Tear A Path 295 Maneuver 6

"Isn't that bad though?" The gunner spoke, gun still spinning and smoking after he unloaded a fresh batch of led into the backs of a group of warriors.

"Why's that!?" A man from the shotgun seat tilted his head back wards.

"Well aren't they like muc.. Why're you WHOAAA!" The gunner had looked down to see his companions eyes looking up at him through the hatch and suddenly the man's eyes into a look of abject horror as he suddenly reached for the wheel and wrenched it away from the driver, turning it at such a steep angle the whole thing almost toppled over.

The gunner had followed the car as it swerved, a little faster than he could register that a shadow had been looming over him as well as the whole vehicle.

"Stan what the heck!" The gunner screamed, he'd almost thrown his neck out from the sudden maneuver.

"Look behind you Lou, then complain." Stan said, bullets of sweat speeding down his face.

Lou turned back and caught sight of a young man lifting a long sword a crater it had formed in the ground, right where their vehicle was just a few seconds back. He didn't know how sharp the sword was or how tough the kid was, could he cut through the body of this armored vehicle? Maybe, maybe not.

But one thing was for sure. He who's top half was on the outside of the car would've definitely been turned into two.

"Hahaha! Look at him, he looks like he'd just seen a ghost!" The driver stretched his neck back and looked at the gunner through the hatch.

"S-shut-up Darryl! Look at the G#[email protected] road you're going to get all of us killed."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, I've driven even when I was so drunk I thought that all the buildings looked flat."

"Didn't you get a DUI and destruction of property from several buildings for that?" Stan asked.

"Yes, but I drove didn't I. I mean, I barely.."

"Darryl look forward." Lou said quite still yet somewhat unnerving.

"What's to them even if they lose some really big showcase windows anyway..."

"Darryl look forward."

"I bet one of those companies paid the judge or had like a connection to him or..."

"DARRYLL!" Lou screamed.

"What!?" he replied.

Stan who was beside him suddenly pulled him by the collar and pulled his whole body to face the wind shield. "Look forward!" he shouted.

It took Darryl less than a fraction of a second to see a group of men who had emerged from the undergrowth and suddenly raised what seemed to be the pillar of a battering ram while aiming the head of it straight towards their engine while it's back was planted firmly in the ground.

If they met it head on, the HMVV would be pierced using it's own momentum.

"Sh#t!" Darryl used the next fraction of a second to turn the car all the way to the right. Any other driver would have failed trying to avoid collision in such a short distance but Darryl was barely able to turn it.

They were so close to making it, the car shook greatly under the stress and in that sharp turn they were basically riding on only the car's left wheels as Lou's weight as well the gun's threatened to pull them down and let inertia topple them over.

Everyone, pa.s.sengers, driver and even their opponents held their breaths for those few moments before the car completed the turn and sped off again forward just a few seconds before ultimately crashing.

Somehow a pitfall had been waiting for them right on this path.

"Heck yeah, maneuver 6 never fails does it?" One of them spoke.

"Really? I think we're just lucky on this one." a man said, coming into view, he was exactly the guy who had tried to jump onto the vehicle before.

"You're just a spoil sport Jacob." The rest of them groaned in agreement.

"No I'm serious, if those guys weren't that dumb I doubt they'd be caught. Besides, you know what maneuver 6 is for right?" Jacob said as he walked towards the wreckage to check for survivors.

"Yeah yeah, for catching deer." They replied, one using his hand to imitate and continuously speaking mouth mockingly.

It was a clever three part plan they'd devised, each part containing the potential to kill while making sure the prey didn't escape them even if not killed during any one of the parts.

The first part required a person to come close and attempt to attack the prey, making sure he came and attacked at such a timing and angle that the route of the prey's escape even if the attack failed was towards a team who was lying in wait.

Of course they didn't use a battering ram's pillar, just that this time, they weren't sure that just holding up their spears would have any effect on their opponent. This was specifically why this plan was most effective on deer, they had a lot of speed and low maneuverability making the chance that they'd be unable to dodge once they were heading in a certain direction pretty low, most of the time they'd be killed by their own momentum.

Any prey was able to dodge the second trap quite narrowly just like the vehicle had just done then they'd think that they were home free. Who would think a third danger was waiting for them after successfully getting away with their life twice.

Despite how crude a pitfall was, it was quite effective against a large range of beasts, apparently this animal those men were riding was also among one of those.

"Hey Jacob, there's that one last one. Should we get to it?"

"Nah, another team is probably in preparation to intercept it." He replied, still heading to check on the wreckage.

"Okay... It's not slowing down though."

"Hey man, let's just complete our job here okay!" Jacob said, visibly aggravated. He wanted to get this over with and head over to help Ode.

"Jacob"

"Hmm..?" Howel being one of the older members of their small hunting squad was one of the few members who's opinions Jacob actually listened to.

"The way those guys are going..." Jacob turned around before he even had to finish, following the direction they were heading...

"...the mage area." Howel

"The mage area!" Jacob

Those guys were heading right for where Faris and the other mages were completing their spells.

"!" Jacob shouted.

Suddenly an explosion rang out quite close to them, he noticed this as the place where Ode wuld've probably intercepted the other thing.