I heard movement to my left and immediately turned toward it. A blade emerged from the darkness, aiming straight for my neck. I ducked beneath the attack and drove my dagger upward toward his chin, but he reacted faster than I expected. His boot struck my chest before I could land the hit, sending me rolling across the cave floor.

I pushed myself up with a grimace.

Shit. Since my second attack had missed, the counter was reset. Instead of needing five more hits, I needed six.

"Who are you?" I asked while scanning the darkness around me. "Why did you kill Jelda?"

The cave remained silent.

I switched back to Rogue and quickly searched through my abilities. Dead Lantern immediately caught my attention. The spell extinguished nearby light sources and allowed me to see in darkness far more clearly. Considering the circumstances, it was exactly what I needed.

╔═══════════════╗

> Dead Lantern Cast: -5 MP

────────────────

Duration: 2 minutes

╚═══════════════╝

The spell activated, and the darkness around me immediately became easier to navigate. The cave didn’t suddenly become bright, but outlines sharpened enough that I could finally distinguish shapes and movement.

The stranger was kneeling several yards away with one hand pressed against the ground. Strange markings spread beneath him, carving themselves into the stone as though an invisible knife was etching them. A circular formation surrounded him while glowing runes slowly appeared around its edges.

Whatever he was doing, I doubted it would end well for me if I allowed him to finish.

I activated Shadow Leap and appeared beside him.

╔═══════════════╗

> Shadow Leap Cast: -17MP

──────────────── 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Cooldown: 1 seconds

╚═══════════════╝

Just as I swung my dagger, the circle erupted with brilliant light and a deep roar echoed through the cave. The sudden flash blinded me for a split second, and the stranger took advantage of it immediately. His dagger sliced across my throat, not deep enough to kill me but enough to leave a burning line of pain across my skin.

I stumbled backward and watched as something emerged from the glowing circle.

A skeletal hand burst from the runes and clawed its way upward. Moments later, the rest of the creature followed. The skeleton stood roughly the height of a grown man and carried a rusted sword and shield. Cracked armor plates hung from portions of its body, while faint blue light flickered inside its empty eye sockets. Judging by the condition of its equipment, the thing had probably been dead for a very long time.

I glanced toward the skeleton. "Got no problems with you. But I’ve got a ’bone’ to pick with whoever summoned you, though."

"Ah..." Ken muttered, trying to get to his feet. "Shut the fuck up, you idiot..."

The skeleton rushed me without answering.

It raised its sword overhead and brought it down in a powerful strike. I sidestepped and watched the blade smash into the stone floor. Before it could recover, I kicked the hilt sideways and slammed my shoulder into its ribcage. The creature collapsed onto its back, bones rattling against the cave floor.

I stepped forward and raised my dagger, intending to destroy it before it could stand again, but the stranger intervened.

The same light spell that had struck Ken earlier exploded from his palm and slammed into my chest. The impact launched me backward toward the cave wall. Before I hit the ground, I activated Shadow Leap again and appeared directly beside him.

"H-how can you cast so many..."

I didn’t give him the chance to finish.

My first attack was blocked by his dagger. The second cut into his thigh and made him cry out in pain. He immediately tried to retreat, but I grabbed hold of his cloak and pulled him back toward me. My third strike landed across his chest, tearing through part of his robe and forcing another grunt from him.

The stranger raised his hand to cast another spell.

I ducked beneath it and the light hit the cave walls.

At the same moment, the skeleton reached us and swung again. Rather than standing up, I dropped onto my back and kicked its leg out from under it. The creature collapsed once more and began crawling toward me across the stone floor.

I activated Shadow Leap again and appeared beside the shield it had dropped during the fall. Grabbing it quickly, I rushed the stranger and slammed the shield directly into his face.

That made four.

Before he could regain his footing, I hurled the shield at him. The metal edge smashed into his nose with a sickening crack and sent him stumbling backward while blood poured between his fingers.

Five.

"And now for the sixth."

I lunged forward and swung my dagger.

The stranger managed to twist away from the worst of the attack, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid it completely. The blade sliced across his cheek, and the moment it connected, the effect triggered.

The force launched him across the cave. His body slammed into the wall hard enough to shake loose dust from the ceiling before he collapsed face-first onto the stone floor.

Behind me, the skeleton froze in place. The blue light inside its eyes flickered several times before vanishing completely. Its body fell apart moments later, collapsing into a pile of pale dust that scattered across the cave floor.

I lowered my dagger and took a long breath while trying to steady my breathing.

"Fuck," I muttered. "What a damn mess."

"P-Pwease..." the man stammered.

He rolled onto his back and began crawling away from me. Blood covered the lower half of his face, and both of his front teeth were missing.

"I... I didn’t... no... please, please..."

I walked toward him. Ken rose as well and moved with me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

"No..." the man pleaded, his voice cracking with terror. "S-stop... Shadow Leap... how... so many... p-pleaseee!"

"Yeah..." I muttered, still advancing while he crawled backward like a dying insect. "She said the same things, I bet."