Chapter 9: Attack on the Carriage

“Who are those people?” One of the men under Zhing Yin voiced out.

The warrior shrugged. “I don’t know but I don’t like the looks of them.”

Zhing Yin walked ahead and ordered the carriage driver to stop.

“You there, get out of our way!” The man ordered.

The middle men of the three stepped forward. “I’m sorry, we can’t. But we will for a toll.”

“A toll?” Zhing Yin repeated in disbelief. “Ridiculous, we know nothing of a toll!” Zhing Yin made a hand gesture, telling his men to prepare themselves for a fight.

“Well there is,” the middle man continued, “and the toll is… your lives!”

There was a sudden shaking of the ground. The ground beneath the carriage suddenly opened up, swallowing the carriage whole! The men around it reacted too late as the hole closed upand the ground began bulging, leading away from the men.

Zhing Yin ran back to the spot where the carriage had been. “An Earth Incantation! To think it would be this strong.”

“Sir… what do we do?”

“Follow the bulge in the ground. Whoever is doing this is trying to tunnel the carriage away!”

The men reacted to this order and followed the bulging ground into the forest but then a group of men came running out, forcing them to stop, except for Yin who continued barrelling forward. He raised his hand and spikes erupted from the ground, piercing those who were too slow to dodge.

“An Earth Element user! Just like the boss!”

This boss must be the one tunnelling the carriage away, Yin thought as he continued into the forest. He stopped when he sensed something familiar. He looked back at his men to issue a warning, “Earth Pikes!”

They all understood, as Earth Pikes, similar to those Yin had used on the enemy, burst from the ground. A few of Yin’s men were impaled but were able to evade the sharp spears of earth that shot out.

Yin also barely dodged an earthen spike that burst from under his feet. A man came running out of the forest, joining the rest of the bandits. He had brown hair and piercing eyes. It was then that Yin knew that this was the Earth user who tunnelled away the carriage.

“You, where did you tunnel the carriage to?” Yin pointed balefully at the man before him.

The man smiled cockily. “The carriage with the young lord is where it belongs.”

Damn, if he speaks the truth, then whatever plan these men had has worked. We need to get through them quickly.

The other three men rounded up and stood behind the guards to surround them. Yin looked at the enemies around his party with hate.

“All of you, kill this scum!” Yin looked at the man in front of him. “But leave the Earth using bastard to me!” Yin charged at the men while the others charged at the other men.