Chapter 439: A Sneaky Attack
Walking along while being surrounded had a rather sobering effect on those who followed behind Laz. As for Laz himself, he was rather interested in this new world since although it resembled Earth, there were clearly differences if one were to look closely enough. For example, at one point, there was a bush next to a clump of trees that seemed to shake in the distance. While most people probably didn’t notice it, Laz did. And when he checked out what was over there, he saw a squirrel the size of a truck just munching away on a rather large berry, one that could have been used as a beach ball if if was hollow inside.
Right next to Laz walked Jill who refused to even let go of his shirt, much less walk by herself. This entire experience was way beyond what she had imagined from spending time with Laz. When he said he was going to train her, she got some ideas in her head about cardio and weight-lifting, but traveling through one of the famed gates and meeting elves of all things? How does one even imagine that is something that can happen.
The scariest and yet most amazing part for Jill was that Laz didn’t seem the least be nervous or frightened. In fact, seeing him look around at all the things that they walked past seemed to have a calming effect on the young girl.
’Has he done this before?’ Was the thought that kept going through her head.
As for Shelby and Ruth, they stayed close to Jill’s back and made Dave follow close behind them as well. This was their preventative measure just in case something did happen.
Immediately behind them were the pack of werewolves who despite being in their human forms, stayed close together as though being in a pack circle would help them if something bad did happen.
After them came the other 11 awakened individuals who’s faces showed mixtures of nervousness and fear.
After walking for almost two hours or so, they ended up coming to a large tree, one so massive that the branches disappeared into the white clouds above.
Standing below it, the humans felt small and weak while the elves all dropped to their knees in worships. It was clear that this tree was very important to these elves.
Seeing the humans not bow made many of the elves angry as they gripped their weapons hard as though wanting to make them submit. As for some of the broader minded ones, they didn’t believe the humans even had a right to bow.
The golden haired leader in leather armor however had a different reaction after watching the humans not bow. She knew the secret that had long been forgotten among even the longest lived on their kind; Not bowing would be dangerous for them later.
She smiled as she thought about the event that would transpire. As to why the elves themselves had forgotten about it, that had to do with the passing of time and the traditions that had come into play. Since all of the elves worshiped the tree and would bow when coming upon it, not one of them ever considered what would happen if someone didn’t bow to it.
Walking along the path, Laz noticed that they would end up walking right under the tree, or more accurately, through the tree as the ground they were on now was actually one of the branches of it.
Laz had read books as a kid and as a teen growing up, so he knew what was generally said about elves. Woodland creatures, at one with nature. Maybe it said they didn’t eat meat or they they could turn into trees or that they were all beauties blessed with eternal youth. But right now, looking at the entrance placed in this massive tree, Laz started to think that some of those things were just wrong.
For example, all of the guards were armed from head to toe in metal armor. What’s more, the armor wasn’t anything like steel plates, but instead it looked like it was a skin tight body suit. As for the helmet over their heads, they also looked to be made of metal and yet seemed to cover their faces like masks. Laz almost thought that the armor was welded to their skin.
As for the number of guards, there were only four. But each one of those four gave off the pressure of the void palace realm.
’And yet they are only guards?’ Laz mused, feeling Jill bury her head into his back as she hugged herself closer.
The beautiful blonde elf leading their party raised a salute to the guards who in turn back away to the sides, allowing the passageway through the tree to be unobstructed.
Before walking through the door, Laz walked over to where the tree curved from the bark on the outside to the softer walls of the inner passage, dragging Jill with him.
The escorts were annoyed by Laz’s action and were going to stop him, only to get a signal from their leader to back down.
Laz ran his hand along the bark on the outside before running it against the soft wood that made up the edges of the tunnel.
’It feels alive?’ Laz thought to himself after detecting what felt like warmth emanating from it.
’And they didn’t cut this tunnel in here either. Instead, it looked like the tree grew this way to accommodate the inhabitants who needed to walk through.’
Just as Laz was thinking these things over, he heard a scream from a couple dozen feet away. Ruth and Shelby, along with Dave, the werewolves and everyone else behind them were curled up on the ground, foam coming out of their mouths as it looked like they were having the life squeezed out of them. Startled and angry, Laz saw that the faces of the elves around him, even if some of them were smiling, seemed confused by what was happening.
Laz then took a look at the leader, the golden haired elf in leather armor who was standing on the other side of the walkway. Her smile was pure malice with no surprise, meaning that she understood exactly what was happening.
"Wait here and don’t move," Laz told a frightened Jill before moving her away from him and charging forward.
Laz didn’t know what was happening to those inside the walkway, but he knew that they might actually die if he did nothing and since he was stronger than all of them anyway, he wouldn’t just shrink back at the unknown.
As for the golden haired elf woman, seeing Laz charge forward into the pathway caused her smile to widen even more, expectant at the pressure that the mother tree would put on this man who had been identified an invader.
Unfortunately for her, she would quickly find out just how wrong she would be.
Laz moved through the passageway without a single problem and stood before the woman for just a brief minute before lunging forward, grabbing her neck in his hand and squeezing.
:I suggest you stop whatever you are doing right now or I swear to whatever god is foolish enough to listen to me that I will burn this entire fucking tree to the ground,: Laz said as his body erupted in black flames.
Seeing this, the members of the hunting teams began to panic as they raised their weapons at Laz.
The golden haired elf’s eyes went wide as she sense just how terrible the flame was that had engulfed this human. What’s more, despite her realm, she could barely breath, much less break his grip on her neck.
It was clear that panic started to set in as Laz squeezed tighter.
The first one to react was the blonde man who had originally found them. He had been placed in one of the rear teams due to his low level so after seeing what was happening, he charged for the only target he figured he could use; Jill.
:Stop right now or I will kill this girl,: the blond elf man threatened as he came up behind the shivering Jill and brought the sword to her throat.
Just then, the mark that Laz had left on Jill exploded into life. A black flame rune drifted above Jill’s dirty blond hair and settled there, causing a barrier to erupt around her and sending the elf man flying backwards in a mess of blood. One of his arms, the one holding the blade had exploded on contact with the barrier while his nose had also hit, causing it to burst apart in an explosion of blood.
Whether he was alive or dead, Laz didn’t know or care. The rune would only take effect if the one attacking Jill was serious about taking her life so the fact that he had received this punishment didn’t bother Laz in the slightest.
Instead, he just focused his eyes on the blond woman in front of him since either she was going to speak, or she was going to die.
Laz didn’t really know the people who had ended up here with him with the exception of Ruth, Shelby and Dave. And while the morality of Ruth and Shelby was questionable, he had shared a few drinks with them. As such, he wouldn’t just sit around and watch them die like it had nothing to do with him.
As for the others who were now suffering? They should just consider themselves lucky that Ruth, Shelby and Dave were also in there.
"If you kill her, you will die as well," came a rather majestic voice from somewhere further down the path.
While Laz was slightly surprised that the speaker used human words and English at that, he didn’t stop his squeezing.
"Perhaps, but that won’t bring her back now will it?" Laz said with a devilish grin, clearly willing to be the bad guy until the end.
"Sadly you are correct," responded the voice before a green light shot out and quickly merged with the tree.
As Laz turned back, the ones on the ground started coughing as their bodies went limp, clearly no longer fighting the pressure.
"Would you kindly let my daughter go now?" The voice then requested, not having lost any of it’s majesty.
"That was the deal I guess," Laz said, releasing his grip as the golden haired elf woman dropped to her knees and started coughing violently.
Laz then turned to see who the voice belonged to and his jaw dropped in spite of himself.
’Those fucking tits are massive...’
