Chapter 13
I felt a sudden sharp pain as my face hit the floor below followed by the splintering of wooden shelves around me. Thankfully the drop was much more shallow than last time but I still didn't appreciate getting close and personal with hard stone. It was unusually silent, the giggles and glowing apparitions from above now gone.
I got up, coughing and rubbing the settling dust off my glasses. Scipio's special reinforcement worked wonders, regular lenses would've been fractured beyond repair. Seems I could at least stand on my feet now from the medicine, but the aching was still very apparent. Turning on my phone flashlight I was in what looked to be some kind of museum, glass cases situated all over the place holding strange artifacts. Some clearly demonic in nature.
"Weapon...weapon…." I scanned the room looking for anything that would 'resonate' with me. A low ringing developed in my ears, seemingly coming from my left. I turned my light to the source but froze when I saw a figure sitting in a chair, book floating close, and glaring at me disapprovingly.
It was a stunning young lady, but upon first glance something was clearly off about her. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost white, as was her long wavy hair. She appeared to be dressed in nothing but a purple flowing cloak bearing a bizarre design on it's hood, resembling a tombstone. The design was decorated with a glowing orb at each point, shining the same ominous purple as her eyes. It was obvious who this person was. The ruler of this godforsaken place and someone I stood no chance against - A Lich.
"Why aren't you quite the troublemaker?" she stated, her tone reminiscent of a mother talking playfully to her child. "You waltz in with the intention of raiding my tomb, knock down shelf upon shelf of my precious texts, and abuse my cute servants. A very naughty boy indeed."
"..."
I just stared at her, frozen in place. The pain in my feet wasn't so apparent anymore as it sunk in just how screwed I was. That annoying ringing was more apparent than ever, I realized the source was coming from a particular glass case behind her.
"A quiet one aren't you? You didn't seem so timid during that little game of cat and mouse." the Lich smiled, twirling a snowy lock of hair around her finger. "My servants did a splendid job. A bit sluggish, but they herded you exactly where I wanted."
So she was playing us from the start. Should've seen this coming. The way the trap door slammed shut, the sudden flood of corpses, it all pointed to-
"Do you mind?" the Lich shielded her eyes from my light.
"S-sorry." I stuttered on reflex, shutting off the flashlight and turning around to power walk in the opposite direction. I only got a few steps in before an invisible force pulled my ankles and nearly made me faceplant, only to briefly hover then connect with the ground.
"Uhn!"
"It's strange, I sense no spirit energy in you. It's as if you lack a soul. A dead man walking." A small giggle escaped her lips. "Funny, coming from me."
"Uh-, Uhuh…." I muttered, trying to crawl away.
The corpse absentmindedly extended her hand towards me, an invisible force again dragging me back. "Now what to do with you….ah!"
The floating book slammed shut, her glowing orbs and eyes illuminating the room and giving her an ethereal beauty. "I propose an experiment. I've been in dire need of a male for quite some time, and it seems that you're quite the special breed."
"I-"
"Though fret not, I believe you shall find the experience very enjoyable." She stood from her chair and levitated towards me, stopping to lean over my form and flaunt the fact that she was most definitely not wearing a bra.
"So how about it sweetie? Would you like to be my eternal schecksu toy?"
"-I should be going!" I scrambled to my feet in an attempt to run, but a freezing hand snatched my wrist as her equally cold face pressed against mine whispering something indecipherable. Some kind of faint energy coursed through my entire frame like a pleasant tickle, making me shiver.
"Intriguing. That eromancy spell should've had you on your knees in ecstasy."
I gave her a nervous chuckle. "I'm….not a good partner for you. Magic has basically no effect on me."
"Even better!" The Lich's cheeks somehow flushed purple, a deranged pervert's smile splitting her face. "I wonder how much pleasure it'll take before you brea-Ahn!"
I drew my staff back and bolted, hoping the punt to her gut would buy me enough time. Of course it was nowhere near enough, I only got a few feet before something violently yanked me back by my hood.
"I tried to be nice, but it appears you need a lesson in discipline." the corpse growled, hunching over and irritably clutching her stomach. My staff flew out of my hand and stopped in front of her, bending in half when she closed her hand. The Sorceress's cloak and hair floated as if she was underwater, the entire room glowing an ominous purple. Four large translucent tentacles emerged from sickly pentagrams on the floor oozing demonic energy.
Run.
Again I scrambled to my feet and hotfooted it full force. One of the tentacles tried to constrict around my waist, but it simply phased through leaving the same tickling feeling. I didn't really process what happened, the only thought pounding through my head was get the fuck out of there.
"Fine! Run, run and scurry like the little mouse you are!" her warped voice echoed through the tomb. Hall after hall I blindly rushed through the catacombs. Something was rumbling. Scraping. I was forced to skid to a halt at a dead end, doubling back to take another route. Another dead end.
Fuck fuck fuck! They're all fucking dead ends! I bit my tongue to prevent cursing aloud and turned a random corner. This time the tremors of stone were near deafening as a grey wall formed in my path, forcing me again to stop.
She's changing the halls.
It dawned on me just how foolish it was to challenge a Lich in her own domain. Tsutsumi was right, we'd severely underestimated her.
"Come out come out my little test subject, it's no use running~" her voice crooned not too far behind. I looked around for something, anything to use in my situation. Nothing. Think, how can you shake off a hunter who can block off hallways? Confuse her. Somehow trip her up in her own maze.
I took off my shoes and power walked heel first down the left hall to mask my steps. Reaching the end I threw one shoe hard on the ground a few feet away, the footwear bouncing and making loud flops each time.
"There you are!"
A stone wall formed at the far end of the hall followed by another emerging a few feet in front of me, completely blocking off the intersection. A purple glow became visible through the cracks as my pursuer entered the area.
"Where'd you run off to? Ahh, crafty! You purposely had me raise the walls to block us off and make me guess your position! Not smart enough though, the noise made it clear that your shoe came from the left!"
I stopped trying to scale the darkness and broke into a mad sprint, shining my phone flashlight aimlessly as the rumbling of stone came from both sides. Walls shot up left and right at every passing crossway, forcing me into a straight line. She was obviously herding me somewhere, but what other choice did I have?
Wheezing heavily I barreled into the same enclosure of artifacts I originally fell into, though clearly a different section. Coffins from different eras were lined in a neat row ranging from Egyptian to European. I desperately glanced around for any glass cases containing my weapon, but none came to sight.
"How scandalous of you, intruding on a lady's sleeping quarters~" A look over my shoulder veiled a sickly purple glow down the hall and a pale figure in it's center flying dangerously close. Seeing no other options I ducked out of view and wrenched open a thankfully empty sarcophagus, hiding inside and pulling the lid back in place.
A few seconds later the rustling of a cloak could be heard as the dead mage entered the room. "Is it really necessary to draw out our little chase? If you come out now my punishment won't be as harsh…."
Silence.
"Your choice, just know when I peg you it was completely avoidable!"
My breath hitched at her threat, but I held it regardless.
"Are you in…..here?"
The loud sound of a stone lid ripping off its hinges made me jump.
"Perhaps in…..here?"
Another lid flying off the case.
Every kind of swear shot through my head as I wracked my brain for a solution. Ainz Ool Gown hennnnnnnnt rendition bent my staff like a plastic straw, leaving me virtually defenseless. The only thing I had left was my Ex10 knife and my healing potions.
Healing potions.
My eyes widened in realization as my hand tightened around the glass vials in my pocket. Would that even work? I guess anything is worth a try at this point….fuck me, it always comes down to these halfassed gambles!
"Two tombs left my dear~" the corpse taunted in a seductive purr. I steeled my nerves and quietly flicked open my butterfly knife. This would either be really effective or really piss her off.
"I think I've found-"
*BASH!*
I kicked down the lid of my hiding place and sploshed a vial of Doppio's medicine right in the Sorceress's face, then stabbed her straight through the eye. My hope was even if the healing potion wasn't harmful to an undead like her, the blade would prove at least somewhat effective.
"AAAAGH!"
Judging from her Asuka-like scream and melting flesh both were very much so.
Wrenching the blade out of her eye socket I kicked her against the wall and turned tail. It set in just how exhausted I was, my stamina beyond drained and lungs more than tired. I was at my limit.
"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'M GOING TO DISECT, DISINTEGRATE, AND RAPE YOU IN THAT ORDER!"
Pain on my entire right side. A brief moment of black, and I'm suddenly laying on my side. My mind fails to comprehend anything for a few seconds, but eventually registers the shattered remnants of a glass case in front of me. My eyes follow the shards scattered all over the ground leading to….me.
Oh, I was thrown...
Something again flung me off the floor, smashing me against a large statue. The invisible force crushed and bruised my body against the figure before sending me barreling through another glass case. Clear shards pricked my flesh like shrapnel, staining the floor tiny streaks of crimson. A rough collision against something, and I was again on the floor. Blood trickled down my temple into my eye, staining my vision red.
Through the filter a figure was floating towards me like a ragged puppet. Something slid off her face-, no, that was her face, leaving a nightmarish skull grinning at me through its exposed teeth. What truly terrified me was that her features were still beautiful, even when melted off. The Lich gracefully extended her arm out, her invisible force lifting me into the air by my neck and strangling me.
"Perhaps I'll remove your entire reproductive system for experimentation." the mage snarled, her lips already regenerated."Or maybe I'll just fry your brain's pleasure center until you're incapable of thought. Either way, I'll vivisect and violate every part of you until you're nothing more than my bitch in heat."
My hands clawed at my neck trying to pry off whatever was choking me, but there was nothing to grab. I kicked the air uselessly. Tunnel vision was quickly taking over.
Can't breathe.
Can't breathe can't breathe can'tbreathecan'tbreathe-!
"Aghn!"
I was abruptly dropped on the ground from the yelp of pain. Through the blood red lense I saw the Lich hunched over, cradling her side embedded with two small glinting objects.
"Who dares attack me!?" She shouted in the direction of the projectiles. Another barrage of metal objects came from behind, stabbing the Lich in the back and forcing her to a kneel. She grimaced and violently swept her arm outwards to send a large stone monolith careening in the attacker's direction.
*SMASH!*
The Lich listened for any sounds over the settling debris. Nothing. She observed the spot intensely, only for another slew of projectiles to fly out from the right. The Lich reacted fast and stretched her arm out, stopping what I realized were shurikens mid flight and shooting them back towards the thrower. A slight yelp made her sneer.
"Found you!"
The dead Mage brought her arm back hard, lurching out a blur from the darkness. Said blur didn't miss a beat, landing against a stone coffin and launching back towards the Lich. Within a second a pained screech escaped her lips, the Mage's face bearing a claw mark as deep as it was fresh.
"YOU SCRATCHED MY CHIEF-GODDAMN EYES YOU SAVAGE BEAST!"The Corpse roared. Indeed, both her pretty amethyst irises had nasty rake marks leaking purple fluid. In her distraction two kunai attached to rope shot out to the huge statue behind her which she smashed me against earlier. They embedded themselves in the kneecaps before being yanked back, destroying the support. The statue tilted fast, and in her rage the Lich failed to realize what was happening until it was too late. She shot both hands up trying to hold the gigantic sculpture with her mind, but it didn't even slow down as the statue smashed into a million pieces on top of her.
My thoughts were fuzzy. Everything was aching. Despite this a pleasantly soft feeling wrapped around my torso and hoisted me onto something warm, and fluffy paws grabbed hold of my legs. A sudden acceleration and we were off.
"Bear with it Murnax, I'll heal you once we're far enough away from that psychotic mage."
"Tsutsumi….why're you here?"
"To protect the man I love, of course." She giggled. As we sprinted through the countless cases of artifacts, the low ringing returned and increased to hammering volumes before fading in the span of a second.
Seriously, what was up with that?
This was getting irritating.
Whice deflected the continuous thrusts of the halberd attempting to pierce her abdomen. A particularly hefty jab made her falter, followed by a fast horizontal swing aimed at her neck. The Dhampir ducked under the poleaxe and lunged forward, stabbing her rapier straight through a crease in the enemy's breastplate. Said enemy countered by kicking the Dhampir in the side, belting her through a stone mausoleum.
"I apologize for my unsavory advantage, it disgraces my honor as a holy Paladin." the Ghoul stated emotionlessly. She was incredibly tall even by men's standards, once golden Paladins armor now rusted the same pale crimson as her skin. Flowing silver hair past her rear exemplified her beautifully thin features, high cheekbones and rosy pursed lips radiating the air of a true Knight and noblewoman. Despite her body covered almost entirely in armor it would be hard to miss the feminine curves of her physique, slender and alluring.
She gripped Whice's sword and pulled it out of her chest, holding it outwards. "Here."
"Thanks." Whice replied from the rubble, taking her rapier back from the undead. "Though I don't see what you mean by advantage-"
"Comin' through bitch!"
The Dhampir reflexively side-leapt to the wall and kicked off of it, flipping upwards and narrowly dodging the spiked….thing, charging behind. It plowed straight under her towards the Paladin who steadied her halberd, stabbing the attacker and stopping her in one thrust.
"Gughh-...the fuck Dasce?! Why'd you stab me?!" Hanging off the spearpoint was what one could describe as a sex doll turned pincushion. She was a complete shortstack, her figure less regal and much more curvaceous. shoulder length tousled hair, a small button nose and large eyes graced her grimy face, screaming sensual tomboy. In stark contrast to her partner she was barely wearing anything, a blood stained breast band and leather shorts exposing the numerous swords and spears piercing her large assets and flat trim stomach. The Ghoul held two pronged kris daggers in each hand, dull and rusted.
"Because I didn't want to be impaled myself, Ruth." Dasce said indifferently, pushing the fellow Ghoul off her battleaxe with her foot. "Your reckless decision is what led to this course of events."
"You could've just dodged me then, fucker!"
"Dodging was not an option either given your wide stature."
"You sayin' my 'wideness' balances your freakish height-"
The Ghoul's head was abruptly shoved down by the other, just missing the slash meant to behead her. The Paladin reflexively countered with a thrust of per poleaxe, but the Dhampir had already jumped out of range.
"That was very distasteful, going for an opening like that." Dasce said, frowning.
"My friends in danger." Whice responded, shifting into another battle stance. "There's no time for courtesy."
"I understand your concern, but your companion is most likely already claimed by our Mistress-"
"Lay off me Treetop!" Ruth harshly slapped Dasces hand off her head and shot back up, her mood even more bitter than before.
Whice's eyes narrowed at what Dasce had said. The thought of what may be happening to Murnax down below terrified her. Filled her with rage.
Both Ghouls had started to circle her, cutting off any way out. The Dhampir eyed the rope still tied to the pillar. The unsevered end was a decent length. Long enough to swing from.
Whice jumped up high and landed against the low ceiling, immediately pushing off towards the rope. Ruth intercepted her in a blitz attack, tackling the Dhampir off course. Ignoring the fresh puncture wounds Whice utilized her momentum, wrapping her arm and sword around the column at the edge to swing around with a kick aimed at the Ghoul's head. The blow connected, twisting her head around and forcing Ruth to wobble sideways.
The Dhampir's rapier turned white hot, fully intent on cleaving Corpse in half. A metallic chk clinked through the air instead of the anticipated sqik as her sword clashed against Dasce's halberd. The Knight twisted their locked weapons around in a fluid circle to throw off Whice's balance.
The momentum of the fight shifted Dasce's favor as she attacked in a flurry of jabs and short swings, the long reach of her halberd pushing Whice back. The barrage of attacks ceased for a brief moment, the Dhampir thought it an opening before every instinct screamed to BLOCK-!
*CLANG!*
The Musketeer struggled against the force of their locked weapons, her shining white rapier contrasting the purple glowing halberd radiating demonic energy.
"Your swordsmanship is superb. May I-"
Whice shifted her rapier down the axe's edge, letting the halberd come down on the floor. Her sword then slid along the now grounded pole of the axe, near slicing Dasce's neck before the Knight ungrasped her weapon and jumped back.
"I have a-"
Dasce was forced to hastily roll from her spot as the Musketeer almost impaled her with her own halberd, succeeded by a deadly sword strike gashing the stone where she stood.
"You snapped my damn head aro-HEY!"
Ruth who had finally cricked her head back in place stumbled as a javelin was ripped out of her torso. Her Paladin comrade braced for impact and held the spear upright in both hands, Whice swinging the battleaxe sideways and embedding it in the javelin's pole. As soon as the weapons connected Dasce flipped her spear a hard one-eighty, wrenching the halberd out of the Dhampir's grip.
Not missing a beat Whice tried for a straight down slash with her rapier, only for her sword to get wedged between two poles in an X formation. A hard kick to her gut belted the Dhampir across the hall into a stone pillar, knocking said pillar out of place onto the floor.
"Please listen to me." Dasce exhaled. "I have a request of you-"
"Die you blood sucking whore!"
Ruth attempted to rush the stunned Dhampir, but was tripped by the Paladin who then drove a spear through her prone form.
"Wait." The Knight said patiently. "This young woman may be the one who can-"
"Let me go right the fuck now!" shouted the Rogue, attempting to push herself up. "That psycho bitch needs to pay for kicking my head around and bruising my pride!"
"Not yet." Dasce's stoic face adopted an ever slight frown. "I don't like subjecting my comrade to this, but we need to state our terms to her."
"The hells is that necessary for?! We're already fighting her, so if she kills us then-"
*ssshhhh*
The pair went quiet as they both observed the spot emitting sound. Where the Musketeer previously laid was a freshly carved hole in the floor. Rope was quickly slipping down the opening like a very long noodle, its length disappearing into the abyss. Attached to it was the pillar Whice had crashed into, wobbling slightly.
"We gotta cut it!" Ruth raised her arm and frantically threw her dagger across the dark hall. The knife spun over and over in a shallow arc, hitting the twine dead on and cutting it at base-!
Eh.
Nothing happened.
Ruth's dagger simply bounced off the still slipping rope as it ran out of length, pulling the column along and anchoring it firm above the hole in a matter of seconds.
"…How?"
Despite not needing to breathe Dasce let out a deep sigh. "Your daggers are rusted and dull. There's no feasible way it could have cut the rope."
Ruth stared at the still pillar a few moments longer before dropping her head on the tiles.
"Chief Goddamnit."
From under the grave's entrance Whice descended from her rope like a pulley. A harsh buckle indicated the twine had anchored, though it's length was nowhere near enough to reach the depths below.
A sphere of white light formed from the Dhampir's rapier, which she tried to use to gauge the cavern's depth. No use. You could only see about a meter until it all went black.
Looking around Whice noticed a tiny light in the distance. It was a funnel-like beam, small and channeled.
{That's Murnax's flashy-light thingie!}
The Musketeer lifted her leg up and hurriedly began undoing the laces of her shin guard, intending to drop the piece and scale the initial drop. She got about halfway before the twine jerked abruptly, scaring her half to death.
Probably those two. She thought, gritting her teeth. Their voices arguing above confirmed her guess paired with the shifting of the pillar.
They could sever the rope at any moment. There was no time to check the distance. Murnax fell from a much higher place and was fine, so it had to be safe. Rationalizing these bits of information, Whice steeled her nerves and let go of the rope. Stale cold air blew past her face, billowing her cape and near flinging her cavalier hat into the abyss had she not clasped it against her head. She instinctively tucked inwards and fell between two giant bookshelves, quickly stabbing her rapier against one to ease her descent.
The shelves did slow her down, but only slightly. Her feet hit the ground roughly, making the Dhampir hiss in pain. Were she a regular human both ankles would've definitely been broken.
Whice looked up and listened for anything falling. Nothing. Had they not cut the rope yet? Didn't matter. Her priority was to reach the other light source and hopefully find-
*CRASH!*
The Dhampir's cool exterior shattered for a second, adorably yelping and rashly pointing her sword at the source. It did little, if anything to help identify what had fallen in the dark, her controlled breaths the only sound among the silence.
"DIE!"
A pale red blur lunged straight at her from the dark, the Dhampir raising her sword on reflex to parry two rusted daggers.
"You spun my head like a damn dreidel, so Ima make sure you get the same." Ruth snarled amidst the deadlock.
"So the old lady's pincushion wants another needle in her eh?" Whice snarked back. "Be my guest, see how outmatched you really are."
Ruth emitted a literal snarl and went to stab her stomach, but to her shock pierced a metal gauntlet which resisted her push.
"Stop." Dasce commanded, blade through the back of her palm as she grasped Ruth's fist. She had barged between the pair on her mangled legs, struggling to stand. Her other hand had clenched Whice by the neck. "You as well. I must ask you of something."
The Dhampir scowled at her and lopped the exposed wrist joint off in one clean swing. She dropped to the ground on her knees, yet the grip only tightened from the disembodied hand.
"Please fight each of us in separate duels."
"What?"
"Please fight us individually. It increases your likelihood of victory, so I see no reason why you would decline."
"Tempting…." Whice choked. "But I don't have time...for that."
"Strangle her already dipshit!"Ruth interrupted, held in place by Dasce's hand. "You have her in your-owowow!" The corpse was subdued by her ally's fingers clamping down on her fist.
"Please, accept my offer. If you still refuse I will have no other choice but to end your life here."
In the small part of her mind not screaming for air Whice stewed over her choices. She would pass out soon, and most certainly would not wake up. There was no meaning in finding Murnax if she just died here out of stubbornness.
"...I accept."
"Swear on your honor."
"I swear….on my honor."
With that the Paladin's arm let go of Whice's neck, the Dhampir greedily sucked in breath upon breath of air.
"I am sorry for forcing such an arrangement on you. It was a disgusting thing to do." Dasce stated in her usual monotone, Whice noticed the hand under her ball into a fist, quivering with anger.
"Let's just get this over with." she curtly replied, standing up to feel her bruised neck. "The quicker I kill you the better."
"Yes, that is my wish."
What?
Dasce let go of Ruth and motioned both to follow with her reattached hand. "I shall take us to a proper area for dueling."
Whice nodded and Ruth gave them both the finger. With that Dasce turned away began a staggered limp down the library.
Aside from the occasional corpse moan the tomb was eerily quiet. The only thing Whice could think about was Murnax; she was worried to death about him. Even if he was resourceful and had high corruption resistance, a regular human could only last so long down here.
{Push those feelings down. Focus on the task at hand for him.}
Whice was confident she could defeat the reckless Voodoo Doll, but Ms. Chivalry was no pushover. Possibly the most skilled enemy she's fought thus far. Her technique was flawless, utilizing the speed and reach of her halberd to their fullest. Dasce was an undisputed master of her weapon.
Her name was also sorta familiar….
"We have arrived." The Knight announced as they stopped their walk. She began walking the space's perimeter, lifting her now glowing halberd to light one candle after another, basking the room in a dim lavender. They had entered a large circular arena, composed entirely of dreary cobblestone. Despite its size the oppressive grey and lack of windows made the room feel claustrophobic.
Hell, this whole place felt claustrophobic.
Once the candles were lit the Paladin stood at the room's center facing Whice. "You may choose the order in which to fight us."
"I'll go with you first then-"
She was forced to quickly draw her rapier against the orange dagger gunning for her throat.
"You don't getta choose, shithead." Ruth's husky voice jeered. "You're fighting me."
Dasce's lips curled down ever so slightly. "Ruth, please. We should at least give our opponent the courtesy of deciding-"
"Fuck off with your courtesy." The Rogue snapped at her. "That's not an official rule so we're not-"
Ruth's dagger was abruptly pushed down by a heavy force, the Ghoul snapping back to see a rapier wedged between the prong of her dagger. Whice thrust the needle-like blade through the notch, catching her by surprise. In a panic she jerked her head to the side to avoid losing an eye, but experienced another pang of shock as her shoulder was pierced. The Musketeer twisted the blade and cut deep into the flesh, causing the undead's arm to go limp from tendon damage. After the hit Ruth got her shit together and countered, holding the fencer in her shoulder before lurching towards her enemy. Whice was forced to let go and jump back lest she get skewered by body spears.
"Rude bitch," the corpse growled, cradling her embedded shoulder. "attacking me while I'm talking-"
"Hypocrite~" Whice taunted as she dashed forward, sliding under the opening between the Ghoul's legs to pull a random sword out of her back. Ruth briskly flipped around to counter only to fall on her back. Her achilles heels cut without realizing it.
The Musketeer raised her new heavy broadsword over her head and brought it down. Unable to roll away in time due to her spiked midriff, Ruth raised her good arm and steadied her knife, stabbing the sword sideways at just the right moment. The blow parried the greatsword off course, just missing her head and digging itself into the stone.
In that moment Ruth took her chance and kicked Whice's shin, tripping her long enough to clamber forward for an animalistic tackle. Rusted edges gashed deep into her body, some practically reaching bone. Now laying on top the corpse tried to stab her neck, but was stopped as Whice snatched her wrist mid-swing.
"Just die already!" Ruth spat in her face, her dagger close to breaking skin. Whice scowled at her and shot her other hand to her rapier still stuck in Ruth's shoulder, grasping the handle. With a faint exhale the thin sword shone brilliantly, cutting clear through the arm into the torso.
Ruth screamed in anguish and rolled off her opponent, hand over her ribcage. Her shoulder was horribly mangled, seemingly torn by feral beasts as it hung flimsily from the joint. The fingers on her good hand threatened to droop into the wide laceration stretching across her ribs.
"How in the fucks name of Lilith did you hurt me?!" Ruth yowled at her. "Nothing should be able to hurt me!"
"Who knows," Whice replied, staggering up. "Perhaps I'm just stronger than you think." She didn't give Ruth the chance to retort and went for the kill. Unfortunately the Rogue still had plenty of fight left, catching the fencer in her dagger's prong. She flipped the knife down and stabbed the floor to keep the sword in place, but Whice wasn't going to lose it again. Her sword went pure white, breaking through the sai-style protrusion as she wrenched it from the pinch hold.
By the time the Dhampir slashed Ruth had already pushed back on her now healed feet to a defensive stance. Both stared each other down waiting for the right moment to strike, but the undead abruptly clutched her head in what seemed to be a splitting migraine. Whice was slightly puzzled for a moment but didn't dwell on it, sprinting to kill the Ghoul while she had the chance.
*KLNK!*
Surprise graced the Dhampir's lovely features as the clink of metal on metal filled the air. Dasce had blocked her strike.
"What's the meaning of this?!"Whice clamored, pulling back. "I thought you said it'd be one on one!"
"My apologies." Dasce said with a slight bow of her head. "Our Mistress is relaying a message to my partner, please have patience until it is finished."
Whice snorted at her explanation. "Why should I have to wait for something stupid like that-"
"Chief Goddess fuck me in the ass!"
"..."
Both the Musketeer and Paladin turned their attention to the fuming Rogue, baffled by her rather ridiculous outburst. Her working hand was clenched in a fist, teeth slowly scraping away in frustration.
"What did she tell you, Ruth?" Dasce asked.
"She told me to tell you to eat shit!" The red-skinned corpse blistered at her. "Or at least that's what I wanna say, but I gotta go deal with someone."
"Who?"
"How should I know?!" Ruth snarked, hurriedly prying her dagger from the tiles. "Apparently another intruder's stolen her quote on quote 'husband' from her. She said you needa come help me after you kill the bloodsucker."
{Another intruder?} Whice thought. She had ceased fighting on account of listening in for potentially important info, and judging from the undead's words she had a good guess to who they were talking about.
It did not make her happy.
Ruth snapped her arm to the Musketeer, glaring daggers at her. "This isn't over yet, I'll cut your intestines out when I get the chance!"
On that final remark Ruth sprinted out the cobblestone arena into the darkness.
After a brief pause the Paladin turned to the Dhampir. "Well," she started, straightening her halberd. "There's no point in delay. It would be in both our best interest to start our duel, no?"
Despite her various bleeding gashes Whice confidently raised her fencer to the Ghoul. "Right. Let's make this quick."