Dolk sprinted through the forest, his eyes darting all over his surroundings in search of Astrid. He ignored the fatigue weighing on his mind, knowing that sleeping meant his captain’s demise.

It had already been nearly a day since Astrid ran away, and Dolk hadn’t stopped looking for her since. What was worse was that she covered her tracks well, even though she was injured during their previous scuffle. But that wasn’t going to stop Dolk from finding her. Even without tracks, he knew enough about Astrid and her habits that allowed him to guess where she could be.

His battle with the Orcs when she left took a lot of time. Not only that, but he was scurrying around the forest while dealing with them, so he initially got lost when he tried to find Astrid. However, he got back on the track and began his search.

Sadly, Dolk struggled in his pursuit of his captain. This forest island, although smaller than Brimlock back in his home world, was unfamiliar to him. He was clueless as to the ins and outs of this place, to the point where he nearly got lost a couple of times.

However, he was certain that Astrid was still on the forest island. Because of her wounds, she couldn’t risk running off to another island. Especially since she would be in unknown territory and likely be faced with unknown and formidable enemies. Knowing those risks, it would be stupid for Astrid to do something like that.

Dolk initially believed that she would go back to the camp and try and save the other dark elves, but when he went back to check if that was the case, there was only a destroyed camp along with his former comrades dead on the ground. But no Astrid.

Although she wasn’t there now, she could’ve been later, so Dolk thought about simply waiting for her to return and then taking her somewhere safe. But he couldn’t wait that long. That and she might not make it back to the base anyway, in her current state.

So, Dolk tossed the idea aside and resorted to scouring the forest for her. In his mind, it was the only solution he could think of that increased his chances of finding Astrid. However, a part of him was beginning to believe that his current plan was also a mistake.

Off in the distance, a loud, feminine scream could be heard, pulling Dolk’s attention in a second. His eyes widened in surprise and instantly recognized the source of the screaming. It was Astrid…he knew her voice better than anyone and was certain that it was her.

And if she was screaming…that meant she was in danger!

“Astrid!” Dolk shouted, bolting toward the direction he heard his Captain’s scream.

His body surged with adrenaline as he moved faster than ever before. Thanks to his experience in traversing through a forest, Dolk easily maneuvered around the uneven terrain, slowly getting closer to his captain.

A bit of running later, he finally got to Astrid’s location, and he was glad that he made it in time. As soon as he spotted his captain, he saw her facing off against a Fractured Orc creature. She wielded a dagger in her hand while directing it at the monster while her free hand held onto her side. She was still injured from their fight…

Something inside Dolk suddenly began to snap as soon as he saw that Astrid was in danger, and without hesitation, he immediately jumped into the fray, lunging at the Fractured Orc in an attempt to take it down.

He latched onto the back of the monster and stabbed its shoulder with his dagger. The Orc roared and tried to reach for the dark elf and pull him off. Before it could, Dolk jumped off and landed behind the Orc while plunging his dagger into its leg.

The Orc swung its weapon at the rogue. He then ducked and rolled, dodging the battleaxe, and repositioned himself. Just as the monster raised its arm to swing its weapon again, Dolk activated his [Blade Barrage] skill. His dagger then radiated a crimson glow and he rushed forward, closing the distance between them.

His blade then blurred and struck the Orc in multiple areas of its body from the stomach, chest, shoulders, and even arms. Since [Blade Barrage] needed only one hand, he wasn’t worried about having to deal with his mutilated limb getting in the way. After using the skill, Dolk retreated to avoid getting hit by the Orc.

The monster staggered back, multiple holes now present on its body. Since the Orc wasn’t living, there was no blood spurting out, but the fractures started to get worse near the wounds, spiderwebbing out like broken glass.

Despite the damage Dolk inflicted on the Fractured Orc, he hadn't succeeded in killing it yet. The Orc angrily growled at Dolk, keeping its eyes trained on him.

The dark elf readied his dagger, prepared to take down the beast if it was the last he would do. The Orc charged, hurling its weapon at him. He ducked to the side and slashed the Orc’s leg. The monster then spun its body around, swinging the axe toward Dolk’s skull.

His legs kicked off the ground pushing him back to avoid the blade. He watched as the axe glided past his face, nearly nicking his skin as if he were only a centimeter closer. However, the Orc seemed to have predicted this as its free hand, curled into a fist, rocketed toward the dark elf.

Dolk couldn’t avoid the attack and took a direct hit in his stomach. The force of its punch threw him back and he collided into a tree. Pain flared across his entire spine to the point where he nearly passed out but held out long enough to focus his attention back on his opponent.

The Orc let out a guttural roar and bulldozed toward the Dark Elf as if attempting to ram him into the tree again. Dolk couldn’t move out of the way. His back was practically glued to the tree he was embedded in.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The monster got closer to him, nearly about to bash its head against Dolk until the dark elf rogue finally managed to pull himself out of the bark of the tree and move out of the way. Unable to stop in time, the Orc crashed into the tree instead, getting its head stuck in the process.

Dolk smiled wryly, seeing his opportunity to end the monster right before him. He took the chance and blurred toward the monster. With his dagger in hand, Dolk activated his other skill [Dagger Strike] and thrust his blade into the Orc’s neck. A gaping hole was created from the blow, instantly killing the Orc.

The fractures on its body spread further, completely engulfing it before its entire vessel collapsed from the pressure, shattering to pieces and then disbursing into the air.

With the Orc defeated, Dolk sighed and spun around to see Astrid. Instead of running, she was on one knee while holding her side which was still injured from before. Despite looking so wounded, her fierce eyes carefully watched Dolk, as if viewing him as a threat.

Dolk began to approach Astrid. “I’m so glad that you’re safe, Astrid…”

After taking a couple of steps, Astrid hastily pulled out her bow and aimed an arrow right at Dolk. He stopped in his tracks immediately, not wanting to get shot by her captain. The dark elf rouge then raised his hands, showing that he wasn’t hostile or an enemy to her.

“Astrid, you’re hurt,” He said calmly, his voice soft and concerning, even though he was the one who put her in that state in the first place. “You’re wounds need to be treated.”

“Not by you…” Astrid spat; her words laced with venom. “I would rather be killed by that Orc than to be saved by you.”

Hearing this, Dolk’s heart sank. Her words managed to do more damage than what the Orc did to him. But that didn’t stop the dark elf from completing his mission. His captain was injured, and he needed to help her recover.

“Astrid, you and I both know that you won’t be able to survive in this forest on your own like that. Let me help you…” He took another step, to which Astrid notched the arrow further.

“You come any closer to me, and this arrow will be going through that thick skull of yours, understand?” She growled.

Dolk remained still, keeping his hands in the air to keep from provoking his captain further. He could tell that she was serious about killing him. Her eyes were brimming with rage and vengeance, and he knew she would keep her word about killing him if he made any sudden movements.

“Dammit, Astrid, this is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be fighting each other, alright? We should be working together to survive.”

“You lost that chance after getting the rest of our people killed by those Orcs,” Astrid retorted, tears swelling in her eyes. “When I got back to the campsite, I had to bury them alone, because I was the only one who truly cared about them.”

Dolk’s face fell, seeing Astrid’s tear-stricken expression. A hint of guilt building up within him.

“I…didn’t want it to end this way, Astrid. I didn’t want to kill them.”

“And yet you did!”

“Because I had no choice!” Dolk snapped, unable to keep his emotions under control. “I knew that they would get in the way. That they wouldn’t understand! And they never will!”

“You were planning to kidnap me and keep me here, preventing me from ever returning home! Of course, they would try and stop you!”

“And that’s why I took care of them! Because of their ignorance of the truth that would lead you to your death!”

“And what truth is that, huh?” Astrid questioned. “That Kollr was planning to kill me to take the title of Tribal Chief for himself? That truth?”

“It isn’t just about the Tribal Chief title and ruling over the Tribe! It’s about…” Just before Dolk continued, he closed his mouth, preventing himself from saying any more.

No, he couldn’t say anymore. If she knew the whole truth then…

Astrid stared at him, confused by his actions while still keeping her bow and arrow trained on him.

Dolk then took a deep breath, calming himself and reorganizing his thoughts before his expression darkened. “None of this matters, Astrid.” He declared calmly. “None of it. All that matters is that you stay safe.” He walked closer to the captain, ignoring the possible threat of getting an arrow through his skull. “And I will make sure you continue to stay safe for as long as possible.”

“I said…” Astrid readied her arrow, prepared to shoot at a moment’s notice. “Not another step, dammit!”

Dolk lightly laughed. “Are you certain you want to kill me, Astrid? If you do, then you’ll be all alone in this dungeon. Can you afford to do that with your current injuries?”

Although Astrid despised Dolk, even she had to know that killing him would put her in danger. Even more so than before. She needed him. She just had to understand that his presence was the only thing that she should rely on.

As Dolk got closer, Astrid hesitated to shoot, then at that moment, she lowered her bow. The dark elf rogue smiled at this, realizing that he actually persuaded her.

“I knew you would understand, Astrid,” Dolk said with a disturbing tone. “Without me, you would be all by yourself. Having no one else protect you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, asshole…”

Dolk cocked an eyebrow, confused by Astrid’s statement. Just then his instincts warned him of danger, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain originating from his side. Looking down, he saw a crescent blade made out of purple energy cut through a portion of his side and then struck the ground in front of him.

His body suddenly became numb, his legs turning into jelly. Unable to support his full weight, they crumbled along with the rest of Dolk’s body and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“W-what…” Dolk stuttered, his gaze shifting down to the wound made by the crescent blade attack. Around the wound, purple veins appeared and spread across his torso, causing him more pain. “I-is this poison…?”

Dolk had never seen this type of poison before. And since he was clueless about its origins, curing him of this affliction would be next to impossible to accomplish. More importantly, who or what just hit him with that attack just now?

“It’s not poison, but you’re pretty close,” A new voice appeared behind Dolk.

He turned out to see his attacker, only for his eyes to widen in shock at what he saw. It was a human female, wearing some kind of cloak and wielding a gnarled staff that radiated energy. The same kind of energy from the crescent blade from before.

The human twirled her staff around. “What I just hit you with was a cursed skill attack.” She began to tap her staff against her hand. “I won’t bore you with the details, but to summarize your current situation…”

“You just fell for my trap, Dolk…” Astrid finished, to which Dolk spun around to look at her, shock plastered across his face.

While staring at his captain, he saw a menacing expression form on her face as she looked down at the rogue.