Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

I never look back as I ascend the narrow flight of wooden stairs. Looking back wouldn't have made a difference anyway. The surprise attack that hits me as I reach the second floor comes from a different direction after all. Sure the chair that breaks across my back hits me from behind, but it's swung by someone who stands right besides the stairs on the upper level.

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 3!]

I blink in surprise as splintered wood rains down around me. I get the impression that several of my defense skills didn't count against this one as it came as a surprise. In the end I'm probably lucky that the attacker didn't aim for my head instead. If it had been a critical in addition to a sneak attack it probably would have hurt a whole lot more. That the chair wasn't a terribly sturdy one to begin with probably worked out in my favor too.

As things are at least my [Clothes] and [Block] skills benefit from me just weathering the attack as is. I turn to face my assailant with a slight twitch to my left eyebrow.

The woman, not a fresh member judging by her numerous tattoos, but obviously not a seasoned brawler either, pales, as I glare at her. Her usual job up here is probably serving drinks to people with more coin than sense. She might be pretty good at talking them out of said coin too. And right now she really regrets ever picking up that chair.

I intensify my glare further, without actually saying anything, and within the blink of an eye I can feel my [Intimidate] skill improve a little. Even beyond that the effect is impossible to miss.

"Eep!"

That is all she says before she swings herself over the railing separating the gallery from the open space above the ring to make a swift exit.

Considering that she moves with some grace I expect her to reach the ground without breaking her neck or anything else for that matter.

I'm not sure if it's the fight between Sylwia and Gebhard that still is going on below or of she has turned her attention to others by now, but one way or the other the lower level seems to be in a proper uproar by now. I don't bother to look. Instead I turn my glare at the rich and somewhat spoiled audience up here. Again my [Intimidate] skill makes a little progress.

And a moment later just about everyone up here remembers that they have other places to be. Everyone except for the announcer staring at me with murder in her eyes from halfway across the gallery.

"You … !"

"Me?"

I do my best to make my response sound flippant. I have no clue how good exactly she is, but I suspect facing her will be different from dealing with her goons so far. And more importantly, I better get a move on before the thugs from outside come up the stairs.

There is venom in her voice too, as she speaks up again.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you dead!"

I mimic a yawn.

"Weak sauce. Let me show you how it's done."

I point at her in a theatrical fashion and raise my voice a little. Not that we still have an appreciative audience with everyone else trying to get out of here, but I guess appearances do still matter.

"Your name is Tekla. You thought it clever to get involved with dreamstone dust. Prepare to die."

There is no anger in my voice. Neither venom nor murder. Each carefully chose word, spoken loud and clear, is like a nail in her coffin anyway. She actually stops to gape at me for a moment. And the feeling of both my [Bluff] and [Intimidate] skill improving another bit is certainly worth the effort.

Sadly my current opponent doesn't do me the favor of taking the easy way out. Well, to be perfectly honest, I would be seriously disappointed if she had. As it is, I'm in for some pain and hopefully some gain as well.

I kick a chair in between us out of the way and strike a pose mimicking what I got to see from Liang Zhenghua not too long ago, making a come hither gesture.

My opponent, who, judging by her reaction when I mentioned the name, is in all likelihood actually Tekla, doesn't disappoint. True to form her attack is acrobatic. She doesn't just charge me. She makes a handspring and as she flips forward she brings down one of her heels, intending to drive it down with brutal force to smash my collarbone.

I'm actually hard pressed to defend myself. I lean to the side, dodging the worst, but at the same time I do my best to deflect the blow too. I still feel the sting, realizing a little too late, that the heels of her shoes are not just ornamental.

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 14!]

Ouch! Despite my best efforts to negate the hit I certainly felt that. My [Block], [Dodge] and [Clothes] skills all improve a little as a result, but that's only a small consolation.

I counter by bringing my knee up into her exposed belly before I distance myself a little. My [Brawling] skill improves some once again. It won't be long now until the next level up of the skill.

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[*Ding!* Hit! Tekla's Health reduced by 10!]

Well, at least I now know that I have been right on the mark about her name. At the same time I now know that she is a pretty tough cookie.

In fact she barely looks bothered by my counter at all. In fact she flashes me a grin as I distance myself.

"What's up? Was that all? Is that the best you can do?"

Oh, is that how we are going to do this? Well, I can oblige her in that case. I mimic her grin.

"Given the way you are asking for more, you must have liked it. Well, come here and get it."

And of course, after talking the talk I have to walk the walk.

After tempting her like that, what else is she supposed to do but strike? The strike she is going for isn't a sophisticated one though. It's not aimed for a vulnerable spot. In fact, it's barely aimed at all.

As the wild swinger comes in I realize that it's not harmless anyway. Like the thug downstairs she has slipped brass knuckles on. I brace my self for the hurt and decide to try something a little different for a change. It's not how I earned the skill, but I want to try and see if I can use [Ambidextrous] in unarmed combat too, thus I launch two punches, one coming in from the right at her left side and the other from the left aimed at her right side. We hit at pretty much the same time.

[*Ding!* Hit! Tekla's Health reduced by 9!]

[*Ding!* Hit! Tekla's Health reduced by 9!]

Oh! It seems her defenses improved after my last attack. That isn't a good thing. At least my own skills keep progressing little by little too. In this case it's indeed my [Ambidextrous] skill in concert with my [Brawling] skill.

That's the good news. Next up comes the pain, as her brass knuckles graze my face, tearing skin across my cheek and nose.

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 25!]

I grimace at the pain, despite the welcome feeling of my [Dodge] skill improving a little, coming along with it. Even worse than the hit I just tanked is something else though. Tekla doesn't seem in the slightest impressed by my double punch. I know it dealt damage, but after stumbling back a step and a half, she straightens back up, as if I hadn't laid a finger on her.

She lets out a chuckle full of malicious joy.

"Well, whatever you are doing, that's not how you will take me down. And once I'm done with you …"

I gingerly touch the gash across my nose. My fingers come away bloody. So that's how she wants to play this game? I swoop low to the ground and pick up two legs from the broken chair, as they are conveniently sized, wielding them like clubs.

"So you caught a second wind? Well, let me illuminate you about something … Light!"

I speak the spells name, but it even without it, it comes to me much easier. Some of my Mana is pulled from my reserves and focused into a bright ball of light that springs into existence right in front of Tekla's eyes. Notifications, accompanied by the clatter of dice follow right after.

[*Ding!* Your skill Light has leveled up to level 2!]

[*Ding!* Your class Hedge Witch leveled up to level 2!]

[*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 2!]

The leader of the raccoons stumbles back temporarily blinded and distracted.

At the same time I can feel broken skin mend as pain ebbs away and I straighten up myself as well. Within the blink of an eye I'm back in top shape and I don't waste any time either and charge right at her, swinging both of my improvised weapons even as I take a moment to gloat a little.

"Two can play that game."

She is too disoriented to dodge, but she gets and arm up to block my double strike. She'll feel it anyway, even though I'm only wielding improvised weapons.

As the chair legs connect my [Ambidextrous] and my [Melee Weapons] skills keep making progress, which is a good thing, even though the fight being drawing out like this is rather troublesome in general. Even better though is the first of the notifications to follow.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Clubs general skill at Level 1!]

It may not be much, but I'll take whatever edge I can get. Even if it's one for dealing blunt trauma. Not all is well though, as this one counts towards the progress of my new hedge witch class, earning me another level up which I'd rather have saved up for a little later.

[*Ding!* Your class Hedge Witch leveled up to level 3!]

[*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 2!]

Oh well, beggars and choosers or something like that. At least this double blow leaves my opponent a little worse for wear too.

[*Ding!* Hit! Tekla's Health reduced by 21!]

[*Ding!* Hit! Tekla's Health reduced by 21!]

She stumbles back another step, actually grimacing in pain for a change.

Good. Very good. Hopefully I can wear her down like this before she can level up one of her classes again, earning another second wind. Otherwise this is going to be a real long night and not exactly the kind I'd be looking forward to either.

Still squinting she actually growls at me like a feral animal as she counters. Not with fancy kicks or brutal punches this time around though. Instead she goes for grappling, possibly because I can't bring my improvised weapons to bear like that. Or maybe she isn't thinking about things like that at all and just acting on instinct? Either way, she wraps her arms around me and squeezes hard before smashing my back into a wooden beam at the very edge of the gallery for good measure. The only good thing is, that she can bring neither brass knuckles nor fancy steel heels to bear like this.

On the downside I can't really defend myself like this either. Most of my skills are utterly useless right now. I have to soak up the damage of the double strike.

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 2!]

[*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 2!]

Only my [Clothes] and [Block] skills improve a little as a result, but at least I earn a level up notification for the latter.

[*Ding!* Your skill Block has leveled up to level 6!]

This one counts as progress towards my scoundrel class. More importantly though, the level up of the skill indirectly improves both my vitality and my defense too. And these improvements together mean that a desperate but rather lackluster attack like this won't even faze me from here on out.

It's enough to make me laugh out loud, while my opponent struggles to keep me pinned against the beam. Out of the corner of the eye I can see that Sylwia and Matylda are just about done wrapping up the fight on the by now mostly empty ground floor too. I decide to add insult to injury once again.

"I'd say you are utterly quacked."

Oh, the look on her face alone!