Emperor of Soul Pets

Chapter 19: Xian Da's Test!

"Nwaa! Nwaa! Nwaa!"

Early the next morning, a small group of Bugbears complained to their peers as they stood around one a small pond. This pond was one of the smallest fresh-water sources on the island, and as a result, only had about ten Bugbears assigned to it. These Bugbears felt disinclined to wait at these small ponds because the Sprites were more likely to converge on the larger ponds, which meant they would end up with the remnants from the other Bugbears' feast.

Rustle...

Despite their complaints, the Bugbears immediately went on alert when they heard a strange rustling coming from the forest. Their gazes narrowed as they tightly clenched clubs raised high in anticipation. "Nwaa!"

Following a Bugbear's threatening cry, a young man walked out of the forest with a Dusklight Wolf on his shoulder. The young man, who wore a crafty grin, was naturally Rao Wu. "Hey there, guys," Rao Wu jokingly called as he juggled a small stone in his right hand. "It's time to retire."

Whoosh!

Rao Wu's suddenly thrown stone struck a Bugbear right in the forehead, causing the stunned soul monster to fall on it back in a near faint.

"Nwaa!" The Bugbears' leader, enraged by Rao Wu's disrespect, let out a shrill cry and then ordered the Bugbears to hunt down the petulant child.

"Oooh, they're fast, alright." Rao Wu's eyes twinkled in excitement as he turned tail and fled into the jungle with the Bugbears right on his heels. Rao Wu fled through the forest, turning this way and that when he came across strange vine borders that seemed like walls. If he wanted, Rao Wu could possibly climb over these barriers. But, in that time, the Bugbears would not only catch up but also certainly kill him.

The Bugbears revealed evil laughter when they saw the frantic Rao Wu running for his life. The barriers were a godsend for them, otherwise, with Rao Wu's speed, he might have outrun them.

Wait... outrun them? The Bugbears' leader suddenly had a bad premonition. It looked at the distant Rao Wu as he once again stopped and then turned to his right to avoid a barrier.

Why couldn't the Bugbears catch up to Rao Wu? Despite stopping numerous times, the distance between Rao Wu and them remained nearly constant. It was almost like Rao Wu was intentionally keeping the distance equal... !!!

"Nwaa! NWACK!?"The Bugbear leader wanted to warn its companions to stop, but at that exact moment, the ground suddenly gave way beneath them, causing over seven of the ten-man hunting party to fall into a large hole.

"Nwaaaa!" The frightened Bugbears cried out in fear but were unable to climb out of the steep, eight-feet pit. Then, to their ultimate despair, vines stretched out from behind the surrounding trees and then grew over the hole, shutting them off from view.

The Bugbears' leader, who was one of the three to not get caught in the trap, stared in shock and fear. It could not understand. Did the forest come to life? How did those branches so coincidentally grow over the pit, burying its companions alive?

"Over here!"

Rao Wu's sudden shout snapped the Bugbear leader out of its reverie. It looked up to see the youth grinning as he examined the plant-covered hole. "Nwaa!" The Bugbear leader, confident that Rao Wu was somehow involved in the strange occurrence, screamed out a challenge.

"You're on." Surprisingly, Rao Wu happily accepted the challenge. He jumped down from the tree with Xian Da on his shoulder and then approached the three Bugbears. His eyes shone with a strange glint as he looked at the three tense Bugbears. "There are two more than expected, but... Well, I guess it still counts as training even if it's extreme." He then looked at Xian Da and said, "You're up."