The walls all around the convenience store took on a luster of purple as a new dome was erected, protecting the location, but for all reasons, it was more like cageing the two last participants inside against their will. Not leaving until only one remained, with the other joining as another casualty for the experiment.
The Cerulean Baroness's threat is in the air; they only have thirty minutes to end the fight. What it truly meant, only she knew. To make all this trial end abruptly because of time constraints seemed like a waste, but all baroness actions seemed to give show to her fickle nature.
That wasn't in Roberion's mind as he fought the new enemy with all the strength he could muster. Why question hidden enemies when he has one in front of him? The dice weapon was already activated just in time for the next attack by the invisible fighter.
Roberion used the wood surface of the club to block the dagger, the blade piercing the grotesque eye of the weapo, only leaving it with a bloodless scar as the dagger was takken out.
Roberion welcomed the Jubilant Choir again. It is the second time in a roll that the weapon is the chosen face. In this location, the weapon seemed to be restricted by its size; the null could only use it to block and thrust. Any swing would, for sure, hit the shelves.
This bastard is invisible again. Shit. The hell with these shelves?! I need enough space to swing Jubilant Choir. Roberion foregone his restraint, tensing his already fatigued body. If I make all the shelves fall to the ground, the clutter could give him his location; maybe he has another spell in his arsenal, but I for sure know that fighting an invisible foe isn't easy.
Roberion fought against his body's weariness and his mind's exhaustion. The adrenaline pumping in his blood and the increased control over his body given by the parasite helped the null take care of his weariness.
For his mind, the parasite was actually working against him; he felt a craving for the addicting substance, but now, clear headed for the fight, he noticed that the need was amplified by the parasite becoming his greatest weakness.
I need to be faster; I can't compete with this guy in speed, but I need at least to hit the fucker. Roberion concentrated on activating his [Minor Air Movement] spell; the assassine vanished for a while, which only made the null more weary; he could be a victim of a surprise attack at any time.
His spell activates before the assassin shows up. Roberion took a look at the medicine section. His face sported a smile that he dismissed as fast as it came. This little guy wants me to waste my mana, doesn't he? Or is he closing my back? Anyway, let's see what the vines will become after consuming these drugs from the medicine section; at worst, I won't be tempted anymore.
He felt a resistance in his mind—the parasite more than himself. Roberion grinded his teeth and fed Jubilant Choir enough mana to activate [Cursed bubble?]. A few seconds later, Roberion heard a little movement from his left; the silence and his enhanced senses granted by the parasite helped him prepare for the attack.
The maroon bubble was already leaving one of the Jubilant Choir mouths. Dammit, I don't have time to pinpoit him; I will follow the plan. Roberion strained his legs and jumped, swinging the great club in the direction of the medicine section, the bubble leaving the mouth and shooting forward.
As gravity did its work, what welcomed him were two daggers, one straight to his lung and the other to his belly. That result is still lucky. Roberion used the enhanced speed granted by his spell and his enhanced senses to change the trajectory of his body, evading the dagger-killing strikes, one at his head and the other at his heart. The null didn't know the limits of the [Behemoth Skin] but he didn't want to, especially in this fight to the death.
Roberion got crazed by the pain, his anger flaring as the bastard showed up as the daggershit him, probably a limitation of the spell. Roberion looked at the dark eyes and pale skin of the assassin and grinned.
The null wheezed as he felt his lung fail to take all the air he needed, and the blood was getting in the way too. He tasted iron in his mouth. Roberion ignored all of it, hugged the assassin, and constricted him. The position was a little weird as he still held the Jubilant Choir; now he let the club almost fall from the ground, with half a grip locking it against the back of the assassin, like he was held in a stake, a weird one at that, but it worked even if it wasn't optimal. From afar, he heard the cursed bubble exploding.
"GOT YOU", Roberion yelled and forgot all decorum as the pale youth tried to free himself from his bear hug. The null heard movement from around him, but he ignored it, opening his mouth and trying to take a bite at the neck of the assassin, giving way to his primal instincts.
The assassin was faster and headbutted him, but Roberion still felt that his bite caught something. Not wasting time, he forced his mandible to close and jerked his head, tearing off the flesh thing. A new taste of iron invaded his mouth, and this time it wasn't his.
"AHHHHHHHHH, BAAASTARD!", for the first time, the assassin oppened his mouth, shock on his face. His struggle to get free got more desperate.
"Pfft", Roberion spat, taking more than half of the ear he teared off from the pale youth. He showed a bloody grin to the assassin and said, "I WILL WIN, EVEN IF I NEED TO BITE YOUR FACE OFF."
The youth got more desparate and pale, getting silent with a shaking oppen mouth. Until a flash, he assassine changed his tactics. Roberion thought his enemy was trying to pry off his arms until he heard clattering on the ground.
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Roberion looked down and saw a medium sized bag at his enemy's waist. The youth are taking things from there and throwing them out. The null didn't know the reason, but shortly after, he discovered why. In a second, a blighting light and an explosion rocketed Roberion's body; the null didn't care; he still constricted the assassin even more strongly.
"AHHHHHHH", the assassin plan didn't work out; even his body was bloodied by the explosion. Roberion didn't know how the bomb worked out, but it seemed the explosion targeted more of his body than his, like it had some sort of aim. Roberion glimpsed a stone breaking from the hand of the assassin; it seemed like a wooden spell blueprint.
Even though the [Behemoth Skin] was working overtime, it wasn't enough to heal him from the explosion; the exhaustion is also increasing; he couldn't endure it much more. Roberion kept biting off the face of the assassin, trying to headbutt too when it didn't work out.
The healing didn't have any effect; his white skin was paler than usual, and the [Behemoth Skin] drinking his mana like a thirsty beast in a lake. Fuck, even the armor isn't regenerating itself. What the fuck is that spell? I won't die like this!
Roberion's strength is vanishing from him. Bubbles of blood formed in his mouth; he was losing the sensation of his extremities. The null still tried to keep constricting the assassin, but it was growing slack. The plans of using a fireball spell died when they started; the [Behemoth Skin] was almost finished drinking his mana.
Already losing hope, Roberion thought he was imagining things, but he felt a snake coiling on his leg. The suspicion was confirmed as truth when the assassin's new triuphant face died a few seconds after it was born; the null really did a number on him; more than a quarter of his head had bite marks, missing skin, and some torn flesh. With the redness and elevation of the skin from the spots where Roberion headbutted him, the pale youth looked like a ghoul.
Roberion, with sleepy eyes, looked down. The vines were consuming what looked to be innumerous vials of health and mana potion; there were also rations and water on the ground, as well as an assortment of objects.
It seemed the liquid on the floor gave second life to the being; it took minutes to reach here, even seemingly feeding from the medicine, but now that it drank the liquid on the floor, it expanded like a magical plant, growing in seconds to reach the sky. The vines reached both Roberion and the pale youth; Roberion only felt a firm gripping of the vines, but the assassine didn't seem to have the same luck. Soon, the null had to let the assassin go, the vines taking him out from him.
Roberion was sure that he would remember this moment for all his life—the purple light from the runes in the convenience store, illuminating the face full of despair of the assassin that seemed to mumble something. The state of the assassin had a haunting effect; he seemed to have been bitten by the undead, even though the beasts weren't the culprits in that work. Soon this view vanished, being covered by vines.
"AHHHH—DAMM—GODS—HELL—TARD—CUR—", Roberion heard a crunching sound, and all yelling ceased. The vines now covered all the null's body; he thought the same was true for his enemy. Roberion couldn't stop feeling that the pale youth was dead but nevertheless waited, prying off his arms, the vines accenting, and letting all his body go. Strangely, he lost hold of Jubilant Choir. Roberion guessed that it was because the assassin was dead, but he thought it would be better to keep the vines there for a while.
Having enough movement, the null took a mana potion from his bag and drank it.
The [Behemoth Skin] consumed the mana just in time; a few moments later, the armor would start to use Roberion's body as materials for its regeneration. The null took another potion, this time a regenerative one, and drank it with gusto. Not stopping there, he ate some rations and drank some water.
Slowly, his body and the skin armor regeneration started working. As if in cue, as Roberion felt satisfied, the baroness's voice echoed in the convenience store.
"That was fantastic, and fast too; the way the assassin waited so long to attack, I was afraid I would have to kill you two. I wouldn't say your strategy was the most optimal, but who would contest the results? I for sure won't, because we don't have any more time. Congratulations, participant 4358! You are the winner of my exciting trial, and you will receive your rewards soon."
Roberion dismissed Jubilant Choir, the vines vanishing first into sparks, then the grotesque club was next. "Nothing of my [Hellish Plasma Gun], that's really great", Just in front of him was a mess of meat and bones, what remained of his enemy. Roberion didn't have time to acknowledge it before a presence showed up.
The hologram of the Cerulean Baroness appeared at his side, "That thing ate it while in its portable form, right? What a waste! You should care better for your weapons; what are you, a kid?! Anyway, I just got your transport; as I already said, we are on a time limit. Let's go, Bob; accompany me."
"Who gave you—forget it. Let's finish this; can you heal me?", Roberion followed the baroness to the entrance. He took a look around the store in the way; the vines consumed everything—the medicine, the food—and Roberion thought that it even consumed the toys.
The baroness opened the door; obviously, it wasn't her hologram, but there was another way that she opened it. The dome that was protecting the convenience store ceased to exist. From the door, a weird thing presented itself to him; he didn't wait anyway and left the store.
"Why are there two The Gentlemen, and they are holding a palanquin?!", Roberion asked, surprised and lost for words. He didn't care about the danger; if she wanted him dead, she would already have done so, and the situation was too bizarre for him to care about security.
"It is your transport, of course; you are the winner; I'm not sparing any expense for you. Hush, hush, enter it," the baroness winked, got behind him, and simulated pushing the null. Roberion rolled his eyes and obligged, entering the lowered palanquin.
Roberion looked around. In the distance, he saw another The Gentlemen approaching; this one was a mess, his clothes all torn up and his hat all dirty. This is probably the guy who helped us defeat the Blight Squad guys. So there is more than one, hum; the weird name makes more sense now.
The palanquin lifted from the ground, the strong being lifting without any effort, soon speeding forward. Roberion took hold of the handles and secured himself. His body was recovering little by little, but the spell bluerpint did a number on him.
The hologram of the baroness followed; it looked almost to be flying like a blue fairy, her regal clothes and noble beauty enhancing it, but Roberion knew for sure that this fairy was more like a demon. Noticing his gaze, the baroness smiled and said, "I know I'm beautiful, but just wait for what lies ahead; it's finally time for the ritual, for me to fulfill my promise to you", her smile vanished, and she got serious, "for I finally do what I was created for."