50: Shadow Thief

Airo heard the screeching of the trapdoor hinges just as she discovered the hidden trap beneath it.

As the lead soldier fully opened the trapdoor, a crossbow bolt suddenly shot out from below, striking him directly between the eyes.

"Get back!"

Airo's warning was drowned out by a volley of whistling arrows.

Following that, a continuous barrage of arrows shot up from below.

The Orc, quick-witted and agile, grabbed the wounded soldier by the back of his collar and tossed him aside.

Another soldier, too close to dodge, was struck in the shoulder.

He grunted in pain, stumbled backward, and his longsword clanged to the ground.

Three dark figures leaped out of the basement like ghosts.

Airo shot an arrow at one of them.

The leading dark figure suddenly spun, his short blade drawing a silvery arc, precisely deflecting the arrow.

The three dark figures did not hesitate; upon landing, they immediately scattered and fled.

The one on the left crashed through a window, while the central figure ran straight for the main door.

The remaining one nimbly climbed onto the ladder leading to the attic.

"Don't run!"

Philip reacted quickly, throwing his short spear at the figure on the ladder.

The spear embedded itself in the second rung of the ladder, successfully impeding the opponent's progress.

Using this momentary advantage, Philip seized the opportunity to charge forward with his shield, slamming into the person.

The iron-bound shield and the wooden ladder produced a resounding crash.

The dark figure, along with the ladder, fell to the ground, and his short blade flew out of his hand.

"I'll chase the one outside!"

Before Airo finished speaking, she had already leaped out, stepping on the windowsill.

Meanwhile, the dark figure rushing towards the wooden door was intercepted by a soldier guarding the entrance.

The soldier's longsword, whistling through the air, chopped down, but the opponent easily dodged it with a sidestep.

The next second, he saw the person step on the doorframe, using the leverage to flip directly over his head.

"Move!" the Orc roared.

The soldier instinctively moved aside.

He felt a gust of wind suddenly sweep past him.

The Orc threw his axe, which grazed the soldier's face as it flew towards the fleeing person.

The bandit lookout, startled by the wind behind his head, frantically twisted his body to dodge but was ultimately a half-beat too slow.

The axe severed his left hand.

In the initial moment, the bandit seemed not to react, merely staring blankly at the gush of blood spurting from his severed arm.

It wasn't until the searing pain washed over him like a tide that he let out a heart-wrenching scream, stumbling and falling to the ground.

The Orc strode towards the person, who shakily raised his short blade.

Drax saw this and smiled.

At the same time, Philip pinned another bandit firmly with his shield.

If it were his former self, he could definitely subdue the opponent.

However, his current self was emaciated from the torment of imprisonment.

He was kicked away by the opponent, nearly falling head over heels.

Fortunately, another soldier timely filled his position.

While the soldier and the bandit were entangled in combat,

Philip grabbed the longsword from the ground.

He found the right moment, thrusting the sword, its blade sinking into the enemy's back.

The bandit let out a dying gurgle, and was ultimately finished off by another sword thrust from the soldier.

-----------------

The person's speed was very fast, at least on par with her own.

Airo pondered in her mind how to stop the opponent.

She had already confirmed that these three masked figures were the same three who had ambushed them at the rendezvous point.

The bandit darted into the village, weaving through the scattered dwellings like a rat.

Several times, Airo had to slow down to confirm the direction of his escape.

Finally, she made up her mind and climbed onto a house at the fastest possible speed.

Being at a higher vantage point would allow her to better pinpoint the enemy's location.

She saw Dylan and Arthur emerging from the old Fada Family mansion.

And that dark figure was sprinting at full speed towards their direction!

An ominous premonition washed over Airo like cold water, and she ran wildly.

Dylan was the first to sense the anomaly; the moment his hand went to his sword hilt, the dark figure had already burst from the alley, rapidly closing in.

The Family Knight loudly called for three nearby villagers to assist.

However, the dark figure moved with serpentine cunning, dodging and weaving amidst the three men's encirclement.

Every attack was evaded with an incredible angle, a dazzling display that left onlookers bewildered.

Before the Knight could act, Arthur had already drawn his Holy Symbol and aimed it at the attacker.

Golden energy was channeled through the Holy Symbol onto the opponent's body.

A flower on the Holy Symbol withered in response.

Sacred white flames suddenly ignited on the assassin's body.

Yet, he still forced himself to continue his charge.

Dylan swung his sword, and the opponent parried the blow with his short blade.

When the old Knight saw the dark figure's face clearly, he couldn't help but gasp.

It was a rat-like face covered in gray fur, with a flicker of madness in its scarlet vertical pupils.

In the instant Dylan was stunned, the assassin suddenly discarded his blade, spun, and dodged past the Knight.

Dylan cried out internally, realizing something was wrong, and quickly turned, trying to grab the assassin with his hand.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

A wrist-mounted dart sprang from the assassin's other arm, aimed directly at the Son of the Wolf.

Arthur calmly raised his hand.

A white beam of light shot from his palm, piercing the assassin's chest.

Almost simultaneously, Airo's crossbow bolt also struck the assassin in the back.

The attacker staggered a few more steps in Arthur's direction.

The Son of the Wolf turned aside, allowing the monster to fall to the ground.

"Young Master!" Dylan rushed over, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Only then did Dylan look down at the dead assassin, using his foot to turn him over.

"By the earth mother, what is this thing?"

"Were-creature," Arthur said, "To my knowledge, only one organization in Amn likes to keep these monsters – the Shadow Thieves."

As the two spoke, the were-creature on the ground gradually transformed back into human form.

Dylan spat on the ground in disgust, "Damn beast, I hate the Shadow Thieves."

Arthur motioned for the Knight to check if there was a black sun tattoo on the assassin.

The Knight complied.

Soon, they found the same emblem on the were-creature's chest as on the earlier flag – a black sun with a skull.

"A follower of the God of Madness."

"Indeed, in Amn, only the Shadow Thieves would worship this mad deity."

Arthur murmured to himself.

If there was anyone akin to DC's Joker, the God of Madness, Cyric, would claim second place, and no one would dare claim first.

This deranged deity's actions had almost no logical basis.

His most famous deed was creating a book called "The Cyrinishad."

The magic imbued in this book caused its readers to succumb to blind fanaticism.

It made them firmly believe that Cyric was the master of the world, far superior to any other being.

But the God of Madness made a grave mistake: he himself read the book.

This led him to fall into madness as well, believing himself to be the center of the universe, and that everything happened through his direct intervention.

From then on, this former Triple Crown Lord, a powerful deity who presided over murder, strife, conspiracy, deception, and illusion, became a mentally deranged madman.

In Amn, this hotbed of intrigue, the worship of Cyric was officially recognized.

Yet, even so, only a few would openly admit to worshipping this mad god.

Because those who enshrined him as their patron deity were mostly sadists, deceivers, power addicts, or other worse individuals.

But the Shadow Thieves were an exception.

They were one of Amn's three major organizations, alongside the Imperial Knights and the Masked Wizards.

If the Imperial Knights were the Supreme Council's dogs, then the Shadow Thieves were the Council's poison and dagger.

Like the Zhentarim, the Shadow Thieves were known for assassination, intrigue, and instigating conflict.

But they at least had some principles, not indiscriminately attacking anyone.

Rumor had it that the original members of the Amn Shadow Thieves were actually Cyric followers who had broken away from the Zhentarim.

Why Cyric? Being targeted by this mad god would certainly not lead to a good outcome.

Arthur sighed inwardly.

If he could get rid of Cyric, he'd even be willing to spend a night with Lady Sune of the Fiery Hair!