Rogues had three categories of skills:
One neither generated nor consumed combo points. These were core rogue skills, such as Stealth, Vanish, and Sap;
One generated combo points. These were basic rogue skills, such as Sinister Strike, Hemorrhage, and Ambush;
The last consumed not only energy but also combo points. These were rogue finishing moves, such as Slice and Dice and Eviscerate!
The power of a finishing move depended on the number of combo points consumed.
The power of a five-point Eviscerate was...
Five times that of a one-point Eviscerate!
Bang!
The two Blades of Cunning sliced through the air, instantly piercing the paper-thin Mage Armor. The Mage Armor, which could originally withstand two normal attacks from a mid-tier rogue, shattered on impact, pierced by an apprentice rogue in less than two seconds!
"No!"
"Stop!"
"You can't kill him!"
"What are you doing!"
In an instant, Basil, Harold, Mage Nolan, and the other two mages, who had been watching the fight all along, all cried out. Paladin Basil, who was farther away, had already begun gathering holy light, while Harold, a knight of the kingdom, prepared to use the Warrior skill Charge. Mage Nora, who was closer, had already begun casting.
But every one of them knew they were too late!
When a rogue closed in on a mage, broke through his only piece of defensive equipment, and held a dagger to his throat, what could he do but wait for death?
Yes, his only one.
Magic equipment was so precious that ordinary people, and even ordinary professionals, could not so much as dream of it. Even many low-tier and mid-tier assassins did not possess a single piece of the lowest-grade magic equipment.
That was because any piece of magic equipment, even the worst, was at least green uncommon quality, and worth several times or even ten times as much as ordinary uncommon equipment.
Without a doubt, the magic necklace around Dudley's neck cost at least a hundred gold coins. Even with Baron Soroson's status, position, and family wealth, he could not possibly buy too many for Dudley. A magic necklace around his neck and an oak staff of the lowest quality, set with a sapphire, in his hand were already quite good.
A baron was, after all, only a baron.
The Kingdom of Lordaeron had thousands of nobles of all ranks, with at least several hundred barons among them...
It really did not amount to much.
With his only defense broken, Dudley's eyes filled with terror. Facing the threat of death for the first time, he had been utterly unprepared when the god of death laid its scythe against his neck. At that instant, he felt a warm stream surge downward from his lower dantian, spray through a curved passage, warm his underclothes and the mage's robe over them, pollute the surrounding air, and even mar Lordaeron's cityscape.
The blades did not fall. At the very last instant, they stopped steadily against Dudley's neck, leaving a faint trace of blood.
The holy light in Basil's hands gradually dissipated, Harold's Charge became a sprint, and the arcane energy at the head of Mage Nolan's staff gradually dispersed.
They all breathed a sigh of relief.
Dudley was no ordinary person, after all, and his father was no ordinary baron, but a very powerful one. If Jiang Jie really killed Dudley, Jiang Jie would be the one to suffer, and they would also end up on bad terms with Baron Soroson.
Although they did not fear him, that would still be undesirable.
"You're very lucky. When your father sent someone to assassinate me with these daggers, they were coated with paralytic poison, not lethal poison. Otherwise, you'd already be a corpse!" Jiang Jie whispered softly into Dudley's ear, then frowned slightly as he caught the stench of urine.
"Gutless trash. Killing you would dirty my hands!" Jiang Jie lightly curled his fingers and withdrew the daggers.
He could not kill Dudley, after all. Otherwise, Baron Soroson would kill him in a frenzy before he could even leave Lordaeron,
And not even Princess Calia could save him. "Then I'll let you live a few more days!"
Jiang Jie sneered, then walked up to Mage Nolan and bowed respectfully. "Nicholas Jiang, reporting under orders to escort Mage Nolan. I await your instructions."
Jiang Jie did not need to obey anyone else's instructions. The Assassins' Order was a special organization that reported only to His Majesty the King and Prince Arthas. Every member of the Assassins' Order obeyed only the orders of its leadership. No one else could command them.
Jiang Jie was merely making a gesture, showing Mage Nolan sufficient respect.
"Dudley, go change your clothes. You have ten minutes." Mage Nolan frowned. Dudley was his apprentice, after all, and his disgraceful performance, actually wetting his pants, had made Nolan lose face. Fortunately, Jiang Jie had shown him respect and given him a way out, so his attitude toward Jiang Jie improved somewhat. He said flatly, "Mm, understood."
Mages were always like this. Unless they were particularly close to someone, they remained indifferent, preferring to spend all their time on study and research rather than socializing. After all, theirs was an elite profession with extremely high status, so a little arrogance was perfectly normal...
There were hardly any goofballs like Khadgar in all of Azeroth!
Naturally, Jiang Jie did not mind, and soon returned to Basil, Harold, and the others.
"Nicholas, well done!" Harold said quietly, discreetly giving him a thumbs-up. The royal guards also looked at Jiang Jie with friendliness, feeling a greater sense of acceptance toward him.
They were prestigious royal guards, but first and foremost, they were hot-blooded warriors!
Warriors who always charged at the very front of the battlefield had nothing but contempt for cowards. Naturally, they approved of someone like Jiang Jie, who refused to suffer mistreatment, dared to fight back, and succeeded.
Warriors had the highest death rate of any profession, but also produced heroes most readily!
Warriors were often more reckless and impulsive than members of other professions, but they were also more sincere and direct!
Basil said nothing. The paladin's code left him with no fondness for Dudley, but he did not approve of Jiang Jie's actions either. However, his position was special. He belonged to the Order of the Silver Hand, so it was not appropriate for him to comment on the matter, nor was there any need to.
"Nicholas, if Ivan had seen that, he'd admire you even more. He's the Coleman family's only child, and his mother usually spoils her. I... am a little afraid of my wife, so I can't keep him in line. Sorry for the trouble, but please keep him in line for me from now on. Believe me, he'll listen to you." Harold patted Jiang Jie's shoulder and smiled.
Jiang Jie looked at this henpecked model husband of Warcraft, speechless.
He thought that since the boy's father had said so himself, the next time he saw that brat Ivan, who was asking for a beating, he really would have to "strike when it was time to strike." As long as he did not kill him, everything would be fine.
It's all for your own good! If you don't believe me, go ask your dad!