The loud screaming of her victims and their slow, painful deaths inevitably caused her to be pursued. She could hear the distant murmur of voices and scrape of steel echoing down the stone tunnels. Her pace did not relent and stayed a steady trot. Verity wished she could go faster, yet her body was not yet in good enough shape to manage anything more. Only an hour after her battle, she ran across another junction. Her gut told her going straight would take her towards the next dungeon simultaneously into the heart of the orc controlled one, which was where the orc scouts trailing her would expect her to go. For that reason, she turned away from the direct path and headed to the left. She heard noises shortly after turning that nearly made her turn back, but the threat of being trapped between two groups of enemies made her keep going.

One guard stood ahead-looking far more alert and wary than his predecessors. She had neither the time nor the inclination to draw it out, so she ran at him without flinching as he raised a crossbow. It had been predrawn; the orc sentry took no time in aiming and firing the first bolt at her. It hit deep in her gut, lodging in one of the old scars and causing pain with every step. However, it failed to stop her. She was stuck once more at the side of her thigh before she was close enough to engage the man in close combat. His knife met her forearm as she thrust herself between his arms to hit him with the wooden edge of her brush. The man was far above her in level, skill, and experience, so he barely twitched at the blow. Her arm, on the other hand, was in excruciating pain, yet years of abuse and whippings made her withstand it to smack him again. This time the brush grated against his flesh, making his skin blister from the harsh contact. Verity cursed inside as it did not replicate the previous feat. It could have been due to him being cleaner than the other orc she had attacked or potentially due to her own exhaustion, but either way, she had failed to quickly deal with him as she had hoped.

He pummeled her with his free fist. The dagger held in his right was caught in her bone, making it useless. She responded by trying to duck close to his chest to make use of her smaller arms and height. It succeeded in limiting the strength of his blows, and she was able to bring her own knife out with her hand to thrust into his chest. The point was slowed by his leather vest, which she realized would happen immediately after she thrust, so she used that forward movement to tackle the man with the knife still pressed against him. Once on the floor, she had the advantage of being on top and prepared. Her knife had gone in some more upon the pressure of the landing and gravity, and she pushed it in further as they struggled. When that did not kill the stubborn orc, she pulled it out to stab deeply in his exposed neck again and again. Her hand only stopped as his struggling ceased. She did not want to hang around to see if he died and gather the life energy. Instead, she lurched to her feet with both daggers clasped to her breast and shuffled along the wall to continue through the tunnel. Her brush and satchel were secured, and her shirt was ripped to slow the blood loss from her wounds.

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Time passed as she limped along. Finally, she located an old stream built into the stone passage. There were signs of this having been an orc hideout at some point, but the scorched stone and rubble suggested a fight had caused them to abandon it. It was not wise to take an extended break here as there was a risk of discovery, yet she allowed herself a few minutes in the cool water to ease the ache in her gut and arm. Neither injury appeared to be life threatening. She could see where it was clotting, and the bolt that struck her stomach had not gone quite far enough to hit any organs. Being a half golem gave her insight into her body since the area impacted by the crossbow bolt was held mostly by magic and not by flesh. This was a difference she could clearly feel. Damage to her human parts caused a sharper sensation than that which occurred to her golem portion. The water and rest helped her to get the motivation to continue on. After hours more and a few close calls, she stumbled upon another hidden area. It was quite small and likely only a former outpost, yet to her, it was ideal. There were two small tunnels leading in and out and no orcs in sight. It was not safe, but her body did not have the energy to look for something better. Sleep called stronger than the faint voice of self preservation, so she settled into a corner out of sight behind some old boulders and closed her eyes. A tingly feeling and notice from her status made her reopen them briefly before she dismissed the information. Today may have been difficult, but she was growing, and soon these orcs would be the ones running from her.

Encounter Complete: Minimal life energy gathered

+2% to level

Encounter Complete: Minimal life energy gathered

+2.5% to level

Unarmarmed Combat Increase: Level 5 → 6

Acting Increase: Level 1 → 2

New Skill, Knife Proficiency: Level 0 → 1