I Gave You a Chance

The wight scrambled to its feet, battered and disheveled. With a low growl, it raised the Necrotic Sword high and charged forward.

There was no fear in its eyes, only a cold killing intent.

Noronos let out a shrill cry. As he galloped, he changed direction at a sharp angle once more. The instant they crossed paths, scorching Dragon Breath swept past.

The wight had been ready, but the breath was too fast and its range too wide to dodge. Flames curled its leather armor, sizzling as they seared its flesh and filled the air with a foul stench.

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These surface wounds were nowhere near fatal, but they only made the wight more frustrated. It couldn't catch up, and it couldn't escape.

Furious, it grew ever more violent, raging helplessly.

Before the Dragon Breath spell had ended, Anse patted Noronos lightly and charged again.

This time, the wight had learned its lesson and rolled away in advance.

Anse had expected that. He deliberately delayed casting, then waited until it dodged before turning his head and breathing fire, giving it another cremation.

I predicted your prediction!

The wight rolled around, smothering the flames on its body. Its flesh was charred black, its limbs twitching, and its movements were badly hampered.

It glanced back at Anse, ran a few quick steps, then leaped into the lake and disappeared beneath the surface.

After quite a while, he finally surfaced far away and swam toward the middle of the lake in a strange dog-paddle.

"Uh... it can swim underwater, too. You learn fast."

Anse looked at the three figures struggling to swim, one far away and two nearby, and felt rather helpless.

Water was a natural barrier. When attacked, they could duck beneath the surface, where spells with little stopping power would hardly be effective.

But it had its drawbacks, too. Swimming was exhausting, and it was hard to fight or cast spells in the water. Without special training, a person lost most of their fighting strength as soon as they went in.

The wight had endless stamina, but wouldn't its rotting body fall apart if it stayed in the water?

"Cut them off." He patted the horse's back.

Noronos broke into a gallop, far faster than anyone could swim. The Amnians who had hoped to escape amid the chaos hadn't reached the shore before Anse arrived.

The two men were in bad shape. Their upper bodies were bare, their wounds numerous, and their skin had turned pale and swollen from soaking in the water. They probably wouldn't last much longer.

Anse didn't approach. He simply watched them in silence from the lakeshore, his indifferent gaze keeping them from daring to come ashore.

They could hide in the water, but once they came up, they'd be on an open plain. Even with two extra legs, they couldn't outrun a horse.

Besides, they had watched the whole fight from the water. This Sorcerer was powerful, his mount was no ordinary horse, and his combat and spellcasting skills were polished. In their condition, they had no chance at all.

After a brief standoff, the middle-aged man called out, "Sir, if you let us go, I'll give you everything I own. Here's a down payment."

As he spoke, he raised a hand above the water and threw a small object onto the shore with all his strength.

Noronos trotted over. In the light of Anse's staff, a silver cup lay on the grass, shaped like an hourglass and gleaming with tiny white sparks.

"This is the Guardian Holy Grail, a rare holy item. Do I really need to tell you what it's worth?" The middle-aged man saw the holy symbol glowing on Anse's chest and felt uneasy.

"Me, too." The Dragonborn pointed toward Cloakwood Forest. "Our camp is at the edge of the forest. I can take you there."

Anse didn't pick it up. He acted as though he couldn't care less, then pointed toward the wight in the middle of the lake and shouted:

"Go kill it. This is your only chance. I don't compromise easily, so make the most of it."

Then he deliberately touched the hot holy symbol on his chest.

"You're clearly sending us to our deaths," the Dragonborn said through gritted teeth.

"You have a choice." Anse wasn't in a hurry. He could wait until dawn.

Gray Hawk hadn't sounded the alarm, which meant there was no sign of the Undead horde returning. Everything was under control.

"Fine! I hope you'll keep your word." The middle-aged Captain didn't trust Anse, but he trusted the holy symbol.

Followers of the God of Justice always had a strong moral code. And to them, destroying the Undead was indeed more important than killing two slave traders.

"Captain?" The Dragonborn stared at him in disbelief.

"Do as I say. Move." The middle-aged Captain turned and swam toward the wight.

After hesitating for a moment, the Dragonborn followed him.

In the middle of the lake, a cruel smile spread across the wight's charred face. It understood Common, but it wasn't afraid.

The Undead didn't need to breathe or worry about running out of strength. They had a natural advantage fighting in water.

It needed two new zombies to get it out of this predicament, and two Professionals were undoubtedly the best material.

The two sides closed in quickly. The Amn Captain attacked first, thrusting with his sword, but his movements were slow, and the wight easily batted it aside.

The melee began. The churning surface showed how fierce the fight was, and the splashes were streaked with blood.

Anse sat on his horse, watching it all calmly.

"Am I being too cruel?"

He distinctly remembered that he hadn't been like this before.

But he really didn't want to wait until dawn. There were too many unknowns, and this was the best solution he could think of.

"People have to learn to adapt, don't they? It's not as if I'm deliberately torturing them to death."

He shook his head, casting aside those muddled thoughts. The fight in the water was about to be decided.

The wight was indeed strong and in good shape, but it wasn't clever enough.

Once the Dragonborn got close, he took a sword blow in exchange for locking both arms around the wight's arms and Necrotic Sword. He wrapped his legs around its waist, and no matter how the wight struggled, it couldn't break free.

The wight was strong, but its attributes were evenly balanced. Strength wasn't its strong point.

Seizing the opportunity, the middle-aged Captain drove his sword into the wight's mouth and straight through the top of its skull. Then he twisted it hard, and the wight went completely still.

[Target killed, gained 101 Combat Experience]

"Not bad." Anse raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The two Amnians dragged the wight to the shore, then hauled themselves out of the water with some difficulty. They tossed aside their weapons and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

Their unguarded appearance wasn't a sign of trust; they had no choice. Since they couldn't escape, they might as well act a little more carefree.

"I threw our belongings and breastplates into the lake. You should be able to find them if you go in along the north shore," the middle-aged Captain panted.

Anse didn't go over. "Where are you from? What are you doing here?"

"Aralon Island. We came here to do a little business..." The Dragonborn replied with his eyes closed.

A sharp phrase in Draconic suddenly cut him off. Three Glimmering Missiles flashed through the air and struck the Dragonborn in the chest one after another.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The Dragonborn's mouth hung half open as blood poured out. His head lolled to one side, his vacant eyes fixed on the Captain beside him.

[...Target killed, gained 23 Combat Experience]

"You broke your word! You promised—" The middle-aged Captain cried out in alarm. He rolled onto his stomach, panic on his face, his voice bordering on hysterical.

"Amnian, what did I promise you? I haven't made a single promise from beginning to end. You made it up yourself." Anse touched the holy symbol on his chest. It was burning hot.

He'd have to be an idiot to let them go. They might even redirect their hatred of the Undead toward him.

The middle-aged Captain froze. "You knew? You were lying to us the whole time. The Nahivarr family won't let you get away with this..."

A red ball of energy with a little tail was his answer.

With a boom, the man was flung away. His skin was charred and twisted, his features so ruined that he was unrecognizable.

[...Target killed, gained 61 Combat Experience]

"I gave you a chance, but I knew you wouldn't take it," Anse said calmly.

He looked toward Cloakwood Forest. A dark mass stretched across the landscape; it seemed the other side had more companions. "Nahivarr" sounded vaguely familiar.