Feyre

Feyre watched Karrlund get the victims out of the cave. She was quite content with how this turned out as she searched through the sleeping area of the bandits. The place was messy but all Feyre wanted to find was a key or something she could use to open the door another way. She ended up searching for quite some time, thoroughly checking from the smallest crack in the wall or ceiling to the largest pile of random stuff she found in a drawer.

Eventually her peripheral vision saw something glowing. That was usually a good sign in the old Fetch Quests she used to do when she played Eurani so she walked over. What she saw was unimpressive at first. A simple metal cube sat on top of a tiny pedestal, it took a little while to notice the actual glowing element as it only glowed enough to barely see it in the dark. More like those kids toys on Earth that absorbed the light over the day and then glowed at night but didn't really give off much light. She smiled to herself at the stupid comparison and reached to pick it up.

She faltered halfway as she snapped her hand back and instead used [Identify] on it to check for traps or the like.

[System: Skill: [Identify]: A [Cube]. Specifically a [Magic Metal Cube].]

Magic metal wasn't something she had encountered yet and try as she might she didn't remember it in Eurani either, maybe it was one of the made up metals renamed or maybe it was completely different. Whatever it was Feyre decided she'd pick it up now. So she did. A slight warmth seeped into her bones as she touched it, not a bad feeling but it was also not a good feeling to have while holding something magical in Feyre's opinion. She sighed and started heading towards the massive doors again. even if it didn't work as a key Feyre bet there was something cool hidden in its magical properties. Even if there wasn't anything cool, it would be a good weapon for bashing someone's head in or it might fetch her a nice price at a Smithy or a research institution.

She headed towards the stone doors again and started looking at them intensely. There wasn't a hole for the cube to enter into but Feyre didn't care about that. No way would a magical door have an obvious way of opening it. She tried pushing the cube into its center but that did nothing so she tried looking around the room for a slot, nothing. Eventually she thought of the idea of channeling magic through the cube and that lead to the warmth of the cube increasing exponentially. She almost dropped it due to the heat but gritted her teeth and tried putting it in the door again.

This time Feyre's attempts were answered with a whirring sound. The cube was seemingly sucked into the door and Feyre was left watching as nothing happened for a few minutes. Eventually something did happen. The great doors slid into the cave walls with a screech that betrayed their years. Feyre unslung her shield and readied it, preparing for traps and other things that may lay behind such a contraption as this. Her efforts were not in vain as a roar struck her moments before she saw a beastial shadow in the corridor beyond. Feyre grinned and unsheathed her sword quickly, readying it for a fight.

She was not disappointed. Whatever was being kept in there had one heck of a guardian. It sped out towards her like a ballista bolt, equally as dangerous as one too if the distance she slid back after blocking it was anything to go by. She distantly heard shouting and maybe even a scream but ignored them for now as she used her skill [Universal Status] to see just what she was fighting.

[System: Status Screen]

[User Preferred Name: Korot]

[User Level: 123]

[User Health Points: 15k/15k]

[User Mana Points: 10k/10k]

[System: Stats Screen]

[Strength: 60]

[Speed: 72 ]

[Intuition: 10]

[Charisma: 5]

[System: Abilities + Skills]

[Abilities]

[Primal Instinct: Lvl 5 (Max)]

[Beastial Form: Lvl 10]

[Mana Manipulation (Through Growling): Lvl 5]

[Aura of Strength: Lvl 1]

[Skills]

[Survival Through Anger]

[Devourer Of Hope]

[Unbreakable Hide]

[System: Achievements]

[The Trapped One: When freed go on a murderous rampage.]

[King of Nothing: As long as no one is Subservient to you [Strength] gets 200% boost]

[Completer Of Quests - 4: 80% increase to Quest related level progress]

[Fallen Hero: Unknown Effect]

Feyre looked at it for a while. She hurriedly backed up trying not to laugh. This was absurd, apparently she's meant to be super strong for defeating the [Dire Wolf Tank] but this guy was simply insane, [Fallen Hero] indeed... She felt the goosebumps on her arm. She felt the slight nervousness that got her heart beating and adrenaline pumping. She didn't have a chance to enjoy the Tronius Minoris since she wasn't ready for it but afterwards she wished she had been able to fight it more.

She lifted her shield and was pushed back almost 10 feet, sliding across the stone as his clawed hand paw thing struck it. The thing had the speed of a ballista and the hitting force of a catapult, her hand ached for a while but she gritted her teeth and readied her sword again, hoping to gauge how much damage she could do in one slash.

----------------------------------------

Korot

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Freedom was a wonderful thing for Korot. His bloodthirst had gotten him licked away as some sort of crypt guard but some poor unsuspecting traveller would eventually free him, as happens to most sealed monstrosities in the world. He almost felt bad when the door opened and only a lone woman in, admittedly very good quality, full plate armour opened it. He was pleasantly surprised to see she expected a trap or monster of some kind so she probably knew what was in the vault or had at least been told of some sort of treasure. He tried gauging her strength but in all her armour he couldn't get a good grasp. He knew she was at least over half his stats in most if not all, a shame for the world to lose such a promising candidate for [Hero]. He grinned and decided to attempt to make her death as painless as possible. He was once a [Hero] himself after all. Being chivalrous to your own was something he had kept even when he succumbed to the rage.

What happened next shook him. As soon as the woman saw him in the shadows he saw with his draconic eyes that she squinted and seemed to read something. If she had just read his status this might be a harder fight than he initially thought. She was rather weak for an [Administrator] but then again maybe she was new and this was her initiation mission. He'd never tasted [Administrator] flesh before but he'd heard from others that they were a lot more nourishing mana wise than most. Even at half his level she'd have equally as much mana at least and maybe more if she was a high rank.

Korot rushed forwards as fast as he could and attacked but the woman only leant to the side to dodge. Her speed was not insanely high but she seemed to dodge at the exact right time to have no possibility of him hitting her. That was either insanely good instincts or she's got one of the highest intuition stats he'd ever seen. Korot growled and channeled mana into his claws and dashed in again. He wouldn't lose no matter how high up in [The System]'s ranking structure she was. Again he swiped and the woman obviously decided that dodging this attack wasn't possible and tried blocking with her shield instead.

Such a battle smart woman...

He watched as she slid quite a ways back, maybe a few meters or so. He heard her heart beating fast but it wasn't how he usually heard the heart. It was beating fast so adrenaline was definitely pumping through her but not a hint of fear was able to be smelt. For a second he could've sworn he smelt regret in her scent before that too was overpowered by something he'd only smelt a few times in this sort of situation. He smelt utter excitement. Suddenly everything made sense to Korot. This woman in front of him enjoyed battles. She was what he would've called a [Battle Junkie] back in the [Pre-Iftani Purge Era]. He always hated fighting this type. They refused to die no matter how much they should be obliterated. He remembered one man who attacked him with only his fists but had set up a revivification circle so kept challenging him until Korot destroyed it and the man in one swing.

He looked back at the woman and saw her preparing her sword. He grimaced. If she went for a trade off kill he doubted he'd come out of it in good shape, if he came out of it at all.

I will have to use my [Skills] and [Abilities] to beat her i reckon.

He activated [Unbreakable Hide] and circled slowly and with purpose. She followed his circling with her shield raised. He could smell the tension in the air. She looked reluctant to attack first so this temporary stalemate lasted for a tense few seconds. Dragging on for what felt like minutes. Eventually her blade snaked out as she sprinted past him, if he had not used his [Skill] that would've been it. The attack was right at his Achilles Tendon and it hurt. Even with such a powerful [Skill] as [Unbreakable Hide] she had hurt him. Not for the first time he was surprised by the woman. She was undoubtedly very powerful no matter what his senses told him her stats were. If she could mask the scent of her strength she may even be on a much higher footing that his. Korot growled and channeled mana into his claws again. His legs tensed and he prepared to return the favour to her own Achilles Tendon.

As he flew forwards at his highest possible speed he activated [Aura of Strength] and, just in case, the [Skill] [Survival Through Anger].

He flew right behind her and sliced all the way through her soft skin, her piercing shriek of pain filled the air and she let go of her weapons.

That was what was supposed to happen. Instead Korot found himself with a shield slammed into his face and a sword raised above him. His [Primal Instincts] screamed danger so much so that it hurt, so he turned them off. Then Korot was calm. Calmer than he had been in a long while. And so he relaxed as his life flashed before him. Death wasn't such a bad end, especially not if it was to someone as powerful as her.

It wasn't often that Korot wished he had chosen a different path in life. Most of the time, even at near death experiences he was glad that he abandoned the world after slaying the [Demon King]. After all, they hadn't helped him at all when he completed his quest. The only one he'd ever loved ended up burnt at the stake for heresy by fanatics of [The System] due to an offhand comment about feeling bad about killing all the [Demons]. His best friend ended up being the [Demon Lord]'s right hand. And everyone else he'd saved seemed to forget he was the one who saved them. Some called him a monster for what he did to the village that burnt his love to death. Some called him a King when he overthrew the kingdom that had ordered his execution. Not for long did they call him these things however, as not for long were they alive after uttering the foolish words.

Korot looked at the woman in front of him now. Time seemed to have slowed as his life since abandoning most of his morals flashed before him. He had been free for a lot of it. Only the last five or six years had been in that vault with nothing but The Treasure that refused him. He regretted lots in life. But never would he regret his vengeance upon those who wronged him. Never would he regret being Korot the Destroyer or Korot the King of Nothing, Lord of No One and he would especially never regret his title as the Guardian of Love. He adored that title even after she had died. Even after he had forsworn it he still loved. Loved differently, sure, but he loved nonetheless.

Korot was at peace as he heard the woman in front of him utter the first [Skill] he'd seen her use. He had already accepted death but hearing her skill name he wanted to laugh. It was the same one he had witnessed the one who locked him here use to cut the very sky in half when it missed him. He had never stood a chance.

And so the [Skill] was said. Quiet and calm. Serene as the moonlight glow on an ocean. As powerful as said Ocean when it crashes against the shore. And as beautiful a death as Korot could have ever hoped for.

"[Devastating Slash]"