Bloody Pools
They picked up their weapons and charged at Shin. At the same time, Shin took out his sword and dragged it against the adobe walls as he ran. Dust and rocks separated from the wall, falling behind Shin. He stuck out his hand and casted [Collapse] behind the thugs, ducking as the debris flew forward over his head alongside the litter strewn about the sides of the alleyway. The dust flew into their eyes and they were pelted by the rocks and trash.
"You little shit!"
The thugs slashed their weapons in the air blindly with one hand while rubbing the dust out of their eyes with the other.
Shin dashed past them, clearing out some of the lingering dust. He picked up Fuyumi, carrying her in his arms and continued running. The sounds from the street were barely noticeable.
"Gah! Chase them!" The boss ordered them as he finally managed to throw the flaming tarp off.
The blue lights from the street lamps were only faintly visible until they turned the corner into the streets when the sounds grew loud. Shin suddenly stopped as he reached the sidewalk due to a huge crowd of people obstructing him. The colorful parade came back around and flooded the streets with adventurers. He tried to blend in with the crowd, lightly pushing people out of the way with his shoulder. He tried to be gentle with Fuyumi in his arms but he also had to escape.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the three people chasing him come out from the alleyway. They pushed and shoved people to the floor to clear a path toward Shin.
Shin clicked his tongue and cursed under his breath. The crowd of adventurers paid no attention to the blood dripping from his face or the unconscious girl in his arms as the loud and vivid festivities distracted them. He swiftly dodged through the crowd. It got easier as they got further away from the parade. The shrieks from adventurers shoved to the floor contrasted with the excited shouts from their peers. A burly man with brass knuckles stood in the way of the thugs, blocking their path.
"What the hell do you three think you're doing!"
He swung a punch at the three thugs, but his knuckles went through them as expected. Without flinching, the biggest thug delivered a stinging haymaker to the burly man, sending him flying into a pile of wooden pallets laying against the side of a restaurant.
Shin quickly turned around to look behind him when he heard the sound of the wood crunching. He diverted his attention back to the players in front of him as the thugs kept chasing him.
"Get the fuck back here!"
The scrawny thug reached his arm back, preparing to throw his lance. However, his friend stopped him.
"We can't do that out in the open, you idiot!"
They argued as they kept running. Shin turned the corner down another alleyway and the thugs followed. The path twisted and turned like a labyrinth until he reached a dead end. Shin turned left and right, looking for another escape when the thugs finally caught up to him.
"No where to run now."
He turned around to face the thugs. Shin was at a loss. He had never encountered a situation like this before. Normally, in a pinch, he could overpower his enemies but the system in Dragonfall restricted him. His only methods of combat were indirect: throwing objects at enemies that were influenced by him, setting them on fire. These were neat tricks that could fool them once or twice, but they weren't going to fall for it again.
Shin looked down at Fuyumi unconscious in his arms. Even after all the running, he didn't feel tired; she was lighter than he expected. Feelings of disappointment and frustration began to set in. He wanted to protect her but here, he was powerless.
"I don't think we can let him go anymore, boss!"
"Even if he surrenders the girl."
The big thug scratched his chin and thought before lifting the eyepatch covering his right eye and unsheathing his short sword. Under the eyepatch was a mechanical eye. The robotic pupil darted around wildly like an animal in an open field.
"I'm a nice guy, so I might be willing to compromise with him." He said, pointing his sword at Shin.
"Ah, come on boss! You're too nice!"
"Can we just kill him?"
The lackey's behind him seemed to always have something to say.
Shin stared into the fantastical sky of stars above him and swallowed his frustrations. He gently laid Fuyumi down on the ground before standing to face his enemies. He took out his sword, holding it in front of him and took a combat-ready stance.
"I've seen your moves now. Don't think that it'll work again." The boss said, stepping forward.
"I still got something else up my sleeve."
Shin rolled up the sleeves of his coat. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. In a moment of constitution, he opened his eyes and made a deep gash in his arm with his sword.
"Hahaha! Look at this idiot! He's trying to avoid the boss' wrath by killing himself!"
"What a clown!"
The two thugs slapped their knees. They snorted and coughed as they couldn't contain their laughter. The boss didn't say anything. His jaw dropped in confusion, but he didn't move forward. He raised his hand up to his eyes to wipe a single tear off of his normal eye.
"I'll give you props! I've never seen a man this crazy before."
He removed his hand from his eye and placed it back on his sword. Blood ran down Shin's arm and into his clenched fist until it dripped onto the floor, creating a crimson pool.
"I guess you're ready to die!"
He rushed forward at an immense speed, closing the gap between them in an instant. Having anticipated his attack, Shin dodged his sword by rolling to the left. When he hit the ground, he scooped up a pile of dirt and threw it at the thug's left eye.
"Cheeky bastard." He said, swatting away cloud of dust around him with his sword.
Shin got behind him while he was distracted and kicked a wooden pallet at the other two. The pallet slid along the floor and swept them off their feet while they were off guard. Shin's strength was impaired by his self-influcted wound, leaving a trail of blood on the ground as he moved. He had to hold out just a little longer for him to lose enough blood to trigger [Death's Ambition]. It was a gamble, but Shin couldn't think of another solution.
He dodged a shortsword swing that cut horizontally at his neck by backstepping. However, that closed the gap between him and the henchmen. As they got up, they jabbed at Shin's exposed back. Anticipating this, Shin stomped his foot on the edge of the pallet, kicking it upright and blocking the lance and dagger's attacks.
Shin glanced at his health bar. His health was draining rapidly, but he was still above the HP threshold to activate the skill. He needed to stall for a few more seconds. Before he had any time to come up with ideas, the boss lunged at him again. His slashes left red afterimages of his dagger that hung in the air. Shin dodged in place, shifting his upper body left and right. However, he was caught off guard. After a short delay the red afterimages activated and a shadowy arm emerged from the thug's back, slashing in the same direction as the afterimage, mimicking its path.
"Gotcha!"
Shin took a slash down his chest. He winced in pain but successfully moved out of the way before the next series of afterimages activated. Still in the middle of all three threats, Shin moved along the walls of the alleyway, throwing boxes and discarded chairs and tables at the thugs.
They smashed them out of the air as they came in contact with the detritus, sending wooden splinters flying.
"Getting desperate, aren't you! Haah!"
The short sword-wielding thug took out a dagger from his belt and threw it. Shin raised his sword, ready to parry the dagger and glanced at his health bar once more.
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[Shin]
Level: 38 | HP: 783
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In a split second decision, he moved his sword out of the way. Shin took one hand off of his sword and used it to grab the dagger out of the air. The palm of his hand was bloodied as he caught the dagger by its blade.
"Nice catch, kid."
The three thugs ran at Shin.
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[Shin]
Level: 38 | HP: 389
[AUTOMATIC SKILL ACTIVATION: DEATH'S AMBITION]
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"Perfect…"