Gambit

What was adventure?

It meant things happening completely unexpectedly.

Take Nikus's death, for instance.

Rosie stood where she was, watching Countess Eliza calmly pull back her sword.

The scraping sound of steel against bone was soft yet distinct, clear even above the crackle of the roaring fire.

Nikus's knees struck the ground first, followed by his torso, before his face crashed sideways against the flagstones, kicking up a small puff of dust.

A horrific, bloody hole was left in his left eye socket.

Blood gushed from the wound, trickling down the contours of his face and seeping into the cracks between the stone slabs.

Almost instinctively, Rosie shoved Vera—who was leaning against her—toward Balu.

“Balu, watch her.”

The beastkin had barely recovered from the shock of seeing the Temple of Art burn down when he suddenly watched the tin can get his head impaled by the Countess.

Weren't this Countess and the tin can both human nobles? Didn't they seem to get along pretty well?

His mouth hung half-open, completely unable to process what was happening before his eyes.

Yet upon hearing Rosie's voice, his body reacted faster than his mind, catching the pushed Vera in an instant.

Rosie drew her meteoric iron sword, preparing to rush forward, but pulled back the moment before she committed.

Countess Eliza had struck with terrifying speed.

So fast that Nikus didn't even have time to react before a blade ran through his head.

This wasn't something an ordinary noblewoman could do; her combat capability was formidable.

If she couldn't resolve the Countess quickly, the surrounding personal guards would drown her, Balu, and Vera in sheer numbers.

Instead of charging Eliza, Rosie redirected the tip of her blade, pressing it against the neck of the vampire elder, who was reduced to half a torso and a head.

“Back off! Or I kill her right now!”

Eliza's gaze flicked over to the vampire, lingered for a second, and then she smiled.

“Go ahead and kill her. All I need is her blood anyway.”

Rosie's eyes darkened.

Her wrist snapped as she swung the meteoric iron sword without a moment's hesitation.

The blade sliced across the ash-grey neck, carving through charred flesh and splintered cartilage with a swift, decisive crunch.

[Quest Objective Completed: Terminated the evil deeds of the vampire elder]

[Quest Reward: Path of the Hunter or Path of the Knight]

[Path of the Hunter: Unlocks the Hunter specialization, focusing on hunting evil creatures that harm the world. Can advance by hunting special evil creatures.]

[Path of the Knight: Unlocks the Knight specialization, defenders who value head-on confrontation and possess formidable willpower. Can advance by completing Knight trials.]

System text flashed at the edge of her vision, waiting for her choice.

However, she didn't choose immediately.

Instead, she grabbed the vampire's severed head.

“You want it? Come get it yourself!”

With a forceful swing, she hurled the head into the blazing fire of the Temple of Art.

Then, with a swift kick, she launched the remaining half of the torso into the sea of flames as well.

“Dammit!”

The Countess's calm, composed smile froze.

She clearly hadn't expected Rosie to act so decisively.

The Countess's figure blurred against the firelight as she darted after the head flying toward the flames.

“Balu! Run!” Rosie shouted.

With that, she turned and bolted.

Although the beastkin was a bit simple-minded, he certainly understood "run."

Cradling Vera in his arms, he sprinted right behind Rosie.

The two dashed toward the perimeter at full speed.

Meanwhile, just before the vampire elder's head touched the flames, the Countess snatched it out of the air.

Pushing off a stone wall at the edge of the fire, she flipped gracefully through the air and landed firmly back on the ground.

The Countess looked down at the head in her hand. The vampire's solitary eye shifted slightly in its socket, then gave her a wink.

Even reduced to just a head, it was somehow still alive.

The Countess stared at it for a moment, then let out a gentle smile.

It was the exact same smile she had given Nikus moments before—warm, composed, and full of kindness.

She looked up, turning her gaze toward the two figures fleeing into the distance.

“Soldiers! That woman and the beastkin have murdered Master Nikus. Take them down! Dead or alive.”

“As you command, Countess!”

A synchronized shout echoed across the square, followed by the raspy ring of blades drawing and rapid, rushing footsteps.

The soldiers of the Countess's personal guard fanned out, flanking toward Rosie and Balu's escape route.

The whistle of arrows cutting through the air burst out behind Rosie.

The personal guard used shortbows suited for urban combat; while their draw weight was modest and lacked armor-piercing power, their rate of fire was high.

They completely ignored the onlookers on the outer perimeter and opened fire directly.

An arrow grazed the edge of Rosie's shoulder armor, sparking against the metal plate before ricocheting off to embed itself into the ground ahead.

“Ugh—!”

The beastkin let out a low grunt as his speed noticeably dropped, his running posture faltering into an awkward limp.

An arrow was lodged deep into his rear, half the shaft buried; with every step he took, the fletching quivered.

Grit his teeth, he neither slowed down nor pulled the arrow out.

Rosie spun around, her meteoric iron sword flashing repeatedly in her grip.

She swatted down several arrows flying toward her and Balu.

But that wasn't enough; the guards stationed on the outer perimeter had already closed in to form a semi-encirclement.

They wore standard-issue steel breastplates, the polished surfaces reflecting the flickering firelight, holding medium shields in their left hands and broadswords in their right.

They maintained proper spacing, far enough apart to prevent being swept up all at once, yet close enough to coordinate their attacks seamlessly.

Clearly, these were well-trained soldiers.

Behind them, the archers sheathed their bows, drew their weapons, and charged forward to pincer them from front and rear!

Rosie spoke rapidly: “I'll hold them off. Take the chance to break through.”

“I can't leave a comrade behind and run,” Balu panted heavily.

“Get her out of here, now!”

As Rosie's words fell, the flagstone beneath her feet burst into a spray of gravel and dust, her figure drawing an afterimage through the firelight.

Carried by the momentum of her charge, her meteoric iron sword slashed down violently toward the enemies blocking her path.

At that very moment, several green figures charged from the outside toward Balu's position.

“Boss, we're here to help you!”