Chapter 33 Cat and Mouse

❄️Snow❄️

Snow was crouching behind some rusted construction equipment. The black sky had transformed into a storm. Lighting struck, followed by even heavier downpour. Snow was drenched, even Lazarus’s seemingly waterproof clothing couldn't take this much, not that it was even close to the concerns she had right now. Looking at the warehouse, Snow could see a big rusty chain was strewn across large double doors that took up the entire frontside of the building. The dilapidated warehouse appeared to be abandoned. Snow began to sneak around the building looking for a way inside. Her eyes panned across the walls; moss and vines took root all over the wooden structure. Snow stopped when she saw what she was looking for; an open window. Hopefully, the age of the flora here was old enough to support her weight. She ran up, pulled on the vines that were growing on the side of the building and began to climb up.

Snow entered the warehouse from the second floor. After a moment her eyes began to adjust. It was clear she was on the second-floor but this wasn’t a floor, it was a walkway. Snow walked up to the edge where there was a railing. Snow leaned over the railing, looking into the darkness. She could just make out the ground floor; empty cages and crates were littered everywhere. There were also chains strung up from the ceiling all throughout the place that gave her an eerie feeling. Jirminshawl said Lussuria was being held here but there wasn’t a soul here. Did Jirminshawl lie to her?

“Lussuria, where are you?” She strongly whispered.

Snow traversed the walkway, which ran around the building, until she found a set of stairs on the opposite side that led to the ground level. She almost bumped into a box with how dark it was down here. After reaching the center of the first floor she stopped. This place seemed like a bust.

“Was starting to think you wised up.”

Snow heard a voice. Snow didn’t know where the voice was coming from until she looked up above and saw the tracker standing in front of the window she came from; the screeching of metal sounded while he closed a gate that locked the window shut. He took out a gold key and began to lock it.

“A trap?” Snow realized what this was.

“Unfortunately for you- I have been paid- for your capture.” The tracker replied as he finished locking the gate. He took a step up to the railing looking down at her. Snow could tell, something wasn't right with him. His armor seemed to have been damaged, there was a noticeable rip across his chest plate and his leg was exposed and bloodied. She didn’t notice before because she was so disoriented by the rune blast, but he was clearly injured.

“Where is my sister!” Snow shouted at him.

“If you would like, I can take you to her. First choose a cage. “He hovered his hand across the air. Motioning to the many cages scattered throughout the warehouse.

“Eat manure!” She yelled.

The mercenary jumped off the second floor, grabbing one of the chains that were strung from the ceiling, he repelled down to the ground level. Snow could hear the stomping of his boots as he ran right at her.

Snow turned heel and began to flee.

The tracker was too fast, before Snow could even get away, he tackled her to the ground. He was so heavy, Snow could feel his thick fingers dig into her neck. She tried scratching at his arm to get him off but he responded by lifting her up a few inches off the floor and slamming her head into the wood. The back of her head exploded in pain.

Snow could hear him laughing, she tried reaching at his face to which he turned his head and slammed her again.

Snow couldn’t struggle much longer, she couldn’t breathe. She felt herself rising higher, she was being held up in the air now. The tracker kneed her in the stomach.

“Wow! You’ve been hit before! You don’t have that same reaction everyone else has their first time. Someone received early pain training? Now, I’m curious…”

The tracker released her.

Snow struggled to catch her breath.

The tracker smirked at her.

“Five.”

If he was paid to capture her then why is he doing all this.

“Four.”

This guy was a bastard.

“Three.”

She needed to run.

“Two.”

Snow ran off, out of sight, and deeper into the main floor of the abandoned warehouse.

“One!”

This warehouse was dark and filled with boxes and cages, there was an abundant number of hiding spots. Snow hid behind a box deeper into the warehouse.

“The hunt is on!” The echoing voice of the mercenary was heard followed by the creaking of wood from his footsteps.

Based on the chains and cages, this place was most likely an abandoned beast-holdings pen. Snow knew about beast pens from her time with Randal, there was always the main door which seemed locked up from her view of this place outside, and then there was always a backdoor. She started sneaking towards the back of the building. With all these boxes everywhere, she was hidden well. By the time Snow reached the rear she could hear the mercenary’s boots stomping nearby.

“You know little mouse, I may have trouble seeing, but boy do I have a sense of smell, and your smell, the smell of a Frostblood-“ his nostrils took a big whiff of the dust filled air- “ is unmistakable!”

She heard his boots stomping her way very fast.

The mercenary swung on one of the chains that was hanging on the ceiling and landed on the box she was hiding behind.

“There you are!”

Snow responded by gripping a handful of sawdust on the floor and flinging it at his face.

“Ah!” he reared back, rubbing his eye. “Very resourceful. I like that!”

Snow darted further towards the back of the warehouse and behind another set of crates. She could see the backdoor. It almost seemed too good to be true. Snow tiptoed up to the backdoor before she heard crunching on the ground. There was hay on the ground. Suspicious of the hay, Snow swept aside some of it and her hand hit something metal. It was a chain. At a closer look the chain led to a set of metal teeth that prodded out of the hay only slightly. It was a bear trap and there were dozens of clumps right in front of the door.

(“This guy is sick!”) Snow quickly retreated back towards her hiding spot behind the crates. She waited until the tracker spoke again.

“Frederick told me non-lethal takedowns and unlucky for you, frostborn are very resilient. Like your poor little sister. I had fun with that one.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Snow gritted her teeth, but kept silent. While she was thinking of a plan, her hunter’s voice kept echoing in the darkness.

“Did you know, after she finally quit moaning, she had the grout to complain about my unsanitary handling of her? Heh… I dragged her through just about all the dirt and grime in this district. She should have been happy that this isn’t the common district. That dirt and grime would have been replaced with shit and piss.”

Snow ticked her teeth.

“damned monster.” She mumbled without realizing it.

“Found you!” The tracker threw his head around the corner and reached at Snow grabbing her arm, “You ready for round two?!” He looked crazed as if he was enjoying this sick game. He pulled her in to grab her neck.

“Get off me!” Snow pulled out Gravis’s dagger and thrusted it into his exposed leg before ripping it back out, forcing him to let go. She used the moment to scramble away, out of sight.

“Ah! Since when did you have a damn weapon?!” The tracker began to laugh sinisterly. As Snow was running, she tripped, nearly landing right on top of a bear trap.

(“They are here too?”)

Snow rolled away from it, finding another spot to hide. The next round of hide and seek began. Snow made extra sure not to make any noise. Soon, the tracker’s voice echoed again. “I’ll cut you a deal Snow, if you can avoid me until the time is up. I’ll leave the key right here on this chain for you.” She heard a jingling noise right in the center of the room.

“But if I catch you… Hoho, do not let that happen. You can always give up! I'll put you in a cage ‘nice’ and ‘easy’.” The tracker’s loud footsteps disappeared. His voice went silent. That could have only meant one thing; he began sneaking, just like her. This had become a real game of cat and mouse.

The key he hung up was in the middle of the room. Above a pile of crates.

Another deadly game of hide and seek, but only this time the roles were reversed. If only she had Rezlo’s power. Could she really hide long enough to win?

No. Snow knew this guy was tracking her. She could not hide forever and if she grabbed the key, he would no doubt be alerted. The key was clearly a trap. Hiding was not smart. Considering that Lussuria was here, Snow would have no choice but to get rid of him if she had any hope of freeing her. She needed to fight. She needed to kill him.

Snow began prowling herself. Listening closely. Each step she took, each corner she reached, she waited and listened. He would probably be patrolling around the key. This became a deadly game of two hunters. She meticulously made her way to a spot that was closer to the key and saw it dangling there about 20 feet away. It was at this point that she could hear the slow crunching of his leather greaves and the slow exhales. The tracker was very, very near. Where exactly? Snow shut her eyes, held her breath and concentrated on listening. The crunch of leather grew louder with each step. Crunch… Crunch… Crunch. Snow knew where he was... He was on the other side of the very box she was hiding behind!

Snow waited, gripping the bloody dagger tightly. She waited until the steps got as close as they could be.

Right when she saw the tracker’s foot, Snow threw her arm around the corner towards his leg. She could feel the dagger hit his shin bone as he recoiled back, and she ran away, quickly disappearing out of sight again.

“Arg! Damnit!...” He grunted. “Snow Regalia. You are a lot stealthier than I had wagered, Okay then.” The sound of steel rang out in the warehouse. The tracker had drawn his weapon. Every box he walked around was met with the point of his sword. And he was checking them in systematic order. It would be difficult to repeat the last attack on him.

The tracker was walking with an obvious limp, but he was walking with caution. The leg was definitely his weakness. Snow couldn’t attack him from the front. She needed to go behind him.

Snow was backtracking around a crate when a loud metal clank echoed throughout the warehouse. The teeth of a bear trap had snapped shut. “Ahhhhh!” She shrieked out in pain.

The fast-approaching mercenary came in to investigate. He reached the bear trap to see Snow’s boot on the trap but no Snow. He smirked before yelling “Nice try!” and spun around thrusting his sword at his flank. The sword hit nothing.

A shadow dropped down behind him, from atop the crate, and sliced the back of his leg. Blood splattered against the crate as the tracker spun around, swinging his blade at Snow. The sword grazed the side of her face as she threw herself back before running away again.

“You know what little mouse? I think I’ll just kill you instead.” His voice began to trail off to a different part of the warehouse.

He was definitely slow enough to deal with now. Snow’s confidence grew as she clearly had the upper hand now. Snow finally spoke.

“I thought you could smell me? Such a fledgling you are. I even took off my boot for you, idiot! She yelled out, before repositioning to a separate box.

“Congratulations, it only took you three times to avoid one of my traps. Looks as if even the slow can learn.”

“‘Looks as if’ you're useless when you can’t rely on anything else but those traps, coward!”

“I wouldn’t call my techniques cowardly. If anything, you should take note, considering that you are a fake frostblood.”

“I’m not fake!”

“Prove it.” The room lit up following his statement. A blue light shined from above. Snow looked at where the light was coming from. The tracker was standing on the walkway, in front of the window she entered from, he was charging a rune that was aimed right at her.

“Rune-Lightning-

The rune crackled with electricity.

“-bolt-”

Energy started charging at the center of the rune... Snow ran and slid into cover, just behind a box. Snow was on one knee, leaning against the box.

“-Release!”

Lightning ripped across the air

Splinters exploded from the box hitting her like shrapnel. The box didn't even come close to being able to stop the lighting bolt. Snow got sent flying into the wall. The wooden shards sticking out from most of her left side.

“Aah.. aah…” Snow slowly rose up from the ground, shaking, removing some of them. The shards were excruciatingly painful. The tracker’s voice could be heard from the walkway.

“You may be immune to the shock, but not the raw force. This is the real game. Let’s see how far you get. The tracker rose his hand, in preparation for another spell. Snow needed to get off the first floor. She needed to stop his casting. She looked in the direction of the stairs and started running towards them. The shards in her leg stung with every step.

The tracker casted his next spell.

“Rune-lightning-bolt-release!”

Snow’s whole left side got goosebumps before her spine felt like goo, the next thing she knew she was struggling to get back on her feet.

“Ragh, you… animal!” Snow slowly rose to her feet again, fighting against the pain.

“This is merely pennalism.”

Snow continued her sprint towards the stairs. Snow kept glancing at her left, eyeing the tracker while he was casting the next attack.

(When he releases ill break.)

“Rune-lightning-bolt-release!”

Snow braked right when he said ‘release’ and the lightning bolt flashed right across her eyes, hitting the wall in front of her. The attack missed. Snow got to the stairs and climbed to the second-floor walkway. The walkway ran around the whole building. The tracker was on the other side so she would need to run all the way around to reach him.

She began her sprint over the walkway.

“Rune-lightning-bolt-”

She braked.

“...Release.” he delayed his last word.

Bang! The bolt hit her left shoulder, sending her flying into the railing, cracking the wood. Snow couldn’t move her left arm anymore, but rose up to her feet and continued running.

“KEEP RUNNING PRINCESS!” The tracker yelled from the other side of the walkway. He was clearly enjoying this twisted game of target practice.

Snow cut the corner of the walkway, she was nearly halfway there.

“Rune-lightning-bolt-”

She kept running

“...”

This was a game of chicken. Both were waiting for the other to make their move. Snow had the advantage though, in that he couldn’t hold his last word forever. She took her best guess and...

“...release!”

She braked.

It was perfect timing. The bolt flew ahead of her hitting a nearby chain. The chain became electrified. She noticed it, maybe she could utilize that somehow. Snow cut the next corner of the walkway. Now he was directly ahead of her.

This was the last sprint. A straight shot, right to him. Snow picked up her speed.

“Rune-”

Could she dodge an attack aimed directly in front of her? Snow’s stopping method wouldn’t work from this angle. Could she possibly beat his cast?

“lightning-”

Snow was only halfway to him on this last portion. There was no way she could make it. she would have to dodge left or right. That was her only option.

“Scattershot-”

(“Scattershot!?”) If the name implied anything it wouldn’t be a single bolt. It would be undodgeable.

“Release!”

The rune powered up before several arcs of electricity rippled out. Snow moved to dodge but she didn’t do it on the walkway, she put the dagger in her mouth and jumped off the walkway. Snow caught hold of one of the chains that were strung from the ceiling. The mercenary turned to aim the rune at her as the arcs of lightning scattered across the air. The lightning bloomed out, separating and attracting to all of the chains that were hanging from the ceiling. Snow’s chain was electrified but it did not affect her. As Snow was swinging around the room, she swished the dagger that was in her mouth against the chain, spreading the electricity to it. Her motion was completed when she swung back onto the walkway.

Snow opened her mouth, dropping the electrified dagger in her right hand. The dagger’s blade was energized with lightning. The tracker’s eyes met hers. Snow inflicted a gaze so fierce, his surprised face emitted what appeared to be fear. At that moment, Snow did not view him as an enemy, nor prey. He simply an obstacle that needed to be put down, a rather despicable one.

“You!-” The tracker fumbled for his sword as she slashed the electrified dagger at him. The dagger clashed with the sword, lightning conducted from one blade onto the next, shocking the sword from his hand. Seeing the tracker weaponless, Snow swung at him again. The tracker dodged back. A crack was heard, his leg finally gave in. The pronounced stumble signaled it was time to end this.

Snow did not swing, she lunged. Snow flipped the dagger into a reverse grip mid-air before stabbing it right into the wound on his chest. She jumped off of him and watched as the dagger electrocuted him. The tracker began to twitch, struggling to remove the dagger, before bumping into the railing and falling off the walkway. His fall ended with a loud thud.