A couple of hours earlier in the village after the Mad Clan attack…
The sudden attack tore apart the peaceful village. Caught off guard by the ambush on their lookout, the villagers had no time to prepare to counter. In the chaos, their only instinct was to escape and get their families out, no matter the cost.
An hour after the raid, the few who fled returned to the village once their families were safe. They had to do something, anything to help.
When they arrived, they found a few Mad Clan members still lingering in the village, taking anything of value that they could bring.
They also saw the elderly, bound and helpless, with a Mad Clan member poised, ready to start executing them, starting with Mother Venice.
Without a second thought, the hidden villagers rushed forward, desperate to save her, even though they were outmatched physically and weaponless.
"No, no…" one exclaimed, thinking they would not make it in time.
The others also knew it and closed their eyes, believing that they could not save Mother Venice anymore.
To their surprise, a shadow flashed past them.
"Leave it to me."
It was Draven. He had seen their bravery and their determination.
He grabbed a rock from the ground as he ran. And when he reached the right distance, he launched himself forward, his arm snapping back as he hurled the stone at the Mad Clan member about to execute Mother Venice.
"Whoosh!"
"Thud!"
The rock collided with the enemy's head and knocked it out.
The remaining nine Mad Clan members, who had been scavenging the village, spun around to face him, reaching their weapons.
"Who are you?"
"Don't you know attacking an innocent elderly person is wrong?" Draven said with a smirk.
He lounged forward.
He reached the nearest attacker, slamming his shoulder into the man with bone-crushing force.
The attacker stumbled, gasping for air.
As another enemy thrust a spear at him, Draven swayed to the side with a precise dodge and countered immediately.
His fist snapped upward in a clean arc, landing squarely on the man's jaw with a powerful hook.
Before the attacker hit the ground, Draven grabbed the spear from his hands and, in one swift motion, hurled it toward a bowman aiming at him.
The spear struck, knocking the bowman off balance and disarming him completely.
'Something is not right' he muttered.
As another enemy swung a sword at him, Draven stepped inside the attack, catching the man's wrist mid-swing.
Draven's eyes focused solely on the man's hands as he struggled, trying desperately to break free from Draven's grip.
"I knew it! Your agility and strength are a bit stronger than I fought before," Draven muttered, curious.
"Of course! We are Terra!" answered the man whose wrist Draven held.
"Terra? Ok..." Draven slammed his free hand into the attacker's ribs, forcing a gasp from the man.
"How is the Verdant Punch?" he asked, positioning himself to give him another punch.
The man's face twisted in dread. He was still reeling from the first hit, unable to recover. But he was not able to escape.
He flew backward from the impact of Draven's second punch, hitting a tree with a loud crash.
"Thud!"
The fight go on.
"Smack!"
A punch to the jaw sent another enemy sprawling.
"Crack!"
A kick to the chest sent one flying into a stack of barrels.
"Ahh!"
Cries of pain erupted as Draven turned their own weapons against them, one after another, until he defeated them all.
"Finished already? I was just starting to get into it," he said.
The villagers who had watched from the shadows could only stare, their mouths agape.
"Is it... over?" one whispered.
Then villagers rushed forward, their hesitation fading now that the danger had passed.
They moved fast to free the elders and cut through the ropes that bound them.
Among them was Mother Venice.
"Who... who are you, anyway?" one of the villagers asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
Mother Venice stepped forward. "He is the Chosen One."
She turned to Draven, her eyes pleading.
"Please, if it's not too much to ask, we need one more favor. Save Naisha and the other villagers too."
"Naisha... my Babe?" Draven asked. "The hot girl with white hair and gold eyes?"
"Yes, its her."
"#$#%$.. Where is she?"
"They haven't gone far. If you head that way," she pointed down the path, "you might still catch up with them."
"I'll kill them all if they try to touch her," Draven said.
His gaze drifted to a metal pipe with some lining that lay on the ground. He snapped it up. "I'll borrow this."
Mother Venice looked at the pipe. Then she shifted her gaze to Draven and smiled.
Somehow she felt relieved that he will surely save the other villagers.
"Wait, let me help you get there," one of the returning villagers offered, stepping forward.
Moments later, more people emerged from the shadows of the trees. They looked eager, ready to fight if it meant saving one of their own.
"Please let us come with you. We feel guilty for leaving them and escaping. We should have stayed and fought for them," the others pleaded to Draven.
"You'll be facing two hundred men," Mother Venice warned Draven. "Going alone would be madness. Take these men with you. They know the way."
Draven shook his head. "I don't need anyone," he said bluntly. "But if they want to save their comrade and clear their conscience, they can come. Just don't get in my way."
With that, twenty men villagers gathered their weapons and fell in behind Draven as he strode forward, ready for battle.
—
Present time…
While Draven battled inside the tent, chaos and fighting broke out between the Mad Clan and the villagers in the dead of night.
"Do you think the Chosen One is alright?" one of the Verdants holding weapons from the village whispered to his comrade while hiding in the trees.
His comrade with medium brown hair was aiming his bow at the ugly pervert Mad Clan guard that was keeping watch over their captured comrades.
"Thwack!"
The arrow pierced the perverted guard's head.
"I hope he's fine. He went straight for the Mad Clan leader to save Naisha," the one with the bow murmured as they crouched low after his shot.
They slipped through the dark and freed the villagers one by one.
As they approached, the hostages were startled. But they were relieved to see their familiar faces.
Two of their comrades then had arrived to help.
"What's going on?" one of those who were tied asked. "You guys trying to die?"
"Don't worry," the one with the bow reassured them. "The Chosen One is with us. He saved the elders."
Once all the hostages were freed, they were handed weapons.
"So… what's the plan?" One of the freed villagers asked, glancing around anxiously.
"We hold them off," the bowman replied. "All we need to do is buy time for the Chosen One to defeat the leader of the clan."
A murmur ran through the group, but one villager voiced the fear on everyone's mind.
"But… can he really beat Gorvex?" His voice trembled slightly. "I heard he is a Verdant too, like us."
The man in the group who unleashed them smiled. The memory of how Draven took down ten enemies in the blink of an eye was still fresh in his mind.
"Yes," the bowman said with confidence. "He can."
With that, they surged forward, weapons raised, hurling themselves into battle. Despite being outnumbered by almost half, they fought the Mad Clan with everything they had.
During the chaos, Gorvex's roar echoed through the camp. His attack shook the ground, destroying the tent.
Meanwhile, Draven's eyes narrowed as he had just dodged Gorvex's brutal strike. He still had Naisha over his shoulder, her form wrapped in a blanket that barely clung to her.
The brute wasn't just playing around anymore.
Draven put Naisha down. "Thank you for the recharge," he smiled at her.
Naisha drew in a deep breath as she tried to make sense of Draven's words.
"What are you talking about?" Naisha asked, confused.
She hadn't done anything. He had just scooped her up, and her body merely pressed against his.
"You're lucky you escaped from my attack," Gorvex cut through their conversation. "Now, let's see how you can stop me!"
"You're so loud. Can't you see we're still talking?" he said, glaring at Gorvex.