Chapter 35: My Lord, Do Not Dismiss Me

Whoosh!

The skeleton shuddered. Its entire frame turned an inky green.

The toxin effect of the Storm Piercer Short Sword had taken hold. Combined with the golden blade’s extra damage against the undead, the unlucky skeleton didn’t even have a moment to struggle. It collapsed to the ground, instantly turning into a pile of bone fragments no starving dog would eat.

The ambush was a success.

Served them right, treating others how they dealt with you! A sense of accomplishment washed over Sun Fei, and he grinned outright.

But in that very instant, the other Skeleton Archers hiding amidst the ruins spotted him. Thrum thrum thrum! Bowstrings vibrated intensely. A sky-darkening rain of arrows shot towards Sun Fei like a downpour.

“Oh crap, here it comes!” Sun Fei cursed.

Raising his Soul Emblem Small Round Shield, Sun Fei dodged while swiftly backing away. He aimed to scramble the skeletons’ formation, then take them down one by one, cleaning up this bunch of walking bone-bags.

But—

Swish swish swish!

Frozen arrows whistled past him from behind. Sun Fei spun around to see the female mercenary Ileena not keeping her distance as he had instructed. Instead, her longbow was strung, arrows flying like shooting stars as she strode aggressively forward to attack.

“Oh no!” Disbelief choked Sun Fei.

This was the first time the beauty hadn’t listened. Clearly, she didn’t grasp the dangers of Tristram. Charging forward wouldn’t defeat these cunning skeletons; it would sink her into grave danger. Among the Skeleton Archer horde lurked two minor bosses. Their arrows were devastating, imbued with magical effects: one fired Ice Arrows, slowing and hindering attack speed, the other unleashed Lightning Arrows capable of snuffing out life instantly. Even Sun Fei, as tanky as a Barbarian, dared not take a direct hit; he’d need to dodge incessantly while gulping potions. If luck were worse, it might even draw more monsters or demons lurking deeper within the ruins. The unthinkable consequence? Awakening Tristram’s ultimate boss, Griswold.

“Fall back! Fall back, now!”

Sun Fei yelled and gestured frantically at Ileena to retreat.

But it was already a fraction too late. The mob quickly spotted the beautiful mercenary. While continuing their assault on Sun Fei, the terrifying arrow storm also enveloped Ileena.

The female mercenary lacked Sun Fei’s heavy armor and shield. Unable to dodge in time, several sharp arrows struck her. Blood spattered, staining her blue, light leather armor crimson.

“My lord… the mission comes first… Don’t worry about me… I’ll draw the demons’ attention! Quick, go around from the side! Save Lord Kane! Hurry!”

Arrows still lodged in her flesh, Ileena was drenched in sweat on her forehead from the agony, her delicate face deathly pale. Yet her eyes held a blazing resolve she’d never shown before. She suddenly clenched her teeth on her red hair, ignoring the arrows piercing her. Her right hand steadied the longbow. Ice Arrows shot continuously as she pressed forward step by step into the arrow rain.

The blue glow on her armor flickered relentlessly under the arrow rain, growing dimmer and dimmer.

At this moment, Ileena resembled a Valkyrie who knew no retreat, her face fearless, eyes radiating hatred and defiant courage with each deliberate step forward.

But then, crisis struck—

Crack!

A hidden Skeleton Archer Captain within the bony horde seized its chance. A Lightning Arrow flew silently, unerringly striking Ileena.

The mercenary beauty’s lithe body stiffened.

Amidst the sizzling crackle of lightning, Ileena swayed, her figure reeling. Under the relentless hail of arrows, her health points visibly plummeted.

“Dammit!!!” Sun Fei paled at the sight.

Disregarding the arrows seeking his own back, he sprinted over and scooped Ileena into his arms. He frantically poured a Minor Healing Potion down her throat. Then, activating the Barbarian Skill Howl, he let out a deafening roar that sent the closest charging monsters scrambling back in fright. Seizing the split-second opening, Sun Fei triggered a Town Portal Scroll. As the monster tide surged forward, he lunged forward with Ileena in his arms, vanishing into the deep blue shimmer of the portal a hair’s breadth before disaster.

A soft hum vibrated around them.

They escaped death by the skin of their teeth, returning perilously to the Rogue Encampment.

Nourished by the Minor Healing Potion, Ileena had mostly recovered, her mind clear. Sun Fei, however, who had shielded her, now sported several arrows embedded deeply in his back – including one Ice Arrow and one Lightning Arrow from the archer captains. The magical effects paralyzed his whole body; blood streamed freely. His life points were dangerously low, falling below 30. He was on the brink.

This scene felt eerily familiar, mirroring his past life’s computer game experience. Often, everything would seem fine, but the next moment, you might be back to your ‘camp’ recovering your corpse.

“Playing the hero to save the beauty… seriously, that ain’t a job for just anyone!” Sun Fei muttered, catching a faint whiff of Ileena’s maidenly scent. With little time to savor the sweet, soft warmth currently filling his arms, he rummaged through his pack, pulling out a Health Potion and downing it quickly. He tossed another bottle to Ileena. Then, grimacing and hissing through his teeth, he stood up and wrenched the three or four arrows lodged in his back out. Fresh blood spurted instantly, the intense pain making him hastily gulp down another potion.

Luckily, the Health Potion tasted sweet, like syrup, and seemed to have no nasty side effects.

“Owwww…. Mother of pain!…” He winced. “I mean it, beautiful. Why wouldn’t you just listen? Didn’t I say right from the start? Stay far away!”

Watching his health refill under the potion’s effect, Sun Fei couldn’t help but chastise Ileena. Without her disobedience, this near-fatal situation wouldn’t have happened.

The beautiful mercenary hung her head. Tears welled in her lovely eyes. She offered no rebuttal.

Sun Fei noticed she clutched the Health Potion he gave her tightly, reluctant to drink it. Her injuries weren’t fully healed. Her graceful form was splattered with blood, and she wept sorrowfully like a pear blossom after rain. His heart softened. He swallowed further complaints.

“Forget it… hurry, drink the potion… Oh, right,” he paused, “later… don’t come back to the battlefield with me. I can’t protect you well enough. After I finish this mission… I’ll return to find you.”

Sun Fei thought for a moment, deciding to have Ileena stay safely within the Rogue Encampment. He would rescue Kane in Tristram alone. With two people venturing into the swarming monsters, he truly couldn’t guarantee her safety. In such massive hordes, archers couldn’t fully utilize their deadly range advantage. Attempting the classic ‘hit-and-run’ harassing tactics he recalled from his game life would require perfect coordination they likely lacked. One slip-up, and the delicate Sorceress Archer could easily get surrounded, torn to pieces by the monsters.

But Ileena clearly misunderstood Sun Fei’s meaning.

“What? No! Please do not dismiss me, my lord… Next time… next time I will obey! You don’t need to worry about me… I can protect myself… I…”

Shockingly intense panic flickered across Ileena’s lovely, sorrow-stained face.

Never had she spoken so many words to Sun Fei.

For so long, since Tristram’s fall and the eastward routes choked by monsters, the Rogues in the Rogue Encampment could only barter necessary equipment and vital potions from adventurers like Sun Fei. Without these supplies obtained through trade and missions from such travelers, the entire camp couldn’t survive the perilous wilderness outside – not even with the leaders like Acarra and the blacksmith Charsi tirelessly crafting some gear and preparing meager potions internally.

The Rogue Encampment’s accumulated reserves had been utterly depleted over the past sixty desolate years after those powerful adventurers from the eastern lands mysteriously vanished. Continued stagnation meant, without doubt, in less than a year, the demons would finally overwhelm and destroy the last bastion.

For the Rogue Encampment, Sun Fei’s sudden appearance represented a fragile chance to cling to existence.

A new adventurer had finally arrived!

These adventurers always possessed an uncanny knack for discovering exceptional gear and potent potions in the wilderness—treasures the rogues themselves could never seem to locate.

This was precisely why Kashya, the camp’s leader, agreed to offer Sun Fei—a complete stranger—mercenary aid like Ileena, even when legends whispered endless tales within the rogues’ campfire circles—tales of female rogues lured, exploited, violated, or sacrificed by such adventurers. For the desperate survival of everyone within the encampment’s flimsy boundaries… sacrifice was mandatory. Ileena wasn’t the strongest among the rogues, but unquestionably the most beautiful. To bind this adventurer’s cooperation tightly… any sacrifice was deemed necessary. Including the flesh, blood, and very lives of the female rogues.

Should Ileena perish tragically on the wild trails under Sun Fei’s service… another female rogue would step forth to replace her… serving him, maintaining the desperately needed connection between Sun Fei and the encampment.

This was the brutal law of Diablo’s grim world.

Primitive, unadorned survival—the strong devour the weak.

For sixty wretched years, this tiny, vulnerable camp had clung to existence precisely by such means… enabling those living within its palisade walls to merely scrape by.

Without exaggeration, Sun Fei the adventurer represented the single, fragile ray of light the Rogue Encampment had glimpsed after enduring an eternity of encroaching darkness. Acarra, Kashya… they wouldn’t let go—no matter the cost.

These grim underpinnings, however, remained utterly unknown to Sun Fei himself.

This darkness was also why the usually tranquil, serene Ileena, like an orchid in a secluded valley, became instantly, profoundly terrified upon hearing Sun Fei’s plan to leave her behind. She interpreted it solely as his gentle way to dismiss her.

Angering an adventurer like him could inflict an immeasurable, staggering blow upon the Rogue Encampment’s fragile existence. Moreover, Sun Fei—within the mere, fleeting span of the last two hours—had displayed protective instincts infinitely kinder than the cowardly adventurers vilified in the camp’s legends. Unconsciously, Ileena had grown accustomed to fighting beside him. Not only thanking her fortune for encountering a just man among the traveler ranks… she cherished this rare opportunity desperately.