Kill - [Kal'o Kir - Level 47] - 3290 Talons

[Level up. Level 46 obtained.]

Eve breathed out a sigh of relief. She'd been taken completely by surprise when Kal'o Kir hadn't been very affected by Distraction despite Eve being certain she'd maneuvered the ball of light perfectly.

Her ability to manipulate the ball of light's location was one of the reasons the skill easily justified the cooldown associated with it, and why it could work so well for both offensive and defensive purposes. An opponent's own sense of caution would compel them to observe any potential threat, and that instinct would lead them right into Distraction's trap.

The last of the remaining muscle spasms from Kal'o Kir's Lightning Imbuement passed. Eve was extremely pleased with how well her improved arcane stat had given her a measure of resistance to the magical electric current. It hadn't been nearly debilitating enough to stop her movements in the way Kal'o Kir had intended.

Still, I seriously need to put some points into endurance. I didn't even get hit and yet everything hurts.

Eve was content with her glass cannon approach to combat, and thus hadn't bothered investing too much into endurance. She'd been a lot more concerned with raising her magical defenses after seeing how the mad brewmaster had used a barrage of spells that were able to home in on targets. But now it seemed that her overwhelming strength was taking a toll on her body.

She looked back towards her system notifications, about to open her status and dump all of her points into endurance when she saw a notification she hadn't been expecting.

You have slain a cursed being with 2 Marks of Karmic Disdain.

As a reward you have gained 2 Marks of Karmic Affection.

New title obtained: [Blessed]

Huh.

It seemed as though she'd gained the positive karma version of Devon's Cursed title inadvertently. She idly wondered how much more the system would love her if she killed Devon as well, but discarded the thought as soon as she saw the man running out of the woods with Phil slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Nah. Even if he's the shadiest motherfucker I know, this is the second time he's stuck his neck out for Phil.

Besides, she liked to believe she wasn't the type of person to murder somebody just for the potential rewards.

"Oi, you gonna stare at me all day? We're still in the middle of shit creek here, you know?"

"Yeah yeah, shut it," Eve said, taking up position with her back to Devon.

They stood in the middle of the once idyllic clearing that was now a ruined mess from Eve's skill impacting the ground, scanning the treeline.

"So… what are we doing here?" Eve almost jumped when Phil asked the question right next to her ear. She'd honestly assumed he was unconscious from the way he was slung over Devon's back.

"Waiting to see if the observer will act or stay away," Devon said calmly.

"Observer?"

"...Nevermind. If they were going to act they would have done so by now. We need to move. Trey messaged that several of the other overseers disrupted their positions. You can probably guess which direction they were seen heading towards."

"Ah, wait a moment," Eve said before she quickly picked up Kal'o Kir's axe, bola, and tile. "Okay, let's go. Also we need to go grab my bow."

"What?"

"Just follow me!"

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Olan Tir watched as the two humans sprinted into the forest as they continued bickering. He'd been about to move to eliminate the one called Eve when the portly one had appeared out of the forest carrying the one called Phil.

He'd received the communication that the human working for them had failed, but even still he hadn't expected the portly one to find the one called Phil so quickly within the forest. Against Eve alone he had full confidence in his ability to defeat her as a level 55. But against the both of them was a much riskier business.

His recently received orders had been to eliminate the survivor of the duel immediately then coordinate with the other vishan closing in on their location to sweep the forest and eradicate the one called Devon, who was apparently the portly one.

But this was too fast. None of the other vishan were even halfway to the duel site yet, and the humans were already trying to make their escape.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I'll just have to follow them through the forest. If they make it to a terminal then I'll intervene. The highest priority is the portly one, Devon. So long as I don't allow him to escape the chief's punishment shouldn't fall too hard on me.

Their chief was known for his short temper and love of his daughter. Olan Tir dreaded the day the protected period would end, knowing if they failed to capture his daughter's killer the chief may well kill them all.

Olan Tir was about to move to follow the humans when he heard the crack of a twig. Immediately, he threw himself to the side right as three arrows flew through the space he'd been crouching in. He saw three heavily armored humans rushing him simultaneously with weapons drawn.

An ambush? Now, of all times?

He dashed away, attempting to make distance between himself and the ambush when he felt a blade slip into his ribcage. With a scream of rage, he wildly swung his weapon at the rogue that had slipped past his perception but the slippery rat was already retreating back into the shadows, content to leave their weapon buried in his chest.

Olan Tir turned, intent on continuing forward in a dead sprint. He needed to break the outer perimeter of this ambush or he'd die. Even a warrior of his caliber would easily get overwhelmed in such a coordinated ambush. His mission didn't matter anymore, he needed to get out alive.

But before he could take even a single step he saw an arc of electricity come from the side. He felt his muscles seize as the miniature bolt of lightning from the black mage connected with his body and the electrical amps caused his muscles and nervous system to go haywire.

How could we ever have underestimated these people so drastically?

Everything about this ambush was perfect. The class diversity and troop placement were top-notch. They'd drawn his gaze one way to push him into the true trap of the rogue and the mage. And to top it all off, the timing couldn't have been better. Olan Tir thought he'd been the hunter when all along he'd been the hunted.

The paralytic effects of the mage's shock spell had sealed his fate. If he'd brought one of the mage breaker charms he would have had a chance, but his arrogance and ego had assured him he wouldn't need such a valuable trinket against a winded Eve or Kal'o Kir.

I need to at least alert Val Kazar before I die. This group poses a threat to all of us.

Waiting… Connection esta-

Olan Tir's gaze drifted past the system message hovering in front of him, and his eyes locked with a bowman almost perfectly concealed among the trees.

Then, before the message request could finish, the wood shaft of an arrow pierced his eye as half a dozen melee weapons stuck him.

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Rud N'mas watched from the treetops in muted horror as Olan Tir was slaughtered like a herded animal by the humans.

By all rights, Rud N'mas shouldn't have even been there. And yet she was, and she cursed herself for being so stupidly foolish.

For a long time, the young girl with her level in the low 20s had admired Kal'o Kir. She'd been Rud N'mas' idol, a figure that every warrior should strive to emulate. It was tragic that she'd been reduced to such a state, but such was life. There was nothing Rud N'mas could do to alter her fate, not after everything she'd done.

And yet, Rud N'mas wasn't content to simply let it end and be forced to read the report later. So when she'd heard a duel between her idol and the human known as Eve was happening she knew she'd do anything to witness it.

Nobody paid much mind to what the level 20s like her did. Ever since it was determined that the humans were far more dangerous than initially anticipated their role had been relegated to simply being scouts for the remaining duration of the tutorial. No longer would their lives be risked on missions searching for the hated Devon, and they were strictly told to take no action that could possibly be seen as hostile by the humans.

That was one thing Rud N'mas liked about Val Kazar over their chief. The chief prioritized results over lives, whereas Val Kazar held the lives of his fellow tribesmen as important above all. She knew he likely wouldn't even admit it to himself, but the decision to kill Kal'o Kir had hurt him. She could tell.

The fight between Eve and Kal'o Kir had been a nailbiter that had ultimately made Rud N'mas want to dive down into the clearing herself and help. But the fight had been decided in the span of only a few seconds, and there had been no room for her to jump in. Not that she would have anyway. She knew she would have been heavily punished for such an action.

She'd been significantly less interested in everything that happened next. Olan Tir could handle the humans on his own. Just as the humans ran away from the clearing and Olan Tir prepared to follow she too got ready to get back to the post she was supposed to be at.

And then she'd witnessed the ambush.

She held her hands over her mouth, scared that any slight sound would alert the hunters to her position.

When did they get there?

She'd been so focused on the duel that she hadn't noticed any movement in the forest beneath her. A tear ran down her face at her own foolishness.

Stupid, stupid me! If I hadn't been so blinded I could have warned Olan Tir. If I hadn't been so stupid he probably wouldn't be dead right now!

She didn't dare breathe as she watched the humans loot Olan Tir for anything valuable. Then she heard one that looked like the leader say, "Alright, Nix says there's odd movements among the overseers our scouts have eyes on. We're done here so we'll clear out ASAP, before those fuckers get here."

"Heh heh, bet they'll be surprised that us mere humans managed to take down a level 55. Level 55!"

"Shut your trap and get your ass in gear!"

"Er, right away, sir."

Rud N'mas watched as the group of humans left. A minute later the other vishan appeared at the edges of the clearing.

With shaking limbs, she climbed down out of the tree that had concealed her location. Her best guess as to why she was the one who'd survived was that she'd inadvertently picked a spot that provided cover from all angles, whereas Olan Tir's position could more easily be spotted from above or behind.

She struggled to convey what had happened to her comrades as she held off a breakdown.

Why? Wasn't I supposed to be a warrior? I just… I just didn't imagine that someone so strong could be so utterly helpless before initiates. Even Kal'o Kir was completely helpless before the might of Eve. Just what kind of monsters have we unknowingly antagonized?