Gorvex's plan unfolds perfectly.
He hadn't tried to grab Naisha directly.
She was too fast for that.
She'd slip through his fingers if he wasn't careful.
"Auntie, take Ran and get out of here. Ken and I will catch up."
Her aunt nodded. "Please, be careful."
Then she turned and fled the village.
As soon as they were gone, Naisha spun around.
Her eyes blazed as she faced the leader.
"Bring Ken back to me!"
She sprinted toward him, faster than she'd ever run.
But steel chains lashed out and snapped like whips.
Naisha weaved through each attack.
The chains slammed into the ground, cratering the earth where they landed.
One hit, and she knew she'd be done for.
Crippled.
Or worse.
But she didn't care.
Her mind was locked on a single goal.
Get Ken back no matter what.
Naisha reached the perfect distance and crouched, ready to spring into the air.
But then she saw it.
The victorious smirk stretching across the boss's face.
"Gotcha!"
A thin, snake-like chain shot up from the ground, wrapping around her left foot.
Just as she was about to leap, the chain yanked her back down.
She slammed into the ground, hard, and the wind knocked from her lungs.
"You were too distracted by my attack."
With his other hand, Gorvex secretly released a chain into the ground.
"That thin chain of mine? It was already slithering through the dirt, waiting right under your feet."
"Sis Naisha!" young Ken cried out.
Naisha tried to shake the chain off her foot, but it was already coiled tight, snaking around her ankle.
She kicked and twisted, but it only made the chain bite deeper into her skin.
In seconds, she was yanked off her feet.
Her body was dragged across the ground. Her head smacked against the dirt, just like her brother.
"Let me go!"
Gorvex sneered, winding the chain around her whole body, pinning her arms to her sides.
Naisha's two blades slipped from her grasp, falling uselessly to the ground.
"Ahh!"
Naisha cried out, her voice sharp with pain.
From the bushes, Ran's heart raced as he saw his sister go down.
His small fists clenched, and before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth to scream and charge in.
But their aunt was quicker.
She grabbed him tightly, covered his mouth with her hand, and pulled him back into the shadows of the giant trees.
"Shh. Stay hidden."
Gorvex's men swarmed her, forcing her down as they bound her tightly with ropes.
Naisha struggled, but the ropes only tightened with each movement.
She has no choice, but to give up.
For now.
As they dragged her, she realized she wasn't alone.
Her other companions had also been captured.
They, too, were tied up and struggled against their restraints.
"Ken, are you okay?"
Naisha's voice was soft despite the tight ropes binding them both.
"I'm scared, Sis. Naisha."
"Don't worry. I'll get us out of here."
Naisha forced calm into her voice as she tried to comfort him.
Her gaze flickered toward the leader of the slave hunters, her mind racing.
'Why did it have to be them?'
Naisha knew escape wasn't an option.
Not with them.
The Mad Clan.
They were led by Gorvex, notorious for his brutal, barbaric ways.
He didn't just catch slaves.
He breaks them.
The Mad Clan was one of the strongest, most feared groups of slave hunters in the region.
A few minutes later, the captors had rounded up most of the villagers, herding them like cattle.
Gorvex approached Naisha on horseback, his cold eyes fixed on her.
"Who is your chief?"
Naisha only glared up at him, defiance burning in her eyes.
"Where are the other villagers hiding?"
She didn't flinch.
Silence was her only answer.
Suddenly, one of Gorvex's men stepped forward and slapped her across the face knocking her to the ground.
"You speak when the boss asks!"
The other villagers tried to rise and help Naisha.
But before they could get to their feet, knives were pressed against their necks.
The villagers watched in helplessness. Worry etched on their faces as they glanced at Naisha.
Their hands were tied tight, and their bodies were too weak to resist.
They were unable to do anything but lower their heads in submission as they gritted their teeth in anger.
Gorvex smirked as he nodded to his men, signaling them to grab Ken.
He knew exactly where to hit Naisha.
Right where it hurt the most.
A member of the Mad Clan yanked Ken backward by his hair, and pointed a knife at his throat, threatening to kill him.
Naisha's rage flared.
Her body tensed, straining against her bonds.
She pushed herself to stand, despite the restraints holding her down.
"Don't you dare touch my brother! Or I'll kill you!"
She didn't care that she was outmatched. She didn't care that she had no chance of winning.
She kept fighting, her eyes wild with fury, as two of Gorvex's men tried to force her down.
But then, without warning, a brutal punch slammed into her stomach.
And it stole her breath in an instant.
The impact sent her crashing to her knees, pain exploding in her gut.
She gasped for air, but it wouldn't come.
As she struggled, one of the men raised his boot to kick her.
"Stop!"
Mother Venice cut through the tension.
Her face twisted in defiance, despite being tied up like the rest.
"I am the chief. We don't know where the others are. And frankly, you should know why we don't."
Her gaze locked onto Gorvex, unflinching.
"You're the one who should have figured it out by now."
Gorvex looked around the village and saw that the homes were merely tents.
The lives with the Verdant ID were nomadic.
Whenever they successfully defended their village from slave hunters, they would move to a distant place to avoid being attacked again.
Over time, they moved from place to place. That is why their homes were just tents—easily dismantled and reassembled.
"Hmm..."
Gorvex didn't respond further or ask any more questions.
A while later, more of Gorvex's men arrived, dragging a few more captives behind them.
Among them was Naisha's aunt.
Her aunt's heart skipped a beat when she saw Naisha lying on the ground.
But her eyes quickly searched for Ran among the prisoners.
Her breath caught when she didn't see him.
As her aunt was led toward her, she asked anxiously.
"Are you okay, Niasha?"
Naisha struggled to push herself up from the ground and sit.
As she settled, a cough escaped her.
Once she could breathe more steadily, she forced herself to ask, "Where is Ran?"
"We were caught, but I told Ran to run into the forest. I blocked the ones chasing us and bought him some time."
Relief washed over Naisha for a moment. But it was quickly followed by a surge of worry.
The forest was no safe place, especially for someone as young and vulnerable as him.
Gorvex's voice sliced through the tense air as he commanded ten of his men. "Separate the elderly. Kill them, then bring the weapons you took from them and follow us. We need to catch up with others."
To them. the elderly were nothing but dead weight—useless mouths to feed and a burden to them.
Mother Venice was among them.
"No!"
The villagers cried in horror. But they were helpless, bound, and powerless.
As the men rose to leave, they yanked the villagers to their feet.
Then they tied them together in a cruel rope that pulled them forward whether they could walk or not.
Naisha, bound with the others, struggled to resist.
She dug her heels into the ground, trying to stop them from dragging her and her people.
But her strength was fading.
Her body was wracked with pain from the beating they had given her.
No matter how hard she fought, she was too weak.
Her body gave in, and she was dragged along, powerless to do anything.
Meanwhile, the twelve elders, separated from the group, knelt in the dirt.
They had already accepted what was coming.
Naisha's eyes met Mother Venice's from across the distance.
And the old woman smiled—a soft, beautiful smile that broke Naisha's heart.
In the blink of an eye, Naisha and the villager had been captured by Gorvex the mad clan.
---
"He... Help."
"He... Help..."
Draven slowly stirred awake, still hugging the pillar in his cell.
"Uhm…what?"
He yawned, stretching his arms lazily.
But the second his eyes landed on the man calling out to him, they snapped wide open.
He quickly bolted to his feet.
The man, dressed in clothes similar to Mother Venice's people, staggered, an arrow buried deep in his chest.
Blood soaked through his shirt and dripped to the floor.
He could barely stand.
Without hesitation, Draven went out of his cell and rushed to him.
He caught the man before he collapsed.
"What the hell is going on?"
The man coughed, wincing in pain.
"Please… save them...."