The grass tore beneath Rori's feet as she exploded forward, twin short swords fshing into her hands in the same heartbeat. The distance between her and the Hunter colpsed instantly, steel already carving bright arcs through the air before the man's crossbow had even begun to dip.
Her first bde came low, and the Hunter twisted sharply, leather scraping as the strike skidded across his jerkin instead of opening his stomach. But the second sword followed immediately, sshing across his ribs in the same motion. Steel bit flesh, and the Hunter stumbled half a step, breath leaving him in a harsh grunt as blood darkened the edge of his armor.
==============================
[Hunter 1 – HP 11 / 17]
==============================
Rori's grin widened as she licked the gore from her bde. "Oh fuck yes," she excimed, her tongue flicking across one fang as the taste of fresh blood hit her senses like a rush of tantalizing power.
The Hunter reacted instantly, his crossbow dropping into the grass as his shortsword ripped free of its sheath, the bde snapping up in a tight arc meant to force distance. Rori leaned into it, the edge carving across her upper arm, slicing leather and skin alike. One of the thin straps of her top tore loose with a sharp rip as blood welled bright against pale skin.
==============================
[Rori – HP 12 / 14]
==============================
For a split second, she froze, not from pain, but from the smell. Copper flooded the air, hers and his together now, and something deep in her chest purred awake. Her pupils widened, and then she licked the blood from her lip. "Oh, that's nice," she purred, her eyes glowing crimson.
The Hunter lunged again, trying to capitalize on the moment, bde snapping toward her throat in a clean killing line. Rori slipped sideways with a low hiss, her left sword cracking against his guard, her right following a heartbeat ter, carving across his shoulder.
==============================
[Hunter 1 – HP 7 / 17]
==============================
Behind him, boots pounded across the grass as the second Hunter closed in, sword drawn and posture tight with professional efficiency. His eyes flicked toward Kainen, who didn't move, didn't step back, didn't even raise his guard. The Hunter closed the distance with professional precision, sword already lifting for the strike.
Kainen simply exhaled, his fingers twitching slightly as shadow gathered quietly in his palm. The bde formed outward from his hand, its point already aligned with the Hunter's center mass. The Hunter saw it and made the same assumption he had seconds earlier – another illusion. Kainen didn't correct him, instead flicking his wrist, and the shadow bde unched forward, not thrown, not swung, but dismissed.
The Hunter cut through it and felt the psychic bde tear across his shoulder.
==============================
[Hunter 2 – HP 9 / 16]
==============================
The weapon snapped back into Kainen's hand, darkness curling zily along its edge. Kainen tilted his head slightly, his eyes glowing with a faint ghostly light. "Still think it's fake?" he asked, his voice calm and collected. The Hunter didn't answer, and Kainen didn't wait for one. In a moment, the shadow deepened around his eyes as his irises ignited with a faint ghostly glow. Prestidigitation. The Hunter took an involuntary step backward, and across the clearing, Rori barked out a delighted ugh.
"Oh shit!" she excimed, her red eyes flicking toward Kainen. "Okay, that was cool." Kainen didn't respond, simply adjusting his grip on the shadow bde and waiting. Meanwhile, the wounded Hunter made a decision, breaking past Rori and sprinting toward Lira. The ranger's eyes widened, her bow already in her hands, and she moved, not backward, but sideways, her boots sliding across the grass as she raised the bow and drew an arrow from her quiver in one smooth motion.
The string pulled tight, and the world narrowed, breath slowing, as the Hunter's footsteps thundered closer. Ten feet, eight, six... Release. The arrow snapped forward like lightning, striking the Hunter square in the chest, and he stumbled violently, breath leaving him in a ragged gasp as his sword slipped from numb fingers.
==============================
[Hunter 2 – HP 1 / 16]
==============================
Across the clearing, Kainen watched the man colpse, and didn't hurry, the shadow bde still humming softly in his hand. Behind him, Rori caught the other Hunter trying to break past her, her bde carving across his back mid-stride.
==============================
[Hunter 1 – HP 3 / 17]
==============================
The Hunter staggered violently, and behind him, Lira had already begun to draw another arrow. Then Rori's voice cracked across the clearing, sharp and possessive. "He's mine." Lira blinked, then slowly lowered the bow. "...Right." Across the grass, Kainen passed her without slowing, his eyes fixed on the fallen Hunter. "Good shot," he said calmly.
The wounded Hunter on the ground tried to rise, and Kainen ended the attempt with a single smooth motion, the shadow bde sliding cleanly through the man's chest.
==============================
[Hunter 2 – HP 0 / 16]
[Enemy Defeated]
==============================
The body went still, and Kainen withdrew the bde, turning back toward the other fight, just in time to see Rori finish hers. The final Hunter lunged desperately, steel fshing, and Rori slipped sideways with a hiss, her first sword knocking the attack aside, her second bde striking like a fang.
==============================
[Hunter 1 – HP 0 / 17][Enemy Defeated]
==============================
The Hunter froze, then colpsed heavily onto the grass. Silence settled over the clearing, and Rori stood there, breathing hard, both swords still raised as the st flickers of rage burned through her veins. Then she straightened, her glowing eyes flicking toward Kainen, toward Lira, and then down at the fallen Hunters. A slow grin spread across her face. "...Okay," she admitted, "that was awesome." Kainen gave a small nod. "You did well." Then his glowing eyes shifted slightly toward the second body lying several paces away. "But next time, try not to forget the second enemy on the battlefield."
Rori blinked, then gnced over her shoulder. "...Oh." A pause, then she shrugged, her grin returning immediately. "Eh. You had it handled." Kainen looked off into the distance, surveying the area, and for several seconds after the st Hunter fell, nobody moved. The clearing outside Eldoria's gates had gone eerily quiet, pyers standing scattered across the grass, many of them staring openly now. Some whispered to each other, while others watched the three of them as if they were dangerous. A few avatars flickered and vanished as emergency logouts triggered.
Rori slowly lowered her swords, her chest still rising and falling quickly as the fading adrenaline left her system. "...Okay," she repeated, "that was awesome." She kicked the fallen Hunter's sword aside with her boot and rolled her shoulders, clearly pleased with herself. Behind her, Lira finally exhaled the breath she'd been holding, her bow lowering slightly as she stared at the bodies on the ground, then at her hands. "...I actually hit him." Kainen walked past both Hunters without looking down, the shadow bde dissolving quietly from his grip, darkness unraveling like smoke as the spell faded.
His glowing eyes dimmed a moment ter as the faint prestidigitation effect ended. "Well done," he said calmly, then he stopped and finally looked up toward the city gates. The problem wasn't the fight; the problem was what came after. The whispers in the crowd were already spreading, "Did you see that—" "Those were Hunter Guild agents—" "They attacked them first—" "No way that was legit—" One pyer was already backing away slowly while staring at the fallen bodies, another had pulled up a menu window, reporting.
Kainen sighed quietly. "We're leaving." Rori blinked. "...Leaving?" Kainen gestured casually toward the gates of Eldoria. "Unless you'd like to stick around and expin to the Hunter's Guild why two of their agents are currently decorating the wn." That seemed to click, and Rori gnced down at the bodies again, then back at the gathering crowd. "...Oh. Yeah, okay, that's fair." Lira was already moving, "Right. Yes. Leaving sounds good."
Kainen turned and began walking toward the city gates at an unhurried pace, neither running nor attracting attention. Behind him, Rori jogged to catch up, wiping the st streak of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. "You think they'll come after us?" Kainen didn't look back. "Yes." "...Soon?" "Yes." "...Like how soon?" Kainen gnced once over his shoulder; several pyers were already pointing. Someone else had definitely opened a report window. "Soon enough that I'd prefer not to be here when they arrive." Rori snorted. "Fair."
They passed through the massive stone gates of Eldoria a moment ter, the difference immediate. Inside the city walls, the chaos of the outside clearing faded into the steady hum of a living MMORPG hub. Merchants shouted from open market stalls, pyers wandered the streets in groups, and some adventurers were already leaving the city with gear ready and quests active. No one inside seemed to have noticed the fight outside the gates yet. Kainen finally stopped once they reached the shade of a rge fountain near the pza, then he turned to the two of them. "We log out." Rori blinked. "...Already?" "Yes." "But we just got here!" "And we just killed two Hunter Guild agents in the tutorial area." "...They started it." "That will be a fascinating legal argument ter."
Rori crossed her arms. "...You're no fun." Kainen ignored that, "We give it time, let the situation cool down. The report system will fg the incident. Moderators or Guild monitors will investigate." Lira nodded slowly. "That... makes sense." Rori sighed dramatically. "Fine." Then she grinned again. "But when we log back in, I'm still counting that as my first kill." Kainen allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile. "I wouldn't dream of taking that away from you." A quiet menu shimmered into existence in front of him.
==============================
LOGOUT.
Return to Neural Interface?
-----------------------------------------------
YES / NO.
==============================
Kainen selected YES. "Same time tomorrow, then," he said defeatedly as if insinuating that today was a disaster, and tomorrow we try again. The world dissolved into light. As the logout sequence is initiated.
