Oh, it seems we are quite popular already.
"The Battle Babe?!" He shouts excitedly and looks at her like she is a tantalizing peace of meat. "Since I'm already neck deep in illegal shit, I might as well make her my slave too! What a good day! And that man's armor will sell for quite a sum as well!"
We don't stop in our tracks as we leisurely stroll towards them. This finally prompts Grunt to get serious as he motions for the two slaves to get ready for confrontation.
"This is the one and only chance I'm giving you, Quinlan. Be a good little boy like Ian and e with us. Once you sign her contract over to me I will let you go."
"Oh, I'm sure you will. I will not find myself dead in a ditch or flowing down the river as a corpse at all. Try to at least make it believable, dumbass."
He scoffs in response. "Well, alright. Let's get this over with. I don't know why you two irons dare interrupt my, a level 15's, plans but what's been done is done. Don't think of walking away unscathed now."
I can see his silver plate decorated necklace dangling in front of his heavy armor. He seems to be very proud of it. Being silver ranked is considered to be quite an achievement for those that are lowborn, so I can somewhat see where his arrogance es from. Furthermore, since we are only iron ranked we must be below level ten, or we would've been placed into bronze straight away. (picture)
What his little brain didn't take into consideration is…
Ayame vanishes from my side, using her [Flash Step] to swiftly get behind them. The two rogue women react barely in time, managing to raise their daggers just as Ayame's blade es slashing at Grunt with a [Horizontal Strike]. They block the strike, but their grips aren't strong enough to hold onto their weapons, and the force of Ayame's attack sends their daggers flying.
I rush at them from behind, activating [Power Strike] as I drive my spear into one of the rogues. She cries out in pain, but my spear doesn't pierce her flesh pletely, though she took a lot of damage for certain and her light armor has a gaping hole in it now with lots of blood gushing out of it.
I can't help but marvel inwardly at the incredible progress I've made in just a couple of days. I'm so much faster and stronger than when I got transmigrated, it feels straight liberating. I might not be able to duel Ayame or Grunt for now, but we have to take into consideration that they've spent many years grinding XP and battle experience in general, while I'm a genuine beginner.
Grunt finally wakes up and swings his war hammer at Ayame, who simply backflips out of harm's way like a true acrobat. Now the four of them are positioned between the two of us.
Ayame lands gracefully and moves with fluid precision. Grunt, clearly unnerved by her uncanny agility and skill, takes a step back, his eyes darting around for an opening. The rogues recover their posure, but it's clear they are on the defensive now.
Ayame darts forward again, this time targeting the rogue I wounded. Her steel sword flashes in the dim light as she delivers a series of rapid strikes. The rogue struggles to keep up, her movements slowing with each parry.
Grunt, realizing the tide is turning, charges at me with his war hammer raised. I know I can't meet his attack head-on, so I activate [Lesser Evasion] and nimbly sidestep his swing. Our weapons don't clash; instead, I use my speed to dodge and stall him. His blows are powerful, but he's slow, and he can't keep up with my evasive maneuvers properly.
Ayame, meanwhile, has overwhelmed the wounded rogue, who collapses to the ground, unable to continue. She turns her attention to the remaining rogue, who looks visibly shaken.
"Your turn," Ayame says coldly, her eyes narrowing.
The rogue hesitates, glancing at Grunt for support, but he's too occupied with me to offer any assistance.
Ayame doesn't give the rogue a chance to recover. She disarms her with a swift motion, sending her dagger skittering across the alley. The rogue stumbles back, clutching her arm, her resolve crumbling. Ayame shows no mercy, slashing at her legs and arms, leaving her incapacitated and begging for mercy, stating that they are both slaves doing their cruel master's bidding just like her.
However, Ayame doesn't listen. She doesn't converse. She is a ruthless battle machine, her focus not wavering even for a second. The usually empathetic girl is nowhere to be seen as she draws blood as easily as she inhales oxygen.
With the rogues heavily wounded and incapacitated, Ayame rushes to my side. Grunt swings his war hammer wildly, but his strikes are being more desperate and erratic. He's struggling to keep up with both of us.
Ayame and I circle around him, our movements a blur of speed and precision. Grunt tries to defend, but he's outmatched. His heavy armor makes him slow, and he can't keep up with our agility and coordination.
Seeing an opening, I thrust my spear forward, aiming for his exposed side. I activate [Power Strike], but my spear doesn't pierce through his armor at all. The blow doesn't even throw him off balance. ꭆαΝȪ฿Εš
Realizing that I'm the much smaller threat, Grunt focuses entirely on Ayame. She dodges his attacks with ease, her agility and acrobatic genius making her an elusive target. I continue to use my [Lesser Evasion] to distract and stall him, creating openings for Ayame to exploit.
My panion speaks up for the first time since the confrontation began. "Without a curved blade I have difficulty breaking through… If I brute force things my blade will shatter before his armor does. It's time for another important lesson, Quinlan.
Slashing and piercing weapons are a horrible match up against heavy armor, unless there is a very wide gap between their quality or their holder is just that much stronger, in which case it matters little. Neither is true for our current scenario, thus you need a blunt weapon to deal bludgeoning damage to him.
However, we don't have the luxury to run to a weapon shop and buy one, therefore…" She drops her sword to the ground with a loud clang and takes on an unarmed fighting position, "you need to bee the blunt weapon."
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