Return of the Thieves

"Didn't I bury you guys?"

Speaking my thoughts aloud I looked at the ice statue containing the frozen assassin gunning for my life after I hurt their boss.

Crouching above the ice statue, I was subject to a cold glare from within as I tapped on the ice statues head.

'But...'

Glancing at the strange woman who was rather powerful with things concerning nature.

I saw how she seemed to pet a plant, and it flourished in response as it seemed to wave the equivalent of a tail.

Continuing to annoy the person who I could now comfortably confirm was a woman by tapping on their frozen prison.

I watched as the strange woman who I now know was called Celestia gestured her palm and caused the plants in the forest to move around and reveal the other combatants.

Three of the assassins who were most likely acquainted with the Ice statue who was also the person who saved the figure from the Auction House Robbing were tied up in several vines.

Holding three familiar looking swords.

"Ah"

Snapping my fingers I recalled that by a whim of some sorts, I placed the Spite swords around me in a half circle.

They must've, upon exiting the ground.

Grabbed the four spite swords from the earth.

'But it didn't change how they found me'

Falling into thought again I continued my incessant tapping on the ice statues head before I saw the spite sword the woman held was creating a small contaminated black patch.

'oh'

Slightly dumbfounded at my own forgetfullness.

I recalled how I ran across the forest without regards of my status.

I must've left behind several tracks that most trained professionals could find given enough time.

And given how they were skilled enough to track me down in the forest.

It was a given that they found me.

The question was why?

Falling into thought, I looked at the three people and remembered how there were initially seven.

'They went to go get reinforcements it looks like'

"Hah..."

Sighing I looked to the woman and hesitated for a moment before deciding to go through with my decision.

"Celestia?"

Hearing my voice, the woman stopped manipulating the plants holding the three people in black masks.

Flipping the new balanced blade in my hand, I put it back into my inventory and manifested three different assassin's daggers.

"Can you carry those people away from here quickly?"

Looking at me curiously I explained.

"There were supposed to be seven of them, but as you can see"

Gesturing at the frozen statue and the three bound thieves I continued.

"There are only four, the rest of them most likely went to go get reinforcements."

"So I'll ask you again"

Flipping the assassin's daggers in my hands.

"Can you carry these guys away from here?"

Seemingly understanding the severity of the situation, or not.

Her impassive face was making it very hard to see through her emotions.

She shook her head in denial.

"no"

"Ugh"

Looking at the three people, I decided to think about the consequences later and threw the daggers.

And extremely quickly, the daggers were all embedded into the three thieves heads, killing them.

Grabbing a length of rope from my inventory, the woman watching me in surprise at either me using the equivalent of space magic or my cold heartedness.

I didn't know.

Watching me impassively I tied the ice statue onto my back before looking at the woman named Celestia.

"Hey Celestia"

"Hmm?"

"Excuse me"

Quickly and literally sweeping her off of her feet, I grabbed her by the crook of her legs and the arch of her back with one arm.

Slightly surprised at her lightness that was opposed to her size as an adult I continued my words as the tingling in the back of my head which had appeared since seeing the thieves continued to grow.

And learning from past experiences I trusted it.

"You'll understand soon"

Grabbing her and carrying her in a standard princess carry, the other woman being carried like a back pack.

Arrows whistled through the air as I silently cursed within my breath as the tingling within my mind was proven to be correct.

Firing several Ice shards back in response and freezing the landscape.

The woman in my arms grimaced slightly, not that I could notice when my life was at stake.

Dodging several flying arrows were much harder than one would think when carrying several burdens.

Granted the Ice statue was much lighter than I thought and the woman in my arms might as well have weighed nothing.

Dodging my pursuers by weaving through the trees, the arrows embedded themselves into the trees as i fired ice shards back at my pursuers.

This back and forth copied itself for a while as I exploited my limitless stamina that could be refilled with the quick devouring of food.

Without my knowing, the sync rate of one game continued to rise.

Blood spilled out of the wound an arrow nicked as I slowly increased the distance between me and the pursuers.

Enough that I could be confident and manifested a shovel before digging up a sizeable hole in the ground.

One similar to the ones that I had trapped the thieves in.

Using a pickaxe to mine away the rest of the stone in my way, I didn't care about appearances as I placed the dirt above my head and covered up the hole.

The sounds of my tired breaths were the only things that filled the room as I held the woman in my arms and made some more room in the darkness.

Letting her down I revealed what was held in the darkness and lit my hair alight with a thought.

Feeling calm rush in like a cool tide of water into my hotheaded mind I sighed.

"Hahh..."

Looking at the Ice statue on my back and letting it down, the statue thumped as I reapplied the ice shards onto the woman.

Letting out a quiet sigh.

The tell tale thumps of feet resounded from above me as my would be pursuers were seemingly oblivious to my current location.

That being underground.

And continued to let loose the arrows from their bows with loud twangs signaling the strings bouncing back to their place.

Hearing my would be pursuers slowly run away from my position I let out a sigh before falling into thought.

I was in a better state than before due to the Life Crystal and was much more prepared for blood shed due to... certain circumstances.

But from what I could tell.

In addition to the three thieves who went to go get reinforcements.

Nearly two dozen others were added and were after blood, more specifically mine.

I could only take care of seven due to several factors such as being in a confined space where only I could properly see in and the ambush factor.

'When I get back I should prepare some more'

It was time to go craft some more equipment available instead of relying on my weapons.

'But before that...'

Turning to look at the woman in the ice statue I produced several sets of torches before placing them all around the room.

'I should begin extracting information from her'

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Tree