Chapter 357 Pursuit



[Third Person POV],

Seeing that the dark elf in front of him was about to regain consciousness, Ace reframed from what he had done to the elf in the past hours whenever she was about to wake up which was to know her out.

Now he decided against postponing his questioning of the dark elf because of his meeting with Andrew Dawn tomorrow.

Aside from this, he couldn't exactly continue to carry a broken elf wherever he went to.

Apart from it being too stressful and her being a burden to him, carrying her around would make him something like a target so before instead of prolonging what he wanted to do, why doesn't he just question her and deal with her after?

It was because of this, Ace did nothing and just watched as the elf slowly regained her consciousness.

The location they were in was deep in the words and was not quite covered but the reason Ace still chose to remain there was that it provided a lot of space in the environment for him to have room to do anything he wanted to do in case an unexpected event occurred depending on the situation.

For instance, what would happen if he chose to question the dark elf in a cave and some other party decided to join in?

For one, if the other party was stronger than him and was hostile towards him, he was fucked up.

Another thing was that if it was the dark elf kind that discovered him and was strong as well, he'd still be fucked up so it was better to stay in a dense forest like this where there was still enough space to do some things.

"Ugh", The dark elf muttered as she tried to move her body a little but little did she know that doing was going to torment her with pain and it did.

"Woooo", the dark elf immediately let out a wail as intense pain suddenly hit her which caused her to want to move her body again but this only increased the current pain she was currently experiencing.

To avoid the elf from making noise in the dead night, Ace immediately used his hands to close the mouth of the crying elf tightly before she could draw attention to them.

His action did stop the wail of the dark elf in the forest but in the process of using his hands to cover the dark elf's mouth, he ended up getting bitten by the elf that used his hand as a method to distract herself from the pain she was experiencing.

This wasn't done because she had recognised Ace or anything but because she was driven by instincts and past training.

Ace did not mind what she was doing as he brushed through the pain while thinking of what questions he could ask the elf and after the dark elf had somewhat gotten used to the pain and her tied up broken body, she turned to look at Ace in fear.

It didn't help that the bloody mess she had made of his hand was visibly recovering which further added to her fear. 

"W-What are you?" The dark elf asked fearfully because although she had seen humans more powerful than Ace in her world, she had never met one so peculiar as him.

"What am I?" Ace muttered a little confused as to why she would ask that question but still replied by saying "Well, I'm part human"

"What do you want from me?" The dark elf asked immediately after Ace's words dropped.

"Well, I just want to ask a couple of questions…..", 

"Leave me alone", The dark elf immediately cut Ace off from his words before he could finish speaking.

Seeing this, Ace just looked at her with her usual flat face and spoke slowly.

"Well, that's not up for you to decide", He uttered as he reached out to hold one of the broken arms of the elf and squeeze it lightly.

Doing this almost made the elf cry out in pain but before she could, Ace shot a look. He had no threatening expression on his face but this was what scared the elf the most.

"M-Monster", She muttered fearfully.

"Whatever", Ace stated as he disregarded her words and added; First question..."

********

In the dead of the night, the forest was shrouded in darkness, the moon's feeble glow struggling to penetrate the dense foliage. 

Ace who had not expected to find himself in a perilous pursuit suddenly raced forward without looking back as he held Blue, his loyal companion, close to his chest as he moved swiftly through the undergrowth.

Behind him, a group of dark elves pursued relentlessly, their eyes gleaming with malevolence. Their agile forms blended seamlessly with the shadows as they closed in on Ace. Yet, he remained remarkably composed, his mind focused on a single objective: escape.

He had expected that something could happen because the dark elf he had captured was not like monsters who were not too smart.

She was intelligent and could think so it would not be surprising if he had several means to help herself under her belt. What he did not expect was for one of those means to somehow let other members of her race locate her, which in turn located him.

It was strange when one thought well about it but this was not what one would have been expecting.

No wonder she was particularly detailed in her answers. She was buying time but Ace thought she was doing it so she could have a chance to live.

It wasn't exactly his fault to not notice.

Thankfully, he had not taken the dark elf he captured to the alternate dimension. This would have been worse since its location would become exposed and Ace did not think he had enough strength to solely protect this treasure.

In any case, he first had to free himself from the dark elves' pursuit.

Ace recognized that engaging in a direct confrontation with the dark elves would only prolong the danger. 

There were about 10 of them pursuing him and although he could not see their level, the fact that they could catch up with his speed showed they were at least capable hunters.

His priority was to keep Blue safe and find a way out of their clutches. With each step he took, he maintained a steady pace, his breathing measured, refusing to let anything cloud his judgment.

As the dark elves closed in, their pursuit growing ever more intense, Ace employed his knowledge of the terrain to his advantage. 

The knowledge here was just his experience with fighting in dense forests.

Ace manoeuvred through narrow gaps between trees, exploiting the dense foliage to slow down his pursuers. His movements were calculated and efficient, conserving his energy for the crucial moments ahead.

Blue, sensing the urgency of the situation, emitted anxious chirps, his wings fluttering with unease. Ace soothingly whispered to his pet, assuring him that they would soon be out of harm's way. The baby Gryphon found solace in their bond, trusting Ace's ability to navigate them to safety.

Ace's instincts guided him, leading him towards hidden paths and hidden trails. He avoided confrontations at every turn, sidestepping the dark elves with stealth and finesse. His determination to evade them fueled his every action, his resolve unwavering.

The pursuit stretched on, the dark elves relentless in their pursuit, but Ace remained calm and focused. He refused to be distracted by anything. Even when the elves' arrows almost touched him, he did not flinch and kept pushing on. He adapted to the ever-changing landscape, taking advantage of natural barriers and using them to his advantage.

Finally, in a stroke of fortune, Ace spotted a narrow gorge ahead. It offered a chance to put distance between them and their pursuers. With a burst of speed, he raced towards the gorge, leaping over fallen logs and dodging low-hanging branches.

As he reached the edge, Ace made a daring jump, clearing the gap and landing safely on the other side. He quickly scrambled to his feet, Blue still cradled protectively in his arms. The dark elves, momentarily halted by the obstacle, hesitated in their pursuit.

Taking advantage of the respite, Ace swiftly disappeared into the cover of the night, his footsteps soundless as he faded into the depths of the forest. He remained calm and resolute, his focus fixed on fleeing.

As he reached the edge, Ace made a daring jump, clearing the gap and landing safely on the other side. He quickly scrambled to his feet, Blue still cradled protectively in his arms. The dark elves, momentarily halted by the obstacle, hesitated in their pursuit.

Taking advantage of the respite, Ace swiftly disappeared into the cover of the night, his footsteps soundless as he faded into the depths of the forest. He remained calm and resolute, his focus fixed on fleeing.

"I could not kill her in the end, unfortunately"