Ike had enough time to tense before a giant icicle slammed into his gut. All the air left him. A horrible freeze pierced him through, all the way to his spine.

Fuck.

Garrus chuckled. He passed his remaining hand over his stub, freezing the wound shut. “It’s good you can take a hit, but you’ve gotta learn how to do more than just take a hit. If losing my arm means I win the fight, I’ll happily sacrifice my arm. Do you have that resolve?”

Ike gripped at the massive icicle. He pushed, but couldn’t lift his weight off the pillar. His body sagged deeper, and he hissed a breath.

The lightning around his body dimmed as his mana diverted to Salamander Healing. Ike grimaced. He shoved at the icicle again. With his other hand, he put his knuckles to the ice. Green shockwaves shuddered through the ice. Even they weakened. His mana poured away, sapped by the ice and his healing technique alike.

“No…I didn’t think so. Well, it’s too late now.” Garrus gently rested the ice blade against the back of Ike’s neck. He lifted it up.

“Now! Lightning Call!” Ike shouted. He pushed all his mana into the Lightning Caller skill.

The stormy sky crackled. Garrus jumped back. White light and a shattering boom. Electricity coursed over Ike, feeding his Lightning Clad. He absorbed some of the excess as mana, and the rest slammed into him. Pain burst out. The freezing cold was replaced by searing heat.

Beneath him, the icicle, weakened by his shockwaves, shattered. Ike slumped to one knee, barely catching himself before he hit the ground. His knee thumped into mud. He hissed in pain, pressing a hand to his stomach.

“Missed me,” Garrus mocked. He dashed in.

Flames licked around Ike’s feet. The fire caught in Wisp’s spiderweb and spread across the entire mana field in an instant. The black goo set alight, and mana whirled around Ike. He took a deep breath, sucking it all in.

He looked up, a grin playing across his face. “Did I?”

Garrus startled. He jumped back, fleeing the flames. The intense heat from the burning goo wore at his armor, melting it down. His blades dripped with perspiration. “You planned this?”

Ike cocked a brow. “What do you think? Do I have the resolve to make a sacrifice, if it means I can get the win?”

I didn’t plan this. I had no idea you used ice ahead of time. Sure, I had the idea that I could set the whole field on fire, but it’s luck that it was such an impediment to you. A field of flames is dangerous to anyone—I planned that much. It’s a direct counter to an ice user, and that’s the part I didn’t plan.

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Heh. I’m not going to admit it, though. Yes. This was all part of my plan. For sure.

He pressed his hand against his stomach. His legs trembled, and his vision wavered. He was upright, but even he didn’t know how. Everything hurt. His mana poured out, all of it put to his healing. His stomach wound struggled to close, and he wasn’t even trying to heal the lightning burns yet. He kept Lightning Clad up, but it did almost nothing. It was only there to look imposing.

I should be dead. Why am I not dead? Is it because I’m Rank 2? A mage, and not an ordinary human anymore?

Ike breathed deeply. With every breath, he regenerated mana. Although burning a few dolls’ worth of goo had done little, burning the entire field at once gave him enough mana to significantly recover. More mana in his core meant more mana to pour into his healing skill. He committed all his mana to healing except the bare minimum needed to keep Lightning Clad going.

Garrus chuckled. He strode forward, raising his arms. “I have to admit, kid. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Yeah? Shows what you know,” Ike replied defiantly. He stood his ground, not wanting Garrus to know how injured he was.

“But you have to know what to sacrifice. This? This is more than acceptable losses.” Garrus reached to his hip and drew a sword for the first time since their fight had begun. He spun it around and held it out one-handed. “You’ve gone too far. A rookie mistake. Too bad you won’t learn from it.”

Ike narrowed his eyes. He gathered his mana, pulling it away from healing for just a few moments. Lightning flickered over his hand.

Garrus sliced at his neck.

Drawing all his strength, Ike darted in. He reached for Garrus’ throat, activating Lightning Grasp individually for the first time since the fight had begun. Already committed to the swing, Garrus couldn’t escape. Instinctively, the man lifted his other arm to block. His stub lifted in front of his face. His eyes widened, and his mouth shaped into an O.

Ike gripped Garrus’ throat. The man swallowed. His veins throbbed against Ike’s fingertips. His arm struck Ike’s back, the swing too wide to hit Ike.

“Is this an acceptable loss?” Ike asked, and tore.

Blood gushed. Garrus stumbled back. He dropped his sword, touching his torn neck. He looked up at Ike and laughed, soundlessly, just once. His knees struck the ground. He toppled over and went still.

Ike stood over him. He panted and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Blood still dripped off his hand and soaked down from his stomach. The burning black goo raced all around him, licking at his legs. He knew he had to escape it, but he hurt too much to move.

Spiderweb zipped across the sky. A strand landed on the back of his shoulders, and Wisp wound him up. She put him down on a little white platform over the mana field, then crouched nearby.

“You need this mana, right?” she asked.

Ike nodded wordlessly, too tired to speak.

“Rest up. I’ll watch over you. When you’re healed, we’ll go check them for skills.”

“Skills…?” Ike murmured.

“Yeah. Skill orbs. Just like monsters. They’re old enough to have ‘em,” Wisp said. She patted his head gently. “Just rest. Rest for now.”

Ike nodded. He leaned back against the web and breathed deeply, sucking in the mana. His heart still raced from the adrenaline, his muscles still tense, the hole in his stomach rolling with pain, but the exhaustion was coming on fast. His eyes began to close. Before he knew it, he was fighting off sleep.

“Go on. I’ll keep you safe,” Wisp promised.

Ike nodded numbly. His eyes shut.