My Last Hunt

Quest For Three Stones (36)

Bagel; 

Hide and seek; child's pleasure 

"They are faster than I expected." The hunter king voiced. He was clearing path with the fastest pace possible still it was slow compared to the second team. Qiao cleared half of the distance continuously clearing the smaller rocks they slightly changed their direction now Qiao was moving toward hill and the hunter king was trying his best to keep a look out at the new enemies along with smashing apart the rocks. Qiao could feel the severity when he walked near the hill but the wish to crush the enemy into smithereens was enough encouragement for him. 

"I can sense you looser." He snickered while reaching near the hill. At the same time the second team appeared and the hunter king got alert more than ever. They were definitely diggers. They stopped to see him. "You are alone here?" Rucha was shocked that a lone hunter was going against the infinity level stone, was he mad? "What else you were expecting?" the hunter king side smiled. It was second time and they crossed paths of each other. There was another motif. The hunter king wanted their attention to remain at him. 

This way little kid would be able to get enough time to crush the stone and get rid the deadly attacks in his consciousness. If Qiao got inside the hill then it would be fine. "What angered you to lonely go against the stone? Even if there is deep grudge, I am sorry fellow: you have to leave this stone for me because I need it." Rucha held his stone in hand and grimly warned the hunter king. "You remained the same. Do you think I am that generous always?" the hunter smiled broadly. Now his doubt was clear. It was team of this digger; Rucha was known for his ruthless team collaboration. He was also rumored for his aggressive mood. 

If he was here it means that he was lured by the stone and when he decides to take hold on a stone then he would go to every extent to get it. He was also famous for his powerful attacks. 

"You should think it again. I need this stone for my remedy and you already know that I am wandering from decades just for this stone. I hope this fellow would not try to act foolish this time." Rucha was not willing to waste time. He knew the hunter king and that he was an ambitious and fearless hunter. If he decided to go against and fight then he would be forced to fight back. The ongoing conversation finally reached Qiao and from the tone of the hunter king; he was sure that the hunter king wanted to borrow some time for him else it would be pretty hard. He was ten feet around the hill when the bigger plates of the ground started to move viciously right in his feet. He fell with the thud and groaned with the pain. 

"Can't you be little less vulgar?" he hoped on the altar and jumped toward the hill. His shout attracted the attention of the second team. "Crappy crap; there is one more hunter." Rumble sneered to look at Rucha. They were standing in the middle and fighting against the rock attacks as well as looking at the hunter king who was in no hurry to move around. Now this proved why he was relaxed. He was borrowing time for someone else. Seeing this; Rucha got angry and directly attacked the hunter king in the middle of the mess. 

The hunter king was expecting this since he also heard the kid. He was sure that there must one or two surprises near the hill however he was confident that the kid can go through it and reach the hill. He cannot blame him for getting the attention of this team of diggers. They have sharp sense and would be able to guess the presence of the second hunter sooner or later. "This time would be our last confrontation; believe me." Rucha was fuming with rage. Rumble took the charge to clear the rocks. The attacked stone crushed every hurdle in the path and reached the hunter king. The hunter king also used his powerful stone for the attack seeing the enemy being shameless this time again. 

Previously he let go and back down thinking that the senior was in need of the stone yet not this time because he strongly felt that the senior took him as a coward to back down in every confrontation. If everybody started to think this way then his reputation as the ambitious hunter would go to gutters. His destination was the rank of hunter monarch and reforming the world of hunting with his experiences.

There were many irregularities which he noticed and he wanted to change them so that larger number of lower level hunter could access the resources and information in general. "Sigh; there are many ambitious hunter kings whom I killed in the last decades just because the same reluctance. You are the next and I pity." This stone was truly his weakness and if he lost opportunity to get it then there was no concrete promise as to how and when he would find the same stone again. He could kill the hunter king ust that it would take some effort and time. 

"Rumble you need to move forward and kill the second hunter; companion of this hunter king." He ordered haughtily and got busy with attacks. The third digger who was very slow until now saw Rumble leaving and got worried. Since Rumble was going to tackle the second hunter this means he was supposed to keep attacking the rock attacks and let the leader easily defeat the hunter king. He was in a fit of confusion. He never liked those seniors who killed other hunters out of whim. If he did not do his duty in the team and collaborated then the team leader would kick him out of the team. 

And if he followed the collaboration then he would be considered among those ruthless seniors and moreover he would lose his self-respect in his eyes. He was at the stake to decide right or wrong; this way or that way. He shook his head and decided what to do. He was attacking the rocks but not clearing them all so that the team leader would have to do double job; it would hinder his solemn attacks toward the hunter king. He thought to borrow some time for the second hunter in the team to tackle Rumble and come to help his teammate. This was what he decided for now. 

Qiao as soon as reached near the hill; the hill shook breaking apart the ground and disappeared along with him since he was near so it was unavoidable to not get caught. The stone let him drag along to try best to get the control over the consciousness one last or if impossible then run away from the approach of the diggers. The diggers were real threat now because for a certain range they could smell the aura of the stone which make it fearsome for the stones to hide. 

The only choice was to hide as far as he could under the depths of the ground. Qiao rolled along the big rock downward the surface. The golden glow which was before only getting commands spread around him to give a safe cover. After all he was the master of the stone and if master died without setting free the stone then its future was full of darkness. It cannot cultivate to become stronger or some other hunter would become its master. The stone retracted most of the force behind the defense to drag the hiding place desperately. 

Qiao came to a halt and looked around. Underground was dark and a cave like and he could sense the stone was moving away. He started running behind. Only a five feet area where the stone was hiding in the rock was moving; Qiao could guess the identity because he has once encountered it very closely. "Go away you damn chaser." The stone voiced in his head and Qiao laughed out loud. "You were the one chasing me; right? Why are you distancing now. Come I am near you." 

Since he has faced the worst so the stone was not willing try it again. Almost the attacks went useless; using all effort it could only harm a small part of single stratum. The stone would be foolish if he stopped to give it a try. The truth was if it tried it could harm and get control but it was scared out of it to give it go. There was a saying, 'You cannot defeat an enemy with mere strength without instilling fear in your enemy so the key was that the enemy should fear you first.' Same happened with this stone. stone was running and Qiao was chasing to revenge.