Imdiately Stark laid eyes on Darell, he felt sothing shift inside him.
A maddening rage that threatened to consu him, grief that wrapped around his heart like a vice, and an intense feeling of betrayal.
But there was one feeling that reigned over them all...
Bloodlust.
He wanted Darell dead, he wanted the satisfaction of ending his miserable life with his own hands...
The man he was doing all this for had walked right into his hands!
But why?
Why is this bitch in my way?!
Whoosh!
The cave was engulfed in a bright orange glow as she finished her spell, releasing a wave of fire that swept the floor like a flood.
There was nowhere to escape to. If he chose to retreat, the fire would follow him and eventually catch up, and he could not jump above it since the fire was far taller than him.
He had only one option...
The ground a few feet away from him sparked, and out of it rose one of his goat warriors. Stark sent it a ntal command and it took its stance, its hands extended.
Stark then raced at it, then using its hands as a stepping stone—combined with the spirit giving him a boost, he flipped over the raging fire.
Even as high as he went, nearly touching the ceiling... the fire still caught up to him and his shirt burst into flas.
Thankfully, it was not intense.
Dousing the flas out as he was still in the air, Stark tried to summon the spirit back, but the fire got to it first, engulfing it in an ocean of fire.
The woman was already casting her next spell to life when Stark slamd into her, knocking her to the ground.
He placed his dagger to her neck, about to finish her when he paused.
He was not sure if it was due to his blinding rage, or the lighting in the cave, but up close, he finally got a good look at her.
She was young, an elf probably a year younger than him, and on her neck was sothing Stark recognized.
Sothing that made his skin crawl.
’A slave mark...’
The girl looked absolutely terrified, and tears were streaming down her eyes as the cold crystal of his dagger pushed against her neck.
She was just a slave, a slave that had been ordered to die while Darell as usual took the cowardly way out.
Spark!
Stark imdiately jumped back as fire exploded from her body, blanketing her in a veil of fire.
She scread, hugging herself as the fire died down and then she lifted her wand.
"I-I’m s-sorry, I can’t control myself—Fire brigade!"
Fire tore through the sky with a deafening whoosh! Racing towards Stark with even more speed than before.
He kept moving, darting from side to side to avoid her flas, but the girl kept up the pressure, creating a wall of attacks so thick that it was nearly impossible to pass.
With each passing second, the cave grew hotter and with each step Stark pushed closer to exhaustion.
’How is she still firing?’
Even when he would manage to get close, she would push him back with the explosive spell from earlier.
Stark gritted his teeth.
Killing her would have been far easier. He had gotten close enough to throw his dagger many tis, he could have even attempted to break her neck if he wanted to.
Although she was formidable, and Stark was still drained from his earlier fight, his spirits along with him were more than enough.
But he did not want to kill her. Like him, she was a victim of Darell. How different would he be from him if he stooped to that level?
The sudden monts of consideration and holding back to avoid accidentally ending her were why the fight had dragged on this long.
"Tch." He hissed in frustration.
Stark was once again pushed to the edge of the cave, but this ti he did not charge aimlessly.
Instead, he summoned Sifu.
The spirit stared at the girl, its eye burning with rage as it heaved its axe.
"Go."
They both charged. Of course, she could always use her large area spell to handle them both... except she couldn’t.
As the elven mage began her chant, she suddenly froze as the words died on her lips.
Stark smiled. He had summoned Sifu to push her into trying that spell, knowing fully well that her mana reserve was finally reaching its end.
All she could now cast were minor spells, but it was too late. Stark was already too close.
And yet, despite all odds, she still managed to hurl a spell at them, a final desperate move, only to miss...
The fireball flashed past Stark as he reached her. He sent his knee into her side, causing her to lean forward, and was about to knock her out with a solid blow, when a bright light suddenly flashed from behind him.
"Damn it!"
He grabbed onto the elf and jumped to the side, pulling her along with him as the fireball exploded against the wall they had been in front of, blackening the stone.
Stark sucked a sharp breath.
She had attempted to take them both out at the sa ti.
At that mont, he rembered Darell’s words. ’Defend with your life.’
To think it would push her to the point of even sacrificing herself... It was sick. Even dogs knew when to run. She, on the other hand, was utterly helpless.
Stark had wanted to knock her out, but he withdrew his hand. From the looks of things, that was her last spell.
Since she was already out of mana and was too tired to continue, he saw no reason to punch her in the face. After all, a mage without mana was useless.
He stood up and began walking towards the exit, forcing his tired body to move.
His breathing was ragged, and his legs felt like they were filled with steel blocks, yet he kept walking.
A part of him wanted to help the girl, but Stark was not a fool. There was nothing he could do for her in the cave.
Killing Darell would break the link. It was the best option she had. Now, Stark had two reasons to kill his forr best friend.
The elf stood up on shaky legs and lifted her wand, her slave mark still compelling her to act.
But all that ca out were a few sparks of fla, accompanied by dark smoke.
Stark took a deep breath, and was about to sprint towards the exit, when he saw a flash, a slight glimr in the distance.
He twisted his body just in ti as a spear whistled past him, grazing his shoulder.
At the other end of the cave was the silhouette of a man who imdiately turned and ran the mont he missed, most likely the missing guard.
Stark imdiately summoned his wolf and sent both it and Sifu after him... then he heard a low thump.
When he turned around, his eyes widened.
"No..."
The spear that had missed him...
It had gotten the elf.
Now, a gaping hole sat in the center of her chest.
Blood gushed from the wound, trickling down her clothes and onto the floor, as she fell backward, landing on the stone floor.
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