BXBX NOVEL 119. Cliff Hanger
A man laughed at her. "The question is, who do you think you are? You climbed up out of Lord Brightbriar\'s prison. I\'m sure he\'ll be happy to hear you got caught so quickly."
"Caught? Do I look caught to you?" she snarled.
The man paused. "Yes?"
Shit. I need to see. Ike held his breath, then peered up over the edge, ready to drop back down at the slightest sign of danger.
Two men stood at the edge of the Abyss. One stood back, broad and silent, his arms crossed and a pair of hand-axes on his shoulders. He was clad in the worn, monster-leather armor of a hunter. His pressure was hard to read, but it made Ike hesitate, a sure sign the man was at least a little higher level than him.
The other stood forward, facing a floating Wisp. That man wore traditional mages\' robes in silks and satins, with jewels and gold dangling from every piece of his body. His limbs were thin and his manner of dress foppish, but the pressure exuding from him easily overwhelmed Ike\'s. It came close to Wisp\'s, but if he had to say whether the man or Wisp had the stronger pressure, he would pick Wisp.
Wisp floated before both of them, caught in a twisting ball of misty blue energy. Her wolf skin laid to the side beside her, folded over on itself, only a part of its inner side visible. She struggled, her bare hands and feet clawing at the air. She grimaced at the men, her eyes squinting with anger. A complex magic circle, wrought in gold, shone at her feet.
"If not for your damn spell circle, you\'d be dead already," Wisp promised.
"Ah, but preparation makes all the difference. Yes, yes. She\'s a lively one." The man leaned in, a small smile on his face.
Ike dropped below the edge of the cliff. He almost didn\'t hear what the man whispered:
"You\'d better hope Lord Brightbriar offers a good price. I know men who would pay half their fortune for a feisty little thing like you."
Ike narrowed his eyes. Clinging to the cliff face, he quickly calculated. Wisp was clearly sending him a message with her emphasis. If he could free her… but then, the second man was at least a little over his level. And that assumed Wisp could handle the man in silks. If she couldn\'t…
And if I don\'t attack, what\'s the chance I can keep up with these two? Track them? Find them again? Wisp is signaling that she can handle the strong one, as long as I free her. I need to trust her. If he waited too long, he\'d lose the element of surprise. He had to move.
Now!
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He hauled up with all his might, throwing himself over the edge of the cliff. Both men\'s eyes widened. The foppish one threw up his hand. Ike charged him, his teeth gritted.
The man\'s eyes crinkled. He began to laugh. A bolt of light soared from his hand, searing toward Ike.
Lightning Dash! Ike jolted to the side, dropping low. Scraping his hand across the dirt, he grabbed the gold circle and threw it into the woods.
The bolt of light flew wide. The foppish man\'s eyes widened.
The blue light around Wisp dispersed. She dropped to the ground. Without hesitation, she leaped at the foppish man.
"Help!" the fop yelped. Light glittered around his body, deflecting Wisp\'s rapid-fire claw attacks. He stumbled back, trying to shake Wisp off, but she clung with all her might.
Drawing his hand-axes, the other man closed in.
Ike jumped to his feet and charged the burly hunter. "You\'re fighting me!"
"This pipsqueak," the hunter grunted. He hefted an axe and hurled it at Ike\'s head, then turned to chase Wisp.
Lightning cracked. Ike snatched the axe out of the air. He threw it back, and to his surprise, lightning chased after it. Huh?
The man startled. Turning to fully face Ike, he caught the axe, then jerked his hand away, dropping it. He shook his hand. "A trick attack like that won\'t save you."
"Heh," Ike said. Silently, he raised his brows, surprised at himself. How the hell did I do that? I need to develop that skill. Coat my weapons with electricity, and toss them at the opponents! He lacked a ranged attack, but thinking about it, lightning in its natural form had ranged attacks. Simply coating himself in lightning was but the first step. Firing it, throwing it, and blasting it—I\'ve discovered my Rank 2 goal.
The man bent to pick up his handaxe. In that instant, Ike darted in. He drew his sword as he closed in, unsheathing it and striking in the same moment.
The axe fighter\'s eyes gleamed. He threw a handful of dirt from the ground as he picked up the axe. Orange light glittered for a split second. The dirt twisted in midair and stabbed at Ike\'s eyes.
Ike yanked his head back. The dirt flew past his face. His instinct shouted to retreat, but he suppressed it. Retreating meant the opponent would have his whole focus to guide the earth. Instead, Ike continued his strike. The blade pierced toward his opponent\'s shoulder.
The man shrugged his shoulder back, taking the blow on the thicker leather below his shoulder joint. Ike scored a thin cut, but nothing serious. He retreated, putting a bit of space between them. Now that the dirt spell wasn\'t active, he could take a moment to recollect his thoughts.
He and the man stared one another down. The man eyed him, backing away as well. In his back hand, he tossed the remaining axe in one hand. He kept his forward arm between him and Ike. The abandoned axe stood between them, marking the center point.
"Interesting accessory there," the man said, gesturing at Ike\'s shoulders.
Ike glanced over, then laughed when he saw nothing. "Neat, isn\'t it?"
Lightning grew stronger over Ike\'s body. Overhead, clouds covered the sky. As he circled the man, he activated Ice Armor. Cool weight settled over his chest and his off-hand.
Ike quickly checked his skills as they circled, just to make sure he hadn\'t forgotten something.
[Name: Ike | Age: 15 | Status: Nm | Rank: 2 [Abyss Dweller]]
Skills: Common: 7 | Bronze 3 | Silver 2 | Gold 1 | Rare 2 | … | Unique: 4
Common: All-Around Runner Lvl 8 | Razor Handling Lvl 9 | Spear Handling Lvl 4 | Axe Handling Lvl 4 | Sword Handling Lvl 9 | Bow Handling Lvl 1 | Primitive Crafting Lvl 8
Bronze: Sensory Enhancement Lvl 9 | Mana Manipulation Lvl 5 | Lunam Manipulation Lvl 0
Silver: Flurry of Kicks Lvl 3 | Chlorophyll Lvl 1
Gold: Shockwave Punch Lvl 2 | Ice Armor Lvl 1
Rare: Salamander Healing Lvl 9 | River-Splitting Sword Lvl 6
Unique: Lightning Dash Lvl 9 | Lightning Grasp Lvl 7 | Lightning Clad Lvl 2 | Lightning Caller Lvl 3
Here we go.
The man lunged for his axe. Ike leaped as well. The two of them closed in on one another, both tensing for the next round of violence.