Chapter 68: The Outside Is All My People
“I’ll kill your horse first—”
The Shadow Thief’s mentality exploded. He could still chase, but he had little Psionics left and didn’t dare to Adventure.
They were not far from the shore. The Dock was already surrounded by people. If they were any later, they probably wouldn’t be able to leave. The Shadow Thieves Guild was very strong, but enemies were everywhere.
‘Fey Step, into the air.’ Anse feared Nolnos getting hurt and hurriedly urged.
The Shadow Thief’s Blade hadn’t fallen yet when his vision blurred. He and the horse appeared simultaneously in the air fifty or sixty meters high, with a dense crowd below.
And Anse had already firmly locked onto him.
“”
「Metamagic」+「Quicken Spell」+「Hold Person」!
The Shadow Thief’s mind sank, and a Paralysis sensation came over his body, but he quickly forced it away.
In that brief gap, Nolnos’s Whip Tail whistled past, sweeping him and the Grappling Hook off the horse’s back together, tearing off a strip of bloody flesh.
Anse raised a hand and pointed, casting Feather Fall on the Shadow Thief, then two seconds later on Nolnos. Due to the speed difference, the man and horse instantly pulled apart nearly twenty meters.
At this moment, his face was pale, his head throbbed terribly, and he had only a few points of Mana left, but he didn’t dare to Spellcast again.
“Shoot him dead, I’ll pay a thousand Gold Coins—” He pulled out his Holy Symbol and shouted loudly to the crowd below.
“Whoosh—” Finn, who arrived first, drew his bow and shot.
Seeing someone act first, the other Adventurers no longer hesitated. Dense Arrows, Flying Axes, and Bullets flew toward the slowly falling Shadow Thief.
“Whoosh whoosh… Bang…”
The Shadow Thief seethed with dark hatred. He had been schemed against repeatedly, and his anger completely overrode his reason, but he knew there was no chance this time. Preserving his life was paramount.
However, Nolnos’s Teleport and Whip Tail strikes had deliberately forced him toward the Dock. Now he was a bit far from the Sea Surface. With no choice, he took several Arrows head-on and flung his Psi Blade toward the crowd diagonally below.
Anse had been watching him closely. Seeing this, he forcibly focused his mind and activated the Spell Storing Ring.
Three Fire Rays flashed and vanished in the air, blending in with the Arrows, utterly unremarkable.
【…Shadow Thief Elite hit, takes 23 Fire Damage, current Health 8/68】
“Ah—” The Shadow Thief wailed, and his figure instantly vanished from the air.
「Mind Teleport」 is not as convenient as true Teleport. It first shapes a Psi Blade, then throws it. Teleport activates only after the Psi Blade reaches the target location.
The Shadow Thief’s Psionics were nearly depleted. He wanted to Teleport at the moment the Psi Blade arrived, being too greedy.
“He’s there—” Anse timely pointed out the direction to the crowd.
Mind Teleport’s maximum Distance is over twenty meters, excelling in surprise. If someone understood the mechanism, they could predict it in advance.
Thus, as soon as the Shadow Thief landed and took two steps, a Great Axe blocked him.
After a withdrawing step to dodge, a sword stabbed from behind. He instinctively sidestepped and slashed upward, severing a hand, blood spraying several meters.
“Ah—”
“Elite thief, everyone be careful—”
Thief is a general term for Rogue, not specifically the Thief Subclass.
The crowd above regained their senses and retreated, forming a large circle.
The Shadow Thief tore off his tattered Hood, wanting to reach for his Pouch, but found the strap long broken. He helplessly scanned around, despair gradually filling his eyes.
“How could this happen? I clearly had every advantage…”
“Which stupid thief dares to cause trouble in Silver Scale Bay? Courting death!” Ragna roared, not giving the Shadow Thief a chance to retort, and charged with her axe.
She had heard someone was causing trouble at Silver Scale Trading Post. She arrived at the Dock just in time to see someone chasing Anse. She wanted to intervene, but couldn’t keep up for a moment.
The two didn’t travel on foot—one flashed after another, from ground to Sea Surface, then from Sea Surface to air, leaving onlookers baffled.
The gravely wounded Shadow Thief was weakened. His defense and Reaction were far inferior to before. Facing Ragna’s furious attacks, he couldn’t even parry, let alone dodge easily.
Never think Barbarians are slow. A Barbarian’s Core Attributes are Strength, with explosive Athleticism—fast running, high jumps, strong defense, plus extra “two attacks.” At level 2, they have Danger Sense, and even Reaction isn’t poor.
Even two or three levels higher, a Rogue can’t go toe-to-toe with a Barbarian.
Actually, from the moment the Shadow Thief decided to chase onto the sea and failed to kill Anse quickly, he was doomed, because Anse had some “Prestige” in Silver Scale Bay.
“Bang—”
Ragna’s clever axe haft counterstrike smashed into the Shadow Thief’s chest, sending him flying, the sound of cracking bones clearly audible.
The Shadow Thief made no sound, rolled to his feet, trying to blend into the crowd. A Flying Axe thudded into the back of his head, flipping him to the ground.
The crowd parted. Ragna strolled over, stomped on the Shadow Thief’s head, yanked out her Hand Axe forcefully, shook off the brain matter casually, and hung it back on her waist.
“What are you looking at? Those who participated in the Combat stay. Everyone else, disperse.”
【…Target Death, gain 810 Combat Experience】
Anse heard the Combat prompt and completely slumped on Nolnos’s back. His brain was foggy, his arms felt like a thousand pounds, and the King Butterfly Cloak draped over him like a rain-soaked butterfly.
If this were a game, he would definitely have an Exhaustion Status now.
Brat and Emon, who had come searching, stood one on each side in front of him, barring anyone from approaching.
Finn opened a Healing Potion and held it to Anse’s mouth. Anse shook his head slightly: “Give it to Nolnos.”
Only then did Finn notice a long claw mark on Nolnos’s back, with a large chunk of scales and flesh missing. On a person, that would be at least a serious injury.
Nolnos looked dopey, but in a fight, he was ruthless, silent even when injured—a tough guy, no, a tough Fey.
Finn poured a whole bottle of Healing Potion down its throat and another on the wound.
Healing Potions work internally and externally. Common quality restores 2d4+2, or 4-10. For Nolnos with 46 Health, one bottle wasn’t quite enough, but fortunately, it was just a light wound this time.
As Nolnos’s injury improved, faint lights appeared on Anse’s chest too. The Psi Blade wound rapidly healed and soon vanished.
He and Nolnos shared 「Life Link」. When one restored Life, the other restored the same amount of Life.
This trait was very useful. For example, if Anse were gravely wounded or triggered 「Death Ward」 and couldn’t use Potions, having Nolnos drink nearby would save his life. It was unknown if it triggered at full Health.
Heavy footsteps approached, followed by two pats on the Saddle, thudding loudly.
“You okay? You look really drained.”
Anse opened his eyes. Ragna’s big face loomed large in front of him, startling him.
He mustered his spirits, sat up straight, and took a breath: “Minor Problem. You killed a Shadow Thief—no fear of retaliation?”
“I’m scared, haha…” Ragna laughed as if hearing something hilarious, for a full ten seconds. “I didn’t know fear as a kid. Grown up, I learned to do the right thing at the right time.”
“Impressive. Sounds simple, but hard to do.” Anse shook his head slightly. After this major crisis, he felt a bit more reflective in his heart.
“I heard everything. They’re searching for those troublemaking Adventurers, but quite a few people got hurt…” Ragna trailed off.
Anse understood instantly and called up: “Brat.”
“Here.”
Anse removed the Bag of Holding and handed it to him: “For the injured and those who fought—share it out. Don’t be stingy.”
“Got it. Rest easy.” Brat nodded solemnly.
After the smoke appeared and the crowd panicked, Nolnos had injured many to save him—collisions, tramplings. To claim no guilt would be false, but as long as no one died, money could make amends.
“You glow when you spend money.” Ragna wasn’t surprised but still full of admiration.
Professionals bustle for money, right? Maybe not at first, but in the busyness, they forget their original intent. So-called dreams fade, leaving only selfish desires.
Seeing she didn’t mention Loot, Anse had to remind her: “I’ll pay the Bounty. I want a share of the Loot on the Shadow Thief.”
“Just praised you. Don’t worry, all yours. The corpse is mine.” Ragna laughed.
“What do you want the corpse for?” Anse asked, puzzled.
“To verify identity. If he’s on the wanted list, I’m rich. That money’s not yours.”
“All yours.” Anse waved it off. He knew bounty money from wanted criminals wasn’t easy to claim, even with Ragna’s official status.
Besides, claiming the Bounty would slap the Shadow Thieves Guild in the face. They wouldn’t let it go.
Clop clop clop—light hoofbeats approached. Gweneth in her moon-white Robe, expression calm, but her gaze kept turning to Anse.
“Yo, arriving after the fight—you sure know how to pick your timing.” Ragna’s expression changed, suddenly sarcastic.
