RotDG Chapter 62: Alleyway Attack

“Are you sure…”

“Yes…”

“...check—”

I narrowed my eyes as I watched the three thugs surround Sonia. I could barely make out what they were saying, since not only were they over a hundred feet down the alley, they were also speaking in hushed voices.

Right now, it seemed like they were just talking, which was reassuring. Because if they had attacked Sonia, I would have to intervene. Which would be difficult for me right now since I couldn’t use my death magic abilities here, and my Skill to summon Vorth into battle was still on cooldown for a little while longer, since I had only just dismissed him not too long ago. 

Besides, if I had to guess, each of the thugs were roughly Gold Rank in strength just based on their appearance alone. Now, while it was true I was capable of bringing down a spectral sentinel which was beyond Gold Rank in power, I had only won because I used a mixture of strategy from knowing their weaknesses alongside a variety of artifacts I had prepared beforehand.

Meanwhile, outnumbered against three Gold Rank thugs in such a narrow alleyway and without any of those artifacts, it was not going to be an easy battle if it came down to it. Especially since I would be fighting with—

“Hey, what’s—” Myrla started as she peeked over the corner.

But I quickly grabbed her by the mouth, shutting her up before she could say another word. She struggled for a moment as she tried to speak up, before pausing when she spotted what was happening down the alleyway. When I was sure she wasn’t going to make a sound, I let her go, and she quietly backed away from the corner.

She grabbed me by the arm, dragging me with her until we were a few dozen feet away from the intersection of side streets. Then she turned to face me and pointed down the direction we came.

“What’s going on? Who are those guys? What do they want with Sonia?” she asked me, speaking in barely a whisper.

I shook my head at her. “I don’t know. But if they’re causing trouble for Sonia, we need to help her.”

My eyes flickered as I omitted the part where I had sensed her carrying a Bag of Holding that very likely held an Artifact of Death with her. Besides just helping her because she was my classmate, I wanted to figure out both why she had them and how she even acquired them in the first place.

“Those are grown adults, and we’re children!” Myrla stepped back, staring at me with wide eyes. “We can’t intervene on our own— we should get the city guards to help us!”

Ignoring the fact that the average city guard would only be in Silver Rank just like us, I wasn’t going to get them involved, since they would confiscate Sonia’s Bag of Holding when they arrived. So I hesitated, before my attention snapped back down the alleyway as I heard a loud yelp.

Myrla blinked. “That’s… Sonia’s voice?” 

I gritted my teeth, before quickly devising a plan. “You get the guards, I’ll protect Sonia until they arrive!”

“But—” Myrla started.

“Just go!” I said as I dashed down the side street.

Myrla would most likely get in the way, so it would be best for her to fetch the city guards instead. Hopefully, before they arrived, I’d be able to store the Bag of Holding inside of my ring. Then I could interrogate Sonia after they left.

I reached the intersection of side streets, turning right in time to see one of the thugs shoving Sonia back, all the while holding her Bag of Holding in the air.

The black-haired teen slammed into the ground, before looking up at the three thugs with round eyes.

“That was not part of the deal!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry, but the deal’s off,” one of the thugs— a scrawny man who looked to be the weakest of them all— said as the other thug handed him the Bag of Holding. “We waited four months for this, and unfortunately for you, things have changed in those four months.”

“You can’t do this, Wyll,” Sonia said as she rose to her feet. “I’ll tell the guards about this. I’ll tell—”

And the scrawny man, presumably Wyll, cut her off with a scoff. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll go off running to tell your dearest mother about this. That’s why we’re going to make sure you never utter another word about this to anyone.”

Sonia froze when she heard that. She backed away as the other two thugs stepped closer towards her.

“Y-you… can’t be serious, right?” she asked, staring at him in disbelief.

I didn’t know the black-haired girl very well, even though she was one of my classmates. She was normally aloof— quiet in class, keeping her distance from others. But from what I knew about her, she was ordinarily a calm and collected individual.

However, right now, that usual demeanor she wore was all gone, replaced with a sheer terror that gripped her entire being.

So I moved, bringing my hands together as the thugs continued to approach her. She fumbled for something from her sides, but she was too slow as the first thug reached her, raising a gauntleted fist.

And that was when I finally finished casting my spell.

“[Greater Holy Fireball],” I whispered, before unleashing a sphere of silver flames down the alleyway.

The three thugs paused when they noticed the glowing ball of flame rapidly approach them. Wyll was the first one to react, instantly raising a hand and conjuring a barrier of ice. Perhaps if it had been an ordinary [Fireball], his protection spell would have deflected it. 

But a [Greater Fireball] was a Gold Rank Skill. And while I hadn’t tested the power of a [Greater Holy Fireball], I assumed the two of them would be relatively similar— maybe a little bit weaker at worst.

And I was right.

The ice barrier Wyll conjured up was completely obliterated as the alleyway poured with silver flames. The sheer force of the impact of the blast sent the three thugs flying back as their bodies were burned. But despite the damage they received, the barrier had absorbed most of the impact, and the remains of the explosion was not nearly enough to kill them, even if they hadn’t been shielded by the last second wall of sleet.

Not that I had planned on it, knowing they were all Gold Ranks. 

Perhaps the attack could have killed Sonia if it had struck her directly. But as the silver flames filling the alleyway faded away, the black-haired girl just sat there, completely unharmed. Not even a single lick of a burn mark scarred her body.

That was the power of my [Holy Fire]. I could choose what to burn and what to leave unharmed.

And as Sonia swept her gaze over the alleyway in a daze, she spotted Wyll groaning as her Bag of Holding lay on the ground next to him.She moved quickly, her body flashing with a blue light that propelled her forward. Wyll raised his head, realizing what was going on, before he quickly scrambled for the Bag of Holding as well.

Meanwhile, the first of the other two thugs turned his attention towards me, while the other was still fumbling for his bag. It was evident that unlike Wyll who was a [Mage] of sorts, they had [Warrior] Classes. One of them raised a pair of gauntleted fists and charged straight at me, while the other pulled out a healing potion.

I watched the first [Warrior] with the gauntlets bound his way towards me as he shouted.

“I’ll kill you, you damn brat!”

Unfortunately for him, despite his words, he was slow. So I just conjured another [Greater Holy Fireball] and blasted him with the attack before he could get close. He raised his gauntleted fists in front of him, blocking the first attack.

He emerged from the fading silver flames, his body covered in even more burns. But he was still alive, even if his movement speed was greatly decreased. Letting out an angry roar, he took another three steps forward.

Before I blasted him with another [Greater Holy Fireball]. And another. And another.

I had blasted him with five [Greater Holy Fireballs] before he began to waver where he stood, lowering his arms. Then the next one I sent his way engulfed him entirely, sending him flying back down the alley.

Perhaps if I had struck with a [Greater Fireball], he’d be dead at this point. However, I quickly realized that a [Greater Holy Fireball] was weaker than a [Greater Fireball], just as I expected. Even still, the man lay there, his body half-charred and smoking, all the while he groaned and clutched himself in pain.

I looked past him for a moment, watching as Sonia backed away from Wyll. She held her Bag of Holding in her hand, having retrieved it before he could. And even though he was desperately trying to catch her, even sending a flurry of ice arrows her way, she moved faster than his attacks, her movements enhanced by a speed spell of sorts.

But my attention was quickly diverted away from the two of them towards the final thug towards the side. He had finally finished drinking his healing potion, and the worst of his wounds was gone now. So he unsheathed a shortsword at his side and turned to face me with a savage grin.

I began to conjure another [Greater Holy Fireball], aiming it at him. But then as he took a single step forward, his body flashed with a golden light. I blinked and watched as he suddenly reappeared about a dozen feet or so ahead of where he had been.

That Skill… that’s [Flash Step]? I thought, recognizing the familiar spell in an instant.

The realization settled in. The second thug wasn’t just a [Warrior], but a [Spellsword] of sorts. He blinked out of existence again a few seconds later as I finished preparing my [Greater Holy Fireball]. But I struggled to aim for him as he reappeared and disappeared once again, getting closer and closer to me with each [Flash Step].

Finally, he appeared right before me, cutting my spell in half as my eyes went wide. The silver flames flickered out of existence as I rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging his attack. But even before I could fully regain my bearings, the man was already on me, thrusting forward with his shortsword and aiming for in-between my eyes.

I instinctively began to conjure my [Aura Armor Of Light]—

But then a small figure struck the man from the side, sending him flying back. He cursed as he crashed into the wall as I looked up to see who had just saved me. I paused when I saw who it was.

“Myrla?” I stared at the young girl as steadied herself before me.

She held onto a broadsword that was comically large compared to her size with one hand and an ornate shield in the other hand. She was wearing a glowing enchanted breastplate on top of her uniform, although it was evident that she didn’t have time to equip the rest of whatever armor she had on her.

The young girl shook her head at me as she faced the man. “Sorry, I didn’t get the guards. I decided it’d be better if I helped out instead.”

“Thanks.” I nodded at her as the thug peeled himself off the wall. “Can you distract him for just a few moments? Keep him off me no matter what.”

“Of course,” she snorted as she held up her broadsword. “I’m a [Paladin], it’s in my Class to be able to protect others.”

“Whether it’s one or two of you damn kids, it makes no difference— you’ll both be dead!” the thug snarled as he lashed out at her.

But even though Myrla was ordinarily quite slow, her shield snapped up to block the attack in an instant. The thug vanished, before appearing behind her. But as he swung for the back of her head, her breastplate flashed with a golden light, creating a brief aura that protected her. He was taken aback for just long enough for the young girl to spin around and swing her weapon for his face.

However, he leapt back, avoiding her attack. And as the two of them clashed, I prepared another [Greater Holy Fireball]. 

The thug must’ve realized this as his eyes darted towards me, and he disappeared with a [Flash Step]. And when he reappeared, he was already swinging at me.

But Myrla was right by his side in an instant, her entire body overcome with a white light that propelled her forward. She struck him with her shield, knocking him back once more into a wall. And right as that happened, I finished my spell. 

I unleashed my [Holy Greater Fireball] at him as he looked up, his eyes growing wide. But he wasn’t able to [Flash Step] out of the way in time. The blast engulfed him, although it didn’t even ravage our surroundings.

Myrla braced herself, but was only knocked back from the shockwave. She blinked, watching as the silver flames harmlessly washed over her.

“How…?” She looked down at herself.

But I ignored her confusion, instead focusing on the thug as he collapsed to the ground. He lay there on the ground, his body burnt, all the while incapacitated. This thug wasn’t nearly as durable as his friend, and that was enough to keep him down for now.

So I shook my head and turned my attention back down the alleyway. Wyll had cornered Sonia— whatever movement spell she had cast on herself having worn off. She tightly clutched onto the Bag of Holding as he approached her, a spear of ice hovering over his head as he held out a hand.

“Hand it over,” Wyll demanded.

Sonia pursed her lips. But Myrla and I approached them from behind. Wyll glanced back, frowning when he saw the both of us, before looking at his half-burnt friends lying on the ground.

“That’s enough,” I said, raising a hand with silver flames wisping off my fingertips. “Give it up, the guards will be here shortly.”

Myrla held up her broadsword and her shield alongside me, but then she leaned over and whispered, “But, Eli, I didn’t get the guards…?”

“I’m… lying, Myrla,” I sighed as I slapped the palm of my free hand on my forehead.

“Oh.” She lowered her head in embarrassment. “Oops.”

Wyll just narrowed his eyes, before letting his ice spear melt away. He held his hands up in the air like he was surrendering. But then he shook his head and spoke up. 

“Hmph, if I had known those two fools would be so incompetent, I wouldn’t have even brought them along. After all, I could have just let Varkhon deal with you three from the start.”

“Varkhon?” Myrla blinked.

And my eyes widened as I immediately understood what he was trying to do.

“Myrla, get back!” I called out as I backed away. 

As soon as the words left my mouth, a crimson spell circle formed in the air above Wyll. And with a flash of light, a giant creature made from bone and flesh crashed down before him. The impact knocked both Sonia and I back, but Myrla managed to remain steady as she looked up in horror.

A giant wolf— about ten feet in length— stood there, protectively curling its body around Wyll. It was a twisted beast made from flesh and bone: its figure a horrible sight to see, only barely resembling the shape of a hound.

It was a mawdrith. 

A greater demon.

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