[Quest: Investigate the Untimely Deaths of Squad Epsilon has been completed. Rewards being distributed—]
The quest had finally been completed. Marcus wanted to look at the rewards, but the only one that mattered was if he leveled up or not. Why? Because of the person who was standing before them.
Walking out of the Gate was Jager and his squad of goons. All of them now wearing their full gear, armor and swords, shields, even mages sat at the back.
Jager had this disgusting smile all over his face, two serrated blades in his hands, twirling both as he walked up closer to the group.
Marie braced herself, and no one else said a word.
"Marcus! Marcus! How did it feel to kill a human? Or are you like me?!" Jager called out, making Marcus actually think on that for a second.
How did he not realize he just killed someone today..? He nearly wanted to throw up his guts, but that's when he saw what he was waiting for.
[User Levels Up.]
[User Levels Up.]
[User Levels Up.]
"Shut the fuck up. I'm nothing like you," he said, grimacing as he held out his hand to quickly get to his stat screen. He needed to get those points allocated as quickly as—
"What are you doing?"
Marcus's eyes quickly darted to his left. Jager's face was now right up against his own. How did he get there that fast?
"Marcus!" Marie yelled, snapping him out of his stupor.
He quickly teleported ten feet back, the ground cracking beneath him as he felt himself hyperventilating…
How?
"What's wrong, Marcus? Didn't think you'd be that surprised?" Jager taunted. Marcus felt his heart beating out of his chest.
[The user is experiencing FEAR.]
[Negating effect.]
[You are faster. Do not be afraid.]
Marcus felt his body calm down. That's right. He was faster. He had his Jump ability. There was no way Jager would actually be able to speed-blitz him.
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed both hilts of his swords, pulling them both out of their scabbards and letting them rest at his sides.
[Jager is currently at… 100% of his HP.]
[New Quest: Kill Jager Toshio]
This time, he was given no time limit. No rewards, not even a failure condition… He knew what he had to do.
"Squad Epsilon. Take care of the small fries," Marcus said, not even waiting for a response from his team. All he had to do was Jump.
And so he did, disappearing into a blur of black and purple, appearing directly behind Jager and attempting to stab him with his father's blade. But as he did so, he could see Jager's head turning slightly… How?!
He immediately teleported out of the way of two attacks from Jager, back to where he started.
"It seems we're twins! Double sword buddies!" Jager yelled, grinning ear to ear, his red eyes glowing in the lowlight of the mine.
"My fellow guildmates… You know the drill. Kill them all!!"
Jager's minions immediately began their onslaught, almost all of them running directly past Marcus and straight for Marie and the rest of his squad.
He quickly turned toward them, slightly worried—that is, until he saw Jager fill the space he was trying to look at yet again.
"Looking away from an enemy?! I'm your opponent! If your squad dies, they die!" he yelled, swiping at Marcus's left side with his blade.
Groaning, Marcus blocked the attack with Redmane's Scimitar, the sword shaking from the force.
"Ouch! This guy's no joke!" the Scimitar called out. Marcus could feel its pain. It made him angry.
"Don't worry… We'll get him back for it," Marcus said, stepping back slightly from the stronger Hunter. He had a few different ways he could do this… He was faster. Actually, that was the only thing he had on him…
"Talking to yourself? We really are similar…"
Marcus ignored his words. He couldn't let him get into his head. Looking to a spot a little ways behind Jager, he needed to test something… He teleported directly behind him, just a few feet away. Not to attack, but to test a theory.
Jager immediately turned to the area and tried to attack him. Marcus teleported away at the last second, feeling his legs screaming for mercy already. But he figured out what the problem was.
"He's watching where I'm looking… because that's how I teleport. What the fuck do I do?"
Marcus attempted to glance back at his team, but yet again Jager immediately rushed him, slashing at his legs with his blades.
Marcus blocked the attack, feeling the strength surge through his body.
He thought about it for a second. Why was he holding back so much?! This guy was trying to kill him!
Gritting his teeth, he pushed Jager away with a kick to his midsection, twirling his swords in his hands. "Get ready, you bastard. It doesn't matter if you can see where I'll be! I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
"That's the spirit!" Jager's grin only got more unhinged as he watched Marcus begin to circle him, watching his eyes closely.
He suddenly disappeared again, this time reappearing directly in front of Jager, slashing downwards with both of his blades.
Jager parried the attack, sending Marcus flying slightly upward with his sheer strength.
"Fuck!" Marcus yelled, seeing his feet leave the ground, his eyes widening as he watched Jager wind up another attack while he was midair.
He quickly looked to the ground beneath him, a few feet away, teleporting there to avoid the attack, only to be on the defensive yet again. Jager was already running over and slashing at him again.
He could only block the attack and be juggled up into the air again!
"Fucking hell!" Gritting his teeth, he teleported further away. At least fifty feet. He teleported directly into the path of a few of Jager's guild members.
"There he is!" one of them yelled, slashing at him with an axe, only to miss and tumble to the ground as he teleported away yet again. Right back into Jager's crosshairs.
"This isn't fucking working!"
[Integrity: 78/100…]
Pain shot through his entire body as he blocked yet another slash from Jager, being sent up further into the sky. They were both getting stronger. The lower his integrity got, the stronger he got. But it was killing him.
Do you need help?
His father's blade asked…
"You already are." Marcus teleported one last time, further away than he ever had during the fight. He needed a second to breathe.
[Kinetic Energy Stored: 12%]
[Constant Teleportation Ended: Integrity Degradation Paused.]
No. Not me being strong enough to store that energy. I can actually make you on par in swordsmanship with that man.
"How?" Marcus didn't trust it. He had been actively ignoring the blade's calls most of the time… He didn't know what would happen once he fully resonated with it. Suddenly gaining all the knowledge a person once had in their life, and then every other user of that blade, would be insane.
Just follow my instructions. He'll be here soon. Either keep being juggled, or be guided.
Marcus wasn't given a chance to respond. Looking forward, he saw just who he dreaded.
Jager walked toward him, ten of his minions behind him… He could still hear the battle that was happening a ways away. His squad was still alive and kicking.
[Quest Updated]
[KILL Jager.]
[In case of Failure: Death.]
"Why did you run away, Marcus? Getting scared? Too much for you to chew on?" Jager taunted. Marcus got back into his combat stance as they arrived.
"Fine. Go ahead. Tell me what to do," he said out loud, the rest of Jager's minions confused that he was talking to himself.
"This guy's a fucking whack job! They really thought this guy would bring their guild back to relevance?!" one of his guild members yelled, the rest chuckling…
When he rushes in, follow him with your eyes the entire time. When he goes for a strike, don't teleport. No matter what happens, you must defeat him with well-placed teleports. No crazy random ones. You hear?
"I hear." Marcus looked at the group of bastards and waited for them to make their moves. Using his father's blade to beckon them closer.
Jager's smile slowly disappeared… He could tell that something had changed within Marcus. Getting into his own stance, both his swords crossed over his chest, he no longer spoke as well.
Jager immediately rushed forward, blades still against his chest. Marcus could hear his muscles contorting in that armor.
Block the attack with the scimitar's tip. Try not to get locked up by his serrated blade.
Marcus would nod, Jager now up close and swinging his right blade to Marcus's left side. Using Redmane's scimitar, he'd push the tips of their blades together, parrying his attack.
His right side is open. Stab him with me.
Marcus would immediately push his father's blade toward Jager, only for his senses to go on red alert.
Teleport 15 feet to the left.
Looking that way, he'd immediately teleport out of the way of an axe coming down onto his head, Jager immediately pressing the advantage.
"These fucking…"
Calm down. He's coming again. Trust me.
Jager ran up to Marcus again, both swords still crossed… Marcus could hear his left paldron moving this time.
My blade is skinnier. Use his serrated edge against him. Lock his sword up and push it down toward his leg. You should be on par with strength currently. Then cut his head off it's shoulders.
Jager swung his blade at Marcus in a telegraphed arc, and Marcus immediately went to listen to his instructions… Only for the blade's trajectory to immediately change, like a snake's slithering motion—
Use the scimitar to block!
KLANG.
Marcus swiftly brought up his scimitar to block to wild attack, his body shaking with the force as he groaned in pain.
Stab again.
He'd go for another stab, only for that attack to be blocked by Jager's shoulder, glancing off his armor.
Keep attacking. Use your Break the Chains Skill. But use the Scimitar for two attack of it.
Marcus would nod to himself, feinting a kick to Jager's knee, which caused him to lift up his leg in defense.
Now wide open for a sequence, Marcus would cast the skill.
[Break the Chains is Casted by MARCUS]
Slashing once to the left with his scimitar, the attack glances off Jager's right blade, then Marcus slashed against using the same motion to immediately slash with the scimitar to the right, nicking Jager's right wrist.
[Jager: 98% HP]
He'd then go for another stab of his blade, the force sending Jager skidding backwards. Once the smoke cleared, it was obvious he had blocked the attack, but…
"You cur!" Jager was angry.
"End him! Now!" Jager yelled, stomping his foot on the ground and sending up dust and rock into the air, blocking Marcus's vision. Good vision didn't mean he could see through walls.
Groaning, Marcus looked around in confusion.
To your right! Teleport thirty feet to the left, then another thirty feet to the right. Using that kinetic energy, discharge it in the air to clear the dust.
"Got it." Marcus teleported quickly to the left side of the field, the ground crackling beneath him. He heard the swipe of a sword as he teleported… Lucky.
Teleporting again, he appeared back where he started, the ground cracking even harder as he charged up kinetic energy. But teleporting twice wasn't enough to hurt him. He needed to move more than that.
"Fuck!" He heard someone fall over from the sudden output of energy, followed by the heavy sound of Jager's boots hitting the ground, coming right for him.
[Kinetic Energy Stored in Redmane's Scimitar: 34%]
[Would you like to discharge—]
"Why is that even a question?" he joked, swinging the scimitar in a wide arc, releasing all of the kinetic energy he had stored in one go.
[1287 Damage being released in a wide arc.]
BOOM!
A loud explosion shook the mines to their core, a long slash of red energy being released into the air. It cut through everything in its path, blowing the dust out of Marcus's vision and allowing him to finally see.
Standing in the path of the attack were four of Jager's little minions, one of them instantly dying from the slash cutting his head in two. The other three fell over screaming in pain, their arms, legs, or even stomachs cut from the immediate damage.
"Argh! My arm!!" one of them screamed, holding his bleeding stub and looking Marcus directly in the eyes with anger.
Jager walked past them, jerking his head to his right… He was telling the rest of his group to retreat.
"At least you're some type of leader," Marcus mocked.
The two stared each other down, Marcus getting back into his stance. But this time it was a new one. Both of his blades were at his hips, pointed downward… Like he was taunting Jager to come get some.
Jager kept the same movement… "One of us will die here, Marcus. Prepare yourself."
"We'll see about that," Marcus grinned, his eyes locking with Jager's… This was it.
Marcus… Watch out!
[JAGER casts FIREBALL.]
Jager opened his mouth, and a small ball of fire shot out of it, barreling straight for Marcus.
Marcus raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was so… small. He flipped over it, watching as it went past him and hit a nearby rock… The rock caught fire for a split second before—
KABOOM.
The entire cavern shook with the force of the explosion, causing sweat to roll from Marcus's forehead… He couldn't be hit by that.
[JAGER casts FIREBALL five times!]
Marcus's eyes immediately darted back to Jager, five more of the small balls of flame coming straight for him. He dodged three with the same flipping motion he used last time, but as he was midair, he came face to face with two of them.
He bunched them up. Curl your body up, Marcus! Marcus braced himself as he was hit by two of the fireballs. Searing pain rushed through his body as the two huge explosions hit him, sending him flying back into a pile of jewels.
[Administrator has taken 1000 Damage.]
[Health Critical.]
[Be wary.]
Groaning softly, Marcus slowly got up out of the rubble, watching as his breastplate crumbled away into dust.
[Breastplate Destroyed. Armor rating now 0.]
"Fuck me…"
Marcus!
"Yeah, fuck you." Marcus's eyes widened again. Jager was standing right next to him, blades coming straight for him. He blocked the attacks, but he forgot.
Marcus! How could you forget?!
The blade yelled as Marcus watched his only lifeline get stripped from his hands and thrown over a hundred feet away, now sticking into a nearby mass of jewels.
"That's what was making you keep up with me, wasn't it? That blade? I'll make sure to chop you into pieces!"
Marcus groaned, putting two hands onto his scimitar's hilt, getting into the stance his mother had taught him. The classic sword-fighting stance that gave him the best chance possible: feet spread, sword in hand, slightly above his face and against his forearm. "Show me."
That was the last straw for Jager.
He rushed forward, swinging his blades like a madman, each swing causing Marcus to shake like a bobblehead from the difference in strength. How was he getting stronger? He already had a stat boost from his missing Integrity!
Each glancing strike pushed Marcus back even further, each parry causing his entire body to scream for mercy.
[Remaining HP: 375]
Marcus could see opening after opening, but Jager's sword movements were far too fast for him to follow with his body in this state.
Groaning, he missed a parry, getting slashed across his left leg.
[75 HP lost.]
He missed another parry, and his other leg was slashed as well.
[75 HP lost.]
He was beginning to crumble under the weight of such a heavy enemy.
...Marcus.
How would he get out of this predicament?! Another slash, his balance failing him, stumbling back. Jager's blades were held high above his head, preparing for the kill shot.
MARCUS! Teleport in place! Stop needing to look where you want to teleport! Stop brute-forcing it! Use some finesse!
Marcus snapped out of his stupor, looking up at Jager. Now that he wasn't so… out of it, he could see just how slow Jager truly was compared to him.
He teleported in place. Jager's blades missed their mark, allowing Marcus to grab both with his arms and trap them underneath his armpits.
"H-How?! You didn't look—"
"Shut the fuck up, you bastard!" Marcus yelled, leaning back and then smashing his forehead into Jager's nose.
[Jager's HP has fallen below 50%]
"Argh!" Jager groaned, letting go of his blades as he stumbled backward, dazed, his head shaking and legs wobbling.
Marcus took this chance to teleport behind him, grabbing him by the chin and mouth, before pushing his scimitar deep into the other man's lower back. All the way to the hilt.
Jager spit up blood onto Marcus's hand, his eyes going bloodshot. He was trying to speak…
"What? Are you begging for your life?" Marcus asked, feeling his consciousness leaving his body… He was so worn out.
"Fuck you…" was all Jager said as Marcus gripped his chin and pulled in the opposite direction, snapping his neck and spinning the man's head all the way around on itself.
[Jager Toshio has been slain.]
[Quest completed.]
Marcus threw Jager's body down in front of him, falling to his knees, his scimitar clanging against the dirt as he dropped the blade…
"Master! Are you OK?!" the sword screamed, shaking ever so slightly as it tried to get back into his hands…
Marcus could feel himself slipping.
[Inner Integrity Diminished. Death is imminent.]
Looking down, Marcus could see why. Before Jager died, he had stabbed him in the heart with a dagger. How did he not notice that…?
Just as he was about to fall face-first into the ground, he got what he was waiting for.
[User has leveled up.]
[User has leveled up.]
[User has leveled up.]
[User has—]
Marcus lost track of how many level-up prompts he got, feeling his body heal itself as his max HP increased and all his status effects disappeared. But his mental fatigue didn't…
He wanted to rest, even as he saw his crew, beaten and battered, running toward him, their wounds healed as well… Looked like they got the quest too.
"Good…" Finally falling face-first into the dirt, the last thing Marcus saw was Jager's body being dragged away by… someone…?
"Whatever…"