My fingers clenched around my spear as something slammed against the right side of my body. Although my pain resistance was superior to my prior body, this attack still shook me to my core. The world blended around me as I felt myself being pushed away by that impact. Slamming my spear into the ground, I managed to halt the distance I traveled.
Whatever managed to sneak attack me was fast, but I was also distracted and that was my fault. My body trembled as I searched for the culprit and quickly found them. My eyes narrowed as the large figure stood in my previous. His eyes were dangerous, but his expression was cool and collected. It was then that I recognized him as the man from the carriage. It was him that made my instincts scream, and now I could understand the reason.
This man was a mountain of a man and the quick size up in the wagon didn't give him proper justice. He was ridged with thick muscles and a large handle stuck out over his shoulder. While I didn't know what type of weapon it was, I already knew that it was bad news. I fixed my glasses which slipped from the blow that I received. In fact, as I thought about it I realized that I didn't know what exactly he hit me with, and that realization made me perturb.
"Hey! Old man! Are you alright?" Fawkes called inside of my head.
"I'm alive, and I'm pissed off," I responded through our mental connection.
"Good, because I have good news.-"
I didn't wait for him to explain himself or for him to attack either of my allies. Without a shadow of a doubt, this man was powerful and unlike me, Claire couldn't heal as efficiently.
I willed myself forward toward the man, dashing toward him, but his face didn't change. Twirling Catalyst as I approached, I hoped to deal with this bastard before any more goblins came to our location. However, I didn't expect that son of a bitch to unsheath a huge sword from his back. As my spear reached out, thirsting for blood, its impact was halted with a loud screech of clashing metal. Sparks flew as my attacker blocked my attack and then pushed forward to match my aggression.
While, in normal circumstances, I was able to handily overmatch my opponents with either speed or power, but this was not the case. I rushed the man with my speed, but this larger fucker was able to match me better than I imagined. Despite the many clashes that we performed, each time I realized that I was getting pushed back further and further.
Catalyst arched through the air, but as expected the man before me managed to thoroughly block the impact with his great sword. My instincts cried for me to avoid his next counterattack, but I soon realized something that I should have been caught onto.
"He's too good, Old man! This man is too dangerous for you! You're outclassed!" Fawkes commented, and he was right.
His attack arrived faster than before and despite me somehow blocking it with Catalyst, I was still pushed away by the sheer might at his disposal. I was quick to recover but was quick to react to his unexpected action. The man slammed the sword near my feet, which I leaped to avoid. Although I was successful at avoiding that, I soon realized that a dagger was thrown my way, so I caught it. While it did cut my palm, an injury like that would easily and quickly be healed.
Once I landed on my feet, I tossed the blood-stained blade away and moved to meet the man head-on again. I wanted to inflict lasting damage on this bastard, so once I got the opening to thrust Catalyst I took it. If there was an opportunity to punish this bastard for sneaking me, then best believe I'm grabbing it with both hands.
Opportunity is a cruel mistress, she has no favorites and I learned that the hard way. It was as if he was waiting for that moment, and that stunned me. My hesitation allowed him to avoid my thrust and clasped his palm on Catalyst's shaft.
I wanted to do something about it, but I soon found a fist slamming into my chest. It was as if someone decided to hit me with an RPG at close range. The impact knocked me airborne and I felt myself rocketing through the air.
Snap! Crash!
My body was blasted with pain as I found myself lying in the rubble and ashes of a charred tree. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to thoroughly rattle my brain. My head throbbed as I attempted to stand again, but that was for naught. As I attempted to reign my composure, I failed to notice the large figure racing toward my location. His figure blotted out the sun and as I looked up at him, I spotted a clenched fist arching my way.
My eyes darted around to locate Catalyst, but I couldn't, and I paid the price. I wasn't the kind to resort to fisticuffs in my previous world, but I've been forced into more perilous situations than I would like. However, my consent to fighting meant nothing to the fists raining down on me. He hit my ass hard, and I meant hard enough to nearly break my nose. At least, I hope it wasn't broken. It was bleeding a lot, and my expression likely showcased that discomfort.
That didn't stop him from throwing more than one of those powerful blows. He must've thrown at least three good, heavy ones before I was able to finally shield myself with my forearms. That didn't do much though as his punches were powerful, so powerful that they managed to drop me on my ass multiple times. If this was an official bout in the octagon, then the ref would have to stop the match and award this big bastard the victory.
Unfortunately for me, this was not an official bout. Despite my best efforts to defend myself, I found this figure to be overpowering at this moment. Each impact was clubbing and only served to inflict devasting damage. There was no reprieve and he likely hit me over thirty times in such a short time.
The sound of Fawkes' panic blasted through my mind as the usually cocky fox whimpered with concern. It was his whimpering that forced me into action or so I thought. The punches had stopped, but before I could even think of countering, I felt myself being lifted and I realized that he was holding me by my tail! My eyes widened as the bastard threw me by my tail back toward the road.
I couldn't believe it. I genuinely couldn't believe that he did that to me. My body thudded across the ground like a rock, and my body struggled to keep up. Things were bad, but at least I had... "My glasses..."
The brown dirt blurred as I realized that in the tumble, my glasses were separated from me. I scrambled on the ground looking for them, but my body felt oddly weakened. I know that I was getting my ass handed to me, but I was certain that my body should have already been in the process of repairing itself. Yet, as I struggled to my feet, I could only sense that my body was only getting weaker and not stronger.
"Fawkes..." I called to him. "Somethings... off."
"Old man... are you alright?" he responds.
"I've already answered that." I reminded him.
"But-"
"If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts, Fawkes, we'd all have a Merry Christmas..."
"What? How is that... Oh, no! You've gone delirious! Old Man, listen carefully! Do NOT go into the tunnel of light! Do you hear me?! Don't do it!"
I couldn't help, but chuckle at the erratic response from the fox. I couldn't see him, but I could feel his paws bouncing around somewhere inside of my mana space. The hairs on my ears and tail began to stand on end as my instincts demanded that I regain focus on the task at hand.
"Focus... I need your guidance."
"Guidance? Uh-right! You can leave it to me, but I ask you! How are you going to turn this situation around? You don't even know what's going on?" Fawkes asked, his tone laced with concern.
He posed a reasonable question for the situation. Here I was bleeding and struggling to get up from an ass-whooping. My glasses were missing and Catalyst was stolen from my hands, so it was reasonable to believe I was out.
"It isn't hard to understand. This bastard is clearly Plan B."
"Plan B? So if you know that, then what was Plan A?" Fawkes asked.
"I find it unlikely that a group of seasoned and competent adventurers could find themselves ambushed by a group of goblins, but even if that was the case, I doubt a thoughtful leader would order a wide-ranged fire attack like Svett did."
"He did so to protect himself, right? They were in a dire situation like you were."
"Nah, you have allies in the area, so you wouldn't take that risk. You would think of another way, but I believe he intended to take us out as collateral. Svett is a dealmaker, so it isn't unreasonable to think that Talio and him made a deal. Hell, both of them recently made one with our group," I said
"Okay I can understand that, but I don't see how knowing this would help you in the predicament that you are in."
As I searched for my glasses, I quickly realized they were nowhere near my immediate area. That would spell trouble for me, but I knew this was not the time to linger on finding it. I focused and shifted my eyes to better understand my situation. I noticed Svett and Wakley remained in their position. Meanwhile, Claire and Mikangleo were also out of harm's way. That is something that I appreciate.
While it would be touching for them to rush to my aid, I know that things would go south quickly for both of them. Not to throw any shade on their capabilities or anything, but this opponent has proven to be too much for me, so it is unlikely that they could do so much better. I only hope that Clarice is as cunning as I believe she is and could find a way out of this mess. For now, I'll just have to take this ass-whooping in stride.
"Just follow my lead. I should've practiced my magic before I left, but now there's not time for should'ves, could'ves and would'ves. Now, work your magic and focus on healing me." I told the fox.
While I was completely blind, I could tell by the size of the blurs that my attacker was feeling confident. I don't blame him considering that he was beating the brakes off of me, but it is his overconfidence that allowed me time to recuperate.
"And for god's sake, STOP THAT YELLING IN MY EAR!"
While my body begged me to stay down, my pride wouldn't allow such a thing. Once he realized that I was about to stir, the blurred figure rushed to my location. While he was comparable to me in speed, he took his foot off the gas, which allowed me to move. I willed my body to a roll as his foot crashed down next to me. Dirt flew from the impact, but I capitalized on my moment.
I sprung to my feet and barely managed to avoid a strike meant for my head. My ears flickered as I relied on my enhanced hearing to avoid his incoming attacks. To be honest, the fact that I managed to avoid his back fists, uppercuts, and straight punches with this method surprised me. He only managed to land two attacks, but I managed to block them with my forearms.
I don't know where this guy came from, but I do know one thing. If I keep fighting powerful fucks like this guy, then it'll be a cold day in hell before I go anywhere without Q or Bonner.
"Fawkes! Status Update!"
"I suggest that you take flight... right about... now,"
I followed the fox's instructions. As our fists collided, I tested my attacker and as I assumed, his power won in the end. However, that didn't not matter. I don't overpower anyone to win, so when the fox informed me to jump, I did so.
With the small space that I was allowed, I managed to step back and then jump at least ten feet in the air. It wasn't long after that when I saw why he asked me to do so. While I couldn't exactly see it, I noticed what had transpired. One moment, he was standing underneath me and the next, he was hit by an invisible force. It slammed into the big fucker, pushing him toward Wakley and Svett. The two men had to jump to his sides to avoid being slammed into.
"Magic?" I asked Fawkes.
"Magic," He responded. My feet hit the ground a second later, and I turned to face the origin.
The wind carried my hair as I saw colorful blobs approach me, and I squinted to make them out. Of course, I felt stupid afterward since it was obviously Claire and Mikangleo. I would shift my attention to the approaching figures and squint in order to better take in their features. From what I could make out Claire had a concerned expression on her face as she reached out to grab my sliced hand.
"I hit him, but my attack appears to be nothing more than to inconvenience him. I apologize for not stepping in sooner to help you. I didn't think that the two of you would be so fast, especially since his ambush was so sudden," Claire said.
"I didn't expect to be attacked so suddenly either, but these wounds are the result of me lowering my guard when I shouldn't have. The whole goblin ambush made it possible for that obvious looming threat to slip my mind. However, I didn't expect him to be this powerful or fast either," I said. My ears flickered as I heard our opponent pull himself from the wreckage Claire's magic placed him in.
"Now, we need to find a way to deal with him, and the Silver Stars," I said before turning to Mikangleo. "You may be on the fence about whether or not you should involve yourself, but I'm going to point out to you that helping us in this fight is in your best interest."
"My best interest? From what I've gathered, he is after the two of you, so I see no reason to put myself in further danger," Mikangleo declared, and I could tell that he meant what he said.
"They placed you on our team for a reason. You've been a thorn in Project Anvil's side for a while to the point they attempt to forcibly remove you from their building. I don't know the exact details, but I wouldn't doubt they decided to finally remove the problem altogether," Claire said.
"Trying to kill me is an extreme step. We may have had our disagreements, but I don't think they warrant an attempt on my life," Mikangleo said.
"I agree, but these people aren't as reasonable as you may believe."
After recovering from the attack, our opponent shifted his attention to Svett, who decided to talk to him. While his words would normally be out of earshot for others, I was able to hear what he was saying. I couldn't help, but snicker at what he said.
"You almost had him, but almost isn't good enough. Talio warned you that this foxkin is more resilient than you would imagine, so I encourage you to take your task more seriously. You were brought in to do a simple job, Ravager, and it was bad enough that you didn't assist when we were ambushed, but now a light breeze blew you away! You should get your act together. We didn't bring you out here to play around!"
While Svett complained in the man's ear, I noticed he referred to him as "Ravager."
Now I will admit that becoming called that was interesting, but it told me that there was more to come. One doesn't get the name "Ravager" without a proper reason. As I brainstormed my next course of action, I was once again reminded of my increasingly weakening body. My muscles were stiff and the wound on my palm was reignited by Claire's touch. I whinced and pulled away from her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed me by my wrists. She focused as I felt a wave of energy pour into my body.
"I know that it stings, but I must quickly mend some of your wounds if we are to stand a chance," she declared as if she was scolding me.
"You know to use healing magic? That would have been nice to know. I guess it was a good idea to give you that ring rather than keeping it for myself."
"I'm assisting your healing capabilities, but I am not particularly skilled in the healing arts, so forgive me for only lightening your pain. I am only capable of doing so with this urgency due to the ring. So yes, it was a good idea."
I nodded at her explanation and it made sense. I felt several of the lighter wounds across my body mend themselves together. It was an odd feeling and different compared to when my body does it by itself. It was unnatural, but pleasant nonetheless. I made sure to thank her for her work.
"Now that we have this settled, you mentioned that if we did what you said, then you can find a way for us to walk away from this situation. I assume you are still confident that you could do so?" Claire asked.
I confirmed with a nod before observing the one injury that somehow wasn't mended by Claire's magic; my palm. My eyes narrowed before my ears flickered from the incoming figure. Without hesitation, I reacted with my palms clasping around the arching blade. I didn't expect to fully stop it, but I was able to redirect the sword slash away from Claire's head. The ground splintered from the impact as more of my palm was sliced into by the large blade of The Ravager.
Claire was stunned, but only for a second. She leaped behind me and I could hear her unsheath her sword. I don't know what Mikangleo's goal was, but he was rewarded for his efforts by The Ravager's boot in his chest. The man went flying from the impact, but I had no choice but to focus on the man in front of us. He clenched his fist and aimed to land another punch against me. However, this time he would find air as I turned to the side to avoid his punch.
You would think rushing down an opponent would be physically taxing, but The Ravager must've missed that memo. Before either of us could launch a counterattack against him, The Ravager was able to pull his blade from the ground. He swung with incredible force and you could hear the air part from his exertion.
I should count the lucky stars that Claire was able to step forward and deflect the attack. If not for her, then it is likely that my neck's durability would have been tested. Sparks flew from the impact of their blades as The Ravager's power proved too much for my patron. To save herself Claire arched her blade in a way that it forced Ravager's great sword to slide over her head. With us being close to each other that meant that I would have to duck underneath it to avoid it.
"There we go! Oppurunity! Opportunity!"
A wicked smirk appeared on my face as I noticed how overextended our opponent was. He was swinging for the fences and now he deserved to be punished for it. Upon hearing my words Claire pushed forward and slashed the man across his chest, but it yielded no results. His armor was too tough and wasn't damaged in the slightest. I, on the other hand, took another approach. I focused and with that focus, I pushed myself into the air.
To give myself credit, it had become easier to judge how much power it would require for me to go a certain height in the air. That meant bad news for The Ravager as unlike with the Lynx, I didn't shoot my target. I went exactly where I wanted over his head.
"Now... foot dive!"
Like a comet I crashed into the man's head, slamming the full weight of my body into a single kick to his face. I expected the man to fall, but this son of bitch tanked it. Instead of performing a badass kick to his face, I essentially tripped out of the air on his face. I don't know how I was able to do that, but I ended up crashing and burning. At least when I hit the ground it didn't hurt as much as I anticipated. Considering the opponent, I couldn't afford to rest on my laurels.
Springing to my feet, I was able to narrowly avoid another punch that sought my body. The Ravager was persistent, but his persistence didn't amount to much. Thanks to Claire's magic, I felt rejuvenated, which helped fill my confidence. I tested myself, smacking his fists away with my timed backhands. While it would be risky withstanding his power while my body recovered, I still blocked and parried in hopes that I could wait for my next opportunity. He had grown overconfident in his strength, but he failed to realize that he wasn't much stronger than I was.
I expected Claire to be more standoffish, but she was impressing me more by the second. Every opening she could squeeze in, she made sure to slip in a slash toward his body with her sword. They didn't do much, but it kept him on edge. I expected necro-silver to be able to penetrate his armor, but it appears that his armor must be made from a tougher substance.
Despite all of the hits that she landed, which had to have been at least seven different slashes, none of them concerned him. Now that began to concern me. It was difficult to gauge where he would attack without my glasses, but I was able to make something work. I was in overdrive.
"Alright... foot dive!"
My foot connected with the man's shoulder and, as before, he barely budged. The full force of my weight and speed wasn't enough to knock him back. However, if you try enough times, then eventually you will find success.
"Foot dive! Again! and Again! and Again!"
There was one thing that I had on my side, and it was my incredible leaping ability. At first glance, you would think that it served a little function in actual combat, but trust me hopping around like an Arctic fox and kicking The Ravager in his head was oddly therapeutic. It was also effective. I could tell that this man had seen combat.
While I kicked him in his head, I was always able to land on my feet safely, and then dodge his counterattack. Whenever he changed tactics and targeted Claire, I put my body on the line. Bracing myself for every impact no matter how bone-fracturing it was. Now that I knew Claire was capable of using healing magic, that made her a clear candidate for support.
Mikangleo, on the other hand, was discouraged from helping out. That kick to his chest likely winded him, but since then he hadn't made any moves to assist us when I noticed his blob moving again. To be honest, I thought he died from that attack.
For a while, he was lying on his stomach with his face in the dirt. He wasn't bleeding, but I was certain that The Ravager managed to slump him in one attack. The mage managed to pull himself to his feet sometime during my foot dive barrage against The Ravager, but he seemed hesitant to assist us.
Things were going well for us until they weren't. I mistimed one of my foot dives or perhaps The Ravager predicted it perfectly, either way, he once again managed to grab my tail. This man's strength was not to be trifled with. He yanked me around before slamming me into Claire on one of her approaches. We crashed with the grace of a car accident, traveling several feet near Mikangleo.
"Damn it... Are you alright?" I asked her as Mikangleo assisted her to stand.
The blonde elf's body trembled as she grabbed her arm. Her expression was wrapped in pain as she pondered her situation. No doubt the woman regretted listening to me and finding herself in this situation. There was doubt written across her face and despair was inked into her eyes. She didn't respond to me and instead focused on reclaiming her sword, which she lost in our crash.
I didn't take her silence as disrespect considering our new situation. Mikanagleo was shaken to the point that he looked as if he was going to run away, and Claire's desire to continue was waning. Her breathing was ragged and ashes covered her once pristine armor.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Old Man, but you may have to leave them behind... You are the only one with the stamina to escape right now," Fawkes said.
My eyes widened at his words.
"What? You think that I should abandon them?" I asked. I didn't have to see it, but I felt the fox nod.
"That would be the smart thing. I'll be the one to be the bearer of bad news and remind you that you stand no chance against this man. You have felt his strength firsthand and witnessed the futility of Claire's attacks. Even with the three of you, you are no match. This man is on another level."
"What are you saying?" I asked the fox.
"He's built differently. He's stronger, faster, and more skilled than you are. If this keeps up, then you'll be dead. That is why I propose you leave the other two behind and focus on saving yourself. They can buy you some time, while you..."
His words were accurate, but his proposal still surprised me. I would have never expected him to suggest abandoning my teammates. In normal circumstances, if this were Infinity Unleashed, I would have already done so.
'If one survives, then the team survives...'
The motto of Da Boyz when it came to team-based games. Whether it was Battle Royales, MMORPGs, or any Player vs. Player shooters, the motto always held resolute. It was a motto I introduced as I placed myself on the front lines to battle our enemies while one of my friends escaped. At least one member of the team needed to survive to ensure the team's continuation.
It appears that young Fawkes has begun learning that motto through my memories. However, he's missing the difference between this situation and those of my past. There is no respawn. If I left Claire and Mikangleo behind, there is a high certainty that they will die to The Ravager's overwhelming strength.
As I looked at the two individuals, I noticed them looking up at me with desperation in their eyes. I had promised them that if they followed my lead, I would be able to deliver them out of this situation safely. It was that promise that caused me to act. I swiped my hand through the air and boldly declared a single word with the vigor that I could muster, "Nein!"
My outburst surprised the others and even The Ravager halted his advance. Although my conversation with Fawkes was limited to the protection of my mind, I felt the need to yell that to my opponent as well. I pointed toward the man and clenched my fists in defiance.
"I was just told that you were built differently from the rest of us! That you were my superior! That you were faster, stronger, and more skilled than I was! Pft-" I couldn't stop myself from bursting into a laugh. "I call bullshit on that!"
My hand shot up as I gestured toward Svett and Wakley.
"The Silver Stars are disgraceful, and the biggest, cowardliest pieces of shit on this side of the Mississippi!"
Svett's eyes widened and his face quickly grew red.
"What?!" He shouted.
"You heard me, bitch! I said that shit with my chest! So hear me when I say this. This big motherfucker could kick my ass from here and back to Astana, but that shit won't matter! In the end, I am going to return home, kick my feet up on Clarice's couch, and eat the finest steak that our money could pay for! Why? I'll tell you why!"
My breath hitched for a moment as my brain thought of the next words in my statement. All their eyes resided on me as they each judged me for my outburst. However, I didn't allow their judgment to deter me. I stepped forward, striking my chest firmly with my palm.
The scent of ash lingered in the air as the sun showered us with its warmth. The Ravager's sharp gaze bore into me and I locked eyes with him despite my blurry vision.
"The Ravager may be built differently, but I am a God! A god of foxkins, and I've yet to lose!"