"Damn it," Xander yelled as he was knocked off balance, the guard's sword slicing through the air towards his neck.
Desperately, Xander tried to lift his spear to block, but his unsteady footing made him too slow.
'Is this how it ends?' Xander wondered, his life flashing before his eyes.
Just as Xander resigned himself to death, ready to meet his brother in the afterlife, another sword swung in front of him, intercepting the guard's strike.
"Now hold on, we can't have you dying on me. You're my ticket out of here," Russell said with a small laugh, using his speed trait to deflect the blow.
"Phew," Xander exhaled. Realizing he had given up too soon, he quickly steeled his resolve.
He took a step back, mindful of the rough earth beneath his feet that the guard, an obvious earth user, had manipulated to unbalance him.
Regaining his composure, Xander ran to the right, working with Russell to sandwich the guard between them.
The guard laughed, then stomped the ground, bringing a wall of earth between himself and Russel as he turned to face Xander in a one-on-one.
"You don't have your protector now," he smirked in disdain.
Xander lunged forward, his spear slicing through the air. The guard dodged to the side, parrying the strike and sending another blow back at Xander. The guard, a peak G-rank, wielded far more strength than Xander. The clash of metal against metal echoed through the clearing as they exchanged a flurry of blows. Xander found himself forced to retreat under the relentless onslaught, his arms growing numb from the impact of each parry and strike.
'He's too strong,' Xander thought, gritting his teeth.
With each clash, Xander could feel the widening gap in their abilities. The guard's movements were swift and powerful, each strike a testament to his superior training. Xander's spear met the guard's blade again and again, each parry sending jolts up his arms. Sweat trickled down his brow, and his breath came in ragged gasps. He was losing ground, barely able to keep up with the guard's relentless assault.
After several back-and-forths, Russel finally made his way around the wall. He pierced his sword forward, aiming for the guard's back, hoping to catch him off guard. But at the last moment, the guard swung his blade behind him without even looking, deflecting the blow. He sidestepped to the left, once again facing Xander and Russel head-on.
"It'll take more than that to kill me," the guard said, a sneer curling his lips.
'I've got to fight smarter. There's no way I can overpower him,' Xander thought. He began to think back to the days when his brother, Austin, was back from the tower, teaching him how to fight. He needed to find a way to turn the guard's strength against him, to exploit any weakness he could find.
"Russel," Xander called, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at his insides. "We need to work together."
Russel nodded, determination hardening his features. Together, they circled the guard, looking for an opening, a chance to turn the tide of the battle.
As Xander and Russell continued to clash with the guard, Xander noticed a slight hitch in the guard's step every time he retreated.
A pattern, a weakness.
'I can work with this,' Xander thought, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
'There's no way I can communicate this to Russell,' he thought, 'I'll just have to act and hope he sees the opening.'
Russell lunged forward once more, and Xander followed suit. Three strikes later, they were at a stalemate again. The guard retreated, and Xander feigned a step back. Watching, waiting for the right moment. When he saw it, he lunged forward with a burst of speed, catching the guard off guard.
The guard, with his compromised movement, was too slow to block. Xander's spear scraped the guard's shoulder, tearing out a chunk of muscle.
Russell saw his chance and activated his trait, blasting forward with incredible speed. His blade sliced the inside of the guard's thigh, causing him to limp.
With the guard now injured in both his left shoulder and right thigh, the hitch in his movement became even more pronounced. It wasn't long before Xander and Russell had him right where they wanted him.
The guard, now realizing he was on the losing side, finally raised his hand in surrender. "Fine, you win. I'll give you the ring." With a reluctant sigh, he reached into his pocket, pulled out Xander's ring, and tossed it over.
Xander caught it effortlessly and took a step back. He focused his mind on the ring, confirming its authenticity. Satisfied, he donned his black robe from the Order, still not noticing the five-skull patch emblazoned on its front.
Russel turned to Xander, eyes narrowed. "There's no way we're letting this guy go, right?"
"Of course not," Xander scoffed. 'If it wasn't for this guy, I'd already be at the temple, maybe even completing my trial by now.' He had to die.
"Wait, wait, wait!! I gave you the ring. You said if I gave you the ring, you'd let me go!" The guard's voice trembled, desperation clear.
"That was before you chose to fight," Xander said coldly. "Now you have to live with that choice."
The guard, panicking, raised his sword in a feeble display of defiance. But just as they were about to continue, he turned and fled, fear overtaking him.
Xander let out a cold laugh as realization dawned—the man was a coward who only preyed on the weak. He wasted no time, immediately giving chase. With Russell close behind, they sprinted through the twisting corridors. After a couple of sharp turns, a long stretch finally presented itself.
Xander drew back his spear and hurled it with lethal precision. The weapon embedded itself deeply in the guard's back, stopping him in his tracks.
"Phew!" Xander let out a deep breath. 'I wasn't sure I had that throw in me.'
In mere seconds, Xander caught up, his sacrificial knife already in hand. Before the guard could even utter a plea, Xander severed his head with a swift, clean stroke.
Breathing heavily, Xander confirmed the kill, then unsummoned his weapons. Turning to Russell, he said, "Thanks, man. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Russell laughed. "Don't mention it. Now, let's go meet your friends."
They turned and ran back to the main room, where the battle was nearly over. Together, they helped the Order finish off the last of the guards. The leader of the Order's current mission, an F-grade, approached with another man. "Is this the guy?" he asked.
[Human - F-rank - Peak]
[Human - G-rank - Low]
The man, dressed in the Order's robes, looked at Xander and nodded. "Yes, sir. This is the guy I saw fighting the Grimclaws yesterday."
The leader, a tall man with a scar under his left eye, gave a small smile, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "Good, you've done well. I'll reward you when we return to the temple."
He turned his head to Xander, and upon noticing the five-skull patch on Xander's cloak, his demeanor shifted instantly. "Priest, I'm glad to be of service. If you wish, you can follow me, and we can take you back to the nearest temple."
Xander nodded, somewhat surprised by the sudden respect. He then looked over at Russel. "So, what will you do now? You can follow me if you want."
Russel glanced from Xander to the F-grade soldier, a contemplative look on his face. "If it's fine, I'll do just that."
Xander turned to the F-grade and asked, "Is it fine if my friend comes with us?"
The F-grade soldier nodded. "Of course. A friend of a priest is a friend of the Order."
The F-grade issued several orders, and before Xander knew it, they were outside the city, making their way toward the temple where he hoped to meet the head priest.