The duo nodded and circled around Charlie who simply stayed stationary and did not even bother tracking them. His nonchalant attitude irritated Martin and Adriana and just as they were about to leap into action, I yelled to stop them in their tracks.
"Don't fall for it. He's only provoking you. He wants you to act recklessly."
"Calm down and look for openings," I added.
The two of them revolved around him for a few minutes but Charlie's defense was impeccable; even with the way of the wind, I could not find any weakness.
'Is he that much stronger than me?'
They could not keep on waiting forever and decided to pounce on him; Martin attacked from behind while Adriana faced him head-on. The male orc swung his arm aiming for the back of his head while the other's dagger cut through the air and targeted the enemy's stomach. In theory, Charlie should not be able to defend both strikes as they were attacking different parts of his body and he was also unable to see Martin, but reality did not follow that logic.
As the orcs were mere centimeters away from him, he shuffled his feet and grasped Adriana's shoulder to use her as leverage to somersault over her. His movement was so fast and unorthodox that it completely caught me off guard; I was even wondering how I would have fared had I been the one facing him. Despite his quick acrobatics, his landing was smooth and elegant. It felt like he was not rushed and did not even take his opponents seriously. Due to all of the brisk movement, Martin's wounds had opened up once again and soaked his bandages in blood. He nearly dropped down in pain but used all of his willpower to keep standing.
"This is getting boring. I thought that two fighters who had both understood half of the first chapter would give me a challenge, but I had clearly overestimated your capabilities."
Charlie lifted his sleeve to unveil his black line. It was a full mark; he had understood the first chapter completely! Martin's hands were trembling as sweat dripped down his forehead while Adriana tried her best not to seem shaken, but anyone could see right through her. They knew that their fates were sealed.
They did not possess the way of the wind like I did, so they did not have a single advantage over their adversary. His technique was more precise, he was physically stronger and faster and to top it all off, his senses were sharper than theirs. Even though I wanted Charlie to die, I could not afford to see the two of them perish. We might not have spent a lot of time together, but I truly appreciated every minute we shared.
"Go away!" I yelled.
"We're not leaving you here."
"Fools, please just go. At least you'll have a chance to notify the teachers," I said.
"Who said that they'll be able to leave?" Charlie said.
"You know Jett, you're too arrogant. Did you think that you could beat up the chieftain's grandson and not face any repercussion?" he added.
"Did Arthur tell you to do this?"
"You catch on quite fast," he replied with a smile.
Now I understood why Arthur wore such a smug grin the last time I saw him. He was already aware that this would most likely lead to my end. I should have followed Lucas' gut instinct; if I had done so, I would not have lost him. Regret and sorrow filled my mind as I dropped to my knees, kicking up a cloud of dust. My head was bowed, contemplating my month spent in the beast land. I was still just as useless as I was when the bandits attacked.
Did my training lead to nothing? Was it all pointless?
"Are we really even in an inheritance?" Martin asked.
"Why do you ask such stupid questions while you're on the brink of death?" he replied.
"Fine, if you want to know that badly. I have no idea. I just re-armed some of the traps and placed the barrier that Henry gave me. The room that Jett is in seems to be a dead end, so I doubt that there's anything more," he added.
"Time to die now dear friends."
Charlie dropped into his stance and charged directly at Adriana. His speed caught her completely off guard as she desperately tried to step back. The orc jabbed, aiming straight for her face but she was just out of range and the strike narrowly missed the target. Her retreat was brought to a sudden halt. Her back crashed against the wall and she had nowhere to go. Charlie's smile turned even more ominous as he lunged towards her. Martin could only watch as his friend faced a predator as he himself was barely conscious.
What followed could only be described as a one-sided beatdown; the orc threw a barrage of strikes at her and she simply could not defend it all. The sounds of bones shattering reverberated throughout the room each time one of the attacks landed. Blood flung off of Charlie's fists as the onslaught continued. He mixed in feints to throw Adriana off but that was not needed, his power alone was enough to break through her guard. It was only when Adriana slumped down against the wall that he finally stopped. Her face was almost unrecognizable and was now a bloody face
"That was refreshing! Moving onto you now," he said as he pointed at Martin.
"We have been friends for over two years, how could you do something so horrible to her?"
Charlie reached down the side of his waist and grasped the hilt of his dagger before pulling it out. Martin was in such a pitiful state that he did not even need to move quickly and simply walked towards him. As soon as they were close to each other, he placed the edge of the blade against his friend's neck and looked at him dead in the eye. Martin was hunched forward and had a hard time breathing.
"Do you have any last words?"