RotDG Chapter 71: Underworld Investigation VI

I followed Mike and Wyll as they made one more round around the same area, before they finally diverted, going down a different path. Whether they were trying to lose me by confusing me with going in circles across the side streets, or they were just confirming that I was on their tail— it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I wasn’t going to give up my pursuit of them, because not only was this my only chance of getting what I wanted, but I was also prepared for anything they could throw my way. Unlike when I was meeting with the Iron Maw, I felt comfortable enough to use blood magic, so I had already cast a [Sacrificial Blood Barrier] on myself to protect me a few hours earlier, when I was staking out The Broken Dagger.

And now, after both Myke and Wyll went down a different side street for the first time in the last half an hour, I readied myself, summoning my Lesser Death Dagger into my hand as I kept an eye out watching behind my back. 

The two men made their way out of the crowd of side streets, heading for an emptier part of the outer city. There were less tall buildings here— lots of makeshift shacks that were barely even capable of standing on their own. Shadowed figures lay scattered across the ground, huddling underneath thin layers of blankets. There were lampposts lining these messy streets, only a few small garbage fires haphazardly interspersed and surrounded by shivering beggars that lit up the night.

I had known this when I first arrived in Albus, but when you looked away from the main parts of the outer city— where the market streets and farmland were located— there were plenty of slums like these scattered throughout.

It was very obvious that someone like Wyll, who was a Gold Rank [Mage] and a relatively rich information broker, wasn’t going to be dwelling in a place like this. This was evidently where he would find backup waiting for him.

So I followed along as they made their way through the slums, until they arrived at a different area that was still within the slums. Here, there were no beggars lying around, crowding the ground, and the area was much more well-illuminated with actual torches instead of trash heaps lit on fire.

There were over a dozen or so figures moving around in the shadows up ahead, and each of them was armed. They were evidently nothing like the poor folks sleeping on the side of the dirty road I had passed by earlier.

One of the men— a burly man with an axe hanging from his side— approached Mike and Wyll as I stayed behind, continuing to watch from the shadows. The three men briefly exchanged words, before the burly man barked out an order.

The rest of the group gathered around them as Wyll turned around, looking in my direction.

“You can come out now,” he called out as he stepped forward.

Next to him, Mike nodded and cracked his fists. “Yeah, we know you’ve been following us since we left The Broken Dagger. Now stop being a coward and show yourself.”

I stepped out of the shadows, walking slowly into view of the group of men standing there with their weapons raised. They were mostly Bronze Ranks, although the burly man was probably a low-leveled Gold Rank [Warrior]. They paused when they saw me. Since I wasn’t wearing my heels to help with my stealth, I was significantly shorter than them. Which made it evidently clear to them that I was no adult.

“A kid?” The burly man blinked. “I thought you said it was a member of the Sapphire Stalkers.”

“I said that that was my best guess— how could I have known it was just a little girl?” Wyll said, before shaking his head. He turned to me with a frown on his face. “Who exactly are you? And what do you want?”

“I’m the Bloodied Blade,” I replied simply, my voice still distorted, which was probably why they thought I was a girl. “I’m here because you have something I want.”

Mike scoffed when he heard that. “Sorry, girlie, never heard of you. Anyway, we don’t have any toys here. Now get out of here before you get yourself hurt.”

He eyed me dangerously as he spoke. I shook my head as I strode forward, not concerned by their threats. I flourished my Lesser Death Dagger, making it clear that I was serious.

Their eyes immediately darted to the weapon, recognizing what it was in an instant. 

“That’s…”

“...it can’t be…”

Well— at least Mike and Wyll did. The burly man and his men didn’t seem to know what it was, and he just looked at the other two men in confusion.

“What’s going on?” the burly man asked.

Mike shook his head. “Don’t you recognize it, Luke? That’s an Artifact of Death!”

“But how could a kid…” Wyll started, before narrowing his eyes at me. “Unless—”

There was almost a flicker of recognition on his face, however there was still some disbelief holding him back from saying anything. I expected this. It was not too much of a leap of logic to assume that since I was a kid with an Artifact of Death, I could be related to the other group of kids with Artifacts of Death he had encountered just a day or two ago.

However, it didn’t matter what conclusion he came to. Because he was not going to survive the end of the night. I strode forward as the burly man— Luke— snorted and approached me.

“Well, if it’s an Artifact of Death, shouldn’t we just kill the kid and take it off her?” he said as he drew his axe from the side. “Come on, the boss will give us a big reward if we bring it to him.”

“Wait, Luke—” Mike called out.

But the burly man just sneered, walking up to me as he hefted his axe over his shoulder. “Hand it over if you know what’s best for you, kid.”

I tilted my head back at him, giving him a simple response.

“And what will you do if I don’t?”

“Did you not hear what I just said?” Luke snorted, before sighing. “Well, whatever. I’m not going to waste anymore time. Just hand it over—”

He snarled as he reached for the Lesser Death Dagger in my hand. I stepped under him as the weapon was overcome with a crimson glow. I swung out, aimed for his leg. And in one smooth motion, his feet came cleanly off the rest of his body.

This was the power of [Aura Blade]. It was my first time using the Title Skill since I got it— at least, in battle. I had tested it out in my own free time beforehand. But to see it cut so cleanly even against a Gold Rank [Warrior] with a high [Vitality] like Luke had me impressed.

He dropped to the ground, screaming in pain as he clutched at his ankle. 

“Y-you… you bastard!” he screamed as he tried to pick himself up and failed, falling flat on his face.

I ignored him as I stepped forward, flourishing my Lesser Death Dagger. I turned to the rest of the group as I gave them a dangerous look.

“Anyone else want to get in my way?” I asked as I swept my gaze over them.

Mike and Wyll exchanged a glance, but before either of them could say anything, Luke shouted at his men.

“Kill that kid! Make her pay for what she’s done!”

All at once, the dozen or so men standing there charged my way. Obviously, I had caught Luke off-guard when he came at me, which was how I was able to incapacitate him so easily in close-quarters-combat. But against this many weak enemies, I was certain I could deal with them on my own without my magic.

And that was what I did. I didn’t bother summoning Vorth just yet, since he would kill them all with a single swing of his fist. I wanted to test my physical capabilities against these weaklings first.

The first of the group of thugs reached me, raising a shortsword as he shouted. 

“[Savage S—” he started, his blade blurring.

And I just moved forward with a [Quick Dash], cutting straight through his neck with my [Aura Blade]. He fell limply to the ground behind me as the other thugs slowed for a moment, pausing to stare at their dead friend.

But I didn’t falter, despite their disbelief. Instead, I ran straight at the next thug and cut him down just like I did the first, silently tearing through their numbers with nothing but my own physical capabilities and my bladesmanship technique.

***

What is going on? Wyll stared in disbelief as the little girl— was she even a girl? It was hard to tell with the mask and distorted voice… 

But no, that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that she was cutting through the twenty or so thugs with ease. Their screams erupted one after another, echoing through the night as the next one was stabbed or delimbed.

Luke was still trying to get back to his feet, barking out orders at them to kill the kid.

She had to have been a low-leveled Silver Rank [Spellsword] of sorts, judging by her speed. But even then, she should have struggled at least a little bit against this many opponents, even if they were weaker than her. But, somehow, she was fending them off with complete ease.

It was like she knew who to target when she was surrounded to break free from being trapped in. And even if she was being flanked, she instinctively dodged out of the way before the attack could land.

Wyll had heard of Skills that heightened one’s instincts in combat, but this was beyond anything he had ever seen before. If this was a Skill, it had to be a Platinum Rank Skill at the very least. But this girl couldn’t possibly be that strong, right?

The little girl cut down another one of Luke’s men, leaving only about half a dozen or so remaining after just under a minute of fighting, and Wyll quickly dismissed this question that was in his mind.

He had known that Luke and his men weren’t the strongest— they were a small gang that ruled over this area of the slums before they had joined the Crimson Covenant, and the only reason that Wyll had gone to them was because they were within the vicinity. 

If they had been followed by allies of the Sapphire Stalkers like Wyll had initially thought, then Luke and his men would have just been there to mainly serve as a distraction. But since it was one strong opponent, it didn’t matter. Because, as a Platinum Rank, Mike could have handled it with ease.

So Wyll turned to his friend and started, “Mike, you—” 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it…” Mike sighed as he strode forward, equipping a pair of spiked knuckles onto his fist. 

The little girl cut down one more of Luke’s useless men, and the remaining few backed away in fear as Luke hurled out insults at them in the background about how they couldn’t even kill a kid.

“Get out of the way,” Mike said as he shoved one of them to the side. “I’ll end this in one second.”

The little girl paused as she watched him make his approach. She watched him draw closer, before he grinned. Raising a fist, he leapt forward as he shouted.

“[Bonecrusher—” he started.

But the little girl raised a hand, whispering softly in response.

“V, it’s time for you to come out and play.”

And a spell circle flashed beneath her feet, before a giant metallic arm reached out and caught Mike’s fist. There was a loud clang as the spiked knuckle struck the metal hand. 

He blinked a few times, his attack completely halted. Then he watched with wide eyes as a massive figure crawled out of the spell circle. A spectral sentinel pulled itself up right before the little girl, towering over the man.

“What… but that’s— just how…?” 

And Wyll’s jaw dropped as he stared at the looming greater spirit in shock.

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