Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Elijah wondered of twords the training grounds, ready to have fun. What he was not ready for was to be told to sit at the side and watch.

Seeing as he wasn't doing anything useful, he took his leave of the mansion, wondering if he could find something to pass the time. Walking in the streets, he realized before long that he had no clue what to look for until he saw hooded figure in a dark cloak rounding a corner into an alley.

Elijah did the obvious thing and followed. He caught the figure going left at a split in the alley ahead and instead of copying him and losing him along the way, he did the smart thing and climbed to the roof. Well, decided to at least. As he was taking his first step into his planned path of parkour, a mouldy foothold gave way and he fell on his face, alerting whoever he was pursuing and causing them to speed their pace. He grumbled and tried again, being more cautious of any weak or loose pieces, and caught up to his guide to entertainment. The man tried to lose his pursuer through many twists and turns, but it's more difficult to lose someone who's looking from above. Eventually, satisfied that whoever was tailing him had probably lost his trail, he then returned on track and headed to his true destination. Reaching a seemingly normal alley and entering a building, using some form of password, a trapdoor appeared and the shady man walked down it. Elijah, as quickly as possible before it shut, jumped down from the roof, landed with a roll and came up running, managing to enter a few seconds before it closes behind him. It was pitch black, and he didn't bring any light source, but Elijah didn't need one. Going down the narrow tunnel, Elijah had to focus to not giggle from excitement and expose himself.

He soon reached the end of the tunnel, as the walls widened abruptly into shape of a wide and rough dome.

Elijah spotted thirteen people from where he hid himself, all covered in cloaks. They stood in a circle, surrounding a stout stone table that had carved lines leading down, connected to the chisels of scribbles in the ground. Upon the table lay a bound and gagged woman, dressed in thin clothes. Going by her struggling, muffled shouts and the general fear he could literally smell coming off her, Elijah concluded that she was not there by choice. Elijah noted that the scribbles were in the flowy language that he only knew the script of. He could read what was written; it was something about the 'end of days', prophecy, demon Lords, destruction, and ending with 'summon the giant'. There was a blank space from the word giant to the first word, as the circle the scribbles were in seemed very big. 

Actual cultists, neat! What do I do! I'm so excited I can't think straight! I should probably attack! Question is, Elijah paused for a moment in his thoughts, "who's first?" He accidentally whispered.

"Did someone hear something?" One of the cultists asked.

No one answered, signifying that no one heard something.

"Make sure that no one is here," he commanded one of the others.

One of the people separated from the circle and started walking in Elijah's direction, the entrance. 

guess that solved that problem.

He went through the tunnel, and Elijah followed behind him. After a minute of walking, Elijah struck. Coming up behind him and pulling out the rapier, Elijah covered his mouth and embedded the rapier into his back. A rapier -7, followed by Sneak Attack -4 floated above the now dead body before fading gradually. A +1 added itself to a new counter that had appeared beside his level.

[Elijah__ tabaxi halfbreed rogue level 1 1/10]

Elijah was dazed for a bit, and almost stopped to consider before shaking himself out of it. Later, he told himself, for now lets save the damsel in distress. 

Retracing his steps back, he found the other twelve still in position. And they seemed to have started whatever ceremony they had planned. They all chanted strange words, and the air seemed to take on a mysterious vibrancy. Elijah debated wether to to go in guns blazing or take the easy and long route of sneaking and assassination. Then the answer was decided when one of the cultists took out a very ominous looking dagger and exited the circle, advancing twords the, what was now apparent, sacrifice.

You are reading story Elijah at novel35.com

Guns blazing it is. 

With a run and a stab, he injured the cultist, hitting him in the ribs and doing rapier -4 and Sneak Attack -6 damage. The cultist didn't die and looked very much alive. Quickly taking out a dagger and stabbing in the shoulder, he did another dagger -4, finally doing enough damage to kill him.

Then he turned around to spot eleven pairs of eyes starting at him. Twelve, if he counted the bound woman staring wide eyed at him in the dim light.

"Good evening," he greeted, nodding. Then he ran back to the tunnel.

{Cheetah's Quickness}

With a burst of abnormal speed, he made it to the tunnel in no time flat. Out of range of the light of the torches, with a quick series of jumps he reached the cieling and hid there. He saw six people run past before he jumped down and ran back, his {Cheetah's Quickness} reset. Now there were five cultists and one sacrifice, and the chant had renewed. At least, Elijah consoled himself, the numbers were a lot more manageable.

Quickly thinking, he then acted.

He unsheathed two daggers and threw them both simultaneously, one hitting the cultist farthest from him squarely in the chest with a dagger -3 and sneak attack -6. The cultist took three steps back before steadying himself, shivering and very pale. The other dagger went out at a wide angle from everyone, flying almost perfectly left- much to Elijah's embarrassment. Sadly, he is not left handed. His Shame replaying in his mind, he ran forward with no longer pure intentions to skewer the closest back. Driving his rapier into the  throat with a rapier -6 and Sneak Attack -4 flashing above, the figure crumpled instantly with his rapier still in it. Now he just has to face four against one. The first to his right and the first to his left attacked first. Elijah successfully dodged the first right Jab with a slap to the wrist from the left, redirecting it and sending the attacker forward and past him. Elijah was about to give him a knee into his groin before he was reminded that a punch to the back of the head is not a pleasant experience. A -3 subtracted itself from his health, nocking him twords the center. Luckily, he still gripped the rapier, and it came loose with that blow. The other two came after, the one he injured previously completely missing but the fourth gave him a punch so hard he nearly lost a tooth and he was flung into the altar. -4.

Elijah's health had reached 2.

With an excited grin, spinning his head back with some blood dripping from his nose, he changed his grip on his rapier and threw it like a lance, striking true. It hit the one he has just been punched by, landing in his eye, a rapier -7 and Sneak Attack -4 appearing, another instant kill. Without warning, Elijah bound forward with a rope he did not know when he acquired. With incredable ease he reached the first person to miss him, wrapped the rope around his neck and tied tightly, giving him a kick to his back for good measure. When the next person, the one who had been struck first, came forward with the dagger still in his chest, Elijah showed a grateful smile for returning his weapon. Putting his hand on the handle, he pushed up, causing the already serious wound to open up and become a fatal one. He then threw the dagger at the last person remaining standing, hitting him square in the forehead.

Dagger -3

Sneak Attack -3

Critical hit! -2, -2