"The Pantheon of Exile is a place where being kind will earn you a knife stab in the back. It is not a place for the innocent and the ignorant, and the people in there are the worst of the worst.
"Since we will be arriving there shortly, it would be best if we make a good first impression. That way, we will not always be targeted by the fools who think that we are easy pickings."
Those were the words that Lilian had told them as they made their way to the City of Exile.
They already knew that they were going to be attacked as soon as they entered the city, so they made preparations in advance.
Eiko, who had drawn First Blood, narrowed her eyes to look at the destruction caused by her Blast Bombs.
To her surprise, the Thugs were able to escape with only minor injuries, and were looking at her with solemn expressions on their faces.
"Well what do you know? It seems that these newbies know a trick or two," one of the Thugs grinned as he held daggers in both hands.
"A Slime that throws bombs? How much do you think that thing will sell for in the auction?" a skinny man asked his comrades, who were watching the battle from one of the nearby rooftops.
"Can't say, but she will be a good pet," a woman eyed Eiko with a smile. "She's kind of cute, don't you think?"
"Your definition of cute is a bomb in your face?"
"Well, why not?"
Similar conversations were being held by the spectators who were watching the battle from a distance.
There was an unspoken rule in the City of Exile when it came to handling newcomers.
It was fight at your own risk, and no one will get in your way.
Since the Ruffians decided to attack Lux's group, the others simply watched from the side and waited for the outcome of the battle.
"I'll handle them," Cethus said as he summoned his spear.
"Gravity Domain!"
A dome of black light expanded in the surroundings, catching three of the Thugs that attacked them. The others were nimble on their feet and managed to evade in time.
Those who were not-so-lucky found themselves kissing the ground due to the increase in gravity within the black dome of light.
Cethus sneered and increased the gravity five times, making the three Thugs cry out in pain as their bones shattered inside their bodies.
The Dragon Born then glanced in the direction of the Thugs, who managed to back away and sneered.
"You think you filthy Low Landers can beat me? What a joke," Cethus once again increased the gravity, making the bodies of the thugs he caught explode like watermelons.
(E/N: They're Under Landers.)
The Dragon Born then brandished his spear in an arrogant manner and pointed it at the people who preyed on them.
"Who's next?" Cethus asked arrogantly. "Those who want to die, step forward!"
Lux and Eiko, who were watching from the side, clapped their hands.
"Wow! Did you see that Eiko?"
"Pa!"
"I know, right? Watching cannon fodders fight cannon fodders is the best thing ever."
"Un!"
Lilian giggled and Gerhart snickered, which made the Dragon Born almost cough up blood after hearing his own allies make fun of him in front of their enemies.
'You motherf*ckers!' Cethus cursed internally as he did his best to remain calm.
If he were to have his way, he would have smacked Lux with his spear and made the latter apologize to him.
Sadly, he couldn't do that.
Eiko would kill him before he could get close enough to touch her Papa.
The Thugs glanced at each other before spreading out in different directions. They outnumbered their enemies, so they weren't afraid of bringing them down.
Some of the spectators cheered at their efforts while secretly wishing that they would die at the hands of the newcomers.
The City of Exile was a dog-eat-dog world, and only the strongest and the smartest people could survive it.
When they finally had their enemies surrounded, the leader of the Thugs raised his hand in the air and shouted.
"Now!"
All of his comrades threw metallic chains toward their targets.
But instead of targeting their bodies, the chains flew past them and linked with each other, forming a cage that trapped them within.
Suddenly, sparks of lightning spread along the chains that surrounded the Half-Elf and his comrades, which threatened to electrocute them all.
This was their group's killer technique that worked wonders against newbies who had no idea about what they were capable of doing.
"Nice trick," Gerhart said. "But not good enough."
Just as the sparks of lightning were about to hit their bodies, a tornado appeared out of nowhere.
Lightning streaked in its body, making it look like a malevolent Storm Elemental that was about to unleash its overwhelming might on everything within its reach.
But if one were to look closely, one would notice countless jagged bones mixed into the tornado, which could easily rend the flesh of the Humans who were unfortunate enough to be pulled into its deadly embrace.
With its strong suction power, the thugs who were holding the chains were pulled towards it, making them scream in horror.
Those who were able to react quickly immediately let go of their chains and distanced themselves from the tornado that threatened to swallow them all alive.
Blood-curdling screams of pain, shock, and desperation reverberated in the city as the powerful tornado shredded and electrocuted the Thugs who had been absorbed into its vortex.
It didn't take long before the tornado's color changed to red as the blood of its victims merged with its body.
'Sh*t, I think we kicked the steel plate,' the Leader of the Ruffians cursed internally after more than half of his men had been killed in a matter of minutes.
Knowing that they had underestimated their prey, he decided to cut their losses and ordered a retreat.
But just as he was about to run away, he saw a faceless monster standing behind him with its arms crossed over its chest.
Before the Leader of the Thugs could even do anything, the Nightgaunt, Shax, wrapped its tail around his body and casually threw him toward the tornado in the distance, making the man scream in horror.
The rest of the surviving thugs found themselves facing the members of Lux's Covenant, who, after catching them, didn't hesitate to toss them toward the blood-red tornado that had grown in size.
When the last thug was shredded, until his body exploded into a blood mist, the tornado disappeared, leaving only a bloody mess behind.
Lux and his friends were all unharmed, and their clothes and weapons were free from the blood of their foes.
A chilling silence permeated the surroundings for nearly half a minute before it was broken by thunderous applause.
The people in the City of Exile cheered, and some even raised their mugs of ale in order to salute the newcomers who survived their city's initiation ceremony.
Clearly, the death of some ruffians was simply entertainment to them.
"Such wonderful people," a handsome man in his mid-thirties said with a smile as he looked at Lux and his comrades from the castle wall. "I like them."
The handmaiden standing beside him didn't say anything and simply glanced at the newcomers with a calm gaze.contemporary romance
However, for the first time in many years, something stirred within their beautiful depths.
As to what kind of emotion it was, no one would know since it vanished without a trace, as she waited for the coming of a devil, whose blood-soaked wings would free her and her people from suffering.
done.co