Luhan is southwest bound when he slides into the scene, watching Byul and Chanyeol converse animatedly as they further themselves away from the golden-haired prince; the latter slicks himself up against the bark of the numerous trees, his nimble feet leading him and his long gait after the two Korean nobles. His eyes shifted back and forth from Byul to Chanyeol before making himself disappear all together when they reach a set of wooden gates. The two continue to chat and two more sets of voices join -- both male. Luhan grits his teeth and seethes into his clenched fists as he hears Byul speaking lowly.

Her sigh is almost inaudible, but Luhan catches it. 

"We have to take a different route," Suho speaks automatically, shifting his gaze from Chanyeol to Byul within a millisecond. "The Chinese men have all our routes blockaded and barricaded with their forces; we have to take a shortcut."
"I found one just amongst the woods behind the outhouses. We can take that one; it'll lead us right to the next village, Busan." Baekhyun unsheathed his sword and began to cut through the mass of vines that shielded the sight of the pathway. "We just have to go through here and ...."

Luhan bit his lip unsurely at the sound of Baekhyun's and Suho's conjoined explanations, feeling an odd pit settle in his stomach. Gruesome churns fluttered across his stomach as he heaved a dark sigh. He knew, Luhan knew. Luhan knew his men definitely had not blockaded or barricaded any cite with their forces -- it was not what he commanded them to do. Feeling slightly uneasy, Luhan craned his neck from the oak tree he was hiding behind and glazed his eyes over Chanyeol's arm ushering Byul hurriedly into the dark arch of forests. 

He quickly moved, fleeting into a rapid pace as his long gait rushed after them; the thorns encased around the vines scratched at his face and gnawed at his exposed arms, but Luhan persisted past them and tried his best to follow the sounds of Byul's high-pitched commands.

"Let go of me, you incompetent vermon!" Byul cried impatiently. She snatched away her hand from Suho's grasp and seethed through her gritted teeth, her breath escaping the fold sof her lips in huffing pants of dismay. "If we're lost, just say so! Don't act all courageous and try to woo me into foolishly believing you. Let's just head back down the path we came from and try to force our way through the Chinese men," Byul huffed.

"They won't oblige, not unless their king gives the command."
"They don't need to acquiesce to their king when they've got me," Byul argued confidently, a stubborn growl lurking behind her hard tone.
A malicious expression crossed Chanyeol's contorted features and he was immeidately prompted to yank Byul back by her wrist once more. "You, the Chinese king's mistress, am I right?" he sneered, pushing her back up against one of the trees. Chanyeol pinned her up against the bark and pushed her body flush against his, restricting her protests of any further movement.

He leaned his face close to hers with a malevolent expression crossing his handsome visage. "You.. you think you're the queen of the world or something, being able to control even those Chinese forces and all? What about the men of your own, huh? Can't even control us, can you?"

Luhan felt himself about to launch when a staunch hand held him back, causing the blonde to frantically whip his head around, commencing a defensive stance. He slumped his shoulders with pitiful relief at the sight of Tao's worried gaze. "How'd you ..."
"I followed your footsteps," Tao remarked wistfully, glancing at the boot imprints embedded into the wet mud. He glanced back up at his senior and frowned dismally at the sight of Luhan's alarmed expression.

Luhan sighed, immediately providing an answer to Tao's unspoken question. "They're threatening her," he whispered.
"Then protect her," Tao urged boldly.
"There's three of them and one of me --"
"But you've got me --"
"Even that won't be enough," Luhan whispered gravely. "Her life is in danger now.. they could use her as some sort of digression, or decoy, and it would be the end of her. I don't mind going in there and having them take my life but if it means her life, too, I don't --"

Tao immediately pushed Luhan into the scene, his eyes catching sight of Chanyeol's blade coming into bare contact with Byul's neck. The younger of the two Chinese men withdrew his firearm and aimed it at Chanyeol as Luhan withdrew his sword, his other hand clutching his pistol tucked into his belt. Suho and Baekhyun cocked their heads curiously at the two intruders, eyes shimmering with amusement as they approached their possible opponents.

Chanyeol watched carefully, snarling maliciously at Luhan with a sinister smirk lining his thick lips. "Came to rescue your mistress, Your Highness?"
"My wife-to-be," Luhan growled lowly, correcting Chanyeol in a threatening tone. 
"Well, then what happens to your wife-to-be if she's dead?" Chanyeol playfully shot back, clutching his blade closer to Byul's neck. She shivered tightly under the coldness of the metal threatening to shred her skin. A sideways glanced was directed towards Luhan, but the second they locked eyes, Chanyeol intervened and growled lowly. "Can't marry someone who's dead, can you?" he called loudly, smirking to his two subordinates.

Suho and Baekhyun nodded slowly, focusing solely on Tao, who was advantageous enough to his gun in between Suho's eyes. "Don't move."

"You don't tell us what to do," Baekhyun retorted courageously, using the hilt of his sword to smack Tao's hand away. The latter simply brought his gun back up, aiming it rather at Baekhyun now instead of Suho. "You won't shoot," the former snarled. "You haven't got the guts."

"Don't do it." Byul's whisper was raspy as Chanyeol encased his thick fingers around the swell of her neck, restricting her air flow. Luhan hunched forward but was held back by the tip of Chanyeol's blade halting him. He felt the tip of the metal dig into his shirt, clawing only slightly at this scratchest chest, right where his aorta was located. "Chanyeol --"
Chanyeol gripped tighter, causing Byul to gag violently. Tears streaked her eyes as she squirmed beneath his taut grasp, legs kicken at his immutable stance as Luhan glared onwards at Chanyeol. "Just let her go and take me."
"How about I kill her and then finish you off as well?" Chanyeol suggeted with a devilish chortle.

He slammed Byul forcibly against the bark, throwing her head back against a low branch. Her wriggling came to an abrupt stop and a sharp cry exited Luhan's lips as he watched her head fall limp and her breathing decelerate. Short, painful gasps exited her hanging jaw as she glared up at Chanyeol through her long eyelashes, gaze fiery with anguish and tormented pain. Luhan withdrew his firearm the second Chanyeol had his arm wrapped around Byul's waist, readying to take her head with the sword that was now situated at the base of her head.

"Don't do it," Byul pleaded weakly. 

Tao's stance weakened, feeling his hand fall submissive to Baekhyun's grip. "Shoot, then!" Baekhyun coaxed fiercely.

Their hands moved erratically in several directions, throwing Tao's aim off balance and into meandering directions. Suho clutched Tao by his waist holding him still as Baekhyun slowly inserted his blade into the side of his waist, earning himself a low cry. Tao hunched forward, feet stumbling for balance as a familiar red liquid oozed through his sheer clothing and down the side of his leg. The small dagger lay situated inside Tao even as they combatted for the dominant hold of the gun. "You bastard, let me go!" Tao grunted, elbowing Suho in the gut.

Holding tightly onto his wounded side, Tao winced at the contact of the dagger being yanked out, glaring at Baekhyun through hooded eyes as Suho fought to regain his composure. Tao spat a splutter blood onto the ground before staring back up at his two opponents, the presence of Luhan, Byul and Chanyeol suddenly losing significance. "Come at me."

Byul whimpered quietly as a minute amount of blood trickled down her neck, a seering pain already commencing as Chanyeol dug his sword slowly into her neck. "Please," she winced. "Please, please, please --"
The excruciating pain that suddenly ripped through her as Chanyeol kicked her elicited another sharp cry from her lips. Luhan remained still, almost unsure of what to do with his pending vulnerability and panic. "Don't make me shoot you," Luhan begged, not wanting to have to kill or maime anyone. "Just give her to me; I"ll take care of her if you don't want her. She's more than welcome at my kingdo --"

"Traitors have to die," Chanyeol sneered.

Luhan cocked his pistol. "Please," he tried one last time.

Byul squirmed beneath Chanyeol, feeling the knife dig a little deeper into her neck, the tip just grazing past a crucial pressure point; her legs wobbled together, buckling as she fell submissive to the onslaught of pain racking her body. She breathed deeply and felt herself being hoisted back up by Chanyeol, only to have her eyes meet with Luhan's who gazed longingly at her with deep, apologetic sorrow. "Luhan --"

Bang. 

Red splatter.

It's his.

Onslaught.

Terror.

Silence.

Cries.

Anguish.