Vol could keep flesh here, he knew, minor flesh. He had a thick coat on, so that would take the sting out of the blow somewhat, regardless, and his left arm was useless all the same.
He feigned going forward, reaching for the nervous man that he'd picked out. He'd volunteered third, moved by emotion, just like Joshua had been. He was weak. His eyes belied it. If he had more experience on the battlefield, he might have been a threat, but right then he was a liability. He took a step back, as three more weapons came for Vol in his place.
He wanted to go for Usar. That was a man Vol had taken a particular hatred for. He was just so unrelenting in his pursuit, so dogged in his determination to see Vol dead. But it wouldn't be the wiser course, not when Usar was on the right. The only bit of flesh Vol could comfortably offer was the flesh of his now useless left arm.
He dodged back, and to the right. The man's sword to the front of him missed, whilst the very tip of Usar's blade caught him, snagging on the thick fur of his coat, taking most of the sting out of it, but still managing to leave a deep slash across his tricep. He grunted.
He level four man with the axe, he was whom Vol had targeted. By stepping in close, he'd removed himself from the axe's edge, forcing the man into close quarters, where he could hardly swing his axe at all. Vol gripped had tangled his own arm – and thus his axe – with the man.
Being level four, he'd expected that it would be a struggle to properly tie him up, but that wasn't the case in the least. Vol's strength had always been his best stat, and likely always would be. In close quarters like this, even with one arm, he was unmatched. He easily controlled the man in front of him, even as he cursed.
But now he didn't have a free hand to deal the killing blow. That was fine – he'd found himself in a similar situation before. He headbutted the man, just as he'd done with the lawman. He heard the same crunch, and he shattered his nose and sent him tumbling to the floor.
Before he could get his axe free enough to deal the killing strike, Usar and the others were on him, coming in for another swing. He booted the man's head on the floor with the back of heel, ensuring he wouldn't get up. The Raiders hooted at that, and called out their approval.
"THIS IS IT, BOY! FINISH THEM!" Blackbeard bellowed.
The man's eyes had seen the same opportunity that Vol had. An opportunity that he likely would have missed the day before. With each day that came towards him, Vol's combat prowess was growing at a disgusting rate. With his Yarmdon Thrill activated, and his perception so high, there was no way he'd miss the lack of cohesion in the group's strikes.
Usar's strike came the fastest, whilst the other guardsmen came just a moment after, followed last by the nervous fellow who'd taken a step back. They were so out of time with one another that their group lost its strength. It was no longer a battle of three against one, but three one on one battles.
Even noticing that in the past – if he was able to – Vol would never have had the speed nor skill to take advantage of it. Not when his footing was so terrible.
!! SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!
BASIC SIDE-STEPPING SKILL MASTERY INCREASED. 3/5 CONDITIONS SATISFIED
SKILL: BASIC AXE SLASH, CONDITIONS MET!
3/3 CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED… EVOLUTION COMMENCING
BASIC AXE SLASH EVOLVED INTO AXE WIELDING – INTERMEDIATE!
VESSEL IS NOW ABLE TO WIELD AN AXE WITH GREATER EFFICIENCY IN COMBAT! VESSEL MORE EASILY ACQUIRES BASIC COMBAT AXE SKILLS!
He sidestepped Usar's strike with far more grace than he had sidestepped anything previously. The System seemed to agree, for it immediately increased his mastery of that skill. He saw as Usar's eyes widened. He saw the fear in the man's eyes.
He did not see the regret. That was buried too deeply for Usar. The regret of letting him in the town from the start. The regret of not trusting his gut. The regret of chasing him. The regret of not leading these men better. The regret of… death.
The axe bit into his neck, deeply. Vol looked to behead him. He didn't manage it. His foot was off, and his axe needed sharpening. Halfway through the spine was the closest he came. He didn't have time to be disappointed with that. Usar was dead already. With his death, Vol's temporary hatred for him evaporated. The man ceased to exist. He stepped out of the way of the falling body, and moved on to his next target.
The man Vol did not even need to sidestep. His strike was off from the start. He was aiming for where Vol had been, instead of where he was now, and he'd put too much force into that strike, and was having trouble correcting it. Vol slashed at him from overhead, his axe biting into his shoulder.
He felt it to an extreme degree – the ease with which he now wielded his axe. Such a sudden improvement in the same span of combat, it would be impossible to overlook. It was as though the air was thinner, and his axe could travel more easily through it. It was an addictive sensation. This man fell even more easily than Usar, as Vol's axe crunched into his collarbone.
Blackbeard's men roared out their approval, fully absorbed in the bloody display, despite the fact that they weren't the ones fighting. The speed with which Vol had managed to cut down opponent after opponent had even earned Blackbeard's nod of approval.
The last man halted his strike before it even came close to connecting. The emotion that had led him to joining the fight in the first place had evaporated, leaving only fear. When Vol fixed him with the full weight of his stare, he broke, and began to run.
Vol's axe went flying after him, embedding itself right into his back.
Vol waited for an announcement from the System, expecting it, after how easily the last had come… but it said nothing. At least, nothing in regards to his axe throw.