Chapter 19: What Iron Resolve Brings (Patreon)

We made for an uneasy trio as we strode through the streets of the poor quarter.

Soren had not left the bolt holt empty-handed. He came carrying a threadbare but clean hooded cloak, which he insisted on draping over me himself. Standing stiffly, I let him do so.

Once more things between the two of us were awry, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was how things would always be in the future.

I didn’t ask him about Odenna, and he didn’t try to dissuade me from my course. We walked in tightlipped silence, each lost in our own thoughts. But his anger weighed less on me than his presence lifted me.

Soren was here.

And for now, that was all that counted.

Alon was the only one of us who could claim to be at ease—and alert, or so it turned out.

“Something isn’t right,” he said abruptly.

Alarmed, I slowed as did Soren.

“Don’t stop!” he hissed.

“What is it?” I asked, matching Alon’s stride again.

“We’re being followed, I think.”

I fought the urge to look back, but we’d just turned a corner, and I knew the street behind us was empty. What could have caught Alon’s attention?

“I hear it too,” Soren whispered. “It’s coming from above.”

Above? I wondered. The rooftops, I realized a moment later. Whoever was tracking us was traveling over the roofs of the adjacent buildings.

“How many do you hear?” Soren asked.

“Just the one,” Alon replied. “You?”

“Same.”

I sensed both men relax. One person was no threat.

“We should take him,” Alon said.

“If he is foolish enough to try and face us, agreed,” Soren replied. “Turn left at the next intersection. It leads into an alley. We can take care of our friend there without leaving any witnesses behind.”

Nodding imperceptibly, Alon swerved left.

“Ada, you’re following—” I began.

“I’m ready,” she replied.

“Don’t manifest unless it becomes necessary,” I cautioned. There was no point revealing any more of ourselves than strictly necessary, and both Soren and Alon appeared confident they could handle the tracker on their own.

Reaching the center of the alley, Soren and Alon drew to a stop. I halted a few steps behind them and craning back my head, like they were doing, scanned the rooftops. The time for subterfuge was over.

Immediately, I spotted something.

Something non-human.

Staring directly down at me from a nearby roof was a green-skinned creature. Two armed and two legged, it was dressed like any human would. A humanoid then. Worse yet, there was a familiar haze around him.

This entity bears a Mark of Lesser Shadow and Minor Dark.

Catching sight of my regard, the green-skinned humanoid grinned, revealing teeth sharpened to fangs.

“Our tracker is a player!” I shouted and pointed at the rooftop. “He’s over there!”

Only he wasn’t—not anymore.

With no care for the intervening height, the green man jumped, holding a morningstar ready in his hand. “GIRL!” he screamed as he landed on the ground with an audible thud. “You’re mine!”

Without so much as a second thought, he ran straight toward me, his weapon held high and ready to strike.

I didn’t hesitate. Drawing strands of mana while I waved my hands around in complex ritualistic motions, I wove my magic in a thick uniform whole that solidified quickly.

You have cast ethereal bow.

My hands were no longer empty.

My left hand curled around what felt like a stout piece of wood, but in reality, was a ghostly magical construct, while the fingers of my right hand held a strand of solid light taut.

My bow was drawn and ready.

I willed an arrow into existence, and in the next instance, a lance of fire graced my weapon. In the same breath, I took aim.

And fired.

A level 15 half-orc has partially evaded your attack.

You have grazed your target, dealing fire damage!

An half-orc. So that’s what he is.

I’d fired my flaming projectile at our unknown assailant’s chest, but it had ended up only grazing his right arm. Given the speed of my foe’s approach, I knew I was lucky to have managed even that much. Laughing scornfully, the half-orc kept charging.

Nudging past me, Alon and Soren ran toward our foe, axe and sword, drawn and ready. Wariness crossed the half-orc’s face as he took in the new threats.

Alon reached the half-orc first. Cleaving down with his axe, he forced the player to slow and block the blow—which he did.

But Alon was not a small man. Nor did he retract his weapon. Using the leverage granted by his height, he pressed down with his axe and forced the smaller half-orc to his knees.

His arms straining, the player held his morningstar aloft. It was the only thing between him and certain. That only left him open to attack from Soren, though.

Slipping in from the opposite side, my brother plunged his blade into the player’s back.

Soren has critically injured a half-orc.

Surprisingly, the blow did not fell our foe.

Manifesting another arrow, I advanced closer, wary of hitting Alon or Soren. When I was near enough, I drew my bow taut and released its burning projectile.

You have critically injured your target.

A half-orc has failed a magical resistance check! Your target is burning.

It was the perfect shot, or as perfect as I could hope for under the circumstances. Not a kill shoot, but damn close. Embedding itself in my foe’s temple, the arrow set the orc’s hair aflame.

Ignoring the fire, Alon kept his axe pressed on the orc, locking their weapons in an embrace our foe could not escape from. That left Soren free to withdraw.

Pulling his blade out, my brother circled the orc, looking for another spot to strike at.

Our foe, though, was not without tricks of his own.

A level 15 half-orc has cast esper’s counter.

In a powerful display of supernatural strength, the orc flung up his weapon, knocking Alon’s axe free. Then, in the same motion, he spun, striking Soren across the back of the head, and before a wide-eyed Alon could react, he clubbed him across the face.

Soren has been knocked unconscious. Duration: 2 seconds.

Alon is dazed. Duration: 2 seconds.

The player turned to me, his eyes burning. I braced myself for a charge, but again, our foe did the unexpected. Winding back his arm, he flung his morningstar at me.

You have failed to evade a half-orc’s attack.

I moved too late, and the weapon thudded into my left shoulder, crushing bone and mangling flesh.

A half-orc has critically injured you!

Your left arm has been crippled. Your arm is bleeding. Ongoing damage sustained. Your health is at 45% and dropping.

I could hardly believe it. In one fell swoop, my health plummeted to less than half. Sensing victory, my foe charged.

My left arm hung limp, leaving my bow useless. Worse yet, my foe was closing fast. Behind him, I saw my companions regain their feet. Neither would reach me in time, though.

There was only one thing I could do.

Drawing mana, I readied myself. At the last moment, the half-orc veered left. Tumbling over in an amazing feat of acrobatics, he jumped back to his feet with his morningstar once more in hand.

My eyes widened. Against the weaponless player, I stood a slim chance. Against that hunk of metal he carried, none whatsoever.

I stood my ground anyway.

The half-orc swung. Twisting away, I let light blaze out of my good hand, and somehow managed to catch the shaft of the descending weapon in the process.

Light burst from the weapon.

You have injured a half-orc.

My foe stared at me in surprise, and for a fatal fraction of a second, hesitated in pressing his attack.

That’s when Adalinda entered the fray.

Manifesting behind my foe and out of his immediate line of sight, she darted forward and clamped her jaws around his ankle.

Adalinda has injured a half-orc.

Still, our foe did not go down.

But it was the beginning of the end for him, even if he did not know it. Coming up from behind, Alon buried his weapon in player.

Then Soren did the same.

Blood bubbled out of the orc’s mouth. Dropping his morningstar, he stumbled away. Death was only moments away. Staggering forward, I buried my own blade in him.

You have killed a level 15 half-orc.

You and your companion have reached level 13!

Your summoning skill has increased to level 6, your fire magic to level 14, and your light magic to level 15.

Celestial trait triggered! Core skills mirrored.

Folding in half and cradling my left arm, I sagged to the ground. “Thanks, Ada,” I murmured. “You saved me there.”

“Sorry, El. I misjudged. I should’ve manifested earlier.”

I shook my head. “It worked out well in the end. Besides, if he saw you earlier, I’m not sure we would’ve been able to overwhelm him there in end like we did. And believe me, you’re better off for not having felt the kiss of that morningstar.”

She winced sympathetically. “Does it hurt?”

“Not so much.”

She laughed in my mind. “You’re a poor liar, El.”

I smiled but didn’t respond.

“Anyway, I better unmanifest before someone happens by and spots me.”

“Go ahead,” I said, my thoughts drifting to the half-orc player again. He had been truly difficult to defeat, leaving me to wonder about the wisdom of my recent choices.

There was also the question of how he’d found us. I’d had the hood of my cloak pulled low the entire time we’d been on the streets. Yet somehow, the half-orc had not only located me, but known me the moment he’d set eyes on me.

Just like the other player—Matthew—had. Was it my Mark that had given me away?

Soren walked over. “Are you alright?”

I nodded wearily.

He looked at me skeptically. “You don’t look alright. I saw that blow you took. It must hurt.”

I grimaced. “It does. But what about you?” I asked, not really wanting to dwell on the agony in my left arm. Even the smallest movements caused me pain, but if I had something else to focus on, it hurt a little bit less.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I just have a raging headache.”

“Come look at this,” Alon called.

Looking up, I saw the axeman examining the corpse. With Soren’s help, I rose back to my feet and gingerly strode over. “What is it?” I asked.

Wordlessly, Alon handed me a parchment along with a sack of gold.

You have acquired 20 gold coins.

My eyes widened. Alon had just handed me a veritable fortune, more money than I’d ever possessed before. But it was the parchment that held my attention. Drawn crudely on it was a picture of me.

“That explains why he came after us,” Soren said.

“But tackling the three of us alone?” Alon shook his head. “That was probably not the smartest thing he’s ever done.”

“He probably dismissed us,” Soren said. “Initially, at least.”

Alon looked at him quizzically.

“We’re proles, remember? And he’s a player. We don’t count.”

“Huh, guess he’s learned his lesson now,” Alon muttered.

Soren turned to me. “Do you still want to proceed?” he asked, his expression neutral.

I knew he wanted me to reconsider, but he didn’t push, and for that I was glad. “I do.” I paused, then feeling I owed him an explanation, added, “We can’t balk at the first sign of trouble.”

Soren nodded, forgoing further comment on the subject. “I’ll keep watch while you search him.”

Sighing, I watched him return to the mouth of the alley, then using only my right hand, I bent down and rifled through the half-orc’s body.

You have acquired 1 moderate healing potion, 1 moderate stamina potion, and 1 full stamina potion.

You have acquired the rank 1 item: the masochist’s necklace. This item has been enchanted to prevent the bearer from feeling pain caused by any magical debuff or other status effect. Its enchantment can be replenished with mana. This item requires a minimum Magic of 4 to use.

I didn’t bother to inspect the half-orc’s morningstar. It was too heavy to carry, even for Alon. The necklace was the most interesting item otherwise. Formed from silver, it had an enchanted onyx gem embedded at its center.

Equipping it, though, would have to wait for later. I wasn’t going to manage the feat with one hand only.

Considering the potions, the necklace, and the money, I realized the Devils were more well-stocked than we’d originally believed.

Assuming, of course, that Devils were the ones who sent the player after me. Either way, it seemed the Game hadn’t been making light of the danger of me staying in the city.

I was a wanted woman, and from now on, would have to be more careful every step of the way.