Shin saw a red twinkling object fly through the air toward Breyll. The orb landed on Breyll's dagger and ran along the blade before rolling off and into his hand.

"Thanks, captain."

He put the orb in his pocket and stared at Shin, raising one eyebrow and smiled wickedly.

"Ehhh, too scared to fight me are you?"

"I'm terrified." Shin replied sarcastically, pretending to cower.

Shin was surprised at the change of demeanor. It was as if Breyll had changed into a completely different person once the mark on his thigh activated.

"Could that be an effect of the mark?" He wondered.

However, Breyll already had sudden mood swings prior to its activation. Regardless of the details, he has to juggle two different enemies now. Breyll seemed to be a wild card so he would have to stay on his toes.

Breyll jumped forward, slashing downwards. Shin dodged it and instinctively swung his sword at him but his slash went straight through his chest. The scraggy-haired man snapped back around, wildly swinging at Shin. Shin managed to dodge most of the swipes but was nicked on his shoulder. Inspired by Fuyumi, he casted [Elemental Mastery] on his sword and cut along the ground, creating a patch of ice below Breyll. Lost in his attacks, Breyll slipped and fell on his back. Shin dodged backward, creating space between them.

During this exchange, Fuyumi was busy parrying punch after punch from the captain. She was slowly getting pushed back by each attack until she was pressed against the wall.

"Got you!"

He sent another straight jab forward but Fuyumi dodged, tilting her head to the side. His fist created a massive hole in the wall, sending dust into his eyes.

He clicked his tongue and rubbed his eyes furiously. She used the opening to slip behind him and swung her blade at the ceiling. A wave of ice surged forward from her dagger that stuck to the ceiling and formed icicles.

"Nightingale, now!“

The captain heard her voice and turned around, instinctively blocking in her direction.

Nightingale slammed his hand onto his codex, laying flat on the counter.

[Galewind Current]!"

While Fuyumi and the captain were unaffected by the wind, the icicles on the ceiling shot downward at breakneck speeds. Fuyumi, knowing where the icicles were, masterfully weaved between each icicle as they came down. The captain was pelted by icicles that planted into his shoulder and forearms.

"Hgaaahh! [Blood Boil]!"

Steam erupted from him, melting the icicles. He rapidly regenerated, closing the wounds. Fuyumi and Nightingale took a step back.

"What…"

"Hahaha, did you really think it would be that easy? I'm getting excited! I can just smell that bounty reward!" He said, licking his lips.

Across the room, Shin dodged each one of Breyll's attacks. He started to get used to his attack pattern. shin dodged a downward stab from Breyll by backstepping and looked down at him. Breyll had smiled back sinisterly before he removed his dagger from the ground. Shin noticed the rug they were standing which sparked an idea. He turned his attention to Nightingale.

"Nightingale! Up!" Shin pointed at the rug while dodging Breyll.

"You guys sure are needy! [Galewind Current]!"

Shin backstepped. The rug shot off the ground, taking Breyll with it into the ceiling, creating a hole. He fell back down with a thud, unconscious. Shin walked over to him and lightly kicked him. He made a thumbs up at Nightingale. Shin pulled out the orb from his pocket and held it up to his eye.

---------

[Bloodshot Jewel]

[Equipment]

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Equip this jewel to gain access to player vs player combat in Dragonfall. You may attack other players but they cannot attack back unless they are also wielding the jewel. You can also use this jewel to command other players for a set amount of time equivalent to the level difference between you and the target.

---------

“A little help!”

Fuyumi’s dagger was knocked out of her hand. It clattered against the metal cages behind her.

Shin threw the jewel at Fuyumi who caught it as she narrowly dodged a right straight jab.

“Gwaaaah!”

“My turn!”

Fuyumi ducked under his haymaker and delivered her own jab to his abdomen, sending him reeling backward. A sheet of ice formed on impact but melted shortly after. Her brittle status effect was immediately getting removed.

“Fuyumi! Here!” Shin called out to her as he ran around the backside of the captain.

She threw the orb at Shin who caught it with ease. He slashed down at the captain’s backside but he was able to counter in time by hardening his skin, turning it a metallic color. Shin’s sword bounced off of his shoulder.

“Nightingale!”

The jewel was passed back and forth between the three party members like a basketball. They traded blows with the captain, sparks flying in every direction as he endured the onslaught of attacks.

“Enough!”

The captain slammed the ground with both fists, cracking the floor and throwing all three of his opponents off their balance. In an instant, he rushed at Nightingale, obliterating the counter that stood between them. Nightingale created a barrier of wind in front of him in an attempt to create distance between them. At this moment, it was as if time slowed. The captain’s fist was right in front of his eyes. Shin reached his arm out as he ran toward his friend. However, Fuyumi was able to react. With the jewel in her hands, she slashed downward creating a concentrated wave of ice that stretched from the ceiling to the ground. It cleanly cut through the captain’s forearm, sending his detached hand flying to the side.

The captain’s body plowed into the wall, destroying the kitchen and sending dust and rubble everywhere. The prisoners in the cages braced and covered their ears. He emerged from the smoke, staring at his missing hand and laughing maniacally.

“This! This is the thrill of battle!”

Fuyumi handed the jewel to Shin who prepared his sword. His sword was covered in flames from [Elemental Mastery]. The flickering fire produced dancing shadows against the walls of the small room.

The captain got on all fours like a beast. His tongue hung out of his mouth, creating a pool of saliva and blood on the ground.

“[Collapse].”

A combination of stone and rubble slammed into the captain, covering his entire body. However, he was able to break free by releasing a burst of raw energy. He turned his head to Nightingale who held his codex out, prepared to retaliate, but ultimately shifted his attention back to Shin.

He lunged forward at Shin like a wolf, his remaining hand turned into a claw, digging into the ground and leaving scratch marks in his path.

Shin swung down with a diagonal slash as the beast got in his range. His sword was stopped in its path, the flames rolled off, and his blade harmlessly brushed against the captain’s skin. Shin released his grip on his sword and jumped back to the far edge of the room.

“Fool!”

He threw Shin’s sword to the side and lunged forward again. Shin was pressed against the wall with nowhere to go. However, this was part of his plan.

“Shin!” Fuyumi and Nightingale called out.

The captain went for a horizontal chop, and just as his attack was going to connect, Shin tilted his head to the side and called his sword back with [Spatial Mastery]. The sword went through the back of the captain’s head and impaled him to the wall like a nail. His body hung in the air, lifeless. He walked around the hanging body in front of him to face Fuyumi and Nightingale. Fuyumi furrowed her brows while Nightingale’s jaw dropped at the sight of Shin, whose face was covered in blood. He used his sleeves to wipe off the blood covering his eyes.

“Alright, that’s taken care of.”

He walked up to them nonchalantly, continuing to rub the blood off his face.

“I gotta get this cleaned now.”

---------

[YOU REACHED LEVEL 39]

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The marks faded from Breyll and the prisoner. Breyll woke up and sat upright, rubbing his eyes.

“What… happened?”

He looked down at his leg to find that he was free from the mark. His eyes widened. He turned his head to the left to find the captain’s body hanging from the wall. It shimmered and twinkled with a bright light before fading away.

“Eeek! What the fuck!?”

Nightingale suddenly squatted down in front of him.

“Hey.”

Breyll scrambled backward.

“What?! Did you kill the captain?!”

“Not me, but he did.”

Nightingale pointed at Shin who waved at Breyll. To his left was Fuyumi who stared daggers at him

“What are y-y-you going to do to me?” He shuddered.

“Give us the keys and you can go.”

He fumbled with the ring of keys in his hands before clumsily tossing it into Nightingale’s hands.

“Take them, take them! Leave me alone!”

He quickly got up and scurried out of the room.

“Well, that was easy.” Nightingale said as he got up.

They started unlocking the cages, freeing the imprisoned adventurers. The adventurers thanked them and promptly left one by one.

Before long, it was only the three of them left in the room. Nightingale used the key to unlock the door to the captain’s quarters. He swung the door open and gestured for Fuyumi and Shin to go ahead.

“Shall we get started?”