This time, Vivian couldn’t control herself. Fury took over her, and in an explosive movement, she lunged at Gregory, her muscles tensed like a rope about to snap.
Gregory barely had time to react. With a quick, instinctive movement, he ripped the bag off his back and, with an effort, threw the rifle away before being grabbed around the waist with overwhelming force and thrown to the ground.
THUD!
The impact was heavy, the sound of Gregory’s body hitting the earth echoing through the forest. The ground vibrated with the collision.
Vivian wasted no time. She immobilized Gregory, pressing her knees against his arms, pinning his hands firmly to the ground. Her strength was overwhelming, and before Gregory could react, she began to squeeze his neck with her hands, her palms firm around his throat.
With an almost desperate effort, Gregory used all the strength in his legs to push Vivian to the side, unbalancing her and managing to get her off of him.
Quick as lightning, he grabbed one of her hands and tried to immobilize her with an armlock, but Vivian, with her enormous strength, neutralized the movement.
She then won the contest of strength, pulling him against her and placing one of her feet on his stomach. With that, Vivian used her foot as leverage to spin him, throwing him on top of her.
THUD!
Gregory was thrown into the air and fell on his back with a dry thud on the ground, again. And, again, before he could get up, Vivian immobilized him. With a fluid movement, she applied a perfect headscissor, her legs coiling like a snake around his head.
The grip was crushing, but Gregory, with a survival impulse, bit Vivian's thigh unexpectedly.
"Heeey!" She screamed, surprised.
The bite wasn't strong enough to hurt Vivian, but the act took her by surprise, causing her to let out a small cry of indignation. She loosened her grip, giving Gregory a chance to pull away.
The two quickly stood up. Gregory was panting and sweaty, but with a provocative smile on his face. Vivian stood up without any sign of fatigue, but with an expression of someone who had suffered a serious offense.
Vivian grumbled, indignant at the low blow: "You bastard... Don't you know how to fight with dignity? Have you no shame?" She growled, anger in her eyes.
Gregory, with a tired smile, replied: "The fight was never fair from the beginning. I'm human and you're a Parahuman. The one who should be ashamed here is you."
"Urrgh!" Vivian groaned in anger before charging at Gregory.
They threw themselves back into the fight, a brutal dance of blows and counterblows, with Vivian always knocking Gregory down, but he finding some way to avoid the submission. She was stronger, faster, but she wasn't shy about using low and sneaky blows.
Daira, right behind, watched the scene with boredom, sitting on a nearby tree root. Since it was the third time the two had fought, she preferred to let them resolve their differences instead of separating them as she had done the other two times.
Looking at her watch, she realized it was almost lunchtime. She then grabbed Gregory's backpack, took out the food from it and the small portable stove to heat up the meal.
________________________
The sun was already past noon, and the warm light reflected on the leaves of the surrounding trees, projecting shadows that danced as the breeze passed. The three had finished their meals after Gregory and Vivian had spent almost 20 minutes rolling around on the ground.
Everything was ready for the next step of the mission, but the mood in the group was far from ideal. The tense silence hung like a heavy cloud, foreshadowing a storm that had been brewing for some time.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Gregory and Vivian, sitting on opposite sides, gave each other icy glares before looking at Daira. She was standing in the middle, like a physical and emotional barrier between them.
Daira watched the two of them, her expression full of frustration. She was upset, disappointed, and deeply annoyed. They were both professionals, yet they seemed unable to overcome their mutual provocations.
She sighed deeply, the heavy sound echoing between them. Crossing her arms, Daira shook her head with evident disgust on her expression. “If I had known you were going to fight like two spoiled children, I would have brought you some candy to keep you quiet.”
“That’s because your partner only knows how to complain about everything. A bore who has no idea how annoying she is!” Gregory blurted, his voice full of genuine irritation, looking away as if trying to contain his growing frustration.
Vivian arched an eyebrow, her face adorned with a sarcastic smile. “Humph. And who was it that almost begged on their knees for help from this ‘annoying’ woman? Oh, that’s right, you. It’s quite funny to see the irony being created in front of me.”
Gregory clenched his fists, his expression tense but his tone mocking. “And I’m starting to regret it… If I had known it would be like this, I would have hired three A-Class Hounds through SHH. I bet the three of them would be much less annoying than you alone.”
“Then why don’t you go?! At least you save my time and patience.” Vivian immediately retorted, her voice defiant as her gray eyes drilled into Gregory as if she were willing to force a fight right there.
“Are you doubting me?” Gregory, standing up, answered seriously and his tone deepened.
Daira exploded. “Will you stop this??? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” Her voice cut through the air like a whip, enough to make both of them retreat slightly. She ran her hands through her hair, clearly frustrated, and raised her tone again. “You two are acting like complete idiots!”
She stepped forward, glancing sideways at Vivian with a stern gleam in her eyes. “Vivian, don’t you want to move up in the rankings? Isn’t that part of our goal?”
Vivian hesitated, the sarcasm fading from her face, replaced by visible discomfort. “I do, but…” she began, but Daira interrupted firmly.
“‘But’ nothing. Gregory promised to help us with training for three months. He accepted our conditions, and on top of that, he’ll even grant us a favor, as long as we do our job well. What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”
Vivian opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the right words. Her silence served as her answer.
Daira then turned to Gregory, her gaze sharp as a blade. “And you, Gregory. How can I trust your leadership and strategies if you don’t make the slightest effort to keep the team together? You look more like a common delinquent than an aspiring AMH graduate.”
Gregory swallowed hard, but kept his gaze fixed on her. His hardened expression hid the twinge of embarrassment he felt. “…This doesn’t usually happen, Daira.”
“I don’t care what usually happens,” she snapped without hesitation, approaching him and facing him head-on. “What matters is now. What I’m seeing right now is a disorganized team, and frankly, you’re not convincing me. So I’m going to ask you straight out: can I trust you from now on, Gregory?”
He took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing a little. “Absolutely.”
“Very well.” Daira nodded seriously, before turning to Vivian. “And you, Vivian? Gregory was generous enough to accept our terms, and the rewards he offered are worth more than any mission we’ve accepted in the last three months. Do you want to earn those rewards or not?”
Vivian looked away for a moment, but finally answered, albeit reluctantly. “I do.”
“Good. Then let’s reset the game. The mission starts from here on out. Let's be professional and get this done as quickly as possible. That's what we all want, right?"
"Yes," Gregory and Vivian said in unison, their voices filled with a mixture of determination and resentment.
___________________________________
The forest surrounding the city of Efflium is a vast reservoir of invaluable natural resources. Flowers, herbs, fruits and a variety of mutant plants and trees could be found there — essential ingredients for the pharmaceutical and food industries, producing everything from miracle medicines to foods with healing properties and highly beneficial properties.
However, this environment was also home to a dangerous and challenging fauna. Mutanids of various species inhabited the forest, and the need to exterminate them periodically was essential to ensure the security of the urban perimeter.
However, since they entered the zone of high concentration of mutagenic agents, the scenario took a drastic turn.
Before, they were surrounded by sturdy, imposing trees, whose thick, towering trunks stood like silent sentinels. Shrubs covered the forest floor and various types of plants could be seen. Greenery predominated and the sunlight made the environment cheerful and pleasant.
Now, all of that seemed like a distant dream. The transformation of the environment was brutal and visceral. The trees that had once seemed like protective guardians became deformed and skeletal, their trunks blackened and twisted like hands in agony.
The soil that had once been rich and fertile was now a black, sticky and repulsive layer, exuding a metallic and acidic odor. Thick vines and vines spread like spider webs, snaking in all directions, covering the trunks and the ground, as if the vegetation itself was trying to suffocate the space around it.
Darkness dominated. Even with the sun overhead, the light seemed unable to penetrate the distorted canopies. It was as if the air was denser, heavier and suffocating.
The silence was even more disturbing.