The One after my Heart

Brianna's fists slowly clenched as she noticed the shackle that Grubslaw held in his left hand.

Two of the other men on the extreme right and extreme right sneakily had one behind their backs as well. But she'd long noticed it out of the corner of her eye.

'Raithen shackles', Bree thought. One's that restricted the powers of a witch. Upon seeing them, she remembered the horrible events from the night before, and her eyes got even colder.

Grubslaw barked at his men," Find a way to tie her down, once we put these shackles on her she'll be no different from a fish on land! We'll then show her what we're exactly capable of doing."

As though emboldened by his words, the stragglers slowly started to step closer, planning to encircle her as they prepared to catch her off-guard.

Grubslaw's eyes widened as he happened to notice the dead bodies of his men on the narrow path behind Bree. Their corpses looked as though they were battered and flattened with something heavy.

'A witch with the powers of Earth element', thought Grubslaw grimly to himself. She had the advantage on this terrain. He started considering if he should just abandon his subordinates and make a run for it. His life was important, after all!

Bree, who was looking at him just as he was at her, caught a certain resemblance to a person she'd seen not too long ago.

"You look very similar to that bug with the gold- hilted knife whom I met just recently. Are you two related?" asked Brianna as she looked at Grubslaw.

The stragglers who cautiously stepped towards her sneered within. Did she think she could talk her way out of this by making small talk now?

But what they didn't realise was the change in Grubslaw's expression as he realised what she was talking about.

"His name was Osraan or something", she drawled on as though she were in no hurry or danger.

Grubslaw footsteps slowed down soon as he heard the name. At first, a few of his subordinates were surprised as to why their boss had slowed down, but then some amongst them had recognised the name.

Wasn't that Gold Hilt's real name? The younger brother of Mad Fingers? Osraan Ballad? He was known for that gold hilted-knife of his particularly. The Stragglers couldn't help but look at Brianna even warier.

"My name's Grubslaw Ballad. We did get the news that Osraan managed to capture a young witch accidentally along with a bunch of young witches for a client. Were you the one whom my younger brother captured?" questioned Grubstein in a grim voice. His footsteps walking forward came to a stop at a distance of fifty meters away from the dusky woman ahead in front of him.

No person would ever admit it openly, but to his surprise, Brianna nodded. He couldn't help but take her seriously even more. The way she confidently and answered his questions freely stood there without any fear shook his nerves somewhat.

"I suppose you managed to escape from the client and Osraan's team", Grubslaw slowly spoke out as he kept watching her reaction.

"Yes," Brianna nodded her head as she gave them a charming smile.

Even though Grubslaw had known the answer, he had to ask. "So where is Osraan now? What have you done to him."

The attractive dusky woman let out a sigh as she replied, "Unfortunately I never got the chance to do anything. But I'll answer your question gladly. He's busy rotting in death somewhere far away right now."

"Don't worry you'll join him soon enough!"

As she said this, a maniacal expression appeared on her face as she began to laugh fiercely. But it was her eyes that spoke otherwise as they seemed to be lit with a hatred that seemed to burn her.

She looked at each and every face in front of her. And as she looked at these hardened criminals in front of her, she couldn't help but feel her blood boil and feel disgusted. No extra words were needed against scum like these.

"Y-you... I'll kill you!!" bellowed out Grubstein as he found his heart wrench in pain at the loss of his brother.

His younger brother had just left a few days ago on a mission related to a certain dark witch client of theirs. He was indeed surprised when he'd heard the news just yesterday that Osraan had luckily managed to come across an unsuspecting young witch and then successfully capture her as well. Everyone marvelled at Gold Hilt's cunningness and ability.

Grubslaw couldn't help but feel proud as even the commanders praised him. But now...

Grubslaw gritted his teeth in hatred as though he couldn't wait to tear her flesh apart bit by bit. "You filthy witch, we've captured you before and we'll do it again! Attack!! I want to tear by limb from limb later."

As the men who were bolstered by their leader rushed towards her with their weapons raised, Bree gave a small smile.

The dusky beauty with cropped hair gave a low chuckle as she slowly raised her head to look at the incoming onslaught," Heh heh... That's where you're wrong. You see I wasn't caught..."

Grubslaw immediately felt as though something was wrong as he rushed with his men towards the woman who'd opened her arms wide.

Brianna continued on, "....but I 'allowed' myself to get caught!"

A chilling glare replaced the look in her eyes, and her black pupils turned into earthy brown ones. Her athletic figure seemed to give out a faint brown light as though it were merging with the ground itself like a chameleon.

The ground where they stood started to slight quake. Even the rocky walls on either side of the narrow path started to shake.

Brianna furiously yelled out as she pointed on the ground before her as the men almost rushed towards her,

"Earthen Trench!!!"

In the next moment, instantly, with a loud rumble, the ground in front of them split open as a trench that was around fifty feet deep and maybe around fifty meters long in length. The entire narrow road starting from Bree's feet had collapsed, stretching its way towards the open gates. The ground that the stragglers ran over had collapsed as they lost their balance.

Grubslaw, who'd managed to pause in the ambush, sensed something wrong and had tried to back away and retreat, but her attack happened so fast, and the area covered was too much and so wide that he'd fallen in as well.

As dust and mud arose into the air, she could hear groans of pain and cries coming from within the pit. It was as though someone had pre-planted mines under the earth beforehand.

The Stragglers inside couldn't help but look around the pit that was around fifty feet deep from the surface of the ground at least.

Just as Grubslaw tried to pull himself and try to think on how to escape from here, he sensed a shadow over him.

"Did you think I'll give you bugs time to crawl back up? She asked with a mocking expression as she looked at the stragglers below.

Grubslaw and the stragglers' expressions couldn't help but change as most of them paled in terror. Some of them tried to climb back up, but it was too steep, and they were too deep. Nonetheless, most didn't give up completely, forgetting that the person who put them in here was still above waiting. They'd clearly lost their minds.

Brianna's right hand was held above the pit with her palm outstretched.

She coldly spoke out, "Earth Clasp!"

As she slowly struggled to clench the outstretched palm into a fist. Sweat poured down from her face, but that crazed look in her eye shone brightly.

The earth walls around the stragglers in the pit started to contract and collapse as though the earth below them mimicked her actions.

"Wait...wait….no…"

"Stop... I'll do anything, let me go!!"

"I never wanted this. I forced to join them. Please don't!"

"If my brother finds out, he'll hunt down every one of your loved one. Cease your actions!"

"You fuckin whore stop!!"

"Please don't, I have a wife and children outside waiting for me!"

Non-stop cries, threatens, and words of pleads came out from the pit as the stragglers begged Brianna. Some had gone hysterical as they cried in tears while others silently looked up.

But Brianna remained unfazed with an indifferent expression on her face as she closed her eyes and muttered," Bugs should be squashed. In your next life, live as humans and not the bugs you've become."

Grubslaw knew it was pointless; hence all he did was look at her face as though he wanted to etch that beautiful young face as his last memory. "What's your name?" he asked.

She coldly looked at him, and after a pause just as the deep trench was closing up, she replied," Vandermire. Brianna Vandermire"

"A Vandermire huh...I see...now I understand", came out a low sigh from within as though in regret.

The rumbling ground in front of her feet came together and covered up the deep gully in front of her as the screams of pain came out from within.

Brianna stared at her tightly clenched fist. She closed her eyes as she tried to sense the earth below her.

After a few moments as though she confirmed something, she opened her eyes and loosened her fist as she sighed with relief and wore a hint of a relieved expression on her face.

But soon, as she though she remembered something, her expression turned cold and she donned the usual indifferent cold look on her face. And then slowly began to make her way on the new earthy road that she'd just made, that led into the stronghold fort from where the screams were still coming out.