The Atrocious Bard and The Little Princeling | Hunter TOH X Gn Reader

Chapter 38: Thorny Vines

A heavily armored woman walked along the empty streets of Bonesborough. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with a soldier's vigilance. Behind her, her squad followed closely.

Her mission was simple, almost insultingly so: capture the bandits reported to be causing trouble on the east side of town.

It was weird. She was supposed to be on leave today. More importantly, she was supposed to be investigating a new factory discovered deep within the restricted forest for the resistance.

Yet, here she was, sent on a mundane task by her superiors in the Emperor's coven. It didn't sit right with her.

For weeks, she had felt a sense of foreboding that she couldn't shake. Like something was bound to happen.

She halted abruptly, raising her hand to signal her squad to stop. The scouts immediately tensed, their hands hovering over their weapons.

"What is it, Captain?" one of the scouts asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The captain's instincts were screaming at her, louder than they ever had before. Something was wrong.

RUMBLE.

"Positions!" she shouted, her voice carrying a note of urgency that spurred her squad into action.

As she leapt back, thorny rose vines erupted from the ground, aiming directly for her. She barely had time to summon her heavy metal spear as she swung the spear with terrifying strength, slicing through the vines and tearing them apart with ease.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The slow, mocking applause echoed from the shadows. Figures emerged from the alleys, stepping into the light. The captain's eyes narrowed. Her sickly sweet smile sent a chill down the captain's spine.

If you'd been there, you would recognize the woman to be the emcee from the Plant Coven event that you had attended with Willow.

"What is the meaning of this?" the captain demanded, her voice cold and her fiery red eyes blazing from behind her helmet.

"Let's cut the chit-chat short, shall we?" the emcee replied, her smile twisting cruelly. "The Emperor knows of your treachery. You rebels have roamed free for far too long."

Vines sprouted from the ground, faster and more aggressive this time. "And today, we will purge you all at once," the emcee declared with a laugh that echoed through the street.

The captain's eyes widened as the vines shot towards her, an inch away from taking her head. With a roar, the captain swung her spear again, but the vines were too numerous, too fast. She gritted her teeth, her mind racing.

This was a trap, a carefully laid ambush.

She dodged the spells conjured from behind her. Even her so called 'squad' had turned their back on her with cold eyes. It was a trap. How? How did they know?

Her mind raced through countless possibilities yet she couldn't figure out how anyone could have seen through her. She had served under the coven system for years, even going so far as to become a captain in the emperor's forces and a renowned healer under a coven head.

She had always been careful with her identity. Even the normal members in the resistance did not know of her. Only those in the tavern would know. Unless...

Her entire being became drenched in cold realization. Either they were infiltrated or betrayed. The thought of the latter made her clench her spear harder.

The captain fought with all her might, her spear a blur of motion. 

She could feel the weight of her armor, the strain on her muscles, but she didn't falter. She had a duty to the resistance, and she would not let them down. But even as she fought, she knew she were outnumbered and outmatched.