* * *
As it turns out, persistency is key when chasing someone.
Now when you hear the word 'caster', you usually think long range, right? Well, right about now, Patricia is casting her body into me with a shoulder tackle.
Is this girl a linebacker or what? I go down rather swiftly before shaking her off and rolling up to my feet where I then begin running. One of these times, she's gonna get me and keep me there.
She's only able to keep up because of all those buffs she cast, but it's a dang effective strategy. I weave into a nearby alleyway, jumping up and quickly scaling a fence. Sadly, she's just as agile as me.
Seriously, this girl knows how to keep up. I find myself back on a main street, fairly uncrowded with the exception of 4 people... 4 people I've seen before.
The players Baldwin and Jerard fighting Gram and Valory.
Whatever.
Running through the crossfire, I drop kick Baldwin before rolling back up. No need to question how they're here, just use them.
"Gram, switch me!" I yell, drawing my sword. I deflect an incoming slash from Baldwin as Gram nods and turns to face the girl.
Just from mana rank, I think I'm the strongest in the room for once. I've engaged in battle with all 3 of the players present before, to varying levels of success, and Baldwin is by far my easiest matchup. Seriously, I was made to run hands with this boy.
I slash outwards towards him before backstepping, already knowing that he'll try to retaliate. I step forward again and attempt to strike him with my right hand only to be hit on the chin by his pommel. So much for that plan.
I twist my shoulders and kick towards his ribs, attempting to throw off his balance. He raises his arms up to block, allowing me to throw another attack out. I conjure a small wisp of flame in my hand which I promptly put in his face, trying to burn him.
Unfortunately for me, he stepped back before it could fully connect. He spins on the ball of his foot, circling around whilst raising his leg before kicking towards my shoulder. I duck and slash diagonally towards his chest only to be met with that persistent central guard.
I press my shoulder forward with a bash, once again attempting to disorientate him and throw off his center of gravity. He staggers back slightly before pivoting to his other leg, using the momentum to throw a punch.
It lands on my cheek, although not with much impact. I'm stronger so it feels lighter than it should, but still manages to distract me for a moment. In that single moment, he casts a wind blade towards my face which lands and cuts a line up my cheek.
It'll heal.
I tank it before making my own slash in retaliation, going for his sword arm. I cut a good solid mark on his bicep before I feel his fist impact with my stomach. Dang, that one hurts. I let out a solitary grunt. Regardless, I press on and go to headbutt him so he can back off. I want distance here, just for a moment to breathe.
It impacts with his forehead, which is surprisingly strong, but not strong enough. He's knocked on his ass long enough for me to notice Valory hurtling towards me. Her form collides with me, sending us both tumbling from the momentum.
"Damnit..." I spring up and charge for the mage this time since Valory seems to be losing.
To my utter unsurprise, I'm met with a barrage of blinding lights. Great, I'm fighting the mage of cataracts. Ignoring my blindness, I simply close my eyes and keep going, using the mana around me to sense the environment.
A crude but effective method, I swing upwards after a few feet and hit into the barrier with my blade. It cracks slightly, but holds up. I turn my blade sideways to block a beam heading for my chest before opening my eyes again.
I stab forward with my sword, penetrating the barrier before stepping forward to engage in closer combat. Slashing outwards and horizontally, I cut through a bit of his thigh and a lot of his pants. Blood spills out, but the wound disappears a second later as he flashes me once again (ayo, pause).
I feel a beam hit my shoulder, scorching some of the flesh as burning that specific part of my shirt. This fight is going rough right now. I swing towards his staff this time, only realizing the solidity of the weapon a second later. It's like swinging a baseball bat against concrete. Shocks go through my arms as I step backwards before slashing again, this time aiming for his wrist.
* * *
Baldwin Serain POV....
This battle is going pretty bad for everyone. Patricia is losing, I'm losing, Jerard is losing and to top it all off, the cravens are losing as well somehow! Right now, I'm engaging in battle with the female craven with the axe. Jesus, she's like a manic pitbull.
She swings the axe like it weighs nothing, the sun beaming down on her. Where does she find the stamina??? I barely deflect a blow, being pushed back a step before retaliating with my own. She just uses the large flat of her axe to block it and negate the force into nothingness.
A berserker that can also do battles of attrition? God save me.
She swings the axe upwards and at my guard, cleaving through it. My stance is broken as I hear wind whooshing from the force. I'm forced to step back and roll to not get cleaved in half by the downswing. It's like I'm fighting an orc or something! Someone, anyone, pray for me.
I lunge forward with a stab only for it to skid off of the flat of her axe again, rendering the attempt fruitless. She's really good at this.
I look over at Patricia's battle and see that she's holding the upper hand, unfortunately looking away long enough to lose advantage as I am kicked in the ribs with a heavy frontal kick. Garish and brutish. I'm once again knocked down, having to roll away like a worm in order to avoid being chopped down the middle.
One wrong move here and I'm sashimi. This woman is downright terrifying.
All of the cravens are a little terrifying due to appearance, but this one in particular is just spooky to me. I slash upwards towards her, slightly cutting her fingers. She looks down at her left hand before looking back at me.
"You broke my nails... you... you broke my nails!"
Ah, shit.
* * *