NOVEL WEB Chapter 29: Trigger
With the low-light of the burrow gradually faded, giving way to absolute darkness, a tired sigh escaped Yui's throat. This would have normally gone unnoticed by a heavy sleeper, but, due to the aroma trapped within the humid underground chamber, Nobu had only been able to rest his eyes for a few minutes at a time before stirring awake.
"What's up...?"
Creating a tiny globule of pale-gold to light the interior of the burrow, Yui explained, "We haven't been attacked. Though there is still a chance I was wrong about us being pursued, we're in trouble if I guessed correctly. By now, I imagine there are more than a hundred traps surrounding us. These types of things aren't particularly effective against someone with a powerful Aura but they pose an extreme danger to those without the ability to protect themselves..."
Seeing the concern visible in Yui's eyes as she looked toward him, Nobu couldn't resist the urge to roll his own before saying, "It's whatever. If I die, I die. I'm not going to let myself get taken hostage so don't give me any of that crap about putting your life on the line to protect me. If they try to use me against you, I don't want you to hesitate. Even if they did offer you the chance to trade your life for my own, how long do you think I'll survive in the middle of these woods by myself? Besides, if they're the type of asshats willing to take hostages and shit, they'll most likely gut me the moment they're finished with you. Instead of getting us both killed, focus on fucking them up. Understood?"
Finding herself, once again, at a loss for words, Yui just stared into Nobu's eyes for the better part of a full minute before responding with a slow and solemn nod. She could understand the logic in his words, and, as he had described, it wasn't uncommon for bandits and thugs to dispose of their leverage the moment it was no longer of use.
"I understand. If it comes to that, I will not hesitate. I will cut them down without mercy. And then..."
Having spent a fair amount of time with Nobu by now, Yui understood he probably wouldn't take kindly to her suggesting she would commit ritual suicide. Others would interpret this as a show of trust and solidarity in the face of adversity. As for Nobu, he would probably just call her an idiot and several other names before proceeding to do something drastic the moment he got caught...
"And then...?"
Expecting Yui to say some stupid shit about pride and honor, a deep furrow had already set upon Nobu's face. What he never expected was for her to confidently say, "I will force their dead bodies to lower their heads towards your grave before proceeding to take on your name as I travel around Nian as a vagrant warrior. I will make sure the name Nanamori Nobu goes down in history as one of the greatest warriors of all time. I will not allow you to be forgotten."
Unable to find words to describe how he was feeling, Nobu stared at Yui as if she had gone batshit crazy. He knew she had the makings of a 'yandere' but he never imagined things would develop to the point she was promising to make corpses bow and shit. Nanamori Nobu wasn't his actual name either, so, even if she did keep her promise, she would be making the wrong person famous...
Believing he was about to try and dissuade her against taking such a course of action, Yui adopted a serious expression as she asserted, "It is my choice how I spend my life. Weren't you the one who told me that? If you die here, I will make sure all of Nian knows your name before I follow you into the afterlife. If you don't like this then make sure you do everything in your power to preserve your life...it's that simple..."
Blinking in surprise, Nobu found himself muttering, "Yui, you...." with a conflicted look on his face. Before he could speak any further, however, Yui just shook her head and said, "It's time to go. The longer we stay here, the more difficult it will be to escape. They'll never give me the chance to wait till sunrise. We should move while there is still a bit of light left."
With Yui quickly moving to investigate the exits for any signs of foul play, Nobu's only options were to stay inside the foul-smelling burrow or crawl after the overzealous beauty. Luckily, at least for the aforementioned beauty, the interior of the burrow literally smelled like a rotting animal cadaver; so, even if he did want to be obstinate, Nobu knew he only had a single option available to him.
"This is what I get for sticking my dick in crazy..."
Though his decision had very little to do with the fact he and Yui had fucked, Nobu needed some kind of excuse to propel himself forward. He didn't know if it was some kind of plot sense, but, the moment Yui mentioned the possibility of traps existing, his brain was abuzz with the sound of alarm bells. This wasn't literal, of course, but it was the best description he could up with to represent the level of anxiety he was feeling. After all, there would have to be something seriously fucked with his head if the notion of entering a trap-filled forward near sunset didn't affect him...
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any traps near the entrance of the burrow as Yui quickly waved for him to emerge. For a brief moment, this tricked him into thinking his anxiety was pointless, but, almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yui exclaimed, "Fuck...!" before leaping away from the burrow's entrance.
At nearly the exact same moment that Yui's voice reached his ears, unbridled panic spread through Nobu's body as an explosion erupted near the mouth of the burrow. Dirt and gravel began to rain down on him with the intensity of a shower, and, were it not for the fact he had still been near the base of the exit tunnel, he might have been buried alive for a second time...
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Seeing the explosion ripple outward near the mouth of the burrow, Yui's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes as fear and anxiety, not for herself, swelled within her heart. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to think about Nobu's safety, as, the moment she jumped away, her path was impeded by a series of razor-thin wires. Her aura managed to protect her, but, for a very brief moment, she was a sitting duck suspended in the air.
"Ha! I told you she was worthless! Eat this, you traitorous sow...!"
Though she was marginally surprised by the fact she recognized the voice, it wasn't enough to distract Yui from what needed to be done. She instantly manipulated her aura to produce a series of sweeping blades to cut her free, but, rather than fall to the ground, she manifested a grappling crossbow with her left hand, firing it at a distant tree before pulling herself to safety.
Thanks to her quick thinking, Yui managed to evade a shimmering silver cloud of aura that cut through the area she had been suspended with the force of a tempest. It also emitted a blinding light that could dazzle anyone looking directly at it, but, having experienced more than her fair share of battles against Silver Adepts, Yui knew better. Instead, she shot out a number of golden threads into the nearby trees before charging in the direction of the attack's origin, a young girl with black hair tied into a ponytail.
"Rynka..."
Seeing Yui charging towards her in a very un-warrior-like fashion, Rynka's face immediately paled as she shouted, "Don't come this way, you damn hypocrite...!"
Controlling the length of the golden threads, Yui managed to instantaneously change direction mid-flight, not because of Rynka, but because a silvery light had flashed in the periphery of her vision. Immediately thereafter, a series of silvery kunai flew whistled through the area she would have been if she continued her original trajectory.
By retracting certain threads and producing countless others, Yui was able to glide through the dense trees like a phantom. As for Rynka, she ended up clicking her tongue before disappearing along a planned route. Had Yui continued toward her, several more wires would have been waiting. Unlike the previous set, however, these were attached to a series of explosives. This wouldn't have been enough to take her out, but, more often than not, battles between cultivators of the Metal Infusion Technique were more about reducing the enemy's aura than quickly ending the fight. In terms even Nobu would have been able to understand, Aura was essentially a person's HP(Health Points), and, so long as their opponent was unable to pierce their defenses, cultivators of the Metal Infusion Technique were, basically, immortal.
Though she would have liked to give chase, Yui knew better than to follow after a kunoichi that had been given adequate time to prepare. Instead, she shifted her focus to the person who had thrown the kunai, her expression darkening as she stopped on the branch of a tree and muttered, "Yuriko..."
Using wires of her own to recover the kunai she had previously thrown, Yuriko turned to meet Yui's gaze before raising her hand and casually greeting, "Yo. Haven't seen you in a few months. Enjoying life on the road?"
Furrowing her brows, Yui extended her right hand to the side, asking, "Why are members of the Yoshitsune Clan attacking one of their own?" while slowly and deliberately molding her Aura into the shape of an inordinately long katana known as an odachi.
Shaking her head, Yuriko crossed her arms, 'inadvertently' accenting her breasts as she answered, "You know I can't reveal the details of a mission in progress. If you want answers, live long enough to obtain them..."
As those final words left her mouth, Yuriko stepped back, a glittering silver aura exploding at her previous location like a cloud of smoke. In the next instant, she appeared beneath the shimmering cloud, her feet clinging to the branch she had been standing on as if her soles were magnetic.
Though she didn't expect Yui to be blinded by such an obvious feint, that didn't stop Yuriko from throwing out a series of kunai with silver wires attached. This was, somewhat ironically, a technique she had copied from Yui. It allowed the user to both attack and reposition themselves at the same time, and, while it consumed a tremendous amount of Aura, you could mitigate the cost so long as you recovered the projectiles and retracted the wires.
Understanding that Yuriko would be able to reposition herself if her kunai connected with a hard surface, Yui leaped towards the attack without fear or hesitation. The restriction of Yuriko's ability was that she couldn't manipulate her aura at will. She needed to create the kunai and wires ahead of time, and, even if she wanted to reabsorb them, it would take time. This was one of the distinct advantages a Golden Warrior had over a Silver Adept, and, while she undoubtedly pursued the path of a warrior, Yui's concern for Nobu allowed her to set aside her pride and make use of all her skills.
By manipulating the lengths of several wires, Yui was able to add a spin to her charge, and, as a result, she managed to cut through the vast majority of Yuriko's silver threads. This caused the latter's amber-eyes to glisten in the waning darkness, a smile developing across her face as she muttered, "I was wondering why you chose such a cumbersome weapon..."
Making use of one of the few genuine advantages she had against her opponent, Yuriko kicked away from her inverted perch with extreme speed. She was currently the fastest in her generation, as, the moment Yui ascended to the Realm of Golden Warrior, her speed had drastically decreased. In fights between cultivators, the ability to land and evade attacks was often more important than the volume of a person's aura, so, while Yui was undoubtedly more skilled, Yuriko was confident she could outmaneuver her...
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While a climactic battle between kunoichi was occurring outside, Nobu was currently lamenting his entire existence. He had managed to avoid being buried alive, but, due to the tremendous volume of dirt and debris, his mask resembled an oil rag that had been thrown into a dust bin. This made it completely unusable, and, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he was powerless to restrain the urge to breathe deeply.
Though his instincts were screaming at him to return to the surface, Nobu's progress was inhibited by the convulsions of his body, the pitch-black interior of the burrow, and an overwhelming sense of panic that he could only attribute to his newly awakened claustrophobia. It prevented him from thinking clearly, and, were it not for the fact he was constantly on the verge of passing out, Nobu might have thought to use the stone tablet as a light source...
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(A/N: Not gonna lie. The thought of being buried alive is pretty terrifying.)