"Torren, we need to do something!" Anna called out to Torren.
"We? Who's we?" Torren retorted.
"But we need to come up with something if not..."
"If you are so anxious why don't you move first. Oscar has not won yet and you are freaking out this much." Rano interjected, he was the most cowardly among them. Not even giving Anna's opinion a thought.
"Let's wait and see, if there are no other choices we'll run away." Torren responded.
"I second that idea." Rano accepted.
"I don't agree, your idea will only work for the time being but once he finds us we are dead." Anna spoke.
"Then we will run in different directions." Rano retorted.
"Spoken like a true coward, only having strength when the opponent is weaker than you but running away when you see true strength." Anna replied.
"You! Do you think I want to throw my life away like you? If you feel the need to die then go on and help yourself and stop trying to drag us into it."
"Fine, I'll do it myself." Anna said as she reached for her spear, wanting to use it as a javelin.
'Since he is in a fixed position this should work.' Anna thought as she attempted to throw the javelin.
Bam!
Her head got blown off by a flame-fist attack.
Torren and Rano were scared shirtless. They both had similar thoughtsas they looked at each other.
'If we had..?'
Rano audibly gulped.
While he was fighting, Oscar didn't only put Clifford in mind he factored the non-mages too. Not knowing if they would make a move on him but preparing himself either way.
He kept throwing punches repeatedly at Clifford, not giving him any chances of recovery.
He had achieved a certain degree of mastery over his flame fist skill, with the ability to control the intensity and range which was why the attack against Anna was effective.
"What are we going to do?" Rano asked, watching his boss get beaten.
Torren sighed as he looked forward.
"Haa...we are fucked."
Oscar didn't let up as he kept hitting Clifford repeatedly.
"Hehe!"
A expression of mirth accompanied by laughter came from Clifford as he was being pummeled.
'He might be trying to use psychological tactics to shake me, it won't work.'
Oscar was taken back still he didn't stop.
"Is that all you got?" Clifford spoke up.
Oscar didn't care, he tried to punch him again but was blasted back with a spell to his side.
It was a flame orb spell. This was a syne-one fire spell but the damage it caused was significantly higher.
Oscar was hit on his left side, he ended up coughing up a little blood.
"Are you done?" Though Clifford was grinning, his features had a hint of madness to it.
"So because you could cast puny spells you think you are now a mage. Haha! Let me show you the difference between us boy."
"Can you do this?"
Clifford circulated the mana around his body strengthening himself.
The spell was a common one called fortification, every awakened mage was capable of this. The higher your syne level, the stronger the degree of fortification. Clifford had casted this spell while Oscar was still on him, helping him to take the attacks, he was expecting Oscar to tire out but pushed him off when he saw his mana would bottom out before that happened.
'impulse'
Oscar moved again heading for Clifford.
'z-erupsio...'
Flame erupted at Oscar's path, blowing him away as fast as he came.
He was almost charred black from the eruption spell.
"Your speed is good but what's the use if I already know where you are headed."
Torren and Rano were collectively befuddled by such a scene. Why did it look like a teacher lecturing a kid? Did Oscar ever have the upper hand?
They looked at Anna's dead body with pity. If only she had been more patient.
Oscar tried to use his flame fist spell but was countered once again. This time with a barrage of flame orb spells. He tried to evade it, dodging some but not all. He protected his vitals, despite that he ended up hurt.
"Your puny tricks do not make you a mage." Clifford stated as he walked leisurely.
Oscar launched another attack which was foiled again.
"If this is all you have then there is no need to take you seriously."
'I just need to close the distance between us.'
"Oh, you are looking for a way to get closer? Come I won't stop you." As if sensing his thoughts, Clifford stated, beckoning on him to come.
Oscar used the impulse skill thrice, changing his path and moving in a zigzag pattern.
"...sera domo"
An encirclement of flames rose up around Clifford and burnt Oscar as he came close.
"You lack the strengths and abilities of mages but possess all their weaknesses. An actual fire mage should at least have some resistance to fire. You on the other hand look like a moth to a flame."
Oscar was silent all through, all the things Clifford mentioned was true. There was no way to refute it.
'I thought the basic knowledge of my path was shaky, I guess there is still a lot I have to learn,' Oscar wasn't discouraged, he was motivated instead. In his mind there was no other direction, no other path.
'I can only go forward.' Oscar paused and took a deep breath.
'Thinking too much won't do me any good, I'll let my instincts take over.' Oscar decided as he took the stance of a martial artist.
"Haha! You see? Another flaw of yours, you don't fight like a mage. Martial arts is not efficient or effective enough to…"
Oscar didn't wait for the man to finish as he initiated his attack. He was blown away once more.
"Don't interrupt when I'm speaking you brat."
Oscar didn't listen and kept trying to obtain a breakthrough seeing Clifford as an obstacle he had to overcome.
***
After so many attempts, tries and failures. Oscar's state had changed his body was riddled with burn marks and charred black in some areas. He kept muttering inaudible words to himself.
This confused Clifford. "Has this boy finally lost his mind?" He thought aloud.
'I am one with the flames...the flames are part of me.' Oscar kept chanting these set of words to himself.
No one noticed, not even Oscar knew the fact that the fire attacks that has been damaging and burning his body were no longer as effective as before.
His body was undergoing a conditioning process changing things entirely, the fire spells were now absorbed and nullified instead.
Because his body had burn marks and wounds. Clifford thought his attack was working. He didn't want to kill Oscar. Oscar was worth more to him alive than dead, he just wanted to wear the kid down and make him docile enough to accept his situation.
However, as time went on this stubborn brat didn't give up or give in. This gave Clifford a nagging feeling in his heart that something was wrong.
'What's going on with this boy? I have been attacking and hitting him for the past two hours and he hasn't stopped moving. A syne-one mage would have fallen from lack of mana. This boy is a monster. I need amp up my attacks.'
At the corner, around the bushes Rano and Torren were present. One full of smiles and the other had a serious expression as he placed his hand on the lower part of his face.
'Torren, what's with the serious look? Can't you see we are winning?"
"I know but..."
"But what? The boy has nowhere to run to, he has been jumping around the place trying to get a hit in but he keeps getting blown away like a doll. If I were him I would have given up a long time ago."
"Aren't you worried?"
"Worried? About what?"
"A normal mage should have run out of stamina by now."
"Is that why you are worried?"
"Not only that, the boy..."
"Sorry to cut you off again, but if you heard what the Boss said you should know that he's not a mage. The weaknesses that have been pointed out make his powers an imitation of magic, not actual magical powers. Boss even said he doesn't have any magical aura so what are you doing getting worked up for?"
Torren didn't speak anymore, he just looked at Rano then he glanced at Anna's body.
Rano noticed this and spoke up.
"I'm not saying we are stronger than him. What I'm saying is the boss is strong enough to take care of him. So calm the fuck down."
"I've heard you." Torren replied.
Boom!
Clifford didn't want to waste time any longer as he increased the intensity of his attacks.
While being hit with a barrage of flame attacks, there were different thoughts going through Oscar's mind. But none of these thoughts coincided with losing.