Chapter 90: A Light Workout

The second Marcus was flung backwards, the Archer and the Sorcerer opened fire. At the same time, the Knight lowered his shield and began his charge.

"Ding! Player Stonehaven, you are under attack by the Shadowfall Squad. Justified counterattack rules are now in effect."

Even with their coordinated assault, the system registered it as an unprovoked PK attempt, granting him full retaliation rights. Their identifiers flashed in his combat log: the Knight was Shadowfall_Two, the Sorcerer Shadowfall_Three, the Archer Shadowfall_Four.

"Stone, behind you!"

FreshwindElara’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with panic. She broke from cover, ignoring his earlier warnings, and a Restoration spell washed over him mid-air.

’Damn it, Elara. Not now.’ The thought was a reflex, equal parts frustration and a fierce, protective warmth.

While still airborne, her spell topped off his health. Not taking chances, he crushed a Major Health Potion the moment his boots hit stone, ready to face the three attackers.

But as he landed, the Stone Golem Captain; distracted by FreshwindElara’s sudden movement, turned its hulking frame toward her, its massive spiked club rising for a swing.

’Oh, hell no.’ Rage, white-hot and immediate, flooded his veins. ’You touch her, you oversized pile of rocks, and I’ll grind you into gravel.’

He wanted to sprint to her, but a colder fear held him back: if he did, the Shadowfall goons would instantly switch focus and shred her. Biting back a curse, he unleashed his Taunt, yanking the Captain’s aggression back onto himself.

His high Luck stat held. Aside from that infuriating miss in the Bat Caves, his Taunt was a sure thing. The Captain roared, forgetting FreshwindElara entirely, and lumbered toward him with murderous intent.

’You absolute piece of...’

He thought she was safe. But the Archer, Shadowfall_Four, saw an easy target. An arrow whistled toward Elara, striking her shoulder with a sickening thwack. A frost effect bloomed around the impact, slowing her movements to a crawl.

Smart. Ruthless, but smart. Take out the healer first. Classic PKer tactics.

"You’re dead!" Marcus roar was raw.

As Shadowfall_Four nocked another arrow, Marcus didn’t charge. Instead, his arm snapped forward. A Level 25 longsword, kept as a spare, became a deadly projectile. Desperate Strike.

-3000.

A guaranteed hit. Triple damage. The Archer didn’t even have time to scream properly before his health bar vanished, his body dissolving into motes of light. His longbow clattered to the stone floor.

’What the—? He threw his sword? Since when can Knights do that?’

Shadowfall_Four’s final, bewildered thought echoed into oblivion.

"Shit! This guy’s unhinged! Two, pin him down!" Shadowfall_Three, the Sorcerer, was panicking. He’d already fired off three Arc Flash spells in quick succession. The Knight had simply... weaved through them, not a single spark touching him.

Shadowfall_Two finally closed the distance, his own sword swinging in a wide arc meant to lock Marcus down. It sliced empty air.

As the Knight raised his blade for a second try, Marcus’s Skeleton Blade was already in hand. A brutal, downward chop. He was simply faster.

Way too fast.

Shadowfall_Two’s brain stalled. This wasn’t how Knights moved. A surge of primal fear froze him mid-action; he could only jerk his shield up in a pathetic, last-ditch block.

-1580.

Critical Hit.

Shadowfall_Two joined his archer, eyes wide with disbelief. Justified kill: gear drop guaranteed. His shield and breastplate hit the ground with a solid, final clang.

Shadowfall_Three stood frozen, his mind a perfect blank. Every spell had missed. How do you fight something you can’t hit?

’Is this... is he on the Top Ten leaderboard? The number one? Oh god, we picked a fight with him?’

’Run.’ That was the only thought left on his mind.

He glimpsed the fallen Archer’s gold-tier bow at his feet; a prized loot. His hand twitched toward it. It was his last conscious act.

Marcus was already there, and his blade fell, swift and terminal.

Thud.

-1820.

Critical Hit.

The Sorcerer vanished in a puff of white smoke.

’How...? He was over there... Did he teleport?’ Shadowfall_Three’s confusion was brief, extinguished with his character.

’Pathetic.’ Marcus spat the word mentally. You come at me with that? You have no idea.

He wheeled, ready to end the Stone Golem Captain with a Desperate Strike, but the skill icon was still grey. Cooldown.

’Tch.’

It took less than a minute. The whole squad, wiped. A flicker of arrogant pride warred with irritation; he’d geared up and braced for a real fight, but this was just... cleanup.

How strong were they? He’d never know. They hadn’t landed a single blow.

’Annoying. My defense stat didn’t even get a workout. Couldn’t you trash-mobs hit me at least once?’

"Your turn!" He channeled the petty frustration and leftover battle-high into a furious assault on the Captain. In seconds, the monstrous golem crashed down, dropping its spiked club and two shimmering Dreamlight Crystals.

"Stone..."

FreshwindElara’s voice was small and thick. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, as if trying to clear away the unbelievable scene.

’Stone is... amazing.’

"Stone..." she repeated, still wordless, her eyes glistening.

"Elara? You okay?" Concerned, he started toward her.

"Pfft... ha!"

Suddenly, she laughed. The tears on her cheeks caught the low light, sparkling. The sound, the sight; it sent a jolt straight to his heart. Without thinking, he reached out and bopped her lightly on the nose.

"Make up your mind. Crying or laughing?"

"You were incredible." She ignored his question, looking at him with pure, unvarnished awe. His ego, already inflated, threatened to float away entirely.

"When they attacked you, I was terrified," she said, the words tumbling out. "But then you just... dismantled them. It was so thrilling! I wanted to jump in and help you punch them!"

She was buzzing with adrenaline, the joyful tears just an overflow of the excitement he’d sparked.

"It was just a PK, silly. Get used to it. There’ll be more."

"Mhm." She nodded, utterly convinced now. Stonehaven did the killing. Nobody killed Stonehaven.

"Now, let’s see what they kindly donated..."

"Stone, you—!"

He moved on impulse. Seeing her there; flushed, excited, adorable, he closed the distance and brushed a quick, light kiss against her lips. As her eyes flew wide and she stomped her foot in mock outrage, he was already gone, darting toward the pile of dropped loot.

"Stone!"

Elara watched his retreating back, her fingers touching her lips, with a faint blush creasing her cheeks. This was the second time. The absolute nerve of him.

What a complete jerk. A fantastic, incredible, utterly infuriating jerk.