As Malvon disappeared around the alley corner SJ let out the grunt she had been holding in. Focussing, she forced herself to shrink, pain flooding her body as she did. Once she was in her miniature form, she dropped from the ledge. The cloaks that she wore allowed her the ability to display her wings when she needed them, and she flapped them as she fell to the ground, slowing her descent just enough to prevent any damage from the fall. She stayed crouched on her knees for several moments, allowing her body to recover from the exertion of the fight. Her breathing returned to normal, and the damage she had received from the spike, which had removed two-thirds of her health in a single strike, was now slowly healing, being out of combat and her dragon blood assisting the process.
Not wishing to move while she healed, she moved only slightly to be behind a discarded crate in the alley before she stopped again until she felt the strength returning in her. Her arm was exceedingly painful, but the puncture wounds had closed. The dwarf pick had been such a fine-pointed weapon. With the ease with which it had punctured her arm, she could now understand how lethal the weapon would be against armour.
'Thanks for the shout,' SJ thought.
"No problem. I couldn't have you dying on me. I know you would be reborn, but there is so much more to do, and I don't know how it would affect our synchronisation."
'Glad to know it's for a purpose,' SJ replied sarcastically.
"You know what I mean. Anyway, how are you going to deal with Malvon now?"
'I really am not sure I can. He is so strong and appeared to enjoy taking damage.'
"He was a little bit of a masochist. Then again, being a barbarian, it doesn't surprise me, really."
'He didn't even trigger his rage skill.'
"No. It would have been easier for you if he had done it. Once the rage skill is triggered, fighters become so focused that they forget what is around them. Time becomes irrelevant while the skill is triggered. They lose their usual thought process due to the rage. It only wears off once their enemy is dead or their skill runs down, which then leaves them much weaker."
SJ couldn't fathom fighting Malvon in an enraged state. He had been hard enough to damage as it was; with the bonuses that she had seen Bordon get from his rage skill, the thought sent a shudder down her spine.
'I am starting to think that Garshaw's enemies may have been an easier option than attempting to kill Malvon.'
"How are you feeling now?"
'Tired and sore.' SJ opened her display and checked her quest log. The run of quests had been given a 72-hour time on them, and with it running out, she wasn't sure if she had the strength to attempt anything else today. Her hand reached the clip on her ear, and she pressed the small gem that triggered it to call. It didn't take long for Carlito to answer.
"How's it going?" Carlito asked.
"Not so good. I was trying to finish your quests and came upon a small issue."
"What issue?"
"The killer of Killian Broadaxe is a dwarf named Malvon Creswelder. He is a level 37 barbarian, and I just ended up in a fight with him."
SJ heard Carlito inhale deeply. "A barbarian. They aren't easy targets to neutralise."
"No. I know that," SJ sighed. "I don't suppose you have any advice? I am nearly out of time on your quests and wish to finish them."
"What about the other one that isn't complete yet?"
"I don't think I have enough time left to investigate and find out their whereabouts."
"Umm. Since I accepted all four quests at the guild, I need them all completed anyway. Whichever ones remain, I will still have to finish whatever happens."
SJ had not considered that since he had assigned them to her, he would have to complete them even if she failed.
"Which of the two remaining quests is the one you would wish to complete?" Carlito asked.
"I would like to see the end of Malvon. He is one sick dwarf, based on the brief interaction I have had with him. He enjoys pain and showed no remorse for his actions against his cousin."
"So you are in District 12 currently?"
"Yes," SJ replied, a little surprised.
"Whereabouts?"
SJ opened her map. She knew she had been near Neflew Street when she started following Malvon, but she didn't know her exact whereabouts now. "Near Neflew Street, where Malvon owns a smithy."
"I will meet you there," Carlito said as the call cut off.
SJ opened her map and zoomed in on the Griffin, where she could see Carlito's dot. As she watched, it began to move rapidly across the map; at the speed he was travelling, it wouldn't take him long to reach District 12. Her dress had cleaned itself, and the blood and damage caused by the strike were no longer visible. As she stood, she changed the dress's shape and design before growing. Her cloak wasn't so easy to clean, and there were visible dark patches where blood had soaked.
'I need a new cloak or one that is as good as the dress,' SJ thought.
"Can you not reshape the dress to also be a cloak?" Dave asked.
The thought had never crossed SJ's mind, and she stood thinking about the potential design and how it might look with a cloak attached to the dress. As she concentrated, the shape of her dress started to change. Imagining a cape that dropped down the rear of her dress and also down over her chest. As she worked the material's shape, she thickened and darkened the cape's colour so it resembled more of a short cloak in design.
'That was a brilliant idea,' SJ said, smiling as she finished the transmogrification of the dress. It was now only knee length as the excess material from its base was now being used to create the cape. It was the first time SJ had considered that the volume of material restricted the actual design potential of the item. She changed the dress's colour to that of black and, removing the cloak, put it in her inventory. She had a cowl that she had tailored and pulled it on, gathering the material around her neck before pulling the rear of it up and covering her hair.
Now that her appearance was different and that she no longer had visible signs of blood on her, she walked back from the alley out onto the street and began to head back towards Neflew Street. It was early evening, and the light was fading. The sound of hammering had lessened in the district, and the heavy scent of soot and oil also. It didn't take long to get back to Malvon's, and SJ waited across the street in the doorway of another closed store. Carlito was nearing already. The speed at which he could move around the city was incredible to watch as he jumped from shadow to shadow using his skill. SJ saw his dot appear at the top of the street, and then, in moments, he was standing by her in the doorway. Even knowing he was coming, it still didn't save her from jumping at his sudden appearance.
He was dressed in a loose-fitting shirt, dark-coloured and what could only be described as combat-style bottoms with leather boots. A cloak wrapped around him, and he had taken the appearance of an elf.
"Hello," SJ said.
"Hi," Carlito smiled. In his current form, he stood a few inches taller than SJ. "Shall we go and visit Malvon?"
"I don't know where he will be. I know that he goes to the 'Drowned Slug,' but he would need to get changed and/or even healed before he goes there."
"Let us go to him then."
"You know where he lives?"
Carlito just smirked. "Do you think I would have given you quests I didn't already know about, considering that I had accepted all of them?"
SJ felt her cheeks redden. "You could have been more helpful with information. The quests you sent me were very plain and had no details."
"I wouldn't want to make them too easy for you."
"So you knew he was a level 37 barbarian?"
Again, a smirk crossed Carlito's face.
SJ cursed internally. "You do realise that is nearly twice my level?"
"Of course, as I have stated to you before, Levels mean nothing to an assassin. It is how you go about the kill. A level five could kill a level fifty under the right circumstances. What is your shadow step at now?"
"Level 3."
"Okay then. Follow me. I will restrict my jumps to accommodate," Carlito said as he stepped and vanished, appearing across the street in the alley SJ had entered before. SJ did the same; the distance that Carlito had jumped was perfectly matched to the range of her skill, and he walked down the alley for a while before again jumping and appearing further down. SJ looked at her cooldown, and as it reached zero, she did the same again. He had even timed the following steps to almost perfection. It took them some time, but they made their way through the streets of District 12 until they reached a large stone building with four storeys.
"He lives here," Carlito said.
"That place is huge," SJ said.
"Ha. It's apartments. He doesn't own the whole building. He lives on the top floor," Carlito pointed towards the roof.
They were standing in an alley across from the building. The entrance to the building was lit brightly, and to one side, there was an alley, while on the other, it adjoined to another building.
"How would you like to do this?" SJ asked.
"It's your quest," Carlito shrugged.
SJ frowned. "I struggled to damage him earlier when we met."
"Head on, I assume?" Carlito asked.
"Yes. He sensed me following him," SJ felt embarrassed telling Carlito. "I was going to attack him from behind, but he turned before I could."
"Well, he won't be expecting someone to visit him on the top floor of the building. The entry is locked, and if you haven't noticed, it is also guarded. The only way to reach his apartment is from the roof."
"That's the easy part," SJ said as she shrunk.
Carlito watched her shrink and smiled. "I will really have to try that form one day," he said as he stepped, disappearing across the street and reappearing briefly in the alley at the side of the building before SJ watched in absolute amazement as he appeared to scale the wall without even giving it a second thought, bouncing up between the sides of the buildings until he reached the roof and grabbing the edge of it flipped himself easily onto it. SJ had taken off and flown directly up and over to the roof, landing next to him.
Carlito's agility was ridiculous. That was plain to see.
SJ moved to the edge of the roof at the rear of the property and, looking down, was surprised to see an open area below. She was so used to seeing other buildings in close proximity the fact that a park was at the rear of the building was unusual. She couldn't see any beings below in the park, and compared to the street out at the front of the building, the park side seemed to be the better option to enter from. Lights were visible inside as she looked down, and several of the windows were open.
Carlito followed her across the roof.
"I am going to go in through the window to the left if it's clear. How will you get inside?"
"Don't worry about me," Carlito smiled.
SJ dropped from the roof and flew to the window. It looked into what could only be classed as a study or office. There were shelves of books and parchments and a large wooden desk. It appeared that several of the sheets of parchment had designs drawn on them for armour. Flying through the window, SJ landed softly on the wooden floor. The door to the study was open, and SJ, now inside, could hear the same tune that the dwarf had been whistling earlier as he had been walking home. She peered around the doorframe and down a hallway, which ran to a door at the end. The door had four large bolts on the inside, and they were all in place. He obviously was concerned about intruders while he was in the building. SJ wondered how many beings he had upset over the years to want such tight security, living in a building with a guard.
Off the hallway were several doors, and SJ, still in her miniature form, moved down the hallway, looking into each one. There was a bedroom, bathroom, pantry and kitchen before she neared the door closest to the entrance where the whistling was coming from. Peeking around the edge, she saw Malvon. He was standing with his shirt off, the broad, muscular back visible with welts of red from where she had attacked him. He had his back to her, and between whistles, he was swigging at a bottle of dwarven brandy. The stench from the liquor was pungent in the air, and SJ noticed the liquid on his back. As she watched, he lifted the bottle and poured it over the wounds he had sustained from her.
She could sense his clenched teeth even though she couldn't see his face as he stomped violently with one foot before throwing the now empty bottle into the fireplace in the room and lifting a new bottle from a wooden crate sitting on a table. Carlito hadn't made a sound, and she hadn't even sensed him as he had appeared crouched behind her in still miniature form at the entrance to the lounge. SJ turned and looked at him, indicating that she was going inside. The confidence she felt having Carlito with her was ridiculous, and any thoughts of fear left her completely. The fact that Carlito was really a green dragon probably added to the fact she was reassured that even if the worst thing happened, he could always transform and eat him. SJ couldn't help but smile at the thought of Carlito turning into a green dragon in the dwarf's lounge before gobbling him up.
Staying miniature, SJ equipped her blades and took off; she was going to strike as she grew, similar to Raceillia's fate. Malvon tilted his head back as he drank heavily from the new brandy bottle, and SJ aimed directly for the base of his thick neck. Her needle-like claws pierced his skin, and a gasp of pain caused him to cough violently as he was attempting to swallow liquor. As soon as her claws were embedded, she grew. Her speed at transformation was fast, and it was only moments before her clawed fists punctured through the dwarf's throat.
The guttural cry that then left Malvon's mouth was not the sound SJ had expected. Within an instant, she saw his skin colour change. It had been similar to that of a pale human previously and instantly began to colour with a deep red hue.
"Rage," Dave said.
'You think,' SJ thought in reply as she pulled her claws from his throat and struck again into his back as quickly as she could. Three strikes were all she managed before the massive arm of the now enraged dwarf spun around, violently hitting her across her shoulder. The force of the blow was insane, and SJ felt bones jar from the impact. She had triggered her identification skill and the critical surprise attack she had performed seriously affected Malvon. His health was down to just over fifty hit points remaining. The attacks she had just done had been substantial but still not anywhere near enough to kill him outright.
As she gathered her wits from the impact of his blow, she struck back out at him, her claws suddenly coming up against resistance. He had been topless, and as she watched, his bare chest and arms were suddenly coated in chain mail. 'Damn,' SJ thought. She knew she could call items to wear but had never witnessed them appearing on someone before.
"He has Equip, which is an advanced inventory tool that you can purchase. Similar to the way weapons work, it allows for clothing and armour to be worn at will, not just called," Dave said.
As SJ attacked Malvon, the spiked hammer appeared in his clenched fist, and with a snarling growl, he swung it viciously towards her. SJ stepped sideways, the hammer crashing onto the bookcase she had been next to. Books and wooden splinters flew everywhere as the hammer cleaved through them. SJ dived sideways, rolling and coming back to her feet behind a sofa. Malvon 's eyes were almost blinking from his face as he grabbed the edge of the sofa and hurled it across the room, smashing it against the wall as he approached her again. The chain mail shirt that Malvon now wore dropped to his knees, and there was very little area exposed that she could attack easily. She knew she had a chance to penetrate chain mail, but it wouldn't be easy, and in his enraged state, she didn't want the chance to get within range of his grip.
Using the trick from the alley, SJ again triggered her shadow step and appeared behind him, spinning her claws in a sweeping motion and creating sparks harmlessly across the rear of this chainmail vest.
Malvon spun again, and SJ ducked just in time. The hammer sailed within centimetres of her head. His knees and below were exposed, and she stabbed forward with her claws, cutting into the ankle of his left leg. He screamed, throwing his head back, and kicked out with his right foot. SJ couldn't react in time to the violent movement, and his boot caught her heavily in her chest, sending her backwards, crashing into the wall. SJ grimaced as she impacted with the stone wall, her head bouncing off it and a sharp pain radiating from where it had struck the rock. His health was lower, but by so little, it didn’t make any sense. The damage she should have just done to his leg would, in normal circumstances been nearly enough to cripple most, but in Malvon's state, he ignored it.
SJ scrabbled to stand and dived as the hammer swung towards her. She wasn't fast enough again as the needle-like spike punctured her calf, pinning her to the floor. All SJ could do was scream in pain as she saw the hammer being lifted again. Just as it reached its pinnacle, the look on Malvon's face slackened. His grimace and violent features were replaced with one of serenity. An almost happy smile appeared on his lips as his head fell from his shoulders.
