Fog cloaked the cold, blocky city, dimming the moonlight until it seemed to be infused–as if the moon was now a mist of white swaying in the night, dissolving around the Drow Rangers.
One of them did her job as usual, watching. She held a bow in her hand, ready to draw. Everything she does was for the Matriarch, even this assignment.
In this thick yet light mist, it was hard to spot anything. So when they came, all that remained of her was a dead body and two wrenching sounds.
Suna watched as the Drow Ranger fell. He quickly lurched forward and grasped the Drow to lay her down carefully.
One arrow pierced her neck and another through her heart. His arrow, the one that got her heart, embedded deep, and blood started to leak from it.
Suna glanced at Min, who already crouched on the corner of the roof, eyes intent to find their next target. Min was the one who got the kill. Per their agreement, this meant the Rune belonged to Suna.
He drew his obsidian sword and angled it after he laid down his bow. The handle was a bit too coarse for his liking; these would undoubtedly make practice hard in the future. Suna jabbed into the Drow's body, parting her skin. After three tries, he finally destroyed the Rune.
[Rune of Dexterity]
[Feat Earned: Ten Runes] – Runes are a source of power. Ten of them have made you one of the most dangerous living beings. Such a feat spoke for your growing power. +10 All Status.
Name: Suna Amor
Level. 11
Class: [Archer]
Rune: 9 → 10
Feat: 4 → 5
Mana: 178/200 → 199/300
Class Skill (3/8):
- Archer Sense [Common]
- Archer Backstep [Common]
- Mana Arrow [Uncommon]
General Skill (2/8):
- Quick Draw [Common]
- Drowfication [Rare]
Strength: 140 → 150
Dexterity: 195 → 225 → 235
Vitality: 20 →30
Arcanery: 20 →30
Sense: 45 → 55
Huh, the office worker was not joking about the Runes. Noa—the rugby player, had probably already gotten it first, to be fair.
Min raised an arm, and she sliced her hand upside down in a chopping motion, a sign for them to go.
He was impressed by her ability to sneak in, but what was more terrifying was her ability to lead Suna straight at the Drow Ranger’s back. Both of them had a relatively easy shot earlier because of her, and it was satisfying when his arrow parted the mist and landed at the Drow.
They jumped over toward the next building, running along the graveyard. Suna could not see it thanks to the mist. If they wanted to scout closer, then they had to drop down. But the ultimate objective for now was to take down the Rangers.
Min suddenly held up a fist and knelt. Suna stopped right beside her, and they got on their stomachs with the bow lying on their sides.
“You know, I could give you the Rune; you need it more.”
“Oh, shush. The one who gets the kill has to share the Rune; let's not make it more complicated than that.”
“But what if I land a Rune shot?”
“You think too highly of yourself,” Min smirked, eyes glinting within the mist. “Those chances are very low. Now, I've seen another one,” she pointed straight.
“Are we going?”
“Yes, but we will crouch.”
Suna groaned silently. They had practiced it a bit, and it wasn’t pleasant; he had to use his elbow to advance quickly.
“His eye on us. When he turns, I’ll give the signal.”
They began crawling, and Suna grunted as it felt like the hard roof was bludgeoning his elbow. But, regardless, he kept going forward. When they arrived at the edge of the roof, they needed to make a jump. But Min stopped him.
“Not yet”
Suna had the feeling Min could land the shot from here, but their strategy was for both of them to get in range for extra assurance. After all, if they missed, then Drow could scream out.
“Now, run.”
Min jumped, followed by Suna.
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He ran while keeping his foot light and only tapping up and down with the upper part of his leg, never letting his foot stomp.
When the figure of a male Drow Ranger entered his vision, Suna drew an arrow, Min beside him did the same, and she quietly whispered.
“Release”
Two arrow streaked through the air. His arrow impaled the Drow through his chest. And Min’s quite the groan that escaped his lips by shooting at his neck.
[You have slain Drow Ranger. Lvl 7]
[Rune of Bow]
Just when Suna was about to rush so he could catch the Drow corpse like they did earlier, a blue light materialized in front of him. A bow made out of ashen skin suddenly appeared in thin air.
Min managed to catch the Drow corpse, but the bow fell to the ground, clattering loudly against the rooftop.
[Sootwood Bow] [Uncommon] – A bow that was made to resemble the ashen skin of the Drow. Sootwood bows have a stronger stave than a common one.
Suna battled a need to scream. He handed the bow to Min, who took it and sent him a questioning look.
“A gift.”
“Right, thanks,” Min dropped her common bow, and her eyes gazed around, her body was clearly agitated.
“Anyone coming?”
“Yes, three of them actually. But, they’re not in a hurry. They probably didn’t think this was any trouble. Good, this can be good…” Min muttered.
Suna scratched the back of his head; that was careless of him. But, then again, he did not know that the item materializing would be right in front of him. The last two had appeared directly in his hand, hadn't they? He did not exactly remember how the Obsidian Bow came into being..
“Sorry, Suna, I did not expect that,” Min said absentmindedly.
“No, it was my fault too,” Suna said. “Now what do we do?”
“There’s really no place to hide the corpse; we fight, take two of them in one go.”
Suna nodded. He waited with only fog swirling around him, barely able to see the next roof. The moonlit fog almost blinded him entirely, and he hated this. Min, on the other hand, whispered.
“Three of them gathering together”
“Ein! Ramu Epapa? Nama Ul! Awuap dunr!”
Suna clenched his bow; the Drow were shouting instead of walking here. This was bad.
“Ah, goddam—another four was coming”
“All right, then we go back—”
“No, no. I might have a plan.”
Suna pulled his cloak around him, and it fluttered against him. The night wind did not allow him to be calm on the outside. But on the inside, he was dead calm. The plan was a simple one– dangerous but simple.
What was important was that they needed to take care of the three in front of them before facing the five behind, and they needed to do it fast.
So Suna walked in, and the figures of three Drow Rangers morphed into being from the fog.
Like a silent act of agreement, they drew their bows in unison. But Suna was faster. He let loose one arrow, his Obsidian bow thrummed, and his arrow slammed straight at a Drow’s head.
[You have slain Drow Ranger. Lvl 7]
[Level Up]
Two arrows were fired at him. And Suna skidded back. In an instant, fog pushed aside by his speed, and both arrows flew harmlessly past. Suna had another arrow drawn in an instant. He released his shot, just as Min’s arrow joined, straight at a Drow’s throath.
His arrow sank into a male Drow's stomach, not killing him. That was dangerous; there might be a chance for that overpowered skill.
Suna was about to run and finish the Drow. But then, Min was there with a knife carved from glinting steel, and she delivered it straight at the Drow’s throat. Blood jumped up, killing the Drow who managed only to croak.
Min glanced beyond the fog, and in fluid motion, she stabbed down on the Drow's left chest. “They’re coming!”
Suna drew a sharp breath. He was not going to complain about the runes. Min will probably offer him the four they will take down anyway.
Min dragged two of the Drows’ bodies to him. Suna also went ahead and carried the last one; they stacked all three on top of each other. Suna ran back and grasped the fourth body of the Drow. Now with four dead bodies stacked as a barricade, they knelt, hiding their entire bodies with only their eyes picking through various gaps.
Blood still slithered from the Drows, coloring their dark tunics darker.
Metallic odor reeked with the unpleasant tang of rancid and foul miasma. Suna just reminded himself that the Drow were a virus, not a race. Was being this close to their blood safe? He did not think about that when Min proposed the plan. But now he just had to tough it.
“Anytime soon,” Min whispered. She drew an arrow. Suna followed. He drew as he knelt, still keeping his body protected by the barrier.
The fog convulsed, and four blurred figures rushed straight at the body barricade. Flesh parted, and the barricade held. Min and Suna let their arrows fly. He missed, and Min did too.
Suna grumbled softly. He shot again fast, but he missed again, the arrow flying into the sky. He managed to duck when one of the arrows nearly split his brain.
Min managed to impale a Drow's leg; he cried out, but still able to shoot, he released an arrow straight at the barricade that shielded Suna’s neck.
Suna decided to take a risk; he hovered over the barricade, and with the bountiful array of targets, he chose the middle one. His arrow streaked across, ripping a female Drow's throat. Her neck wrenched, and she crashed down to the roof.
[You have slain Drow Ranger. Lvl 7]
He ducked almost immediately.
Three arrows flitted to the night sky, seeing the chance, Min rose and finished the fallen Drow, cutting off his cries.
Suna stood again ans sent forth an arrow that dug into a male Drow’s shoulder. When Suna was about to draw again, however, an arrow slammed into his right shoulder. He cried out as a blazing pain pierced through him. He breathed out and briefly heard Min calling for him. His eyes were wide open, pain pushed in, creeping through his body like a slithering snake.
“Bloody—”
“Suna!” Min's hand moved; in her left was a health potion. “Fast, drink! They’re getting closer!”
Suna inched the vial, and his shoulder cried in pain. He hissed. Min couldn’t help him; she was still trading arrows with one of the Drows.
“They’re coming?” Suna asked as he angled the vial atop his mouth.
“One charging with a sword.” Min stood and released in a span of two seconds. “I missed.”
His shoulder was overwhelmed by a bubbling sensation, and the wound dissipated. Suna took a peek and saw a Male Drow charging with that curved great sword he had abandoned.
“Min! I’m breaking the barricade, take care of the archer!”
“Do it”
Suna watched as the sword wielder got closer.
The Drow screamed, and fog parted as he swung his sword. With a heave, Suna shouldered the barricade, corpses went tumbling down, and one dead Drow rolled straight at the charging male Drow’s charging legs.
His feet slipped, and he went crashing down.
The Drow raised his head only to see Suna bringing his obsidian sword down. He swung straight at the Drow’s head, and his sword parted the back of its skull, killing it in a gruesome breaking of flesh.
[You have slain Drow Ranger. Lvl 7]
[Level Up]
Suna quickly grasped for his bow and drew it to see that the female Drow had fallen with an arrow sticking from her chest on both sides.
“That’s all of them?” Suna asked.
“I think so,” Min huffed, drawing the smear of blood across her cheek.
“Min, that blood, it might be dangerous.”
“I know, I will drink the Health potion just to be sure. Take all the Rune Suna, they’re all yours. I already had three earlier”
Name: Suna Amor.
Level. 11 → 13
Class: [Archer]
Rune: 10 → 11
Feat: 5
Mana: 189/300
Class Skill (3/8):
- Archer Sense [Common]
- Archer Backstep [Common]
- Mana Arrow [Uncommon]
General Skill (2/8):
- Quick Draw [Common]
- Drowfication [Rare]
Strength: 150 → 160
Dexterity: 235 → 270
Vitality: 30 → 34
Arcanery: 30 → 34
Sense: 55 → 66
