Chapter 701: I’m here now

"Hahahahaha! Come on, little birdies! Why are you running away from us? We didn’t mean to frighten you!"

The chase had been going on for five minutes.

Rina was running without Isolde’s assistance now, but neither of them was fast enough to increase the distance between themselves and their two pursuers.

In fact, it soon became clear that the men were treating this as a game.

After closing the gap to a couple of dozen feet, they kept that distance constant, following effortlessly while the girls struggled for every breath.

They could certainly run faster and catch them, but the bastards were waiting for them to tire themselves out!

By this point, even Rina had no idea where they were going, though she was certain they weren’t heading back toward camp.

All she wanted to do for now was to get as far away from these bastards as possible.

"Hahahahaha! This has been fun, but I’m getting bored of the chase," one of the two guys said to his companion. "It’s time for the real fun to begin!"

He suddenly increased his pace, the muscles in his thighs bulging as he accelerated.

One step, two, three, and the booming sound of his footfalls echoed across the barren ground.

Rina glanced over her shoulder, her eyes trembling as she watched him close the distance with terrifying ease.

When he was less than ten feet away, his legs tensed again; he stopped momentarily, and then he leapt into the air as though invisible springs had launched him from the ground. His arms flailed wildly, a savage grin on his face as he plunged toward her.

"Shit!"

Rina stopped, realising she couldn’t get out of his path in time. She raised her spear and pointed it toward his descending figure, bracing herself with a grim expression.

Isolde hadn’t dared to look back despite the booming sounds, and kept running, only stopping when she realised Rina was no longer following her.

"Hehe!"

A murderous look flashed in the man’s eyes just before they collided.

Boom!

The sensation of her spear plunging into flesh never came. Instead, the air was knocked from her lungs as his powerful frame crashed into her, sending them both to the ground with a boom.

"Khaaa!"

Rina gasped, unable to draw breath beneath his weight. Her spear had snapped in two, its broken pieces clutched in an arm that had seemingly hardened into stone.

Worse still, a sharp pain beneath her ribs told her that something had broken.

He landed on top of her, pinning her torso beneath his heavy body while a wolfish grin spread across his face.

"Rina!"

Isolde stared in shock, feeling as though her heart was about to leap from her chest. She raised her trembling hand, summoning her wand as she tried to find an opening.

’What should I do?’

If she attacked him carelessly, she could hit Rina as well.

The two were so close together that she couldn’t trust herself to strike safely, and that brief hesitation left her watching helplessly as the man reached for Rina’s clothing.

"Let’s see just how racked you are!" With his free hand, he seized the front of her top and tore it apart.

The harsh sound of ripping cloth reverberated through the cold air, her garments and undergarments giving way beneath his savage grip.

His expression filled with cruel delight as a beautiful pair of fleshy mounds jiggled under the cold night air.

"Hoho! What a beautiful pair!"

Isolde felt her breath leave her as she watched in horror, her wand still raised in her trembling hand.

He let the broken spear fall to the ground and undid the hardening around his arm before grabbing at Rina’s fleshy mounds, one in each hand, groping them shamelessly and ignoring her distress.

"Tch, why are you having all the fun?" his companion complained.

"What do you mean? I caught this bird on my own. Help yourself to the elf."

"Fine, fine... But let’s switch after a few rounds."

Tears poured down Isolde’s cheeks as she watched the cruel bastard violate Rina, every moment unfolding with unbearable clarity. She could see his companion approaching, but fear kept her rooted to the spot, her trembling hand still clutching the wand.

"Stay back!" Isolde shouted when he was merely a few feet away.

"Or what?" he asked, grinning viciously.

Mana began gathering within her wand, but she couldn’t focus, and the spell took far longer to form than it should have.

The bastard dashed forward before she could finish, reaching for the wand with his tongue hanging from his mouth like a starving wolf.

His hand never reached her.

A silver glint flashed across his outstretched forearm, followed by another at his neck.

Two sharp, metallic shings echoed through the momentary silence, the movements so quick that Isolde couldn’t perceive what had happened.

Even the man seemed unaware that anything was wrong until the distance between them stopped shrinking.

A split second later, another metallic shing sounded. This time, the sharp glint appeared beside the man assaulting Rina.

Thud! Thud!

Isolde had squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the worst to happen, but the moment never came. Instead, a soft, familiar fragrance reached her nostrils, the smell of it unbelievably masculine, while a soothing warmth enveloped her trembling body.

Someone was holding her, very gently and delicately.

’That scent...’

A scent would have been the last thing she would have noticed in any other situation, but because of who this particular scent was connected to, it was the first thing she thought about.

’Am I dreaming?’

She had to be. Otherwise, it couldn’t be him. She wanted so desperately for it to be true, yet she was almost certain her mind had conjured up something comforting to help her endure the horrors waiting for her.

Very slowly, she opened her quivering eyes, her long lashes and gathered tears obscuring her vision. She blinked a few times, and gradually, his face came into view.

Isolde choked on her own breath.

She couldn’t bring herself to keep looking at him.

Her eyes closed again, and she began to cry, loud, helpless sobs carrying through the night without a care for whatever might be listening.

"Shhh... It’s okay. I’m here now."

Elion stroked her head gently while she clung to his tight bodysuit, her fingers bunching the elastic material near his neck as though she never wanted to let go.

He smiled down at her, but the smile never reached his eyes.

He bit the inside of his lip until the sharp, iron tang of blood filled his mouth.

A deep, seething anger boiled within him, but he had nowhere to vent it. For the moment, he simply held Isolde in a princess carry and let her cry her heart out.