Marktavious Nicholson
"Old man, are you alright? You've sustained a nasty wound to your stomach with that weird knife- wait, don't remove it!"
Fawkes's words were ignored as I pondered removing the odd black blade The Ravager managed to impale me with. It oozed an awful aura, and my instincts told me that I needed to remove it from my body pronto. Usually, that would be a terrible idea, but I believed that my body would be able to repatch itself before I bled out. I had no proof of that, but I've been relying on that instinct until now, so I see no reason to change that now. I would need the opportunity to rid myself of the dagger as soon as possible.
I managed to successfully inflict a serious injury on our opponent's shoulder in my last desperate exchange. It was even to the point that he decided to move away, fearing that he would have lost his arm. His fears weren't unfounded, as I was going to remove it without hesitation. I am not so foolish to allow that man to bash me around and not return the favor in some fashion.
"Fawkes, prepare Deceit Realm! We'll trap him long enough for Claire's attack," I instructed him through our shared mental connection.
"Your mana reserves are too low. If you do it, he will be released in five seconds, and you will be blasted with heavy repercussions. Your crude casting of that root spell has returned to bite you," the fox responded.
"Fine. Then I'll do it another way."
My mind raced as I plotted another way to keep the man in place long enough for Claire's attack, and that's when it hit me. I'll expand the way I use Vine Bind again. That injury slowed the man, and he appeared to be reaching for something else within his cloak.
'Not another potion. Can't have that.'
The Ravager was a prepared man. I wouldn't doubt this man has claimed a lot of lives with his strength and preparedness. He's a monster, but he does have openings for me to exploit. As he stood there, I seized the opportunity to catch him while he was distracted.
"Vine Bind; Burial!"
To be fair, this attack was no different from any other Vine Bind that I had attempted before, but I decided to voice my intent with it. I wanted to bury the man with the roots rather than just binding him. Magic is a funny thing. I was elated to learn that my Astral Art: Mana Command allowed me to utilize mana without the use of long-winded incantations, but there was a steep drop in effectiveness. Hence, The Ravager could easily remove the bindings that I had landed on him before.
Fawkes quickly reminded me that I was utter trash at using my Astral Art, but I had to remind the young fool that this was my first time tapping into it. Claire and Mikangleo were lucky to have me present as an encounter alone with The Ravager would end in their demise. Once I realized this man was as fast as I was, then any chance of escaping with the three of us was tossed out of the window.
It should be common sense that if your enemy is as fast as your fastest member, then you can't rely on escaping as a viable method without injuring said opponent. The Ravager was extremely cutthroat in his battle style, and if he had taken us seriously, then he could have killed one of us today. Unfortunately for him, his desire to instill dread into Claire for her noble heritage would be his amateur mistake.
The roots moved with haste and ensnared The Ravager before pulling him further away from me. I had learned over the course of my battle that chanting the understood name of a spell made it twice as effective. The proof was with how thick these new roots were in comparison. Without his dagger or sword, the man would have had difficulty escaping the binding with that hurt shoulder. Even if he could escape Vine Bind: Burial, he couldn't do so fast enough to avoid what followed.
I would hope the woman would immediately pounce on the opportunity to get an attack in, but it seemed she froze up again.
'Damn it, woman, she's going to be the death of us!'
"Fawkes, do the thing!" I ordered, and the fox chirped in confirmation.
I couldn't exactly explain how it worked at the moment as I needed to experiment more when we reached safety, but I could feel the fox funnel some of my aura out of my mana core. It was a feeling that shifted with the energy, and I directed it towards Claire. It startled the woman, but it was the boot in the ass needed to force her into action before it was too late.
"Titan Wind Storm!" She called, and an explosion of energy blasted around her.
My eyes widened as the air around the woman blasted to life and nearly blew away Mikangleo, who was standing next to her. If I recall correctly, Horace was a wind mage and taught Claire some of his tricks. With that in mind, I am grateful to have fought that old man in a building with Astana. If we had been outside and somewhere secluded like we were now, Bonner and I would've been in big trouble.
"You're in the radius," Fawkes informed me, which stunned me. I had dragged The Ravager at least twenty feet away from me.
Fawkes had a keen sense for magic, or so he explained, so if he said I was in the radius for Claire's attack, then I needed to haul ass out of the way. The woman had a determined gleam in her eyes as the powerful whirlwind pulsated into life. To avoid the attack, I mustered whatever strength I could to leap in the opposite direction of her intended target.
I didn't get to see it initially, but it sounded as if a tornado manifested behind me with a thunderous explosion. My eyes were drawn to the carnage. Cries of anguish erupted as I imagined The Ravager was torn asunder by the force of the powerful wind attack. Chunks of the ground flew in all directions as the wind displaced anything in its path. A dense dirt cloud shrouded the area, but that was none of my concern now.
It was then I realized the aftermath. Claire had collapsed immediately after the attack went through and was unable to see the fruits of her labor. Thankfully, Mikangleo was able to catch her and became a crutch for her slumped body. I doubted that even The Ravager would've been able to survive that attack, so I regained Catalyst and jumped over to their location. When I landed, the dagger in my stomach reminded me of its existence.
"He won't be needing this anymore," I said as I dislodged the dagger from my stomach.
Of course, my blood began to spill, and strength slipped from my body. Despite my inherent pain resistance, the culmination of my injuries had taken its toll on me.
"A-Are you okay? You're losing a lot of blood," Mikangleo inquired, and I nodded.
"You're back awake. Claire's still kicking, and I'm able to walk. I say that this was a positive experience, wouldn't you agree?" I laughed. It hurt to laugh, but I did so anyway.
"I wouldn't exactly call what happened to us a positive experience. That madman almost ended my life," Mikangleo said. He was in bad shape.
If I were honest, Mikangleo was incredibly useless in this battle. He gave me one opening, but he doesn't possess that critical split-second decision-making to have mattered in this battle. I wonder why Project Anvil had him with their mages. In a life-or-death situation, he didn't even attempt to cast any type of magic.
"Almost doesn't count, but look at what that earned him. Obliterated by the magic of the very noblewoman, he aimed to kill," I said, and Mikangleo nodded in agreement.
"She's powerful. I've never seen destruction on this level up close."
I don't blame him for thinking that way. If I were to compare this devastation to anything, it would be when Q tested his strength in the forest a few days ago. While Claire's was more contained, I believe that if she had more mana in her reserves, she could have rivaled that power level. That goes to show me how powerful my friend is. Q was merely testing out his powers and leveled more of the forest than this, and it was casual for him. I couldn't help but be envious.
"I have, but this is nothing compared to him. More monsters are out there, so I must increase my capabilities to prevent myself from facing another back-to-back beating like I have in these last two days alone."
"So... what now? We've been split up from the others, and more goblins are likely waiting nearby. With that madman out of the way, we should be able to return to Astana before you succumb to your injuries," Mikangleo said.
It was difficult, but I managed to pull Claire from him. I pulled the unconscious woman over my shoulder before turning to speak again, "That decision lies with you. Lady Destruction and I will be moving on to the Hidden Grotto. I will not allow my goal to be postponed because I was attacked and got a little bloodied. I have plans to see through, and I refuse to show up to my friends licking my wounds. Without achieving something, I don't retreat with my tail between my legs."
Mikangleo seemed surprised by my response.
"You're going there? Don't tell me your goal was to go there all along. Even if that is the case, you are far too injured to fight again. That place is incredibly dangerous, with monstrous beasts lurking within its cave system. You can't hope to survive there."
"Your concern is noted, but if I allow the prospect of danger to dissuade me from obtaining power, then I'd be better off settling for a slow life like I had before. If there is one thing that you must remember about me, Mikangleo, it is that I am tired of a slow life."
The man grew silent as we continued to observe the dust cloud dissipate. While it is true that we could have begun our journey, my curiosity held me in place.
'That whirlwind Claire spawned had to have devasted The Ravager, right? Right?!'
It would be then Fawkes's frantic chittering exploded in my mind. That was all I needed to know that the danger had not subsided. My face hardened, which unsettled Mikangleo. With the cloud thinning, we could spot a weird, box-like structure in the middle of the impact zone, and within it pulsated a potent power. The aura alone sent Fawkes into hyperdrive as the fox voiced his desire to leave.
"Old man! Old man!! Old man!!! Old man!!!! Run! Run!! Run!!! Run!!!!"
"Calm down! I'm withdrawing now." I spoke to the fox, but he didn't listen.
'Just wait until I get out of this situation. I'm going to learn how to drown out your bullshit.'
I repositioned Claire over my shoulder into a fireman's carry. Ignoring the pain, I made sure we left nothing behind. There was a soar in magical energy nearby, and I knew this because Fawkes would not shut up about it.
"We have to move now if we-"
"Gohenta bless me with strength! Chasm Cataclysm!"
My instincts forced me airborne without a moment of contemplation. An arm made entirely from hardened soil erupted from that odd box-like structure. It was shaped like a hammer and shattered a fissure at least twenty feet wide. Not only was The Ravager alive from that attack, but that bastard intended to send us plummeting straight to hell.
"What?! Oh, Hell, Nah! Oh, Hell, Nah!"
Mikangleo was fortunate, to be frank. Had I not trained to use my tail and had the strength to pull him with my jump, he'd be devoured by the maw of Mother Nature. Much like Fawkes and I, Mikangleo began freaking out as well. If he didn't, I'd have to praise the man for his ability to remain stoic. I could hear the snapping of trees as they collapsed into the fissure. It was an attack that lived up to its name, that was for sure.
Perhaps Sine or the Heavenly Father was watching over us because as soon as gravity called our names, we fell onto one of the tree trunks that was too long to fall into the chasm. The landing did aggravate my knife wound, but that was a relatively small price to pay. I merely clutched it as we assessed the situation.
"Th-This is insane! What did you two do to this man to have him call upon such destruction?!" Mikangleo asked. His eyes went wide, and his face went pale.
"We'll have to discuss that later because I ain't sticking around for whatever bullshit he plans on activating-"
"Gohenta bless me with power! Chasm Collapse!"
As expected, the Ravager's voice boomed with power and authority. The earth shook violently, and the two sides of the fissure slammed together like a Venus fly trap. The tree we were using as a platform snapped in half from the impact, proving to me that if either of us had fallen into the chasm, we would have been doomed. Naturally, I jumped again, pulling all of us to safety, but not without a cost. As soon as I landed the second time, the pain in my stomach rocked my body, causing me to nearly fall over. If not for me using Catalyst as a crutch and Mikangleo's quick recovery, I would not have been in a good spot.
Some of my blood began leaking from the knife wound, but that was the least of my concerns. That bastard, The Ravager, decided to show his face. The structure that saved him from Claire's attack crumbled to pieces, leaving only a half remaining for him to step onto, then over.
"A pathetic last-ditch effort, but unfortunately for you, I have prepared for any scheme the nobility could throw my way. Gohenta punishes those who thrive under corruption and prey on the weak. You, who desperately clings to a noble and steps on your fellow demi-humans, will know our wrath!" The Ravager snaps with righteous vigor.
Power pulsed from him as the man clenched his hand into a fist. One may expect that he would be unharmed, but they would be incorrect. Blood spilled from the sides of his head, and his clothing was damaged slightly. He had taken some of that attack, and now he was desperate. In his clenched fist, I noticed a defining red gleam on the back of his hand for just a moment.
'That explains the use of magic without the encantation... However, that changes nothing...'
"I'm getting us out of here!"
"You're not going anywhere! Gohenta-!"
"Vine Bind: Burial!"
The Ravager's eyes glistened with malice as he avoided the roots I sent his way, but I took off as well. At first, I dragged Claire and Mikangleo with me, but I didn't get far.
"Chasm Catastrophe!"
Large earthen spikes sprouted from the ground, forcing me to toss Mikangleo to safety. Glancing around, I noticed a fissure slicing its way toward my location. Of course, I aimed to avoid the fissure by jumping, but he had me scouted.
"Gohenta bless me with might! Shard Stalagities!"
"Vine Bind!" I countered, but instead of aiming my roots toward him, I used them on myself. I ensnared myself with the roots to quickly pull us to safety.
It worked, and I did stumble awkwardly upon landing, but I continued going forward. It took me no time to realize that Mikangleo was aiming his throwing knives at The Ravager. The blades collided midair and did nothing more than provide a distraction, but that's all that I needed.
I had no intention to continue fighting this bastard in our current state, but I will say one thing about him: The Ravager is dangerous. He was so dangerous that I had no qualms about tucking my tail between my legs and running away in self-preservation. There are monsters in human form in this world. I knew that, but I never imagined that I would face down against one so soon.
"Keep moving, and don't stop!" I called over to Mikangleo as soon as I caught up to the man.
'I was careless, but it had to be done. If they sent a man- no monster like that after Claire, then I have no choice but to continue my path. I must become stronger to prevent an incident like this from happening again. Mark my words, Ravager, you'd better hunt me down now because if we escape, you'll never get any opportunity like this again!'