Inadvertent Raiders (2/2)

Although his men shuddered at my presence alone, the leader didn't buy it one bit. "Yeah? How 'bout I gut you instead? You know, for killing my men. Then I'll take your ugly head back to Jazrah and deliver it as a bonus along with the whore and her daughter!" he yelled back at me. Intimidation wasn't going to work but then again.. actions DID speak louder than words. "Kill them.." I said with rage dripping from every word. The women ran to the side and hid behind the thorny bushes. At first my intruders tried to pursue them but were cut off by my coyotes. I spun my weapon in my hand once before engaging the leader, our scimitars striking one another with a loud metallic clanking. My coyotes pounced on his men and seemed outmatched. My Dire Coyote managed to knock a warrior prone and score two bites on their sword arm. Her two pack-mates however were too low level to contend against the hardened intruders and lacked the numbers to launch a more coordinated attack. Each time they would try to flank the humans, they ended up outmaneuvered.

Soon the four men had my coyotes bloodied and ready to retreat while they had suffered minor wounds at best, with the exception of the lieutenant who had one disabled arm. The Dire Coyote howled and the three wolves attacked again with renewed ferocity. The warriors were caught off guard as they did not suspect this kind of recklessness or dedication from mere beasts. The Alpha, with the assistance of her lesser kin, managed to grab a warrior, knock him down and drag him a few meters away. There they proceeded to eviscerate the man. The third coyote was left to fend off three opponents at the same time and was killed by a barrage of scimitar attacks.

Across the battlefield, I was still trading strikes with the leader of the intruders. My arms were heavy and aching all over because of my overexertion a few hours ago. Each time I blocked it was like lifting the weight of an adult man with just the blade of my sword. The fact that I had zero experience in sword fighting in contrast to my opponent didn't help either. He managed to control the battle by predicting my patterns and scoring small cuts against me at every opportunity I gave him.

[Scimitar slash received! 7 points of damage sustained! 71/85]

[Scimitar slash received! 9 points of damage sustained! 62/85]

[Scimitar slash received! 6 points of damage sustained! 56/85]

Glancing over to the fight with my coyotes I realized only the Alpha was standing. Her remaining pack-mate was tearing away at a warrior's calve but was severely wounded. A stab to the neck ended its life and its body broke into Aether and was reabsorbed slowly by the Dungeon. The three wounded warriors now circled my strongest monster, ready to end it as well. "Ok.. Now!!" I commanded mentally and the pond's calm surface exploded upwards! A hoard of nine Amber Jellies rained down on the three men, attaching themselves to their bodies and eating away at their armor and flesh. The desperate warriors managed to take down four of my lesser Slimes before being completely overwhelmed. My biggest Amber Jelly, which was Lv.7, engulfed the lieutenant's arm and ate through it with its potent acid. The appendage fell off and the man died of shock a few moments later. The other man had his neck torn out by the Dire Coyote when he tripped over in an attempt to flee. The last of them was completely engulfed by the remaining four lesser Slimes. His body was reduced to a puddle of gore before being absorbed by the Dungeon.

On my side, things were dragging along excruciatingly slow. I was covered in wounds and the raider seemed exhausted as well as frustrated. He had scored multiple strikes against me but I was much sturdier than him. He was probably wondering why the hell was I not dead yet. In all honesty, after seeing he was the only enemy standing, I was tempted to have my monsters dog-pile him but thought better of it. This was my chance to practice swordsmanship in a relatively low risk situation. So, after taking a breath we continued our skirmish. He must have realized at that point that he was alone, surrounded by enemies, because he got slower and uncoordinated. I managed to deal a few strikes of my own and following up with a powerful kick to the chest, I sent him flying a meter backwards, knocking him to the ground. "My Raiders.. You killed my men you disgusting desert witch!!" he spat at my feet as he got up again wobbling.

"YOU killed your men.. I gave you the chance to leave.." I replied with a calmness that was unlike me. He stared at me with teary eyes and a look of desperation. Maybe he knew.. Maybe he realized his mistake but just couldn't handle the fear anymore. He was a warrior.. that is probably what decided his final actions. Instead of running away, he charged me, scimitar raised for a very predictable overhead chop. I raised my left hand and grabbed his wrist as it came towards me, stopping the attack's momentum with relative ease. My right hand thrust forward, impaling the proud man through the stomach and I let him tumble back and fall. He stared at the ceiling, eyes unmoving as the air escaped his lungs.

[Human Warrior Lv.3 defeated! 24xp gained, 10 Aether points and 16 Gold awarded!]

[Human Warrior Lv.5 defeated! 28xp gained, 13 Aether points and 18 Gold awarded!]

[Human Warrior Lv.2 defeated! 19xp gained, 7 Aether points and 10 Gold awarded!]

[Human Warrior Lieutenant Lv.1 defeated! 42xp gained, 20 Aether points and 35 Gold awarded!]

[Human Warrior Commander Lv.4 defeated! 65xp gained, 35 Aether points and 55 Gold awarded!]

I exhaled in relief, the tension leaving my body. Around me, my gathered beasts looked upon me with a sense of pride and the feeling was mutual. We had sustained losses but even though we were unprepared, the battle was won. We had decimated our attackers and we could capitalise on the strength they had imparted us with. Such were the benefits of being a Dungeon Core. I wouldn't lose a moment, I had to rebuild what was torn down and strengthen our defences again. Then I paused as I remembered the reason all of this had occured in the first place. "You can come out now.." I addressed them with authority, trying to convey that they were under my power now. The two women left there hiding place and approached. I quickly dissolved all the bodies, absorbing them, so that they wouldn't have to witness the horror of so many dead bodies. I think that if it wasn't for my alien nature as a Core I would be throwing up right about now.

"You have some explaining to do.." I continued but before the mother could speak I interrupted her, "..but that can wait untill morning. This scuffle has drained me and I need to tend to my sanctum's defenses. Until then you are under my protection. You may use this cave for shelter, the water is clean and food shall be provided.". Both of them teared up. I don't believe it was gratitude but a feeling of relief that made them fall to their knees, days of exhaustion probably catching up with them. I could tell from their clothes and general appearance that they had been through many hardships.

"Thank you my Lady Arsan! Thank you.. Whoever said that the Arsani cannot be benevolent, may their tongues rot!" the mother exclaimed in forced piousness. I cringed as I realized she was trying to butter up the monster, that monster being myself, until she found a way to escape.

"I will have non of that!" I said in a dismissive tone. "You forced my hand.. I may have made enemies on this day.. Enemies that might hunt me down, all because I decided to help you! This is not benevolence nor charity. It is a transaction.. Rest, tomorrow we will speak more of this.". I had my Slimes bring them a clay bowl full of paw-paw fruit. The two of them tore into the offered food after a moment's hesitation. I ordered my Dire Coyote to guard the exit of the main cave and placed my Slimes in the entrance of the Core Room. The Cave Fisher would remain in the entrance as always, deploying as many threads as it could, in order to replenish our lost traps.

I turned around, ready to retreat to my Core Room satisfied for now when someone tugged at my arm. I swung around, grabbing for my blade when my eyes met with the younger girl's. Her mother had tried to stop her from approaching but had failed. She now looked to me, with eyes begging me to spare her foolish child. The girl looked afraid as well but did not flinch at my attempt to defend myself. "Thank you.. You would have been better off handing us over to them. But you fought and bled because you decided not to! Thank you.." she said while holding my hand with both of her own. Her eyes were wet with tears and her smile genuine. She was a beautiful, slim, brunette woman, coming up to my sternum in height and her appearance was close to that of someone from the Middle East. Her eyes had a gentle brown hue and her lips were full with a natural reddish coloration. I was caught completely off guard by her honest gratitude and awkwardly smiled back. "Rest now.. Tomorrow I would like to hear your story..".

*Ping* [Level Up, 5th Level reached! You have 1 free Attribute to allocate.]