[Silvered Long Sabre] [Common] – Made with slaying magical creatures in mind, this sabre is polished with a silvered edge.
Suna laid his newly gained Sabre on the common bed. It took him approximately ten minutes of sneaking around to settle on a house in a completely new street.
But he had a plan in mind in choosing this house, especially.
Outside the window is a clear view of a tower. A path circled the tower without any nearby houses; there's nothing there, just a cobbled street between the tower and this house. This tower might not have been the tallest one, but if he could climb it, that would give him much more information.
There’s also another thing he noticed; for now, he was not hungry or even thirsty.
“Is it because of Vitality?” He wondered out loud.
But that would mean he eventually needs to eat and drink. He already has water taken care of, but food remains a problem.
He will have to go out; Suna just couldn’t see himself shutting away inside one of these houses.
Still, in this moment of peace and silence, there are things he could do. He walked out of the door and moved down the stairs. Atop the second-floor railing is a variety of unfortunate vases he had decided to use as target practice.
Suna drew his bow; it was thanks to his Shadow Gauntlet that he could hold it so confidently and not shake. But the idea of continuing to rely on it was concerning. He could see himself always using these Gauntlets, but what if he found a better one? And that one did not offer stability?
He shrugged off both gauntlets and drew an arrow. His arm quivered almost immediately, threatening him with failure from the get-go. Suna breathed out. It was obvious that it was easier for an archer to succeed with a calm and empty mind.
The rough string dug inside of his fingertips without his Gauntlet; if not for his strength, he wondered how hurt this would be. The fletching tickles his ear, and he loses his focus from its tickling.
He let loose the arrow, and it passed by the vases, darting straight into a door.
Suna let out a sigh, “This would take some training.” He shot another five arrows, but the first four kept missing. And with Archer Sense to give him the basics of it, he had noticed all four at least close to hitting his target. Still, training was required. This time, Suna decided to draw long, like he did against the woman Drow whose face still haunts him…
He ended up drawing longer than he wanted; his mind was blanking. Suna winced at the slight burn on his fingertips. He focused on his target and shot. The arrow streaked through one vase, destroying it in an explosion of glass.
Suna let out a thin smile. He shot the other three vases lined up; each took three shots to land. But he was not satisfied, not with the result and not with how long it took him to draw.
What if he were in a closed combat like earlier? He really needed to practice a quick draw and shot. So he did, he aimed at a strange painting of a woman trying to hit her head. He only allowed two seconds for him to nock, draw, and release. He missed all ten attempts, only to land on the eleventh. Then he tried again with his Shadow Gauntlet, and he managed to land the shot in his sixth. With the Shadow Gauntlet, he could easily land the long, drawn shot; each did not take more than two attempts.
Suna decided for now to practice without the gauntlet, but for the fight, of course, he would use it.
So he continued his practice, night came, and Suna still continued. Through the kitchen window, moonlight managed to dapple over the ashes-ridden dinner table. They drew Suna's attention for a moment, and he streaked his hand across the long table.
“Dirty,” Suna muttered. He looked around for a napkin or something before shaking his head and giving a low chuckle.
A day in and I’m about to procrastinate already? Something never changes.
Suna picked up his bow; this time, he decided to practice in the kitchen, aiming straight at the hearth full of dark wood.
Suna kept going until he was sleepy. Once his eyes got heavy, he decided it's time to sleep. He climbed the second stair and went to the sprawling master bed. As he was about to sleep, Suna cursed himself.
The arrow!
He should have recovered it all. He grumbled and went down, wrenching all the arrows off the poor walls and heart. Then, finally, he lay down on the master bed. His head down, smudging against the soft, feathery pillow. This… It was satisfying.
He felt he could sleep; soon, he would.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
If it were not for all the training he did, then he would be too anxious and afraid. The weight of his new reality would have prevented him.
I really should repeat this before I sleep. Was his last thought before he entered the dream.
Suna practiced his skill the moment he woke up, Archer Back Step. This skill was quite nice. He immediately skidded back and got his bow aimed with an arrow ready to launch. The secret to the skill was just to release the arrow immediately. But each use will cost about ten Mana.
He also trained with the sword, and honestly, unlike archery training, he had no idea what to do with it. So Suna just swung it around; he even considered practicing boxing because of his Gauntlet. But he kept practicing still, then on the second day. He spotted a movement outside his window.
Suna had been wondering whether to just go inside the tower or wait it out, then finally he made the right decision.
He peeked over the light curtain and pressed his head just around the window corner. The curtain tickled around his neck, but his attention was completely enraptured.
By the sound of a screaming human.
A Drow, dragging the human by his hair, clenching the man’s hair into a tight bun. The man kicked and struggled, screaming for them to stop—a blood trail below him caused by three bolts sticking to his stomach.
The Drow was accompanied by four others. Suna cursed lightly, and the situation seemed hopeless. Then, to add insult to injury, the double gate of the tower opened. Another Drow appeared. This one, unlike the others, has a bow slung across her back instead of a crossbow. She had a white, ashen ponytail that extended all the way to her feet. Her armor was the same dark leather as the others.
[Drow Ranger. Lvl 7]
[Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
[Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
[Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
[Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
[Drow Warrior. Lvl 5]
The Drow Ranger welcomed the warriors. She motioned her hand inside the tower, and the warriors bowed to her, making the superiority of the Ranger clear.
Suna focused on the human. Did he know him?
He’s certainly not the Rugby Player or Office Worker.
The struggling man wore a white robe decorated with a golden line across his collar. His blood blemished the white of his cloak, and curiously, that blood got… lessened? Like the cloak cleaning itself? Was that possible? On one of the Drow Warriors' backs is a weapon, a staff that ends in a purple crystal.
[Mage]? No, not mage. Mages were taken by the girl who recommended they meet in the highest place.
“Cleric,” Suna muttered. He drew a lungful of breath and let it out through his nose. So their healer was captured! If he had to save someone from the whole group despite great danger, then it would be the [Cleric].
Well, maybe the [Paladin] could heal…
Suna smacked his forehead on a wall. What was he thinking? Abandoning one of them already? He peeked again at the tower. It was a huge place, and there are only six of them, for now.
Can he do it?
If he is going to do this, then the sooner, the better, as now he is not yet hungry or thirsty. The man was dragged inside the double door, and every single Drow entered without leaving a guard.
Shortly after a group of two Drow Warriors left, they began to walk away. Suna crouched and peered around to see where they walked into his street.
A patrol? By two?
Suna leaned against the corner of the room, the man's scream still resonating over and over in his head.
He had thought that maybe…maybe the Drow was merely a creature created by the tutorial for the purpose of training him and the others. The patrols are quite literally asking to be ambushed after all, well, to him at least. Suna was confident he could take them, of course, not in a straight fight where both of them realized where he was. But, an arrow from a rooftop, though…
Gazing at the tower gate again, he spotted no movement.
If he were to sneak into the tower, the worst-case scenario was that he had to face level 7. And he doesn’t think he was ready for that. But, if he can increase his level and get two runes…
Suna opened his door, and he descended the stairs. He slightly cracked open the main door, and sure enough, he spotted both Drow with their back to him.
He waited until both Drow Warriors turned the corner. Suna glanced at the tower; still no movement. He went out, pulling his ranger cloak tight around him. Then, proceed to follow the two Drows. not seeing any reason to walk, Suna ran while he kept his footstep as light as possible. He hugged the left side of the houses on his street. When he reached the corner house, Suna peeked to see both Drows still walking with their back to him. He looked up to see if there was any way to climb. Maybe he can climb over to the balcony with the help of those boxes laid neatly from a low wall, but as time passes, the Drow gets farther and farther.
Suna walked ahead, with feet scurrying, and with every step he took, his heart beat with it.
Maybe this is a bad idea.
He still can choose one of the houses and hide, but hearing about these rituals said by the Tiefling made him want to save the [Cleric] as fast as possible.
Suna has no way to know where these Drows are going. He decided they’re far enough from the tower as he followed them over another corner.
He got his back against the wall of the intersection. Slinging his bow off, he nocked an arrow. His hand was steady. And this range shouldn't be a problem.
Suna drew his arrow and stretched his string. His bow thrummed, and he let loose the arrow. Suna did not watch it land, his body still pushed by battle euphoria, he nocked another arrow.
One Drow, a male, fell sideways. A short gasp told Suna that his arrow had managed to hit, where he didn’t know. But before he could even look at his shot, a Drow charged at him with a visceral scream.
“Yue denh!” A female Drow screamed, she ran with her glaives before she jerked to stop and removed her crossbow from her hip. That three-second bought Suna another shot. He let another arrow fly, and this one almost hit the Drow right at her head, but alas, it missed.
Five bolts went streaking, and Suna pushed himself against the wall. All five bolts sank into the stone wall in a crash of stones. He trembled, imagining it had hit him.
Still, this was his chance; the crossbow took time to load after all.
Suna left the wall, and he spotted the retreating figure of the Drow. Did she run? No, she crouched and attempted to get the reloaded crossbow of her fallen brethren.
Suna let loose another arrow, this one also missed, and it crashed into the cobbled street.
His hand moved, and he drew another one; this time, he did not release it immediately. Suna took a deep breath, his eye zeroing on his target. The Drow turned, about to aim her crossbow. But, Suna’s arrow hissed as it left his bow, piercing through the Drow's left chest. Her body jerked in the distance, the crossbow shot downward–five bolts all wasted on the street. And the Drow plummeted to the ground above her brethren.
