On the other side, Fynn was facing Elza.
Elza had finished removing her amour, she only had a white gown, a set of gloves and long knee sock-like clothing covering her lower thighs, decorating her body, her remaining clothing only made her look more alluring to the eyes.
Fynn looked straight into her eyes and forced himself to not look down, his left hand was behind his back, he was fondling the hidden needle in his belt, he was struggling in his head, Fynn closed his eyes then snapped them open, he raised his other hand and waved, signalling her to wear her clothes again.
'It should be fine to take her alive…' That was what he thought.
Elza saw him like that and smiled, she stepped forward and came closer to him, Fynn got on alert, but she gently raised her hand and tapped his chest with her finger while looking down on the ground "You are an honest man, unlike your friend…"
Fynn blinked, he looked at her bent gaze and felt a little bad.
Elza raised her head and looked into his eyes, she placed both of her hands on his shoulder.
You Knew!
A faint shout came from afar, Fynn heard it and could guess what happened, Elza furrowed her brows.
Fynn was about to transmit sound to explain then calm her down but suddenly he felt the two soft hands of the woman tightening their grip on his shoulders.
Elza pulled back her right leg then kicked while aiming between his legs. Fynn was stunned, he reacted and crossed his hands together to block the kick.
He managed to minimize the impact but the attack still dealt damage, Elza bent her leg and dealt a second quick blow on his chest, Fynn stumbled and took a few steps back.
Elza then did a front flip and stood on her hands, Fynn wasn't familiar with such a fighting pattern and got overtaken by the situation, he failed to counter, before he realized, Elza grabbed him by the head using her legs and threw him back with a flip.
Fynn fell on his head, rolling down out of the tent, he purposely rolled a few more times to pull the distance between him and her then stoop up with a jolt.
When he looked at Elza again, he saw that she was no longer wearing her hand gloves and knee socks. Her hands were different from a normal human, they had green scales around them, at the moment, those scales were spreading, completely transforming her hands into alligator-like claws and her legs into flexible muscles like lizards, a long green tail wiggling like a released snake was present behind her back.
'A lizardman?' Fynn predicted her identity.
All variant humans had their advantages and disadvantages, being a dragonman didn't mean they will always be stronger than lizardman or stoneman, variant humans have varying traits, giving them different benefits.
For example, lizardman had strong regenerative abilities, it is said that even if their fingers are cut they will grow in time, it's a trait even dragonman would be jealous of. Lizardman were also capable of transforming their muscles into a form similar to lizards for short periods.
As a stoneman, Fynn had a strong defence that cannot be penetrated easily without a weapon, this was exactly why Kale let him fight her knowing that he was hesitating. Kale only wanted him to buy time and drag on the battle or caught her alive but life is full of surprises, the sharp claws of Elza was an unexpected factor.
Elza didn't give him much time to think, she summoned the strength in her legs as she bent her knees then leapt at him, her jump was faster than a Tri Horned Rabbit, she was in front of him before he could move, Elza raised her claw and slashed at him.
Fynn had already turned his skin into stone when he suffered the first blow, but after coming in contact with the claws, it generated sparks for a moment before his defence became useless.
Blood spurted out, three long cuts appeared on his left chest.
Although they were in the same stage, Elza was several levels above him, such an outcome was already good for the current him.
Fynn tried to back off, but Elza again closed the distance, she was just about slash again when she heard a mocking voice coming from the side
"Now, that was some serious hit,"
Elza halted her steps and turned to look, she saw Kale standing there holding Xaxa with one hand and a knife in another.
Kale had already taken care of his injuries due to using ‹Bone Manipulation› before coming here, he was in a good state if not peak, though it wasn't enough to face her, he was only there to break her momentum and not fight.
"What a fool you are, dumbass, can't you see that although she can move fast, she can only travel in a straight path, she can't change direction accurately, that's her obvious weakness. Instead of going for the weakness, you are trying out your defences against her offence, such foolish behaviour," Kale said in a sarcastic tone as he scolded Fynn.
Fynn lowered his head, he was already used to Kale's way of talking, he didn't mind the insults but after realising his mistake, he did feel embarrassed.
Elza narrowed her eyes at him, Kale as a teenager, was able to see her weakness at a single glance. From the information, she knew he was acting as the leader while Fynn as his subordinate but only after seeing it with her own eyes, she began to understand why.
"And you, I won't go through details, surrender and she lives," Kale said while pointing his knife at Xaxa's neck, Xaxa anxiously looked at Elza but she couldn't even open her mouth to speak due to paralysis.
"Humph, do you think I care?" Elza snorted, she again brandished her claws readying to attack Fynn.
"Oh, then that's good, killing the other one wasn't a mistake, though she was saying something like sorry sister so I thought you might be close…" Kale said in a casual tone.
The second the words came out of his mouth, Elza froze on the spot, her eyes were widened to the limit, she bit her lower lip until it bled, veins appeared on her arms and neck, she raised her head and screamed.
"Ahhhhhhaaaaa…. You Scum!"
A green illusory phantom of a giant crocodile-like lizard appeared behind her then disappeared. A faint green radiance covered her whole body.
In the next second, she bent her knees and jumped, but her destination wasn't Fynn, it was Kale.
Xaxa saw what was happening and got anxious, she wanted to shout, he is lying, it's a trap, but she couldn't.
Kale's lips curled upwards, he sent a message to Fynn {I am giving you the last chance, subdue her right now or I will go look for a better subject,}
Fynn looked at Kale who wasn't focusing on him, he then quietly stood up and used the footwork of ‹Shadow Tactics› to move.
Elza was just about to strike, but Kale moved Xaxa in front of him and used her as a meat shield.
Elza quickly changed her moment, she dug her claws in the ground making herself stop, she looked up and saw Kale smiling at her. Elza was about to shout when she noticed Xaxa looking at her then on her side, it was like she was signalling about something.
Suddenly, Elza came to a realization, she quickly turned around and used her hand to block, but instead of the punch, Fynn used an open hand to grab her wrist, he pulled her close then kicked her into the stomach.
As a result, Elza was thrown backwards, when she regained her balance, she felt a piercing pain from her wrist, and noticed a needle penetrating into the gap between her scales.
Elza's gaze became uncertain. She knew the needle definitely has poison in it.
Under the influence of the green radiance, the bruises on her body quickly healed but it could barely do anything against poison.
She looked around, Kale and Fynn could block limited area, she was checking if she could flee.
"Are you thinking of escaping? My sweetheart here might not like it," Kale said while playing with the knife in his hand and resting his chin on Xaxa's shoulder.
"You scoundrels, you think you can get away after defeating us, you will die soon after," Elza shouted in anger.
Kale just laughed, he looked carefree but he was thinking deeply inside 'As I thought, she too is the same, not a single one of these three have any suicide capsules, nor are they resolute and ruthless enough to kill themselves, they are complete newbies that are yet to be brainwashed. From the information I got on that old man leading them, from Vivie, he didn't seem foolish enough to send them, there is always a chance of failure… Eh, so that's how it is, that shrewd old man, he doesn't care if they fail… Instead, he wants them to fail…'
Thinking of this, he spoke "Woman, don't you get it? You are acting as cannon fodders for that old man,"
The second those words came out, Elza and Xaxa were stunned, they were sure that none of them would reveal such a thing, Kale knew about the leader of the group, it was completely unexpected, when the eyes of the two woman met, they knew they have kicked the iron plate.
"I give you a chance, surrender to me and you three can live," Kale added.
Elza heard it and her eyes slightly brightened, his words meant that Zalie was still alive and he was lying just now, her eyes soon dimmed again because she could feel her body turning numb.
"What nonsense you are sprouting, such trickery won't work, I am telling you, if you let the three of us go then you might be able to negotiate and survive from our leader," Elza said, she regretted it as soon as she spoke, in nervousness, she assembled her words and spoke but only after saying that did she realize how foolish they sounded.
"Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Most importantly, you don't even realize you are being used, do you think it would be a success for you if have killed us and completed the assassination? I bet you would have soon fallen into a similar situation in the next mission," Kale said.
Elza looked at him with a doubtful expression, she was a smart woman, after she realized how wrong the information they received on Kale was, her trust in the old man was already dropped.
Kale saw her expression and knew he hit the right spot "You doubt my words right? Then let me guess, you are either not the official members of that organization, just joined a while ago, or have enmity with someone of higher status in the organization,"
His words made Elza frown.
Kale continued "Let me guess more, there are other members camping near the entrance to the 2nd Floor of the dungeon or its entrance, they must have told you something like it's for the backup plan in case we tried to escape? And don't you think the plan that old man made was too damn foolish after he observed me cautiously all this time?"
Elza's face was now dark "Saw it clearly," She said while gritting her teeth.
"Hehehe… Do you not understand it or you don't want to understand it, you three have no life-saving tools in case you are caught, you don't have any good way for instant death either, it wasn't their mercy you fools, the old man wants you to suffer then implant hatred in you.
You were supposed to become our stress reliving tools tonight after your defeat, it wouldn't matter if one of you died, the remaining ones of you three will be saved by him in the morning, but by that time, you will already be imprisoned by deep hatred, and such people are easy to control, after all, as long as you love your life, you can't be the suicidal assassins that old man wants you to be.
He would of course, not use these methods on his lineage or direct elites but you are outsiders, that don't fit in, don't you?
If you won, then that was good for him but if you didn't then it would be better according to him, all he had to do was come early in the morning when we are at our weakest to finish us off and kindly save you, the survivors, you will then be grateful to that old man and will grant him your loyalty from them on," Kale said in a mocking tone.
Thud…
Elza got on her knees, her battle spirit disappeared, the words just now dealt greater damage to her than the kick from earlier.
Kale knew that he had mostly won the battle, he signalled Fynn to go and bring the other woman from the tent.
Fynn nodded and went into the tent, bringing out Zalie with him.
The tent was not very far so when Kale spoke loudly earlier, she too heard everything he said, her heart was filled with despair right now.
"You were Elza, right? You are probably the decision-maker of your team, I won't sugar coat my words, become my slav- hmm neverminded, you have some skills so you can become my lowest rank subordinates if you want to live," Kale said.
Kale purposely tried to say slave first then changed it to subordinate, it was a trick to attract them, making them feel that the offer came by luck and they should accept it.
It's how experienced merchant offers a crazy price for their products first then after we decrease it a little by bargaining, we sigh in relief thinking we won the battle but in truth, we had long lost it, the second we entered the battlefield.
"Hehehe…" Elza gave a hollow laugh while looking at the ground "What's the difference? You are mostly the same, kills us, you are going to die soon anyway,"
Her words didn't disappoint Kale, instead, he was excited, her replying meant she was already losing the game.
"I thought you were smart but you are just another idiot, you see that idiotic man over there? He was once an underworld rookie mercenary that got caught as a slave after his team died and was purchased by a bandit group, he was living like a shithead.
I was the one who killed the bandits and saved him, I increased his foundation from D to B and made him breakthrough to Elemental Mortal Stage, I gave him high-grade martial arts he could only dream of, he doesn't even know how to lie, ask him if what I said is true or not," Kale said in a loud tone while pointing at Fynn.
Fynn was speechless.
The words he said weren't wrong but they were not completely correct either, he wanted to say, you indeed killed the bandit but not for me, you gave me the martial techniques but to raise my worth, you made me go through that torture every day, moreover my life is just hanging near death all the time and after all this, you still have the gal to say, you saved me?
Fynn saw all three women staring at him and he nodded.
Some words are better unsaid, he knew it.