Chapter 116: Hiding

I pulled the bolt out and cursed softly as I did so. The various gang members were inside the hidden basement of the Inn. We were now laying low while the guards filled the streets from the fighting from the gangs. I wanted to sure, but this very response was one of the things that kept us safe from rival gangs.

Blood flowed down my arm into my snow-white fur as the wooden shaft left my arm. I cursed again under my breath. The tip of the bolt was still inside my arm. It seemed to have hit my bone, and I needed to remove it before my arm started to heal. It would be another hot day in hell before I let a fucking bolt to the arm kill me. The shooter had gotten a lucky hit in, although the mana in the bolt helped that luck.

I was too busy in that fight to be able to protect my entire body; eventually, I missed a dodge, and I got snagged by it. That was expected. The bolt penetrating this deep wasn't something I expected, though, and I decided getting it out now would be for the best. I got up and found some of the water in the room and thanked my lucky stars; there was vodka in the room. We were in an inn, though, and this was a gang hideout. I took a bottle that one of the gang members was about to put their grubby fingers on.

The gang member didn't even try to protest as they knew that I was much scarier than their leader. They didn't know me, but they knew Cassandra, who told them not to interact with me. That was all they needed to know as they watched me grab some water and food that was prepared with the vodka and sat away from them, keeping my head down so they couldn't see my face. The blood dripping to the floor now showed I was injured, and the bleeding wasn't stopping.

I then poured water over my hand and started to clean as much dirt and blood off of them as I could. Soon my fingers were white, but it wouldn't be as good as having soap. There wasn't any of that down here, though, and disinfectant wasn't around either. I had to take my chances, though, since I pulled out the shaft of the bolt. I opened the vodka, and I soon felt the sting as I poured it on the wound. Fire erupted, and I took a swig of vodka for myself to dull my senses a little. I cursed under my breath and poured more of the bottle on my hands to hopefully clean them up a little more.

I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. This wasn't my first rodeo with objects needed out of my body. At least it was my arm this time. My fingers pushed into the wound, and I ripped into muscle digging until I found by feel the head of the bolt. It took a minute, and pain screamed along my arm as I gritted my teeth. I tore more muscle as I ripped the head of the bolt out. A large grunt came out of me as I did so as I held a scream back. The clink of metal on the floor as I tossed it away filled what I found to be a now silent room. I didn't care; the bleeding increased, and I wished I didn't have a bunch of people watching me.

I had bandages in my inventory, and they were doing me exactly nothing by being in there. Too many eyes at the moment, and I didn't want strangers knowing I had the system. I cursed under my breath more as I retook the vodka bottle and poured it over the wound. It was the best I could do, and I wasn't happy about it.

Cassandra came up to me and passed me a needle and thread with some bandages that I didn't know we had.

"I grabbed them from upstairs. The guards shouldn't be coming in tonight." She whispered under her breath. I didn't nod; I just took them and grabbed the needle. I then started to stitch the skin closed. This was a poor solution, but it was something until I could get some proper care and supplies. The bleeding stopped, too, as I finished stitching it closed, but that didn't mean it wasn't still bleeding on the inside. I then left a hole on the edge of the stitches so that blood could seep out if it were.

I then did the best I could to wrap the wound up inside the cloak not to give my position away. I finished that soon, too, and sighed, leaning back for a moment as I pulled the bandage tight. I cursed under my breath for the hundredth time of the night.

It was all going so well until some newly advanced B ranker got involved. I was actually happy he showed up. I fought him and lost my weapons when I had to ditch them to fight. I needed to make room in my inventory for that, I realized. But the most important point of that problem was that I couldn't even holster my weapons.

That fucker could teleport! How could he have done that? The smoke could cover senses, and it seemed his entire fighting style revolved around those two things. His skin was thick and scarred all over where I could see him. I smirked as I triumphed over his experience and skill. But the losses were bad.

Most of the strongest fighters in the gang were on this attack. This severely damaged the organization that Cassandra and Carl had built together for me. They were my slaves, but I knew Carl cared more than he wanted to show. He valued Honor, and when they died to a cloud of smoke, he didn't understand; he hated it. If they died in battle with someone of the same strength, it wouldn't affect him at all.

Cassandra, on the other hand, I knew was angry for another reason. She was a cold, calculating bitch hidden behind a facade that would show various fake emotions to get what she wanted. The Gang members I have seen Genuinely cared for her in various ways. They were all being duped, but that was speaking more highly of the ability of Cassandra than of their inability to judge her.

In the end, the Organization has suffered due to this failed result, and it was nobody's fault. I was about to strike for the kill when he self detonated in that way. I don't even have a spell like that since I believe preparing for such a death is stupid. I should have calculated something like this, though. The man was a newly risen B ranker that attacked me, though, and neither of us could use our abilities to the max.

I took this as an experience that I needed to learn from. I also need something I can do that I can utilize my body to the max. I found myself, even though my body was faster than him catching up to me. That meant he had learned to use his body to corner me better. This was an unacceptable result, and I needed to change this as fast as possible.

That wouldn't happen, though, while I was in this cellar with the gang members. They all watched me as I was the one stranger in the room, and I could also kill them all as the strongest person. That staring ended when we started to hear boots pound on the floor above us in the inn.

Reinforcements had arrived, and they sounded pissed. We all stopped breathing inside the hidden cellar. It was a good hiding spot, and the yelling increased as Steel boots pounded on the floor with more yelling.

Tension rose, and we heard more stomping, this time downstairs near me. They were entering the normal cellar where the Inn probably stored their food. The yelling increased, and my ears twitched as I overheard some of the yelling words more clearly.

Unknown man: Where are they?!

Unknown Man number two: I don't know who you are talking about

The second person's voice was scared but risen to not as loud as the first man as he responded to him.

Unknown Man: I have several witness reports of blood-covered people entering the alleys near here. They have committed mass slaughter and damaged the Docks. You need to tell me where they are NOW!

The last word came out clear, and everyone in the cellar heard it.

Unknown man number two: I don't know! They didn't come in here! I would have known, and so would anyone inside the Inn. It isn't exactly like the backdoor is covered from the front. I am trying to tell you that I didn't see it. Until you came in, the front of my store has been packed, and my barmaids have been waiting tables the entire night. I am also almost out of food to serve tonight. I have emptied a Cask! I have been too busy to see outside!

That second man was arguing back with logic, and I remembered that it was busy in the front. I saw Cassandra smirk with an expression that told me a lot.

The First unknown man's voice quieted down, and the conversation became more civil after that counterargument.

Soon while we all seemingly tried to hold our breath, the steel boots moved back up the stairs. There was something yelled back upstairs, and the steel boots left the house.

Sighs of relief sounded throughout the cellar, and Cassandra started to stare many of them down.

I stopped looking around and found a corner, and started to train. I may have been bleeding just a minute ago, but I had more time to hide. May as well train and help the healing along.

I started to stretch wincing as some of the bruises from the fighting moved. I ignored it, though and continued. People watched and I didnt care I moved like a glacier allowing the energy to flow once again.