Chapter 133: Leave no witness, I beg you! part
“How is she alive!? I’m sure I stabbed her right in the heart!”
“I don’t need to tell you anything”
“Please! Do the same for my son, bring him back! I’ll do anything!”
Ryota begged me, but I wasn’t having any of it.
“Sera, Mia, take Fena, Mochi and the amarok back into the woods, Thea should be there lying in the ground, don’t forget to rescue her”
“But mister Ryu, she betrayed us and...”
“I don’t care Sera, we still need to take her back to Celarent, they’ll decide what sort of punishment does she deserve, right now I have something to discuss with that scumbag”
.....
I didn’t know if he had the intention of threatening me or someone else in order to coerce me to help him, but I could sense it, somehow I knew he was getting ready to attack. He left me no choice but to turn to face him.
My steps become heavy as I walk towards Ryota who was already getting closer to me, still asking me to save his already dead son.
“There’s nothing I can do about your son, turn back and get lost for all I care, but if you take another step...”
“Bash!”
Ryota’s skill activated, but before he could get in range I activated my consider skill and the display showed his name and class above his head.
Ryota (Thief-Warrior) (Healthy)
Blue energy envelops my whole body and a deep understanding on the enemy’s status came into my mind. His bash skill did nothing but enhance the strenght of his legs and overall defence. The flow of time seemed to have slowed down and I could see Ryota’s every movement until he finally came to a stop.
His legs were trembling and a stain was formed on his pants.
“You! But you’re classless! how can you use killing intent like that!? please spare me, I won’t do anything to you, I learned my lesson”
Ryota pleaded, but I can’t afford to let him live.
“You’ve done too much harm already”
I take the obsidian dagger from my sash, there’s no point in making him suffer any longer. I’ll simply put him down in a painless manner, just like I would to any defenseless beast.
Once I was close enough I could see a grin form on Ryota’s face and a sudden pain invades me, I’ve been stabbed in the back. The wound is deep and I’m having trouble breathing.
How could I be so careless!
It must be the thief that ran away, he must have come back to save Ryota.
Turning around there’s a boy shaking in fear, it was Shortie who fell on his butt after stabbing me.
“I’m sorry Ryu, I’m sorry for everything, but you can’t live. You saw everything, If they find out I helped them they’ll kick me out of the guild and...”
Ryota kicks me to the side as I’m helpless in the ground, coughing blood.
Much to my despair, as soon as I stand up I notice the thief did come back and now the three of them are surrounding me.
“That was a good one Shortie! how did you manage to pierce his armor?”
“I-I used this knife I got from the black market”
Shortie showed the thief a dagger with a weird form that resembled a snake.
“That’s not a knife you idiot, it’s a kris! hahaha, those wounds are really hard to treat! not bad, not bad”
“Crimsom you fucker, you used my boy as a fucking meatshield!”
Ryota yelled, but the thief only shrugged.
As soon as I turned my back to face one of them, he would retreat and the others would advance, forcing me to spin continuosly to keep them at a distance.
“Shortie, how could you do this to me, you bought that one with the money I gave you!”
Even shouting that drained a lot of my energy.
A blunt hit on my back sends me tumbling towards Shortie, it was Crimsom wielding Thea’s mace.
Shortie then tries to kick me in the ground but I roll over and counter with a sweep making him fall on his knees.
“Bash!”
It’s Ryota coming towards me at a high speed, I try to get up but then I notice there’s a small jeweled dagger is embedded into my thigh, and I take Ryota’s bash in full.
Everytime I try to stand up they attack me, my health points are dangerously low.
I’m already tired and using my cursed sword could be dangerous in this state, fortunately, I still have a weapon I can use.
I take the jeweled dagger from my thigh without caring if I bleed out, now that I have a weapon in my hands they seem to be wary again and stop their attacks.
I try to attack one of them, but as soon as I get closer to any of them, they would simply take a few steps back. I’m trapped.
Only then I remember.
“Isn’t this the strategy we used against the rat, eh Shortie!?”
“Hahaha! you finally realized it! that’s exactly what we’re doing now, you’re nothing but a rat, and you’ll fall by the same strategy you taught your friend!”
Ryota laughed like a maniac.
There’s Nothing I can do in this situation, at least not by myself.
“AMAROOOOOOK!”
I shout the loudest I can, then... only silence.
A few seconds passed and Ryota started laughing, only this time he was cut short before he could say a word.
A huge dog bashed at him making him disappear from my line of sight, leaving the other two in a daze.
I take this chance to throw the jeweled dagger towards Shortie, who falls to the ground. The thief, realizing he’s now at a disadvantage throws a smoke bomb and disappears in front of my eyes.
“Find him!”
The amarok growls in response and pounces onto the smoke cloud.
“Get off of me, let me go you stupid dog”
I walk as fast as I can, limping due to the deep wound on my thigh, and slice the thief’s throat with my obsidian dagger unceremoniously. His whole body trembles as if trying shake off his deathly fate.
>Enemies 9/12
>Skill acquired Camouflage
Then I walk towards Shortie, only to find him already breathing his final breath.
>Enemies 10/12
But Ryota... he’s nowhere to be seen, only this time I was paying attention. Sense presence alerted me of someone getting close to me from behind.
I turned back as I unsheathed my sword and slashed into the air. Blood splattered everywhere and Ryota became visible again.
“No, please! I was wrong”
Those were Ryota’s last words.
>Enemies 11/12
>skill acquired: grievous wound
I thought I was going to let out a sigh of relief, but I coughed up blood instead.
Just when I thought everything was ok, It turns out my bleeding hasn’t stopped and I don’t have any more healing potions.
At least the girls are safe.
I have no regrets, I did the best I could with what I had at my disposal. The only reason I was caught with my guard down wasn’t because I was overconfident, but because Sense presence consumes too much energy and focus. It was hard, but I won and everyone is safe.
I fall on the hard ground as blood gushes out from my body alongside with my health points.
Lying in the ground I hear steps in the distance.
The last thing I was able to see before closing my eyes was the scarred goblin’s grinning face.