"Smash!"
The giant crashed through a tree, snapping it, and dove headlong into the densest tangle of branches. He had to; the Predator pursuing him was too ferocious.
He had never imagined his opponent would be so much stronger than he'd thought. No wonder she was ranked fourth on the assassin list. She was already on par with the top-ranked bounty hunters.
"The great giant... is running all you know how to do?" Rhea's voice was cold. Her long wings were a hindrance in the dense forest, making it hard to find room to spread them, and her speed slowed.
"Do you take me for an idiot?" The giant shouted, not looking back. He hacked at several branches with his axe, pulling them down behind him to create an obstacle.
"..." Rhea gritted her teeth. She was helpless; this forest was too great a disadvantage for her.
"I'm leaving! You just wait! Wait until I bring back reinforcements!" The giant howled, his pace quickening again as he plunged into an even thicker part of the woods.
THOOM!
"Dammit!" Rhea angrily stabbed her spear into a nearby tree trunk. Her eyes flashed with killing intent as she stared at the shaking branches. The giant had just vanished from her sight.
It was the terrain. There was nothing she could do. And the giant's performance showed he was no fool; he gave her no openings. That's what truly infuriated her. She was clearly the stronger one, yet she had no way to stop him from escaping.
"Hooo..."
Rhea pulled her spear free, kicked off the tree trunk, and flapped her wings, soaring into the sky. From mid-air, she scanned the direction he had disappeared. No branches were moving. He was already hidden. The chance to track him was completely lost.
"Whoosh..." Rhea beat her wings, turned, and flew back toward Stone Mountain. To continue the chase now would be a total waste of time. She'd have to send out most of her people, but with their current combat strength, they'd just be serving themselves up to the giant.
She soon returned to Mila and the others. Seeing the condition of her companions, her teeth ground together with a 'kaka' sound. It was clear how much she hated that giant.
Since their great escape a few years ago, when had they ever suffered such heavy casualties? Even during the 'Dragon' mission, they had only had five or six people injured.
"Big Sister is back!" One of the birdkin shouted excitedly.
"Big Sister, is the giant dead?" Mila hurried forward to ask. This would determine if their refuge's location had been exposed.
"He escaped," Rhea said coldly. Veins bulged on the back of the hand gripping her spear. She was furious.
"Huh?" Mila was stunned. She couldn't believe that even with Big Sister personally taking action, the giant had still gotten away.
"Everyone, back to the refuge. From today on, no one stays down here," Rhea ordered, scanning the group. "Take all the food. Don't leave anything behind for others."
"But I just cleared a patch of land... are we abandoning it? Are we not planting wheat this year?" One of the flightless birdkin asked, shocked.
"Forget it. The refuge is exposed. It's not safe down here anymore."
"Yeah, he'll be back with reinforcements soon. We're only safe up in the refuge."
"..."
The plain at the foot of Stone Mountain was a good place for farming. This year, the birdkin hadn't wanted to just sit and consume their stores, especially the flightless ones. They didn't want to sit idly in the refuge; they were willing to come down and plant, to learn from the humans, so they would have their own grain stored up for the winter.
"Big Sister, what do we do now?" Mila felt a wave of guilt. If she hadn't led the giant here, their home might not have been exposed. Now he had escaped. Everyone understood he would be back, and when he returned, he wouldn't be alone.
"Let's go back first, then we'll talk." Rhea didn't blame Mila. Who could have known he'd be able to escape from her?
"Okay," Mila replied, dejected. She let Rhea grab her from behind, and they soared into the blue sky.
"Whoosh..."
A few dozen seconds later, Rhea brought Mila back to the refuge on the peak of Stone Mountain. It was a plateau of six or seven thousand square meters, covered in many crookedly-built wooden huts, and there was also a small cave.
Seeing Rhea return, along with the companions who had been brought back for treatment, about twenty-some birdkin came out of the huts—adults and children. Some had half-grown wings; some had no wings at all.
In total, Rhea's birdkin refuge held nearly one hundred people. But only a dozen or so of them could actually fly.
"You were gone so long. Any news of Amelia?" Rhea asked as soon as she landed, already walking toward her wounded companions.
"Huh?" Mila froze, then quickly replied, "I found Amelia." She had paused because seeing her companions and their living conditions, and comparing it all to Sedona City, she felt an inexplicable wave of depression.
"Really?" Rhea stopped in her tracks. She whipped her head around to stare at Mila, her eyes flashing with hope. "Where is she?" She asked anxiously. "Why didn't you bring her back?"
"Well..." Mila hesitated. Thinking of the situation in Sedona City, she decided to tell the truth. "Amelia... is unwilling to come back with me. She wants you to go find her, Big Sister."
"Where?" Rhea was stunned. What's going on? Amelia won't come back? Is she still angry at me?
"In a place called Sedona City. It's pretty far from here..." Mila recounted the entire story of meeting Amelia, including how her own assassin skills had been 'schooled' by Lucas.
"You... You're saying... that the human noble had adopted Amelia as his daughter?" Rhea's voice cracked. This was the most unbelievable thing she had ever heard.
"Well... yes. Amelia said so herself," Mila said, bracing herself. She knew her Big Sister was about to explode.
"She... How dare she?" Rhea hissed, her voice icy. "I forbid it. Mila, pack your things immediately. You're taking me to Sedona City."
"Yes!" Mila quickly agreed. She knew Big Sister was furious. Amelia was in trouble... and so was that Lucas.
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