Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)




"Check around for any traps-nothing should be overlooked," Patrick commanded, his sharp eyes scanning the misty surroundings. The dense fog ahead made it impossible to see anything clearly.

Initially, Nathan had sent him to find Danielle's master, and Patrick had expected it to be a simple task. He thought he'd have the person back in no time, but the mission had stalled right from the start.

"Patrick, I haven't found anything here."

"Patrick, same here."

"Patrick, there's nothing at all."

Patrick glanced around, trying to detect any unusual movement in the bamboo grove. As he stood deep in thought, a distant cry pierced the air.

"Patrick! Help!"

Patrick didn't hesitate, rushing toward the voice, but when he arrived, there was nothing.

"Patrick, these bamboos..."

Before he could finish, the sound abruptly cut off, and the person fell silent.

"Everyone, stay put! Don't move, this might be a trick," Patrick ordered. The bamboos around them began to shift, moving in strange patterns.

"Move quickly!" Patrick shouted.

He darted between the bamboo stalks, narrowly avoiding the quick attacks. The remaining mercenaries had already lost most of their number, leaving only three of them behind. The others had vanished without a trace.

The bamboo stalks whipped towards him like living creatures, sending him flying backward with a powerful strike.

He landed outside the bamboo grove with a crash, and as he got up, he saw the rest of his team-those who had been with him-tossed out like rag dolls.

"Patrick, these bamboos are alive!" one of the mercenaries exclaimed. "It's like they have eyes and are attacking us on their own!"

"I've never seen anything like this. It's as if someone is controlling them. How can plants move like this?" another mercenary said, equally horrified.

Patrick was equally stunned. This small mountain had managed to block him-him, of all people. He wasn't about to let a mere patch of bamboo stop him.

"We're going back in. Before the bamboos start moving again, we need to find the weakness," he said through gritted teeth.

"Understood, Patrick."

The group marched forward again, this time with purpose, though they still found themselves spinning in circles, just like before.

"Patrick, look!" one mercenary called out, pointing to a particularly tall bamboo towering above the rest.

"That's it!" Patrick's eyes lit up. "That's the one!"

Just as they were about to approach it, the bamboo once again began to shift and attack. They were all flung back, but this time, no one was injured. It was more about the sheer frustration of being bullied by these ridiculous plants.

"Patrick, I have an idea, but should I say it?" one mercenary piped up, looking eager

to share.

"Say it, or shut up. What do you mean 'should you say it'?" Patrick snapped, growing increasingly irritated with their indecision.

"Well, how about we chop down the bamboos? Let's see how they trap us then."

Patrick nearly choked on his own breath.

The mercenary, undeterred, continued, "It's a simple plan. There's not that many bamboos here. With our speed, we can knock them all down in no time."

Patrick was almost speechless. "I'm going to need to train you guys on thinking, not just muscle."

"Well, I have another plan, Patrick," the mercenary said, grinning. "Why don't we just use a cannon to blow up the mountain? That way, we can clear everything out fast!"

Patrick stared at him for a moment before breaking into laughter. "You want to use a cannon? Are you insane? Do you think we're here to blow up everything in sight? We're looking for a person, not a pile of rubble!" Content belongs to Novelxo.org

The mercenary hesitated, "Yeah, but... the cannon would be faster..."

et

Patrick gave him a dark look. "If we blow up the mountain, we might as well blow up ourselves too. You can't solve every problem by force. If we were dealing with an island with no bottom, would you chop down all the trees too? Or, wait-if we're by the sea, would you drain all the water?" Content belongs to

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The mercenary grumbled under his breath, "Well, I thought it was a good idea after

thinking it through..."

Patrick shook his head. "Just focus, will you? We need to find the real trap. There's

a tall bamboo here it's definitely hiding something. We're going after it."

The team prepared, no longer running around blindly. They had a goal now.

Patrick quickly made his way toward the towering bamboo stalk, weaving through the others until he reached it. He examined it carefully, feeling around for any mechanisms that might be hidden.

After a thorough search, nothing came up. "It's not here... maybe we have to push it?" Patrick muttered.

He gave the bamboo a gentle shove, and to his surprise, it moved. Suddenly, everything around him shifted. The fog parted, revealing a narrow path surrounded

by overgrown grass.

"Well, I'll be damned," Patrick muttered. "This is it."

"You did it, Patrick!" a mercenary exclaimed.

Patrick smirked. "Don't forget who you're talking to."

As they ventured down the path, the atmosphere grew strangely serene. The air was clear, and a small creek could be heard babbling nearby. It was a stark contrast to the chaotic bamboo grove.

"Look, Patrick! There's something written here!" someone called out.

The group gathered around the carved message: "Don't pull it down, there's a trap."

"Patrick, should we pull it down? I think it's just trying to scare us," the mercenary said, analyzing it.

Patrick groaned. "Here we go again with the analysis. You guys just can't help

yourselves, can you?"

One mercenary, eager to prove his bravery, yanked the message off the wall.

Immediately, the ground beneath

them gave way, and the entire group plunged into a deep pit. Dust swirled around them as they fell, landing with a thud in a massive hole. They

were covered in dirt and utterly defeated. Content belongs to

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It wasn't just a trap-it was a lesson. A harsh one.