its back legs and reptilian tail. The beast's oversized jaws dripped with saliva, which sizzled when it hit the ground, making it clear that its bite was venomous.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Gabriel exclaimed, immediately drawing his long knife.
Naomi stood shoulder to shoulder with him, but his glance caught her attention.
"I'll distract this thing," Gabriel said, his voice shaky. "You free the captives."
"Are you sure?"
"No," he laughed nervously. "But since you took care of most of the targets, it's the least I can do, right?"
Without waiting for a response, Gabriel banged his knife handles together, trying to catch the beast's attention. But the creature's bright yellow eyes were locked on Naomi.
"Hey, ugly beast! Come and get a piece of me!"
Without waiting another second, the young man dashed into the forest, and the sound of something large chasing after him made it clear that the taunt had worked. He ran with all his strength, getting whipped by branches and low-hanging plants. He felt something warm trickling down his neck where a piece of wood had scraped him, but he didn't feel the pain. After all, he heard behind him the growls and snapping sounds just as he felt himself step into empty space.
For a moment, his heart pounded in his head as he fell and plunged entirely into a pool of water, but he quickly got up, looking at where he had fallen, his vision blurred by the liquid that soaked him.
Not long after, he saw the bear fall in right behind him. The animal didn't crush him only because he had gotten out of the way in time, but water splashed in all directions due to the creature's massive weight.
Maybe it broke its neck, Gabriel thought hopefully, but it was clear that wasn't the case. The monstrosity rose, staring at him with its black, insane eyes.
Gabriel knew exactly what he had to do: knock it down and focus his attacks on the monster's head, but in practice, it wouldn't be so easy. He charged toward the bear, which, in turn, swung a paw at him, aiming to crush his chest. Without thinking, Gabriel threw himself forward, ducking under the paw and feeling his back get wet as the strike hit the pool. Putting all his strength into his legs, he spun and aimed a kick at the creature's heel, but his hands went numb when the blow landed; the scales were as hard as stone. He saw the tail coming his way, but luckily, the animal lost its balance, making the attack hit with little force—yet enough to throw him more than a meter back, sending him crashing into the water again. Both blades slipped from his hands on impact.
Struggling to breathe, Gabriel got back to his feet, the water reaching his waist, and saw the bear turning toward him, its eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Screw it," he muttered to himself.
He reached for the holster hidden behind the pouch filled with poisons, pulling out a modified Magnum. Its barrel was three times thicker than standard, and it held only four bullets. It was a custom weapon, a legacy from his master.
Gripping the handle with both hands, the young man aimed between the bear's eyes. The recoil came as soon as he pulled the trigger, and the gunshot echoed in all directions. Where the bear's head had been, there was now only a mass of bloody flesh. The massive body toppled, sending a wave that splashed across Gabriel's face.
Then, silence.
He stood still for a few seconds, his hands tingling. Gabriel took one last look at the body and, letting out a tired sigh, felt his chest where the blow had landed, surprised to find nothing was broken.
"That was easier than I thought," he said to himself, as he began searching for his weapons in the pool of water.