Chương 12: Chapter 11: A Gnat in the Stew

Torin rubbed the pain from his scalp, his ears ringing. Dust shrouded the street in a thick blanket, blocking more than a few meters away. He looked from one side to the other, disoriented. Then he looked up. The brothel's roof had collapsed into the center of the upper floor, the windows shattered in neighboring rooms. Fire billowed from within, smoke piling high. He looked beside and saw the Parrot staring back with wide eyes. The man opened his mouth to speak, but blood poured out.

A piece of wood jutted out from his chest where he had been hit. Torin stroked his chin in horror. The concussive force from the explosion had knocked off his mask. The Parrot saw him. He knew his face. Before the moment could be lost, Torin rolled the Parrot onto his stomach and placed his palms around the piece of wood. From the vantage of anyone else watching, it would appear that Torin was trying to remove the shrapnel, but he was actually doing the opposite.

[Deft-Handed] worked its magic, and he sliced deeper into his victim's chest with lightning efficiency. More blood exploded out, and the Parrot spoke no more. The rush of experience filled his body, but Torin quickly buried his exhilaration. There was a satisfying power in striking back, an almost addictive rush in knowing he grew stronger with each dead State henchman. But he had to temper that feeling. The fires burned hot, and he still had no idea what had happened.

"Gnat!" someone shouted from within the brothel. A black blur whizzed into the open, leaping across the street faster than eyes could track. A cloak shrouded them into a silhouette, but they quickly righted themselves on the rooftop. Wind flapped the cloak free. Azure eyes stared down into a growing crowd, golden tufts of hair falling below her ears. The attacker was a woman, her mouth hidden below a bandana. A bow poked out from her back.

"Citizens of Vrisgard!" the woman shouted.

"I have come to deliver a message from Lady Cicada. The State cannot protect itself. Here is the proof!" She tossed a severed head into the crowd. It rolled once before stopping, staring upright. Torin's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the Duke's son's face. Gaius Maro had been marching with him just the day prior.

"We are stronger than they are!" the Gnat continued.

"Oppression is temporary, but freedom is eternal. The revolution cannot be stopped!"

"Get her!" a Hawk screamed from inside the brothel, flabbergasted. In a flash, the Gnat had her bow drawn, loaded, and fired. A yelp rang out where the Hawk had once been. But he was not the first. The Gnat immediately redirected, her arrows locking onto nearby Hawks with ease. Suddenly, her bow turned on Torin, and it wasn't until after an arrowhead spawned out from his chest that he realized he would be indistinguishable from the others in his disguise… He blinked.

The bow still fired elsewhere, and Torin's chest remained untouched, though a dull throb burned. [Battle-Sighted] had warned him yet again. Before the moment could be lost, Torin dove into cover. The bow passed over his hiding spot and landed on another. This Hawk stared helplessly at Torin before an arrow cleaved through his studded leather armor like a torch through butter. His eyes curled back, and he dropped without a word. Torin glanced out of hiding with respect. He wanted this woman's killing power.

But the Gnat vanished at once, sprinting across the rooftops with inhuman speed. It was only after she left the block that a few more Hawk survivors came back into the open. Each stared dumbstruck at the other.

"What are you waiting for?" a captain shouted, his own voice shaking.

"After her!" The group launched in pursuit at once. Alarms rose also, the city entering a state of emergency. Torin snatched a kettle hat from a dead Hawk and sidled into the group, his heart pumping. The others might have been compelled to enter this chase for fear of what would happen if they didn't, but Torin had his own reason. The State deemed that "the Gnats" were insurrectionists built to foment chaos, but the people knew differently.

Led by the mysterious "Lady Cicada," the Gnats stole nymstone and cultivated outside State control, and they had been doing so for longer than Torin lived in Vrisgard. They were the only resistance group outside the Fringe. Torin had heard little else. Their exploits could only be told late at night through hushed whispers. He'd come to believe the Gnats were just a story brought about by wishful thinking.

But now, one had come to this city in the flesh, and she had murdered a member of the nobility in broad daylight. The Gnat had to be a cultivator of decent Rank, she moved far too quickly to be an ordinary human. Torin sprinted with the rest of his group, and though his top speed was far faster than it had ever been before, he still lagged well behind the Gnat. They only drew close whenever she paused, firing arrows into her pursuers with reckless abandon. He'd never seen so much carnage!

The Hawks all wore the same studded leather vests and kettle hats. Those were effective against unleveled commoners, but against a real cultivator, they might as well have worn paper. The Gnat's arrows cleaved through them all easily. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The Hawks continued to chase. A few had ranged weapons of their own, firing arrows and crossbow bolts in a futile attempt to bring her down.

The Gnat dodged all without breaking a sweat, her azure eyes burning with fury as she killed whomever she could. More Hawks dropped, desperation spreading. With strength and speed like this, the Gnat had to be using Skills. Some of her arrows cleaved heads straight from shoulders, shattering their helmets on impact. These ordinary grunts could do nothing to slow her down. Still, the State did not remain idle. Patrol skyships stretching ten meters across careened into view and launched attacks from ballistas.

The Gnat tried to bring the pilots down, but strong magical arrays protected the skyships, so her arrows bounced harmlessly away as transparent, cerulean bubbles flashed into existence. The ballistas suffered no handicap of their own. Each bolt shattered through the dwelling-homes the Gnat was using as her platform. But she did not miss a beat, diving back to ground level and rushing back the way she'd come. The Hawks screeched to a halt as the Gnat drew a pair of daggers, their batons shaking in response.

Torin moved back into cover, no interest in facing the Gnat himself. Those at the front of the patrol were quickly sliced down. Another Hawk shook visibly beside, his eyes locked in bewilderment. Torin had seen this man before. He loved beating laborers who spoke up too loudly, mocking them as he struck even the elderly with his baton. But what could he do now that a superior adversary had revealed herself? Sit, hide, and hope someone else could beat her.

The Hawk stared at Torin for security, but he only watched back with a devilish grin. He had his own way to take advantage of this opportunity. With a yank over the Hawk's shoulder, Torin threw the coward out of cover. The Hawk could only stare back in horror. The Gnat raced by a second after, beheading him on the pass. Time froze for a beat as the two made eye contact, her azure eyes staring directly into his own. She seemed to nod ever so slightly before disappearing behind the next building.

Arrows soared after her, but she was long gone. Fresh reinforcements came a moment later, and Torin found himself again in the crowd. This time, he moved from the front, making sure to get within range of [Enigmatic]. The Gnat had run low on arrows and no longer could afford to shoot everyone chasing after her. Even then, it took a bit of time, mental energy, and mana before Torin could successfully mimic her Trait. [Aquatic] (Rarity: Epic. Tier: Unranked) – Water is your natural ally.

Gain a Resistance and Affinity for it. Do you want to mimic [Aquatic]? [Yes/No] Torin weighed the option. This was surprising. He had expected a cultivator with this strength to have a Trait focused on combat, but the Gnat's had nothing to do with her fighting style. Was she relying on her stats alone? The woman increased her speed out of range, and Torin decided to disregard her Trait.

As tempting as it would be to hold an Epic Trait, [Deft-Handed] offered greater utility for his current needs, and [Battle-Sighted] remained uncontested. The pursuit continued. Despite her physical advantages, the weight of numbers began to wear her down. The Hawks pressed mercilessly, some Silver captains rushing in from neighboring garrisons. The Gnat abandoned any pretense of fighting them directly, instead focusing only on her escape. Even then, her inhuman speed could not be sustained indefinitely.

As her body slowed, the Hawks grew bolder. Some landed hits before they went down, and the Gnat could no longer afford to finish them off. Torin wished to see her escape, but the inevitable was ambling into reality. How would she get over the wall? The Gnat entered a square, Torin's group closing in ever more. But they all stopped along the rim. The entire square had been surrounded on all sides, while one brute stood in wait at the center.

His Osprey medallion glittered brightly, its gilded frame apparent even from far away. Thaddeus had entered the fray, dressed in his brigandine armor and carrying an oversized axe over his shoulder. He watched the Gnat with elation.

"Dead or alive?!" he shouted.

"Alive!" an officer ordered. His joy slackened a bit. He spat to the side and muttered. The Gnat drew her bow again, but her fingers hesitated a beat. An overwhelming aura enveloped the area as Thaddeus raised his killing intent. Even from his distance, Torin could sense its power. Thaddeus launched forth. The Gnat fired. He swatted the arrow aside like a bug. Craters formed in the cobblestone road where the axe collided, but the Gnat had leapt to safety before it landed.

She expended the last of her arrows in a desperate attempt to bring Thaddeus down. The steel plates in his brigandine armor would slow even extraordinary men, but Thaddeus moved as if he wore nothing at all. He weaved out of harm's way without breaking a sweat, grinning wildly as the dance continued. Still, the Gnat fought on. When her arrows ran out, she tossed aside her bow and drew a dagger. Thaddeus followed, abandoning his axe for his bare fists.

The two went back and forth, engaging hand-to-hand at speeds that would be impossible for regular humans to process. Even with his enhanced Perception, Torin struggled to keep up. As much as Torin respected Thaddeus for the help he provided over the years, he desperately hoped that he would fail here. The Ospreys were still members of this State, and this woman was the first rebel he'd ever seen. Just once, the powerless deserved to overtake the strong and live to see tomorrow.

But as the melee continued, reality set in. Just as Torin avoided these outbursts knowing how they would always go, so too did this one move to its predictable end. The Gnat had reached an enemy she could not overtake. Somewhere along the way, she struck him in the chest. Thaddeus momentarily seized against the blow, but his hand snatched hers before it could be withdrawn. She swung her dagger feebly, only for it to be knocked aside too. Thaddeus beamed, staring deep like a wolf about to pounce on a rabbit.

He arched his head back before launching forth. A crack rang out across the square, his scalp colliding with hers. The Gnat shuddered against the blow, barely conscious, her eyes quivering. Even so, she stared in defiance, refusing to yield against this superior foe. Until Thaddeus repeated the headbutt. The second sent the Gnat into the ground. Her lithe form sprawled out, no fight left in her. Just like that, it was over. The weaker Hawks rushed in at once.

A dozen had her disarmed and in chains before anyone could blink. Others swarmed in soon after, setting a barrier between them and a crowd of onlookers. With the Gnat now unconscious, the Hawks found their courage, kicking her side to reassert their lost pride. It seemed that only an unarmed woman made for a fair opponent in their eyes. Torin's vision narrowed. Boots kicked into sides… Knives slicing flesh… The innocent screaming against a torrent of violence… Someone had to stop them. He had to stop them!

Torin shook his head, clearing his memory's bloodlust before it drove him into some reckless action. It was too late anyway. As much as he wanted to see the Gnat escape, there was nothing more to be done. The Hawks stripped the unconscious Gnat of her weapons and armor, gagged her mouth, and threw a bag over her head. A Silver captain eyed his prisoner with contempt before looking at nearby watchtowers, wondering which would house her best. Unlike the others, he'd donned full platemail.

"I need four volunteers," the captain decided, facing the troupe of Hawks.

"Late Bronze or better. Let's get the bitch in a cell before there are any more surprises." The men looked from one to the other nervously, but Torin stepped forth at once. Perhaps this opportunity had not yet been lost.