Clash Of Values

After the strange effect of the arrows stopped, I stood up with my sword in my hands, the pain on my wounds still making this a touch harder. Jacob stared back at me, smiling his devilish smile again while in a stance ready for fighting... Before actually starting, I glanced once at Jeffrey's body. My anger gave me a bit of extra strength to fight this battle...

When I finally felt ready, I surged forward, striking with all my strength against his sword. He was knocked back a little, but he didn't hesitate, he moved quickly and pulled himself under my sword, aiming for my stomach and but he missed by just a few centimeters as I jumped to the side.

When I came to attack him again, he was ready and deflected my sword to the side, opening a chance to kick me away from him. The worst part was the fall, with my back hitting against the floor and the knife getting deeper inside my shoulder.

But with no time to lose, he came after me, aiming to impale the sword through my stomach again, but I stood up quickly and managed to somehow escape. My left hand wasn't good anymore, it hurt severely and I could barely use its strength combined with my right arm's.

Seeing my weakness, he got in the offensive, striking continuously and quickly, giving me little time to counter-attack, forced to defend against every single hit while wielding my sword with just one hand.

There was one chance I had, and it was when he raised his sword high to the sky and was going to come down with it, putting all his strength against any defensive move I could pull out... But with my arm wounded, I knew I wouldn't have the speed to enjoy the chance, making me opt for the defense, using the flat side of my sword while my left hand held it together to add more strength to my defense.

It was all very sudden, the pain on my left got worse after he hit my sword and I was forced to drop my sword in the pain of the moment, and I did so while retreating the farthest away from him I could.

"Sounds like the duel is finished to me... Give up, you don't stand a chance this time, Dagger", he said and I looked around... With my sword out of range, I did run for Jeffrey, getting his sword to fight Jacob. He was clearly annoyed with my assistance in fighting.

Again, he approached me and started to attack me, but it was my turn to take the initiative, putting all my one-arm strength into my sword and doing a series of quick strikes that took him off guard. I wasn't fast as him, but I still continued... And managed to cut him once, slightly, on the cheek.

"Enough of this!", he said after the cut did one single slash that disarmed me yet again. Both of my swords were out of range again and he had the upper hand in weapons... But I fought back, only to be kicked, sent against the wall on which the fox was thrown before...

"Now that we've finished here... I have one question before I begin torturing you... It's one of the other things I still don't understand about you, Dagger... Why do you seek this bottle? It does nothing, the four elements combined together don't give you anything..."

"I... I do it for her... I do this in the name of love..."

"Ah, the classic fairytale story, all in the name of love... I should've expected this from you, such a knightess that believes in values that don't apply to our world anymore could only be drawn to the fantasy of love...", he commented and then walked away... But suddenly stopped, glancing at me over his shoulder. "You should abandon these values, her... You will be much happier here at this organization"

"I... I don't think you can understand... As long as I fight for what I believe, I will be fulfilled", I said to him, slightly smiling while he turned completely to look at me again, eye in the eye...

"I was once like that... You will learn sooner or later... Those values, they don't apply anymore..."

"Yet look at where they brought me..."

"To your doom with the torture sessions and seeing your friends dying?"

"No, they have brought me happiness... Helping the rebels, helping the citizens from this organization's grasp, saving people inside the fire... I guess you would never understand that, I really thought you had after I spared you"

"I... I do understand...", he whispered, in an audible voice though it seems like it wasn't his intention. After a long moment of silence, he sighed, and then tossed me something... The bottle... "I don't let you off the hook, you still caused a lot of troubles to the organization, but for now... You can go, okay?", he said and I did as much, grabbing Beech and body of Jeffrey with me... It was almost impossible, with all the wounds, but it worked out somehow.

"Jacob Minsteed, what are you doing?!", one of the Inner Circle members shouted, from the mezzanine, in anger.

"I... I am having the same issues as before... You know, about what we're doing... It's not really right... We were supposed to be like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and helping the poor... Not just stealing for self-profit..."

"Again with this...", the other Inner Circle member said, crossing his arms in anger. "We have already talked about this, Jacob... And you agreed with us, times are changing, and so are your damned values..."

"While I agree that certain things do need to change with time... There are others that shouldn't, and Dagger here is the living proof of that...", he said and then nodded with the head, indicating that I should get out of there, and I did. The guards keeping the secret entrance seemed to be loyal to Jacob, not the other members.

"You plan to start a civil war in the organization? Destroy everything we have acquired?"

"What if I plan to do just that? You know that I have the most forces in the organization...", Jacob argued and then more forces started to appear from the shadows, helping Jacob while others were confused and some even tried to attack him.

A war was going to start right there... But at least not before I was gone.