I barely managed to track him in time to raise my saber in defense. The clash of blades was deafening as his curved weapon slammed into mine. However, his strike wasn’t just powerful – it was straight-up overwhelming. The force of it sent me flying backward like a cannonball.
The world became hazy around me as my body crashed through the mansion’s walls, shattering them as if they were made from brittle wood. I flew out into the open ground and while in the midst of my fall, I stared into Blackjack’s crazed eye as his grin widened even further and he tensed his muscles to jump after me.
I inhaled and then expunged the air from my lungs slowly to collect myself. There was no cry of pain, no wince. The years I spent enduring Iris’ horrible simulation had prepared me for this. My mind was as focused as ever, even as the adrenaline surged through my veins.
<Quinlan!>
<Master!>
Many such shouts entered my mind, but I spoke up before they could do something rash. I underestimated the Wraithclaws, treating them like nobodies playing pretend warriors when they were hiding such a powerhouse amongst their ranks. Leia didn’t prepare me for having to face such a strong individual. If I had known, I would’ve been a lot more stealthy with my approach and tried to strike him in his sleep, and for sure wouldn’t have given them the time to collect themselves. I could only chide myself for my extreme hubris and take this valuable lesson to heart.
<I’m good. I’ll deal with the boss. Ayame, I leave command to you. Show these lowly bandits the strength of the Ascendants!> I sent the command mentally while being in mid-flight.
<Understood.> Their replies came in unison. Their voices were calm yet brimming with determination.
<Kaelira, coordinate with Ayame. Help her team out. I’m dueling the enemy leader.>
<Understood, Young Lord!> With that, I did all I could and now had the capacity to fully focus on my current battle without having to worry about the others.
I landed on my feet with a soft thud and Blackjack soon followed after me as he shot down from the skies with much more rawness than I did. The dust flew up into the air as the ground got bent under his entrance.
His eye burned with wild anticipation and he let out a low, eager chuckle. “You’re still standing? You didn’t even flinch from ramming through a hard wall like that? Is your spine okay? I like you, brother. Let’s see if you will provide me with some fun time.”
I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t care about destroying his home despite his earlier claims. It was clear to me that he was a battle junkie so now that he got into the mood, he could no longer care about anything else.
And even though our exchange was brief, I could surmise that he was at a higher level than me, likely pushing the last one or two levels before reaching 30.
Blackjack would be around the Mithril rank in the Adventurer’s Guild just off of his strength if he were to join them, though whether they would accept such a mental case among their ranks was an entirely different question.
He reminded me a bit of Broderick, though my friend was visibly younger, so he had a higher potential ceiling than Blackjack. He also wasn’t insane, just had an eccentric personality. Now that I thought about it more, this crazed man was better off being compared to Kai, another middle-aged man in the Mithril rank who was with Ian and Grunt back at Braedon.
“Cat got your tongue?” Blackjack asked because I completely ignored his ramblings.
“If that is your wish then I won’t ruin your fun, crazy old man. Let’s dance to our heart’s content.” I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited either. He would prove to be a great challenge, just perfect for the current me.
“[Stormblade’s Focus]” I intoned and instantly felt a surge of clarity flood my mind. It felt like the world slowed as every detail around me sharpened. Each twitch of Blackjack’s manic eye, the previously imperceptible little motions of his fingers, the invisible movement of the wind through the battlefield – it all became vivid, dissected, and ready for exploitation.
“[Stormcaller’s Blade]” I followed up with a second self-buff as I watched the arcs of storm energy dance along the length of my saber. Storm coated the weapon in a deadly embrace, creating an aggressive noise as if it were growling menacingly at my enemy.
Blackjack let out an almost childlike cackle as his lips parted to showcase his crooked teeth which were bared in pure delight. “Oh-ho! Right into the serious phase, are we? Shouldn’t we exchange some friendly taps first, brother? You know, warm up before the fireworks?”
I shifted my weight so that I was ready to pounce as my grip tightened around the violently crackling saber’s hilt. “Stop your yapping, you deranged lunatic. I’ll put you out of your misery soon enough.”
His eye gleamed with sheer anticipation as he raised his curved blade and began spinning it in lazy circles. “Hahaha! Good! [Madman’s Might!]”
Damn. I knew it. He did not have a normal class like Swordsman, but an obscure one like Iris. His unlock requirement was likely something akin to going mad from suffering so much on the battlefield.
The air around Blackjack seemed to warp as his body was enveloped in a crimson aura only for a second before the supernatural veil ceased existing completely. However, the man it left behind had undergone a great change in that brief time. Explore hidden tales at empire
Blackjack’s muscles bulged unnaturally as his veins pulsated with raw, overflowing power. His blade glowed a deep, violent red, so much so that it signaled pure malicious intent toward me as if it were a whole second enemy I had to contend with.
“Put me down?! Zehaha! I love the sound of that!” he howled while raising his blade high as if he were conducting an orchestra of chaos. “Come on, brother! Kill me if you can!”
I aimed my saber at him and got ready for our bloody exchange.
It was time to roll.