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8 A.M.
76738 Essence harvested.
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Quest generated!
'Capture those who came to kill the host.'
Reward: 4000 Essence, 1 Skill Token.
Failure: You better not!
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The words displayed by the quest panel were more threatening than the surrounding bunch of people. Lee got the gist of the situation, as the cultivator showed a piece of paper taken from the quest board of Cultivator's Guild. His name was evidently visible as it was written after the following words - 'Bounty for killing'.
"I never knew that I was popular enough to have 30 gold coins as a bounty on my head!"
Lee sounded excited, but mocked them in disguise, as Black was flipped from his right hand to left. The sword was raised and rested on his left shoulder, as he said-
"I don't have all day, so line up and get purified!"
The balanced male to female ratio among cultivators and adventurers amused Lee enough to make a 'meaningful' comment. His words 'I don't have all day' felt like an insult in those 12 cultivators' ears. The archer and archeress among them released their bowstring and Qi imbued Iron Wood arrows dashed against Lee.
[Do not fight head-on. Evade and make them go crazy.]
'Then strike the iron!'
Without any offensive movements, Lee easily avoided the incoming strikes. Black drifted in the air and always left the opponent's at its mercy. Lee slipped through the network of attacks with agile movements.
Glancing at the Map, he saw a few of them surrounding the ladies. But they had to give in without a fight, as the Tubian let out a wave of numbing relaxation, and they fell on the ground, slouching. The ladies did not let Gauthama have all the fun, and decided to join. Without much delay, they found their suitable sparring partner. Ruella, who was a druid, had to stick with Gauthama for shelter.
*Clang*
Lee showed sluggishness so that he does not lose his role as the central attention. He figured out that more than enough evading will make the opponents grow weary of him, and his companions might be targeted. Slowly, Black began to collide with homing swords and axes, while acting as if Lee was being pushed to defend.
*huff*
Lee let out a mouthful of air to decorate his acting, but his opponents were cautious. The Veil Of Whiteness served as a reference for others to know about his power. Thus, everyone was careful not to close in on him recklessly.
*Unintelligible chanting*
A barely audible chant fell in his ears and he immediately swept his eyes around. The person was hiding in a bush, out of his sight, but the all-powerful Map disclosed the person's location. Lee did not try to make an attempt of attack, as he wanted to see what kind of spell that was.
The woman behind the bush brought her palms down and thrusted it to the ground. A faint crack advanced towards Lee and he jumped up instinctively. Within a fraction of seconds, where he stood became a pool of sticky quicksand.
[That is a quicksand spell of level 1. She is probably a Rookie or Official wizard.]
Lee made his descend realistic and rolled on the ground as his footing 'went' uneven. His leather jacket had sustained a few cuts and slashes. The messy hair fell on his face, and he tried to move the locks, when a pair of fireballs made contact with him from his left.
*boom*
The strike was an unexpected one, even for Lee. He flew and rolled away for some metres, before trying to stand up on his legs. The unexpected delivery of the fireballs left a glimmer of trembling in him.
"Now we're talking!"
Swords and axes at close range, archers and wizards at long range. The battle experience Lee had longed for came to him. But their coordinated attacks were nothing against Foresight's assistance. The Stacked effect of Nature, Sound and Gravity amplified the situation. As the balancing power of Nature acted hand in hand with the disorienting audio vibrations of Sound, Gravity gave a burden of unforeseen and momentary downward exertion.
----
Five minutes later, the fireballs stopped chasing Lee. The swords did not display it's former vigour. The adventurers and cultivators were almost at their limit, when Lee straightened his body and let out a mouthful of air.
"It has been fun playing with you."
"What?"
In the sequence of actions, the tired bunch of men and women forgot to keep distance from Lee. It was all part of his cleverly executed plan, as tired ones tend to forget the most important safety measures. It was necessary, as the quest did mention the term 'Capture'. When the melee fighters recognised their collective nearness to him, it was late. The lightning stiffened their muscles as it went past them.
*zzt..*
A short, but thicker dose of lightning and a few of them fell on their knees, spasming, while the major portion was knocked out. Lee went to each one of them and dragged them towards the centre of the ground. He personally administered another dose of lightning, according to how the person reacted to the first collective dose. He made those who were reluctant to go unconscious, spasm like a man holding jackhammer.
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Quest completed.
Rewards stored in the Inventory.
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"Now, about this..!"
Lee took out that piece of paper which had the Guild's seal. It was a thicker version of paper, and did not show marks on rolling or folding. The pale yellowish hue gave off a feel of originality.
"Bounty for killing Lee! 30 gold coins upon presenting his head. Host: anonymous."
Lee read the details written on the paper out loud. An came near him and took the paper from his hand.
"Cowards. Can't fight you, so posted a mission request. That too, anonymously."
An made a comment as she glared at the faces of the cultivators and adventurers. She wanted to ask them about the mission, but decided not to, as she too saw them twitching.
"Can I kill them?"
Mia had her katana unsheathed and held in front of her. Her intent to kill was visible. Pointing it to the crouching bodies on the ground, she raised her question. Those who were barely conscious jolted by her question. It would be pathetic to be killed like cattle!
Lee walked to her and took the sword from her hand and sheathed it.
"They did not do anything wrong. As people chose many different ways to earn a livelihood, so have they selected a path suitable for them."
He patted her shoulder and turned to the unconscious. As those who were awake and aware witnessed, their companions went disappearing into thin air. Terror and fear swallowed their hearts as they too ended up in an incomprehensible space.
[Oh, that was unexpected.]