They’re not dead yet.
No system notification came, which meant Suna couldn’t relax yet.
He dashed forward with an arrow nocked on his bow. One Drow Warrior fumbled into her hip, reaching for a potion. Suna skidded to a stop. He aimed and shot her. The arrow dug into her neck, cutting her gurgling to a complete silence.
[You have slain Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
Suna drew another arrow, and he released it, piecing the other Drow's back. The last Drow groaned, and soon his breathing stopped.
[You have slain Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
Name: Suna Amor
Level. 3→5
Class: [Archer]
Rune: 2
Feat: 1
Mana: 120/120
Class Skill (2/5):
- Archer Sense [Common]
- Archer Backstep [Common]
General Skill (0/5):
Strength: 89→93
Dexterity: 33→41
Vitality: 12→14
Arcanery: 12→14
Sense: 24→28
[Select one skill to proceed]
[Quick Draw] [Common] – Break through your drawing speed. Quick Draw scales with Dexterity. Draw more arrows and in quick succession.
[Arrow Conjuring] [Uncommon] – It's not a stretch to say arrows are an archer's lifeline. Conjure an arrow at the cost of mana.
He stared blankly at the choices. A skill choice…how would even choose–shaking his head out of daze, Suna hurriedly grabbed the legs of the Drow Warriors. He pushed the female body off the man and began dragging them to a nearby house. Their weapons grated across the cobblestone street. Suna gritted his teeth at the sound they produced.
He laid them in front of the door.
Suna entered and quickly opened the door leading to the bathroom, the same circular pool as in the previous home. Hauling the Drow in, he stripped them of everything, their armor and arms. But most importantly, their water skins and potions. Each held one potion in a long but small vial.
He dumped their bodies into the pool, wondering if cutting them apart was necessary. Maybe if he got better with the bow, he could perhaps destroy the rune with a shot. But doing so now felt incredibly disrespectful and harrowing.
The next minute passed by. Blood slithered down his hand, and he kept searching for the Rune.
In the end, he found them. Suna immediately crushed them.
[Rune Of Dexterity]
[Skill Rune]
[Mana Arrow] [Uncommon] – Manifested arrow made purely out of Mana. Mana Arrow effectiveness will scale with Arcanery.
Suna rested leaning against the bathroom wall, his hand slipped, marring blood across the wood. His stomach threatened to come up, bile rising. He gulped them all down, not just the puke but also what he just did. This was necessary.
Taking all the armor and arms off the floor. Suna left and closed the door, never intending to return. He climbed the second floor and opened the master bedroom. He sprawled everything down on the red, extravagant carpet. Suna dropped down on the bed. He closed his eyes, suddenly incredibly exhausted.
He drifted off to sleep, but as he closed his eyes, sleep did not come. He stayed there perhaps for another hour before finally reading over his newly gained skill. And this skill choice, too.
Mana Arrow, Suna tried to conjure them. The knowledge to create it entered his mind, as if it was always there. Mana pulsed around his hand, and an arrow of light blue materialized. It's no longer than a normal arrow; its fletching was also made of blue translucent color, and the whole arrow looked like it was mixed in with light.
This costs about five Mana for one arrow. Was that expensive? He did not know. But this does make Arrow Conjuring less necessary. Suna settled with Quick Draw
Name: Suna Amor
Level. 3→5
Class: [Archer]
Rune: 2→3
Feat: 1
Mana: 115/120
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Class Skill (3/5):
- Archer Sense [Common]
- Archer Backstep [Common]
- Mana Arrow [Uncommon]
General Skill (1/5):
- Quick Draw [Common]
Strength: 93
Dexterity: 41 → 61
Vitality: 14
Arcanery: 14
Sense: 28
Deciding he wasn't going to get any sleep soon, Suna inspected everything he had gained.
[Dark Leather Jerkin] [Uncommon] – Simple sleeveless chest guard made of tough dark leather.
One of them was ruined thanks to Suna’s arrow. These things barely protect the Drow from him. But he had nothing better to wear. Suna donned it, and it fit him well, although it was a bit too small for his liking.
[Iron Glaive] [Common] – Forged with the Drow's precious resources, each glaive was well-crafted and ready to use.
If it were a precious resource, assuming it's steel. Then why even waste it with this? Wouldn’t making a spear be a much better choice? Maybe Drow fighting style prefers a swing? Regardless, his curved saber was better than this glaive.
A weapon like this would no doubt take a lot of practice, and Suna hasn’t figured out how to use the saber properly yet, either.
He wondered what he should do with it. It's huge and would encumber him. maybe hiding it below the bed would be the best choice.
[Health Potion] [Common] – Life is precious, and should be protected. Drink a health potion to heal an injury.
Suna tucked the two vials into his hip; he had taken the Drow’s pouch and tied it.
Now, for perhaps his best find.
[Crossbow] [Common] – A repeated bolts tend to yield better results than a single arrow.
Both of them lay next to each other, their steel looked deadly with its gleam under the room shadow.
Suna decided to load a bolt into them; it didn’t take long to figure out. Five bolts loaded, and he aimed it at the vase on a shelf right next to the bed. Five bolts launched, and two of them hit, and just through the vase. But something bothered him. It did not have much power. Could it be that his Strength did not apply to a crossbow shot?
He cranked the crossbow again, and it took way too long for his liking. For now, Suna much preferred his bow. Maybe it was because of his Archer Sense, but he just didn't feel right holding the crossbow. Still, though, he took both of them since they weren't that big. He tied them around his sword sheath. And now he was ready to move.
The bed looked inviting, as if it was whispering to him to sleep.
Suna left the room and descended the stairs. He threw one last look at the bathroom, the smell of blood crept inside his nose. Suna opened the main door, and decided he would never come back here. In the end, he decided to take the glaive; maybe he would encounter a human who needed an extra weapon.
He began walking. Suna was confident there wouldn’t be any patrols close since he had just taken down two of them. He looked up, and the tower was as imposing as always. It's not just this one; there are dozens of them, the closest one was hidden by mist from his vision.
The hollow fog was a perfect cover for him. He pulled his cloak around him, covering his face, and began walking. Motes of ashes fell like a slow swaying rain, the path riddled with them, covering the marred blood he had just caused. He wondered if these ashes fell at a specific time; it was not this bad when he first arrived.
Each step brought him more and more worries; his mind drifted, and fog clung to him like a representation of his mind.
The air carried a stale, wet whiff of ashes. He breathed out, and they swirled in front of his mouth.
Suna decided to advance fast; he turned the two corners before he stopped.
Two Drow guards were lounging around the double gate leading to the tower entrance. With both of them outside, that meant only another Drow Warrior and the Drow Ranger were inside. They rested below a small canopy to ward off ashes from falling through the Double door if it was opened.
Suna crouched, he laid his glaive down, and wielded his bow. A plan was manifested in his mind. Suna got on all fours, and ashes falling on him as he crawled.
One of the Drow Warriors yawned. They were talking to each other, and one of them laughed. Both of the Drows were male, unlike the pair he had been killing.
Suna's body tensed. A voice shrieked from inside the tower. A man, the [Cleric], no doubt was screaming. His scream screeched through the air, and Suna winced, not wanting to imagine what he was going through.
He crawled forward this time much faster, disregarding silence as the Drow—Both of them were laughing at the man's voice.
Keep laughing. Let's see if that helps.
He arrived in front of his last house. Beyond was the circular cobbled street now ridden with ashes. The Drows were facing him, and would have seen him had they not joked and laughed with each other about the man's screaming.
Suna stood, and ashes danced around him. His hand flicked, and a bow and arrow were drawn in a second. Archer's sense came alive. Suna released an arrow. The bow snapped, and his arrow landed through, piercing one Drow's head.
Before the Drow even fell.
Suna skidded back with Archer Backstep. Ashes went fluttering up as he zipped back. The arrow was drawn to his ear, and his bow was begging for him to release it. But he waited for the Drow to notice him, and he did.
The Drow moved to aim his crossbow, but by then he had let his arrow fly. The arrow streaked through ashes and landed true to the Drow chest. The Drow Warriors crumpled down, sending a burst of ashes up.
[You have slain Drow Warriors. Lvl 5]
[You have slain Drow Warriors. Lvl 5]
[Level Up]
[Feat Earned] [Blinks and you're gone (1)] – You have taken down an entire group consisting of two people before they even realised it. Such a feat is the pride and proof of a great archer. Dex +10.
[Rune Of Dexterity]
Name: Suna Amor
Level. 5 → 6
Class: [Archer]
Rune: 3 → 4
Feat: 1 → 2
Mana: 115/120
Class Skill (3/5):
- Archer Sense [Common]
- Archer Backstep [Common]
- Mana Arrow [Uncommon]
General Skill (1/5):
- Quick Draw [Common]
Strength: 93 → 97
Dexterity: 41 → 61 → 75
Vitality: 14 → 15
Arcanery: 14 → 15
Sense: 28 → 31
He got a Rune?
Suna had to double-check. Did he crush the Rune alongside the Drow’s heart? He let out a grin; this was quite dangerously fun. The feeling of watching your opponent crumple after a good shot was addictive. His heart leaped when both Drow fell and the kill notification came. Even now, he is still pumped from his kills.
His hand shuddered, and Suna clenched them tight around his bow. The Shadow Gauntlet warmed them, making it much easier to shoot.
Suna ran forward. inside were just two of them, if there weren’t more arriving. Maybe he should drag the body away and wait out their response. But the scream still grated through the air.
What the poor man was going through, he had to stop it fast.
Suna settled beside the tower’s gate; they were closed. His eyes landed on the fallen Drow; one of their runes still hadn't been harvested.
Deciding he had more than enough time, Suna aimed his bow and fired. His arrow dug into the Drow's chest, but no notification came. He then decided to come close and slide out his knife. But just when he crossed beyond the gate. Wood snapped open, and the gate hit him straight in his face, sending him staggering back.
He looked up to see a Drow Warrior staring at him; her expression morphed into surprise. Suna skidded back with an archer backstep, arrow drawn. Just when he was about to release it, a blazing pain shot through his shoulder. An arrow, not his, stuck on his left shoulder. He cried out and scurried backward.
Beyond the Drow Warrior was the Drow Ranger and she was about to lose another one. Suna staggered to his right, and the arrow missed him by a hair's breadth. The door tower wall blocked the Drow Ranger from attempting another shot at him. He needed to heal, but a crossbow was aimed at him. Before the bolt shot, he skid backward.
Another Archer Backstep. He released his arrow, and they went out at the same time the Drow shot her bolt. His arrow landed true and impaled the Drow chest—sending her crashing inside the tower.
But one bolt also managed to dig into Suna’s stomach. Blood slithered to his feet, his pants wet with the slick substance. Suna looked around, and he ran into a house. He opened the door. The Drow Ranger exited the tower. She noticed him, and in quick succession, she fired at him. Suna slammed the door closed, and wood splintered everywhere. The arrow skidded over his cheek in a fiery sizzle.
Suna fell on his knee. In desperation, he jerked out both arrows and fumbled around for his health potion. Suna uncorked them and drank both in one gulp. He breathed out, and the pain fizzled out in a bubbling sensation.
Realising he was not out of the woods yet, he ran to the second-floor gallery and into one of the rooms that faced the tower directly. He planted his back to the wall, then he peeked at the window. The Drow was there, with a bow still aimed at the house.
Suna gritted out a smile, one not from excitement but from acceptance of his dire condition.
Did the Drow have any reinforcements? She might have? She can hold that position for all she cares. Suna needed to do something. And this shrill screaming, who knows what happened inside the tower.
He looked down, and the dark leather jerkin had a circle right around his stomach.
Gods, what a useless, horrible armor.
“No wonder I kept one-shotting them.”
