Not A Small-Town Girl

----

“I’ll give you five minutes to get Jason out here,” David said

coldly.

The guards, having never seen firearms up close,

screamed in terror.

“You’re looking for trouble," one of the guards said, raising

his stick again.

David’s voice rang out sharply, "Do you want to find out

whether your poison darts are faster, or if my bullets are?"

Ten bodyguards, guns in hand, aimed at the guards. The

standoff grew tense as the villagers watched, shocked by

the sudden escalation.

The gunfire and the villagers’ cries soon reached Jason,

who appeared, looking confused. "What’s going on?"

----

“Jason, there’s trouble. Someone’s causing a commotion at

the village entrance," the guards informed him, stepping

aside.

Jason’s eyes locked onto Orion, suspicion flooding his

mind. What was he doing here? Was he trying to take over

their village?

Orion, noticing the misunderstanding, quickly explained,

“Jason, I’m here with an important matter to discuss, but

your guards wouldn’t let us through, forcing us to resort to

this method."

Jason’s expression darkened. Was this the way he was

being approached?

“We’ve never had any dealings with Blackpool Village.

What do you want with me?" Jason’s voice held an edge of

irritation.

----

Orion remained calm. "We need to speak privately. It’s

urgent."

Jason narrowed his eyes, wary of further interaction. He

didn’t trust Orion and wasn’t sure if this was some kind of

trick to get him to lower his guard.

The two men stood, sizing each

other up, tesfirig each other’s

resolve. Suddenly, Jason made a eS

subtle ement, but before he <

could react, a black snake shotout

of Orion’s mouth, latching onto

Jason’s wrist and sinking its fangs

déep.

----

The bodyguards froze, eyes wide with disbelief. Was that a

snake? Did it really just fly out of Orion’s mouth?

The villagers, while surprised, didn’t panic as much, though

they were still taken aback.

----

Orion grinned through the pain. "It’s been long, Jason. Your

poison skills have certainly gotten more refined."

Jason, his body electrified with searing heat and cold,

grimaced in pain. It felt as though a thousand tiny insectsnoveldrama

were crawling through his veins.

Orion smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "It seems

my own poison is getting just as good."

----

The bodyguards, recovering from

their shock-gtanced between the

two men What was going on? Why>

were theyexchanging compliments

in themiddle of this? ’Focus, ©

people—Danielle still needs that

ote!’

----

David raised an eyebrow. This secluded village had some

serious secrets, and it was becoming clear that there were

more powerful people here than he’d thought.

“Now, can we talk?" Orion’s voice was no longer patient—it

was commanding.

Jason’s eyes glinted coldly. "I’ve been meaning to catch up

with you for a while."

“Jason, hello. I’m David. I’m here to ask for your help in

curing the poison that’s afflicting my fiancée. You can name

any condition you want," David said, his tone cool and

composed.

----

Jason assessed David, his eyes

narrowing. Atirst, he’d seen this

man as justanother figure, but now>

there waéan undeniable sense.of

autharity emanating from om e

morehe looked, the strongercthat

festing became.

----

“I’m sorry, we don’t deal with outsiders," Jason replied

curtly.

David casually twirled his gun in his hand. "Jason, are you

‘sure about that?”

Was that a threat? Jason’s temper flared. He was already

in agony from the poison, and now this young man was

trying to push him further. It was almost too much to bear.

Jason gritted his teeth. "I’ve thought about it. I reject your

offer."

Jason turned his glare toward Orion. "You better fix this, or

I swear..."

Orion smiled darkly. "I suggest you start listening to David.

You don’t want to find out how much more we’re willing to

do to make you change your mind."