Ren clenched his teeth and burst through the freezing veil of water, launching himself onto the slick stone ledge.
His body skidded across the wet surface, boots scraping hard to keep his balance.
In that instant, his blade slashed against the ashen-gray armor of the Fallen Elf. Sparks burst in a sharp flare, chipping away only a sliver of the enemy's HP bar.
"Level… around 16, maybe 18." Ren judged while retreating, his eyes narrowing as he calculated from the sliver of health lost.
The Fallen Elf retaliated with a sword strike that sliced the air apart. Ren tilted his body just in time, the blade grazing past his shoulder, leaving only a faint cut across his armor.
The creature's breath was cold as frost, violet eyes glowing fiercely as they locked onto Ren.
Strong, but not overwhelming. Ren realized he wasn't like the Fallen and Forest Elf elites he had faced back on the third floor. This one was no elite.
"I could take him…" Ren thought, then shook his head. "But not now… I don't have the time before the others notice."
The crashing water behind urged him onward. He had to escape...now.
Ren lunged forward, sword flashing through the mist. The Fallen Elf raised his blade to parry, steel clashed with a screech, sparks scattering as their shadows danced across the blackened stone.
Without losing rhythm, Ren snapped his wrist, swinging diagonally toward the enemy's exposed shoulder.
The Fallen Elf twisted aside, narrowly dodging, the loose folds of his gray cloak whipping in the damp air.
But his prediction was wrong. That strike had only been a feint.
The moment the Fallen Elf leaned to defend, Ren didn't follow. Instead, he bolted straight into the gap left open before him.
His toes slammed against the stone, his body shooting forward like an arrow tearing through the thick mist, leaving only the enraged scream echoing behind.
Ren tore down the rugged slope, loose stones clattering under his boots.
He had to get back to the boat. He had to leave this place before the entire lair descended upon him.
The echo of steel-toed boots rang through the suffocating mist.
That sound was like a flame in the dark, instantly drawing the eyes of the hidden sentries all around.
Shadows flickered behind the rocks, beneath the massive roots overhead, violet eyes glowing in the darkness.
Behind him, the hoarse roar of the Fallen Elf he'd escaped bellowed like a war horn, mixing with the thunder of the falls.
Metal clattered. Footsteps pounded closer.
"Damn it…" Ren snarled, pushing harder. His breath came ragged, every step hammering his lungs like they would burst, but he couldn't stop.
He darted glances at the dark gaps along the rocks. More Fallen Elves were shifting into position, short bows glinting in their hands.
The first arrow whistled past, slamming into the stone right beside his ear, bursting into a spray of crimson pixels.
Ren dropped low, rolling across the ground to avoid the next volley, then sprang up again, running as if the entire world were hunting him down.
Only one thought pounded in his head: "I have to reach the boat… or I'm finished."
Hot breath hissed between clenched teeth as Ren charged downhill like a beast driven to the edge. Ahead, the mist began to thin, revealing faint silver reflections, the lake surface lay just beyond.
"Almost there…" he growled, grip tightening on his sword hilt until the steel plates of his gauntlet scraped together with a sharp creak.
"Stop right there!"
The guttural bellow ripped through the mist, followed by the thunder of feet. Ren whipped his head around, heart seizing as three Fallen Elves fanned out into a semicircle, boxing him in.
Their bows were raised, arrowheads glowing with a sinister violet light in the fog.
"Damn it!" Ren cursed, body twisting as his sword flashed.
Slash! His furious strike forced the first one back, armor screeching beneath the steel.
In that same heartbeat, bowstrings snapped taut.
The first arrow ripped past as Ren ducked, wind slicing his ear...but the second struck true, piercing his left shoulder.
Pain exploded down his arm as his HP plummeted, crimson light flaring across his vision.
-122
His breath hitched, pixels bursting into red fragments.
He didn't stop. Ren surged forward, blade cleaving sideways, striking another Fallen Elf and sending him sprawling.
A gap opened. Without hesitation, Ren dove into it, sprinting straight toward the riverside.
Behind him, bowstrings snapped again and again.
Dozens of arrows screamed through the air, violet streaks slashing across the night. Ren twisted into a zigzag sprint, boots scraping hard against the slick stone. But he couldn't avoid them all.
One arrow buried deep into his side.
-123
A strangled cry tore from his throat, cold sweat soaking his skin. His ankle faltered for half a beat, but he forced himself onward.
Another shaft speared into his arm, punching through cloth where there was no armor.
-90
His arm went numb, his grip quivering. Red pixels bled from his body, scattering into the mist like droplets of blood dissolving into fog.
More arrows clanged against his breastplate, sparks bursting.
The impact staggered him, but the sturdy armor deflected the shots, snapping the shafts apart.
Breath rasped harsh between his teeth, heart hammering like a war drum in his chest.
Ren's eyes narrowed, vision trembling under the crimson haze of damage bleeding across his sight, smearing the slick stone in streaks of red.
The lakeshore was right ahead. Just a few dozen more steps.
But the pounding footsteps and metallic clamor closing in told him the worst, the enemy was catching up, the noose drawing tighter.
Dark figures of Fallen Elves advanced from both sides, their blades gleaming like fangs through the fog.
And the only gap left in front of him… was closing fast.
Ren clenched his teeth, every muscle pulled so tight it hurt. "Damn it… too slow… at this speed…"
The eerie gleam of a blade already filled the edge of his vision.
In that instant, Ren no longer hesitated. He snapped open his status window, fingers trembling as they tapped furiously. Six free attribute points, every single one poured into Agility.
A scorching surge of energy ignited along his spine, rushing through his muscles like wildfire.
His body suddenly felt light as air. Tendons stretched taut, reflexes sharpened beyond instinct.
"Go!"
Ren grit his teeth and lunged. His whole body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, tearing through the gap, just wide enough for one man.
Blades slashed past, cutting nothing but air, snagging only the hem of his cloak.
Metal screeched behind him, blending with the furious curses of the Fallen Elves.
He was through, at least past the first ring of their encirclement.
Finally, Ren broke through to the edge of the area. The gondola he had hidden beneath a cluster of trees was still there, half afloat, half sunken.
But it was more than ten meters away, and the Fallen Elves were still closing in from behind.
A sword cleaved down, splitting the air with a shriek. Ren twisted, catching the blow on his own blade, sparks exploding to light the fog.
The force rattled his arms, muscles straining beneath the crushing weight.
"Out of my way!" Ren snarled, suddenly twisting on his heel. Using the force of the bind, he shoved himself backward, gasping a deep breath before throwing himself forward like a beast hunted to its last breath.
Arrows flew, one, two, three… but Ren never slowed.
His boots slammed down on a slab of rock jutting over the lake. With a final leap, his body soared across the gap, breaking through the misty spray as he hurled himself into the dark river below.
Icy water swallowed him whole. For an instant, his entire body went numb, his lungs threatening to burst.
But when he surfaced, his hand was already clutching the edge of the boat. With a violent pull, Ren dragged himself aboard, soaked through, blood dripping to stain the river.
Above, silhouettes of Fallen Elves crowded the bank, violet eyes burning in the night as they drew their bows down toward him.
Ren didn't think. He vaulted into the gondola, seized the oar, and poured every ounce of strength into rowing. The boat rocked and lurched, nearly capsizing, before it steadied and began to drift away.
Arrows shrieked past in relentless volleys, stabbing into the water in bursts of white spray. One sliced across his cheek, another buried deep in the wooden deck, mere inches from his hand.
Ren clenched his teeth, head down, rowing furiously. Behind him, the Fallen Elves cursed and roared, but the boat was already gliding deeper into the suffocating mist, until only the splash of water and his own pounding heartbeat remained.
...
"Fools."
The word snapped through the damp cavern, louder than the hammering of forges echoing in the distance. The one who spoke was a Forest Elf with long golden hair, tangled and draped over a dark green cloak, eyes blazing with fury.
His hand slammed down onto the stone table, making the map upon it quake.
"One human boy. Just one boy! And you still let him escape." His voice grated through clenched teeth, each word heavy as falling stone. "Do you realize how much he heard? If that leaks out, this entire plan will turn to ashes!"
Silence reigned for several beats. Then, from the shadows, came a rasping, mocking chuckle.
"Whether the plan fails or not doesn't rest in the hands of a child."
The speaker was a Fallen Elf, his face gaunt, one eye scarred and blinded by an old cut, his ashen skin reflecting the dim firelight like smoldering coal.
He squinted his remaining eye, lips curling into a jagged sneer.
"You're far too quick to anger, Thaliondir." He stretched out each syllable, deliberately stressing the division. "Instead of shrieking like a madman, perhaps you should ask yourself, where has that noble pride you Elves always boast of gone? Or did it vanish along with this pathetic failure?"
The air froze in an instant.
The Forest Elves behind the golden-haired commander gripped their weapons tight, eyes burning as if ready to leap and tear the mocker apart.
The commander tilted his head slightly, golden locks falling to shadow half his face, his gaze sharp and cold as a blade slicing through the suffocating mist of the cavern.
"Varzak…" Thaliondir's voice rasped low and harsh, each syllable ground out between his teeth, thick with both contempt and fury.
"Don't forget, this stain is yours as well. And when the truth comes to light… do you truly believe the Dark Elves will spare any of you?"