Astrid sneaked closer to the two wolf-beasts, twitching, and whimpering on the ground. They didn’t notice her, as her cloak kept her hidden. Her rage burned as she studied the wolves, trying to decide how best to kill them.
This will be easy, she thought as she snuck up behind the first wolf. Her dagger sank through the skin with ease, and the wolf jolted once before going completely still. She smiled to herself as she received the message informing her that she had, in fact, just slayed the beast.
Her attention shifted to the other wolf, and her smile was quickly replaced by horror. The monster had managed to get back on its feet and was staring right at her, thick glubs of bloody saliva dripping from its maw. The backstab attack had given away her position, so she no longer had the element of surprise in the fight.
This is bad!
Astrid scrambled backwards as the monster crouched, preparing to launch. Her foot caught a root, tripping her, and she fell on her butt. The wolf had chosen that moment to spring, and it soared over her head.
She rolled out of the way as it clawed at the spot where she had just laid. Then it tried to bite her throat, but its movements were sluggish, like someone who had drunk way too much alcohol during the harvest festival. This allowed Astrid to keep up, and she swung the dagger wildly in front of its face. It recoiled as the blade slashed across its snout. This gave her enough time to get up on her knees and throw herself forward with her dagger aimed at the monster's throat. The blade sank to the hilt, and the wolf howled as it collapsed. It was still breathing, so Astrid stabbed it again. The wolf whined weekly but continued to breathe. She stabbed it over and over. Blood sprayed from each wound she made, splashing her face and coating her hands and clothes.
Why- stab.
won’t it just- stab.
die? Stab. The wolf lay on the ground, making no attempt at getting up. The shock of her stabs must have knocked it prone, but that wouldn’t last forever.
How much damage can this monster take? She thought miserably as she brought the dagger down again. Each stab made the wolf whine and twitch, and bile rose in her throat.
“Please just die already.” Tears ran down her cheeks, and she wanted to stop. Her regular stab was weak compared to her back stab. It was awful to keep stabbing the wolf-beast, when her attack barely did any damage, but she didn’t dare disengage. One good hit was all it would take for the wolf to end her life, so all she could do was keep hacking away at it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the beast stopped whimpering and fell limp. Astrid was breathing heavily. She had won, but it didn’t feel like a victory at all. This had been too cruel.
She staggered to her feet, disgusted with herself and her actions. However, staying here was too dangerous, so after checking her surroundings for more treats and finding none, she went back to the safe side of the barrier.
System messages were fighting for her attention, so with her mind still in a shocked daze she quickly skimmed through them to see if there was anything important.
She had gained experience in various skills, and it happened at a faster rate than she was used to from working on the farm. Then again, new skills often saw rapid growth in the beginning when everything provided a challenge. As soon as that stopped, skill growth would slow to a crawl.
She kept skimming through notifications until she found the latest quest update.
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Quest update
You are surrounded by monsters and must fight your way out
Objective: defeat monsters 7 of 10
Reward: 10 large coppers
After all this, she still had to fight three more monsters. She couldn’t help it. Sobs escaped her throat, and tears mixed with the blood on her face. Trying to wipe them away only made the mess worse.
She should find a place to wash it off soon, but she still didn’t have any water. All she had the energy to do was curl up on the ground and cry. Why was all this happening to her? What had she done to deserve this fate? Was it because, deep down, she was a bad person? She had never thought of herself that way before, but how could she not be? After all, the way she had killed the last wolf had been so cruel only an evil person could have done it.
She had no idea how long she lay on the ground, crying. Maybe a few minutes, or maybe several hours. Either way, she didn’t care. Occasionally, the thought of going inside to lay in bed entered her mind, but she didn’t. Her limbs felt so heavy she wasn’t sure she could move, even if her life depended on it. Eventually, she ran out of tears and drifted off to sleep.
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“Wake up, silly girl, what are you lying there for?”
Astrid woke, recognizing the voice. However, she didn’t respond. The god of Deception was the last person she wanted to talk to. All this was his fault. If she ignored him, he might go away.
“You’re not that hurt, so snap out of it,” he demanded. When Astrid still didn’t acknowledge his presence, he let out an exasperated sigh and crouched down beside her. She let out a yelp when Sham grabbed her by the arms.
“Let go of me,” she said as Sham forced her into a sitting position.
“Do you feel better now?” he asked.
“No,” she said, stretching her body, which had gotten stiff and sore from lying still on the ground for who knew how long.
“Now come on, tell me what’s wrong.”
Astrid figured that Sham would continue to pester her until he got an answer, so she began talking.
“I killed the wolf-beast, but it suffered so much.” She stared at her shaking, blood-covered hands, trying not to break down and cry again.
“That’s no reason to be so upset. The wolf killed your family.”
Astrid lost the fight against the tears.
“I want to go home.”
“I am not interested in dealing with your emotional problems any longer. Now hurry up and finish the quest. I’m getting impatient,” Sham said as he got up and turned to leave.
“NO! I don’t want to. I hate you.” She had barely finished shouting the sentence before the god grabbed the front of her dress and hoisted her up off the ground, so they were eye to eye. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his murderous expression. He could kill her with ease right there if he wanted to.
“Watch your tone, girl. Don’t forget who you are talking to. A little attitude is fine, but there are limits to what I will tolerate,” he said before throwing her back on the ground. “And stop wasting tears on that vile beast. Monsters don’t give a second thought about who they kill, so neither should you.”
Then he disappeared, leaving no trace that he had even been there, and Astrid fell to her knees. It took her several moments to calm her raging heartbeat.
She had just made a god angry. Not just any god, but the one she had pledged herself to. He could basically force her to do anything and decide how the rest of her life would be spent. She despised him for that, but he was right about what he said. The wolf didn’t feel bad for killing humans. No monsters did. They were vicious and killed anything that got close. Since there was no reasoning with them, they had to be slayed. It was no use sitting here feeling sorry for what she had to do.
With new determination, she stood up. Three more monsters to kill. She could do this. Her health and stamina had healed completely, so there was no excuse to delay any longer. After picking out her next target, not bothering to identify it, she made herself invisible and snuck up on it. The dagger penetrated its skin, killing it with cold efficiency.
The last two monsters were dealt with in no time. Afterwards, she returned to the safe zone behind the barrier, where she read the messages to confirm that the quest had been completed.
Quest from the God of Deception complete
You are surrounded by monsters and must fight your way out.
Objective: defeat monsters 10 of 10
Reward: 10 large coppers
Astrid barely managed to read the message before the new one arrived.