Chapter Sixty-One: Rampage
2014-11-28
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
—
Clang!
Soren jumped directly from a five-meter-high rock, and immediately slashed down at the werewolf warrior’s head.
The opponent blocked the curved blade with his weapon, but was forced back two steps by the impact of the jump. Suddenly, his footing gave way and he lost his balance. Ignoring the numbness in his legs, Soren lunged forward, bending low as he slashed diagonally at the opponent’s chest, splattering blood that hit his face. The smell of blood ignited Soren’s thirst for battle, and he kicked the werewolf in the groin, causing the creature to convulse in pain.
Sliding forward for a stab.
Soren withdrew his knife and stabbed into the opponent’s chest, then kicked him down the ten-meter-high cliff.
The resilient life of the werewolf struggled in mid-air, and only after a thud upon hitting the ground did it cease to exist. Soren sheathed his knife and glanced at the approaching werewolves before preparing to scramble up a wall to evade.
Clang!
A whoosh sounded from behind his head.
It turned out that a werewolf, unable to catch up to Soren, had thrown its weapon, nearly striking him in the head. Werewolves found it inconvenient to use ranged weapons, so except for a few advanced scouts, most were equipped for melee. Soren assessed the direction, rolled down the rock face, and by the time three to five werewolves reached the top, he had already returned to a mid-slope position.
Swoosh!
He calmly reloaded his crossbow and hit a werewolf, the bolt piercing its eye, while another bolt struck a werewolf’s arm.
The opponent howled, pulling the bolt out.
Soren did not rush for the kill; he knew he could outmaneuver the werewolves. They simply lacked his agility and didn’t possess his 20 points of extraordinary physique. The werewolves who had climbed to the summit were already panting; despite their fierce anger, they had no way of dealing with Soren since he refused to confront them directly, simply utilizing distance and terrain to shoot.
Kiting.
The combat style that heavy armored warriors despise.
Because moving slowly in heavy armor made it easy for enemies to stay at a distance and kill them with ranged weapons.
You run if they chase, they chase if you run.
Soren maintained a distance of over fifteen meters, even when the werewolves spread out to encircle him; the barren summit provided enough space for him to maneuver. Werewolves are humanoid creatures; they lack the leaping ability of true wolves and only possess above-average strength and speed.
Soren was still unperturbed.
He quickly loaded another bolt while shooting at the three aggressive werewolves rushing forward.
Screams ensued.
One werewolf was hit in the chest, while the other two seemed to be stirred by ferocity, disregarding terrain and lunging directly at Soren, even attempting to tackle him off the cliff.
In an instant.
Soren’s waist plunged as he narrowly evaded an incoming iron hammer; the werewolf that charged at him screamed as it fell from the ten-meter-high cliff.
Two to three werewolves closed in gradually.
Soren expressionlessly sheathed his crossbow, then drew his curved blade, charging toward the isolated werewolf. As he faced the crashing club, he dove to the side to avoid it, feeling a sharp stone graze across his back, instantly leaving a bloody mark. However, he also evaded the attack in that moment, slashing the curved blade beneath the opponent’s arm, opening a gash.
Bang!
The wolf mace slammed onto the stone, causing a shower of debris; Soren kicked up the dust and rock, then dove upwards, slashing toward the werewolf’s waist.
The werewolf’s skull was solid; it couldn’t be pierced by strong bolts, and the knife lacked the power to finish it off effectively.
Blood and guts scattered everywhere.
The enraged werewolf, ignoring its waist wound, opened its wide mouth and lunged at Soren’s neck.
Bang!
Soren twisted and gripped his knife tightly. As the werewolf’s gaping maw drew nearer, he bit down hard and charged forward.
Several teeth flew out; Soren crashed into the werewolf, becoming slightly dazed as he sent the creature tumbling, leaving its face a bloody mess. The resilience of his extraordinary physique showed at this moment; Soren was only a bit dizzy for less than a second before recovering. He swung his curved blade, cleanly decapitating the werewolf.
Blood streamed down over his brow, as the earlier collision had left a one-inch cut on his forehead from the werewolf’s teeth.
Simple and brutal.
Technique is not about how many tricks you can play, but about fighting in the most direct and effective way in the moment of life and death.
Blood trickled down from the corner of his eyes, the werewolf’s blood splattering into his eyes. Soren’s vision turned red; he wiped his eyes, then took a deep breath, gripping his knife tightly, standing in place to wait.
The number of enemies was dwindling!
He had already taken down seven or eight; the enraged werewolf leader had charged in.
If he killed it, the enemies would soon collapse.
The consecutive battles had drained a considerable amount of his stamina, and there was little point in continuing to run. He still had five uses of Shadow Assassination left, which could bypass physical defenses with energy damage, enough for him to take down the werewolf leader in a short time. Soren’s figure seemed a bit hazy under the shadows; when the enraged werewolf leader appeared, he lunged out like a cheetah.
Clang!
The werewolf leader blocked the strike with its wolf mace, but the intangible energy gnawed at its arm, staining its flesh a dull hue.
— Shadow Assassination.
As long as it made contact with the target, it could cause energy damage that bypassed physical defenses. The 6 points of shadow damage were insufficient to be fatal, but enough to disrupt the enemy’s attack rhythm. Soren slashed down horizontally; with every attack, he also activated the shadow energy within him. This was the nearly spell-like ability fused from the shadows, which could eventually allow thieves to transform into semi-shadow forms of extraordinary life.
Clang!
The werewolf leader blocked his assault again, but its body trembled involuntarily.
The shadow energy further consumed the target; with 12 points of shadow damage, it felt like being slashed. The werewolf finally detected the peculiar energy in Soren’s attacks, and as Soren swung his blade again, it retreated to dodge. The gathered shadow energy dissipated, leaving Soren with only two uses of Shadow Assassination remaining. Since the gathering time for shadow energy was short, it would fade quickly without a concentrated target. Nearby werewolves had rushed over, and Soren could even hear the howls of wolves behind him.
— Sword Intent!
All the muscles in his body tightened, concentrating all his power in a single line; in an instant, he leaped for a slash, the curved blade glimmering in the light as it cut off the werewolf leader’s wrist. Then he pivoted and swung the knife horizontally towards its head. A fountain of blood erupted; the head of the werewolf leader was directly severed. The headless corpse lifted the wolf mace in a shaky manner before finally collapsing with a thud.
Roar!
Soren lifted the werewolf leader’s head with one hand, unleashing a deafening roar towards the werewolves closing in nearby.
The wild roar echoed atop the mountain.
The nearby rushing werewolves froze momentarily, then howled as they revealed their fangs. Their gazes remained fierce, but a hint of fear began to show.
Soren exerted all his strength to roar again, then lifted the leader’s head high.
He surveyed the surroundings with fierce eyes, tightening his grip on the curved blade again.
Ooo ooo ooo!
Like a frightened lone wolf, the howls of the werewolves dropped dramatically; they looked around at their dwindling companions and finally felt fear, turning to flee into the forest.
They were afraid!
Soren watched the werewolves in morale collapse and flee, casually tossing away the werewolf leader’s head, then plopping down on the ground, nervously laughing. Although the battle lasted only about ten minutes, the high-intensity combat had caused his palms to tremble slightly; if this group of werewolves didn’t break down soon, he would really have to resort to life-threatening techniques.
Injuries for injuries.
The drow elf instructor had told him in the Underdark that unless he was ready to die, it was better not to use them.
That was a combat skill utilized by drow assassins when executing nearly fatal missions.
As if recalling experiences from the underground world, Soren nervously smiled again, then dusted himself off and stood up. He had once been one of the notorious violent thieves in the Underdark, with many believing he should have taken on the roles of Sword Saint and Berserker rather than advancing to become a Stealth Assassin. But only he understood that in those perilous places, whether in the pitch-black Underdark or the demon-infested Abyssal Realm, warriors could never enjoy the freedom of wanderers.
A line of data floated up:
“Battle has ended.”
“After a tough battle, your skills have improved! … You have successfully taunted the werewolves! … You have successfully intimidated the werewolves! …”
“Intimidation +10, Taunt +5, Evasion +2, Evasion +1, Parry +1, Wilderness Survival +2.”
“You have mastered the combat skill—Sword Intent.”
………………
