Staring at the approaching female warrior, Rogue forced himself to calm down. Outrunning her was impossible. As for fighting, one-on-one duels between low-level warriors and low-level mages always had the same outcome. Although Rogue couldn't clearly gauge Keevey's strength, he knew she had to be at least level seven or eight. Even if she were only a level three warrior, judging by her full armor, she could easily handle him with just one magic ring. The only plan now was to lure her into his small building; only with the help of those traps did he stand any chance.
His mind made up, Rogue began surveying his surroundings, preparing to make a run for it. Behind him lay ruins where many poor people had built shabby shanties. Ahead, through the alley and another five hundred meters, was his building. Unfortunately, Keevey was blocking his only path.
Rogue retreated to the alley entrance, stood firm, and began chanting an incantation. Keevey sneered coldly, watching him, her greatsword dragging behind her, waiting for him to finish his spell. A red light flashed between Rogue's hands, and two Magic Missiles flew towards the female warrior, striking her squarely on the chest. Thump, clatter! A blue light flickered and died on her breastplate. Keevey was unharmed. Rogue loudly began the chant for Finger of Flame. A jet of flame shot out, again blocked by the blue light on her breastplate. Clearly, this was a magic-resistant armor; even a poor one would handle Rogue's spells without issue.
Cold sweat dripped from Rogue's forehead, the fat on his face trembling. Just as he was about to chant a third spell, the female warrior's figure suddenly vanished. The next moment, Keevey was right in front of him, their noses almost touching. A tremendous force slammed into Rogue's abdomen. Even with his robust physique, he couldn't withstand it. Blergh! He vomited everything he had eaten that day. Keevey then smashed the hilt of her sword into his back, sending him sprawling to the ground. She kicked him fiercely several times until blood flowed from his nose and mouth. With a flick of her foot, she rolled him onto his back. Weren't you tough she snarled viciously. Wanted to have me, didn't you Come on then! Let me see what you've got! Can you satisfy me As she spoke, she planted her foot on Rogue's crotch, her leather boot trimmed with silver grinding down brutally.
Rogue's face instantly turned the color of liver. He couldn't even scream. His hands desperately clutched her boot, futilely trying to move the foot. With a cruel smile, Keevey ground down a few more times heavily before releasing him. Rogue gasped for air, clutching his injured area and rolling around frantically, emitting occasional groans of agony. Keevey looked at the blood-smeared fat man with disgust and spat, What's this Can't handle just this much Are you even a man Your grandma here hasn't even started using her real skills! Today, you're going to experience them all, one by one.
The female warrior set her greatsword aside. Suddenly, she noticed Rogue staring past her into the depths of the alley, a flicker of joy in his eyes. Keevey sneered inwardly. Such a cheap trick, trying to fool me Nonetheless, she turned her head, pretending to fall for it, waiting for Rogue to either attack her or try to run so she could catch him again. These stupid nobles, never any new tricks.
A soft thwip sounded behind her. Keevey immediately knew something was wrong. A sharp pain erupted on her buttock. A short crossbow bolt was buried to the hilt in her fair skin. Her waist was protected by very short skirt armor, Rogue had shot from a low angle, and combined with Keevey's tall stature, the bolt had found a truly unfortunate spot.
Shame and rage flooded Keevey's heart. She grabbed her greatsword, intent on chopping this despicable fatso to pieces. As she turned, a sharp pain shot from her wound, making stars flash before her eyes. The pain then turned numb and tingling; clearly, the bolt was poisoned. Reaching back, she felt only blood—the short bolt was completely embedded in the flesh. Keevey took a deep breath, shouted, and a faint white light briefly enveloped her body before fading. Rogue's heart sank. Battle Aura! Whether he could survive long enough for the anesthetic on the bolt to take effect was now highly uncertain.
Although Keevey used her Battle Aura to temporarily suppress the drug's effect, she couldn't spare a hand to pull the bolt out, nor could she pull it out from that spot with the despicable fatso right in front of her. Better to finish this quickly, deal with him first. By now, Rogue had gotten to his feet and started chanting another spell. A thin stream of flame shot towards her. Keevey didn't dodge, instead accelerating her charge. Just as the flame was about to hit, a fierce light shone in Rogue's eyes. Keevey's breastplate, along with the undergarment beneath it, was suddenly flipped upwards by an invisible hand, and the flame scorched the exposed skin.
The sensation of a sudden burn on such a sensitive area was unbearable even for someone of Keevey's strength. She screamed in pain and crouched down. As soon as she recovered slightly, she immediately pulled her breastplate back down to cover herself. This humiliation made her lose all reason. Just then, Rogue suddenly pounced on her, punching and kicking. Though his moves were unrefined, he was agile and his blows powerful—nothing like a mage or someone seriously injured! Shocked, Keevey blocked the flurry of attacks and was about to counter when Rogue rushed past her and scampered off down the alley.
Keevey nearly fainted from fury. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she gave chase.
Rogue twisted and turned ahead, finally reaching a small building. He pulled the door open and slipped inside. Good! Now I know your dog kennel. Let's see you run now! The female warrior charged forward, kicked the door down, but immediately felt dizzy, her wounds throbbing more intensely. She took a deep breath; the cool night air cleared her head a little. Just then, the sound of panicked stumbling over furniture came from the second floor. The fury in the female warrior's chest ignited once more. She charged up the stairs towards the second floor.
The female warrior leaped forward, her right foot just touching a stair when—Crack!—the step plank gave way. Unfazed, Keevey kicked her left foot downwards in mid-air, her body rising instead of falling. Fearing more traps, she tapped her greatsword on the staircase, propelling herself further upwards. Swish! Swish! Two crossbow bolts shot towards her from the air. The female warrior swung her sword, deflecting them, but in doing so, she snapped a nearly invisible fine wire. A flash of lightning—a lightning trap on the adjacent wall activated. Unable to dodge in mid-air, Keevey was instantly electrocuted, her whole body going numb as she crashed to the floor. Fortunately, the trap wasn't very powerful, and her magic-resistant gear helped. After a moment of dizziness and blurred vision, she recovered.
Hearing a triumphant and grating laugh from the second floor, Keevey gritted her teeth and charged upwards again. Just as she rounded the corner—BAM! A tremendous crash. Stars exploded before her eyes again as she was flung backwards, landing heavily on the floor. An invisible, transparent energy barrier had been placed there. The trap flickered a few times after the heavy impact and lost its power. But Keevey lay on the ground, unable to get up immediately.
Using her greatsword for support, the female warrior struggled to her feet and descended the stairs. Who knows what other tricks this damned building holds I'll have to let this bastard go for now and come back tomorrow to burn this pigsty to the ground, she thought hatefully.
A puff of black mist drifted by. The skeleton Fengyue stood blocking the female warrior's path.
Rogue wasn't faring well either. His mana was exhausted, his injuries were significant, and summoning Fengyue was his last resort. He slumped on the second floor, watching the battle below. It was relatively safe here; if Keevey tried to charge up, at least three more traps awaited her. Fengyue seemed different from before. It now had a rusty sword, and its ribs seemed complete.
Keevey steadied herself and slashed her greatsword diagonally at Fengyue's neck. The skeleton raised its rusty blade to block. Using the momentum, the female warrior deftly arced her greatsword around for another slash at the skeleton's neck bone. The skeleton, unable to block in time, raised its left arm to intercept. How could it stop a heavy sword Crunch! The arm bone was cleanly severed. Fengyue wobbled and fell to the ground, motionless.
Keevey snorted coldly. So this trash knows a bit of necromancy after all. Pity it's so weak it can only summon one skeleton. She stepped over the skeleton on the floor and headed for the door.
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind. Keevey knew it was bad. She dropped into a sudden squat, holding her greatsword vertically behind her back. Clang! A rusty sword slammed heavily into the greatsword. Before she could react, a fierce kick landed squarely on the wound on her buttock. Keevey looked back. It was the skeleton Fengyue. She couldn't help but gasp. A skeleton playing dead
For the first time, Keevey found this small building sinister and terrifying.
Rogue was also dumbfounded.
Another chaotic fight ensued between the female warrior and the skeleton. The difference in strength was too great, and Keevey gradually gained the upper hand. Just as she was about to shatter the skeleton for good, another puff of black mist appeared—Rogue, seeing the situation turning sour, had recalled Fengyue.
Thud! Another wave of dizziness hit Keevey. Before losing consciousness, she vaguely saw the fat man holding an iron rod, leering down at her.