Roja, leader of the dissection team, subordinate team, Unit 5, Guild [Radiant Fang]
"Negotiations for surrender happen when the losing side has something the winning side wants, and the winners don' t want to waste time or lose more than necessary, so they accept the offer to end the dispute."
"Yes, I must apologize for taking your valuable item. I' ll return it along with compensation for your time and even grovel for forgiveness."
"But negotiations won' t happen if the losing side doesn' t know what the winning side wants."
"If you' d kindly enlighten this fool, I' d be most grateful."
"Do you know what a hostage is?"
Pivoda looked confused when I asked this question.
"Uh… yes???"
"If that thing is important to the winner, what would the loser do with it when cornered like this?"
"…!?"
And then Pivoda understood what I meant.
"Don' t come closer! Or I' ll order it destroyed!"
"Hope you can destroy it before we kill you."
"You bastard!"
If it were just an object, I might' ve negotiated. But what I want is a person.
If they figured that out and used it to threaten me, things would get messy. So, I had to make them think I wanted an object.
Truthfully, I could let them die and dissect it later.
But if I had a choice, I' d prefer to dissect it fresh.
Between carving a cold corpse and a living, breathing body with blood still flowing, the latter yields better materials.
Probably because I' m so meticulous with my dissection work… or something.
Pivoda, completely cornered, grew long claws as thick as fingers, ready to fight.
"Let' s go! They won' t spare us anyway!"
"They will. If your leader dies, I' ll let everyone else go immediately. Because the other thing I want is this woman' s life."
Pivoda' s henchmen, who were raring to fight, hesitated after I sowed doubt, not daring to raise their weapons.
"Are you idiots? They' re playing with your heads! They just said it was an object!"
"Yes, I want the object. But I also want revenge on the one who stole it."
"Shut up, you liar! They' re trying to make us kill each other!"
But none of the henchmen moved.
"Are you betraying me?! I took pity and gave you all jobs! Have some gratitude! Without me, you' d be dead in the streets like garbage!"
"That' s reasonable. But you all still want to survive, don' t you?"
"The way to survive is to fight our way out! Don' t listen to them!"
"Just kill Pivoda, and take whatever treasure you want. I only want my treasure back, just one piece."
"They' re lying! They' ll kill you all after I' m dead!"
"If you don' t believe me, ask Bui if it' s true."
"It' s true."
Bui stepped forward, looking displeased, probably because I said I' d share the treasure with everyone who killed Pivoda.
"You traitor, Bui!"
"Don' t worry, I' ll make good use of the money. You all just die. Less for me to share."
Bui wasn' t clever enough to support me on his own. I had signaled my team to tell him to say that line.
"Hurry up and do it before I change my mind."
"Damn it!"
Pivoda was then swarmed by her own henchmen.
"You want it like this, huh?!"
The three henchmen closest to her swung their swords simultaneously, but Pivoda was faster.
She dodged their attacks, stabbed her claws into one' s throat, and ripped it out, leaving a gaping wound gushing blood.
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
"She' s that strong?!"
The two others, stunned, were stabbed by her claws—one in the stomach as he raised his sword, the other in the heart as he stood frozen.
When Pivoda yanked her hand back, bright red blood poured out.
The one stabbed in the heart died within seconds.
The one stabbed in the stomach collapsed, screaming and writhing, clutching the wound. Pivoda leaned down, stabbed her claws into his throat, and pulled them out.
The neck wound was small, just the size of her claws, unlike the earlier gaping wounds. But it was enough to sever an artery, and he bled out.
I realized immediately she had a skill, likely a high-damage or wound-tearing type.
I hate those skills. They tend to ruin the body for dissection.
Better take precautions. I nodded to the archer to strike when there was an opening.
Against her henchmen, Pivoda dodged every attack. Even surprise strikes didn' t come close to touching her.
But anyone she clawed died in a single hit.
Even a glancing scratch left a grievous wound.
Some started to lose the will to fight her, but they soon realized: face Pivoda alone or fight our entire team. They chose to risk fighting Pivoda.
And since Pivoda didn' t want to get injured before facing us, she dodged with all her might, but her stamina began to wane.
Her agility dropped, she was sweating profusely, wiping her eyes often, and panting heavily.
As she dodged a sword, one of our arrows struck where we predicted she' d move, piercing her back.
"Ow!"
Realizing we were the ones who shot her, she yelled, "You backstabbing bastards!"
Pivoda felt the pressure. If she fought her henchmen, she had to watch her back. If she turned to us, her henchmen would get her.
Her attacks started missing, and she couldn' t dodge as well.
Her henchmen began landing wounds on her, even shooting an arrow into her thigh and slashing her back.
"If I don' t make it, you' re all dying here!"
Pivoda roared and charged at her henchmen like a madwoman.
But two steps before reaching them, she changed direction, leapt off a wall, zigzagged, and jumped over the tank, aiming for me.
Pivoda swung her claws with full force at me.
"I' ll rip your face so bad your friends won' t recognize you, you bastard!"
Boom!
"Urk!"
Pivoda slammed into a wind barrier cast by our mage, bouncing back to her original side.
She landed on her back, and the arrow in it pierced through her stomach.
"Argh! Ow, it hurts!"
The surviving henchmen seized the chance, surrounding her and raising their weapons.
"No, don' t!"
Pivoda raised her hands to plead, but for their own survival, no one held back.
Pivoda' s corpse was a pitiful sight.
Pant, pant. "We did it. We killed her."
"She' s definitely dead."
"Yes! I' m saved!"
"Are you letting us go now?"
"Need us to carry anything or do something else? Just name it."
"Can I take some treasure? Just one piece?"
"Go ahead, take as much as you can carry."
They dropped their weapons and rushed to the innermost room.
My team and I slowed our pace, spreading out in a long line.
As we neared the door, they came out carrying their loot—holding, tucking, and stuffing items into their clothes and pants. Some, overloaded, kicked fallen items along with their feet.
The tank cleared a path for them to pass.
They thanked us profusely, beaming with joy. When the last one passed the tank, we struck.
Burdened with loot, unarmed, unarmored, and off-guard, they were easy to slaughter. Quick, effortless, no energy wasted.
Surprisingly, Bui was smart enough not to join the looting. Otherwise, his corpse would' ve been among them.
I let my team and the kids we bought grab whatever treasure they wanted. Bui sighed in relief, realizing I wasn' t going to kill him.
He joined the looting but was clever enough to ask if anyone wanted the items he picked, only taking what my team didn' t want.
People like him are survivors. If he becomes an adventurer, I' ll ask Lord Jaigia to recruit him to the guild. But he' d need at least [Rank D] .
The innermost room was a mess, completely ransacked.
Scanning the room, I saw only two kids left.
A dog-human slave kid lay motionless, as if dead.
The other was that brat who tricked me into going the wrong way.
"Never thought a kid like you could use the truth to deceive."
Recognizing me, Elda forced a dry smile, trembling with fear.
"I' m really sorry."
She immediately bowed, no crying, no annoying pleading, no provocative words—just avoiding anything that might anger an enemy.
I couldn' t tell if her trembling was real or an act.
I' m starting to like her. I want her as a partner.
But sorry, my dissection itch is acting up, and Lord Jaigia' s orders come first.
I swung my leg, kicking the brat into the wall.
"Ow!"
As she rolled back, I stepped on her throat and slashed my knife.
Shriek!
Her left lip and cheek tore open.
I pried her cheek with the knife to check her fangs.
Not bad. This shape is probably what Lord Jaigia wants.
"Don' t worry, I' ll be careful not to kill you. You' re still needed."
Time to find out who this blonde Calika is and where Lord Jaigia' s knife went.
Lord Jaigia will be very pleased.
"Let' s start the dissection."