As time slows down, her fail-safe activates, and immediately, all the air within the area is sucked out of the vicinity.
Everyone in the area starts to gasp for air as they slowly suffocate. The girl watches in horror as she slowly watches the crocodile go limp and die in front of her.
Once it does, the oxygen returns to the area and everyone coughs and sucks in as much oxygen as they can.
Quickly, the silent assassin has a blade to her neck, and the brave hunter has a blade to theirs.
"Do that again, and I will put an end to your fears forever, " the assassin says.
"So you do speak?" The woman mocks as she struggles to get out from under the creature.
"If you would have pulled that blade out sooner, she wouldn't have had to resort to such a tactic now, would she?" The brave hunter reminds him.
The silent assassin glares at both of them, but when Neji calmly walks past them, the assassin withdraws and continues to follow him.
The brave hunter removes the giant creature from the female's foot and helps her up.
"Thank you. And sorry I got you hurt."
"Nothing but a few scratches. This fellow got the worst of it." The brave hunter says as the short guy collapses on the ground next to them with the unconscious hunter.
The brave hunter picks up the sleeping one and thanks the short man, who just puts a thumbs up in the air.
A few minutes pass, and the group reach a bridge.
Neji congratulates them. "Would you look at that! We've finally hit the halfway mark, and nobody has been lost or killed. It should be smooth sailing from here on. The inhabitants never cross beyond this point."
"What makes you so sure they won't pop back up? It's not like you can see when they do," the short man says.
"Can you not feel it? This is the master's territory. They fear it more than anything else." Neji calmly responds.
"This master must be pretty scary if those things stay this far away," the scary hunter remarks.
"I would say pretty special. Only a special kind of being laughs when faced with fear itself," Neji replies.
"Are you referring to the Diablo?" The big assassin asks.
"No. Cordayl is not the master, more like an honored guest. His tour was different than the normal ones I've led."
"How so?" The assassin asks again.
"Well, the inhabitants of the island seemed to find Cordayl interesting. When he arrived last month, the females were awake, and as expected, he was approached a lot more frequently. But," Neji pauses.
"But what?" a hunter asks, curious about how things went for Diablo.
"Well, the female inhabitants just took turns staring at him. He wasn't attacked once.
He just kept catching them. One would land in his arms, stare at him, then jump away. This repeated non-stop until we reached the halfway mark." Neji explains as he continues walking.
"Wait, I'm confused,". The scary hunter says, "How was he able to look at those cute creatures and keep them from transforming."
"It means he doesn't fear anything." The woman answers his question.
"Or, his fear is something even they can not fathom," Neji explains.
Finally, the group reaches their destination. A gigantic cave entrance seems to greet them to their death as they marvel at its size.
Neji calmly continues his walk, and the group follows, taking in the massive paw prints of the master and the stench of the cave as they traverse deeper and deeper.
Then suddenly, they are standing in a giant ass opening with a small hole for light at the top.
Neji points down a huge, dark hallway. "The treasure is down that way for those who seek it. Best of luck to all of you. This group seems very promising," he states, continuing his walk to his corner, where he pulls out the herb.
The hunters all bravely turn towards the hallway. The assassins finally take off their robes, revealing the arsenal of weapons they were hiding. "Are you guys even the least bit curious as to what the treasure is?" The brave hunter asks.
"We came only for the Diablo. Neji has confirmed that he is here, so we start our hunt for him." The big assassin states.
"More for us than." The brave hunter shrugs, turning his attention back towards the hallway. "Ready group?"
The group nods their heads. As the three hunters take their first steps, they stop in their tracks, feeling an odd combination of something big bouncing and something bigger running straight in their direction.
Even the assassins aren't dumb as they prepare for the master to burst out and attack.
The first thing everyone sees is a giant bone bouncing and flipping right at them.
Everyone jumps out of the way, but the brave hunter braces to catch the bone himself.
Before he can make contact with the gigantic bone, the master catches it first.
Looking up, the group is amazed and shocked to see a humongous three-headed hyena chomping away at a bone large enough for each to have a piece to gnaw at.
The hunters and assassins all take steps back as they reassess the situation, but their movement catches one of the hyenas' eyes, which alerts the other two.
Dropping the massive bone that crashes down and shakes the floor, the middle hyena starts to growl as the other two start to laugh.
Slowly, with each massive step causing the floor to rumble, the three-headed hyena crouches down until it is at eye level with the group. The middle head sniffs them, then continues to growl.
When the assassins draw their weapons, all three heads start to growl, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Easy now, they are here for me." A voice says coolly, yet loud enough to be heard by all.
Everyone, except Neji, who smirks, turns their heads to the one light in the cave and sees Cordayl slowly descending into it.
The way he falls into the room makes him look menacing, and the group doesn't know who they should fear more at the moment.
The hyena backs up, the middle head still locked on the group, as the other two heads stare at Cordayl.
Cordayl lands on the middle one's head, and the other two lean in to be petted by him. Cordayl obliges and commands the middle one to go down. The hyena listens and lays down so Cordayl can easily get onto the ground. Cordayl pets the middle head as a thanks.
The middle head is still weary of the group, so he doesn't let his guard up. Cordayl continues to pet him to keep him calm.
"I know the three with the white gloves are after me, but what are the rest of you here for?" Cordayl asks without even looking at them.
"We came looking for the fabled treasure on this island." The brave hunter states.
Hearing the word treasure, all three heads start to growl again.
Cordayl gives them another command, and the hyenas all quiet down.
"You might want to keep your attention on me, big guy, " Cordayl advises him.
"I want no problem with you, Diablo. I seek only a good challenge and riches. If I must go through your friend to get it, then so be it." The brave hunter states.
Cordayl looks at the three hyenas, and one starts to laugh. Cordayl smiles, "As you wish, then."
"I'll distract it, and you all sneak around and find the treasure. If I die here and you escape, tell the world of my bravery." The brave hunter whispers to the group before stepping out.
The brave hunter's aura bursts as he circles around the beast. The hyena laughs again. "I heard this beast laughs in the face of fear. Good, that means it's taking me seriously," the brave hunter says, twirling his big knife around.
"Not to burst your ego or anything, because it does laugh, but only one head is laughing. And he's the goofy one." Cordayl tells the hunter.
"Right." The hunter says, hurt. "Well, anyway. Heeyah!!" The brave hunter shouts, diving in to fight the monstrous hydra hyena.
The brave hunter unleashes all of his special moves, hoping to do any damage and to keep it entertained for as long as possible so that his colleagues can get to the hallway.
The hunters do well to stay out of sight, but it goes as good as it can trying to sneak around a creature with three heads. The brave hunter holds up his end of the bargain though, retaking the beast's attention every time it notices his group's movement.
Finally, within running distance from the entrance of the hallway, they hear the terrible scream of the hunter and then silence.
The hunter's body is then spit out in front of them, all chewed through and covered with saliva.
Barely audible, the brave hunter asks them to leave this part out before he is lost underneath the hyena's giant paw.