Chapter 30 – Attacking Is Strictly Forbidden

The two marauders charged in from outside the cave, giving Vera’s party no time to react.

Grunbar laughed as he used Charge, aiming directly for Fiona in her mage’s equipment.

Faced with the ambush, Fiona was still trying to understand why her detection spell had failed to warn her.

Vera roared and drew his curved sword. His body slid as smoothly as if he were skating across ice, carrying him in front of Fiona to intercept the Dwarf.

The broad-bladed ax struck the curved sword in a shower of sparks.

Vera fell into a disadvantage the instant their weapons met. The ax blade pressed steadily down until it nearly touched his collarbone.

Only by bracing the flat of his blade with both hands did Vera stop the ax from cleaving him in two.

“Nice weapon, boy. That should fetch a fine price.”

At such close range, Vera could smell the alcohol on the Dwarf’s breath.

“Fiona!”

Hearing her name finally jolted Fiona out of her panic. She cast several strengthening spells on Vera in rapid succession.

[Power Boost]

[Agility Boost]

[Endurance Surge]

Empowered by the spells, Vera retreated with a flourish of his blade and forced the Dwarf several steps back.

Having failed to gain the advantage, Grunbar immediately cursed at his partner, who was idling behind him.

“Half-Ear, what the hell are you watching for? Deal with the brat holding the wand!”

“What’s the hurry? Loading a crossbow takes time.”

Nash approached with a crossbow in his hands, but did not fire. Instead, he pulled a small packet from his coat and threw it at Fiona.

Vera saw it flying toward them, yet no arrow came from Faye to intercept it.

“Faye?”

He had no choice but to step forward and pierce the packet with his sword. Pale blue powder burst through the air.

Vera covered his nose and hurried backward with Fiona. When he looked toward Faye, he found her lying on the ground, unable to rise.

“Paralytic Sap extracted from a Flower Fey on the Seventh Stratum. A trace is enough to leave someone unable to move. Effective, isn’t it?”

Smiling, Nash aimed the crossbow and pulled the trigger. He loved watching his prey panic.

Fiona hurriedly tried to cast a spell, but the mana shield barely began to form before collapsing in midair.

“What a novice. You can’t even recognize Spellbane Flower powder.”

“Coward!”

With no other choice, Vera stepped in front of Fiona and turned his blade sideways to deflect the bolt. The impact left both his hands numb.

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That was the opening Grunbar had been waiting for!

The muscles in both his arms bulged, and hot breath blasted from his nostrils.

The Dwarf swung the broad-bladed ax in a full arc toward Vera’s waist.

Vera barely managed to press his curved sword against his body before the blow hurled him out of the cave.

It did not kill him, but it left him with only a thread of life.

Once Vera fell, Fiona was merely a mage who could no longer cast spells. Two quick blows knocked her unconscious.

The entire battle had remained under the two marauders’ control.

That was not entirely the fault of Vera’s party. All their combat experience concerned monsters, and the items they carried were meant for the same foes.

A marauder’s tactics, tools, and skills were all designed to fight people.

With the advantages of surprise and higher levels, and a habit of choosing inexperienced targets, Nash and Grunbar almost never failed.

Grunbar raised his ax to finish the three adventurers one by one, but Nash stopped him.

The Dwarf asked impatiently, “What? They’re twins, so now you want to have some fun?”

Disgust crossed Nash’s face. “What are you talking about? When have I ever touched filth without elven blood?”

Grunbar had no patience for such inexplicable superiority. Nash himself was a mixed-blood bastard.

Of course, he had never said that to Nash’s face. His partner’s endless supply of little tricks was far too useful.

“Then what do you want?”

“Tie them up. When they wake, we’ll play a game. They choose who dies, and the others go free.”

It was a game Nash had invented. Put simply, he made his captives decide among themselves who would live and who would die.

He always killed them all in the end. He merely wanted to enjoy the spectacle of companions betraying one another for a chance to survive.

Grunbar rolled his eyes. He did not share that particular appetite.

He might love drink, gambling, and killing, but beside his twisted partner, he looked like a respectable Dwarf.

Still, Nash’s amusements did not concern him. If the Half-Elf wanted to play, he could play.

Grunbar was more interested in the oversized walking mushroom inside the cave. He had seen it pull a shield out of its own body.

Could it be stuffed with treasure?

* * *

Pain!

Agonizing pain!

Broken ribs had pierced Vera’s flesh. The bone of his left arm jutted through his skin, and blood mixed with fragments of his organs leaked from his mouth.

The pain itself dragged him awake.

Vera tried to move, but could not. Only then did he realize he had been tied to a tree.

His two childhood friends were bound to separate trees in front of him, both still unconscious.

“Faye... Fio... na...”

Only after Vera called their names again and again in a weak whisper did the two women slowly awaken.

The first thing they saw was Vera on the verge of death.

“Vera, you’re badly hurt! Damn these ropes...”

Faye struggled against her bonds, but could not break free.

She could only turn to her sister.

“Fiona, use magic!”

“I... I can’t... sob... I can’t cast anything...”

Fiona had never seen Vera wounded so terribly. Unable to use magic herself, she broke into frightened tears.

“Want to leave? I can let you go.”

The nightmarish voice came from behind a tree. Nash toyed with a small knife as he walked smiling into the middle of the three captives.

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Nash pressed the knife to Faye’s cheek and drew a shallow cut. “One is your sister. The other is your little man. Choose.”

“Choose what?”

“Choose who dies!”

Nash’s grin spread wide. His tongue ran repeatedly across his teeth, and he could no longer contain the excitement in his voice.

“Pick one person to die, and I’ll release you and the other one. How does that sound?”

Faye suddenly lunged forward and tried to bite his hand, but Nash pulled it away in time.

“Choose your mother, you piece of filth! You animal! I hope wild dogs tear you apart!”

“Tch.”

Nash slapped Faye across the face with enough force to knock out a broken tooth.

The blow rendered her unconscious. Across from her, Fiona sobbed even harder.

“Boring trash.”

He started toward the other twin to ask whether she would choose, then heard Vera’s mosquito-soft voice.

“Kill...”

Nash’s eyes lit up. He hurried closer.

“Yes, yes. Who should I kill? Don’t worry. Once you choose, I’ll give you a Healing Potion. I promise you won’t die.”

Afraid Vera would not believe him, Nash even pulled a real Healing Potion from his pocket.

“Kill... me... let them go...”

“You... oh.”

Nash straightened and swept a cold gaze across the three of them. Then he raised the knife.

“How dull. You like sacrificing yourself? Then I’ll make you watch them die first!”

At the same time, inside the cave, Grunbar had tried prying, pulling, and tearing at the bulwark Puffcap. None of it opened the creature’s storage cavity reinforced with [Toughness].

At last, the Dwarf ran out of patience and chose a more direct method.

He stood before the bulwark Puffcap and raised his ax overhead.

[Heavy Cleave LV6]

A world-shaking crash filled the cave.

Grunbar became a rain of gore that splattered all over Nash where he had fallen.

Nash: “???”

Evan: “???”