Garth heard explosions ringing out behind him, but he didn’t have the luxury to look back. All his attention was focused on the fighter in front of him. Gregory Valentine casually twirled the dagger in his left hand as his eyes sized up Garth. If Garth hadn’t seen him nearly gut Kyle just moments before, he would have thought Valentine was too cocky. After watching him move, however, he knew better. Kyle was right. I might be out of my league here. As if reading Garth’s thoughts, Valentine made his move. Garth parried a casual swing with the sword, then backstepped as a dagger swiped towards his stomach. Before he could even consider a counterattack, he was forced to block another downward slash from the sword.
Valentine’s combination flowed seamlessly, one attack into another. Still, Garth was no slouch. Despite being on the back foot, his defense held. It’s going to come down to one decisive blow. Garth’s experience told him just how precarious his situation was. Like the surface of a lake, the smallest disturbance would send ripples. His best hope was to hold on and try to find time to turn the tables with a single strike.
Unfortunately for him, Gregory Valentine had other ideas.
“Not bad, Boltsbury. It’s clear you didn’t earn your position as a captain behind a desk.”
With that, he vanished. Garth didn’t hesitate. He instantly activated FLEET FOOT and dashed forward, feeling a breeze as a blade passed through where his neck was just a moment before. He turned quickly, hoping that the distance he covered would create an opportunity to use AIR BLADE. Instead, he frantically raised his sword, blocking a thrust aimed for his throat. His speed is incredible.
Garth found himself once again being pushed back by his opponent’s onslaught, each attack coming in quicker succession. Valentine’s attacks were precise, with a singular focus on delivering lethal blows. Soon, his defense began to falter. Small cuts were beginning to accumulate, and Garth knew that the war of attrition was one he was going to lose. Beyond the changes in the man’s attack speed, the most startling change was his expression. Valentine had started the fight with an almost bored look on his face, but now he wore a fierce grin, eyes wide in enjoyment. This bastard’s having fun while I’m fighting for my life. His mind went to Crystal, to her body slumped against that tree. Familiar anger and hurt built in his chest, and for the first time in a while he didn’t try to suppress it. I’m at least going to make you bleed.
Garth blocked another series of strikes, waiting for his opportunity. As the dagger made its pass toward his arm, instead of blocking he activated UNSHAKEN RESOLVE and allowed the weapon to strike him squarely. It bit into him, but the mana infusing his muscles and skin prevented the blow from causing major damage. With satisfaction, Garth saw Valentine’s eyes widen in surprise as he stepped forward, bringing his blade down in an arc towards the man’s head.
Valentine’s sword flickered up, fast as lightning. It wasn’t enough to block the strike entirely, but instead it struck the flat of the blade, knocking it aside. It still left a nasty cut on Valentine’s forearm as the man disengaged. He looked at Garth with what could only be described as a mix of admiration and hatred.
“You’re much better than I gave you credit for. I can see why Cornelius couldn’t handle you.”
“Stop talking and fight.” Garth growled, already channeling mana into his arms in preparation to use AIR BLADE.
“Have it your way.”
Valentine disappeared once again, and Garth turned around and immediately launched his attack behind him. He’d hoped to catch the man by surprise, but nobody was there. Pain exploded across Garth’s back as a sword carved a gash, limited somewhat by UNSHAKEN RESOLVE. A quick use of FLEET FOOT created distance, and he turned once again to meet Valentine’s flashing weapons.
“Don’t underestimate me, Boltsbury. I didn’t get where I am by sitting behind a desk either.”
Dammit, he’s right. Garth had gotten hasty to end the fight, and that had led to him getting careless. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Garth did his best to defend. Hopefully Kyle can take care of Carlyle and get here soon.
~~~
Kyle swore as he was hit by another FIREBALL. The pain was excruciating, but there was nothing for it other than pushing more mana through REGENERATION. He pulled the chitin chain tight to his body, the ropes that held his pack long having burned away. Even with HASTE active, Carlyle was able to keep his distance using his own boosting skill.
[DR. MAYHEW, I THINK IT WOULD BE IN YOUR INTEREST TO TRY TO AVOID THE EXPLODING BLASTS OF FIRE.]
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“Thanks C.H.A.D.D., I hadn’t considered that.”
His voice came out in a dry rasp, reinforcing how much trouble he was in. Carlyle had created a brutal but effective strategy – by aiming all his attacks at Garth, Kyle had to choose between taking the damage himself or guaranteeing that his friend would die. Even in a fair fight, Kyle gave the overwhelming odds to Valentine. With Carlyle’s interference, it wasn’t a question at all. With the way he figured it, he had two options. He could continue as he had, hoping that Garth came out on top, and was still in a condition to fight.
If Garth lost, Kyle would find himself in a losing fight against both Carlyle and Valentine, a battle which he would almost assuredly lose. His other choice was to let Carlyle attack Garth and use the opportunity to close the distance. He was confident in his ability to beat the Mage in close quarters combat, and from there he could turn his attention to Valentine. It was the choice with a much better chance of survival, at the cost of his friend. Think, dammit. How do we turn this around? Kyle’s mind was working furiously as he tried to think of another solution. An idea came to mind as he looked at the chain in his hand, even though he didn’t like it.
“C.H.A.D.D., how are you holding up? Do you think you could handle one more FIREBALL?”
The drone paused for a moment before responding. Finally, it spoke.
[I CAN DO IT, DR. MAYHEW. ALTHOUGH AFTER THIS I WOULDN’T MIND SOME TIME AWAY FROM LARGE EXPLOSIONS.]
“Thanks buddy. I’ll owe you one”
[YOU OWE ME AT LEAST THREE, DR. MAYHEW.]
Their conversation was cut short as Carlyle threw yet another blast of fire careening towards Garth and Valentine, and Kyle didn’t hesitate. Using RESONANCE, he broke one of the chain links closest to his armor. With a quick turn, he swung the C.H.A.D.D.pack like a flail, intercepting the FIREBALL before it could get close. The blast kicked up smoke and dust, giving Kyle cover. With HASTE on full power, he dashed towards Carlyle. The mage’s eyes went wide as the black-clad Healer burst out of the cloud, baton in hand. As he closed in, he felt the heat radiating off the man practically burning him. Still, Kyle wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. At this range FIREBALL would catch both of them. My win. Carlyle threw a punch with surprising speed, and Kyle countered by striking the fist with his baton. He heard the crunch of bones, and rotated to follow-up with a strike to the elbow of the same arm, watching it bend unnaturally from the force. He wasn’t done.
Another strike hit Carlyle in the ribs, and he saw his opportunity to finish it with a strike to his opponent’s skull. As his baton continued its arc, Kyle saw a glowing orb of fire in Carlyle’s good hand. A moment later, he was thrown back by a massive explosion. The heat was intense, and Kyle pushed even more of his dwindling mana into REGENERATION. He wanted to pursue, but the surprise of the attack and the damage it inflicted caused him to hesitate.
Carlyle was also thrown back by the explosion, and as the dust cleared Kyle saw that he looked awful. His uniform and all his hair had been burned off, and he was standing wreathed in flame. Head to toe, he was covered in ever-increasing burns. There’s no way he survives this. Then Kyle realized, looking at the man, as hopelessness crept into his chest. He’s not trying to live through this, he’s just trying to make sure we lose. Carlyle’s gambit had created distance once again, and Kyle was out of options. Even though the man wasn’t going to survive the burns he’d inflicted on himself, he would still be able to buy time. Kyle wasn’t confident in healing through many more attacks, and a glance towards Garth showed him that his friend wasn’t holding up much better. Dammit.
Garth and Valentine continued their fight, with Garth’s wounds continuing to accumulate. An explosion larger than any before grabbed both their attention, and they each glanced to see Kyle on his knees, with Carlyle completely engulfed in flames. It looked like he was trying to scream something, but his voice looked to have been burned away some time ago. Their fight resumed, with the image of Carlyle’s burning form caught in Garth’s mind. It had put a mirror up to him, and he could see himself in the flames. His hatred, his desire for revenge, his desire to die.
He knew this fight was a fool’s errand, and Kyle had come with him anyway. Now Garth’s vengeance would get them both killed. He tried to find satisfaction in the fact that Carlyle didn’t seem to have much time left, but even that felt hollow. What am I doing here? The question repeated as his sword continued to clash against Valentine’s blades, chips being bitten out in every exchange. Is this really it? Is this how I wanted to die? The answer came to him with clarity. No. He knew Kyle wouldn’t abandon him here, just as he knew he wouldn’t be able to beat Valentine. His pride had brought them there, and his pride would cost them both their lives.
In that moment, Garth came to a decision. He took a wide swing at Valentine, forcing the man to dodge back before closing in to take advantage of the opening it created. Garth wasn’t aiming at Valentine though, instead channeling his mana through his arms and into his sword. AIR BLADE shot out in a lateral arc, heading straight for Carlyle. The force of the technique was too much for his sword to handle, the blade shattering into dozens of pieces from the strain.
The burning man didn’t even seem to notice he was under attack, his attention focused on gathering energy to finish off the still-recovering Kyle. The condensed wave of mana caught him just above the shoulder, passing through with virtually no resistance. Carlyle’s body fell headless to the ground, at the same moment Garth felt mana drill into his back. He looked down to see a wave of energy pass through him, a fist-sized hole opened in his stomach. UNSHAKEN RESOLVE was blown away instantly by the attack as another slash ripped into his back. This time it bit deep without his defensive skill to limit the damage. The pain was already fading to numbness, and Garth looked up at Kyle. Get out of here, kid. I’m sorry.