Defiance Before The Peace!
The power at my fingertip greatly expanded. I had been going about this fight in the wrong way, and it nearly cost me. If not for the assistance of Carilius, then I could have been escorted to the pearly gates. That is not what I want, and I'm willing to bet that Brass would not take this shit on his back either.
In this world, power improves one's chance of survival. I now believe that Mark and I are on the right path. This world is similar to the game, but there is no existence of a status screen in this world. Those skills and abilities are present within us, but we'll have to dig deep within them. I believe that Brass and I are one in the same. There's one thing that puts Brass above the rest. He doesn't die on his back.
He is a fairy, and I will have to ingrain that reality into my soul from now on. My heart was burning with defiance, and as I looked towards my opponent, a drive formed in my best.
"Aye, Kid. Good shit. Now I'll finish the rest."
I was saved, and now I was not going to allow this opportunity to even the odds with Bernard. The air around me whipped around me as if I was the eye of a tornado, and the strength of the winds increased exponentially. That left me with only a path forward.
I crouched down, and using the newly acquired currents to my advantage, I launched myself forward towards Bernard. The red gleam in his eyes lit ablalze instantly. His sharp claws arched forward, but before they could arrive at my location, they were lost in my current. His arms were blown away, leaving his torso completely exposed, and there I struck. The ground crackled underneath the pressure of my stance when I pushed myself towards his head while it towered above the ground.
Bernard roared in anguish! His head remained defiant from the strike that I thrust his way. Yet, still, his bravado would not serve him any good in this encounter. If I can not best him by punching or kicking or even elbowing, then there is one thing that I can do!
"I'll give this all that I had, so don't end up adding a body to my count!"
My fingers latched like a vice to the beastman's resolute fur, and I grabbed him by his waistband. Every fiber of my being tensed in anticipation, and my currents delivered their war cry! My power is unmatched here in this world, Bernard, whether you like it or not! So my strength rose to the occasion, and the mighty Ursa Major took flight into the sky!
"Cyclone Catapult!"
The air around me quickly displaced, and with it carried the massive frame of the Ursa Major. I had thrown Bernard far over the horizon.
"Take flight, Bernard, and don't forget to let gravity remind you of its existence, you furry bastard!"
Badomp! Badomp! Badomp!
My body tensed up, and my chest locked in place. Celebration would have to wait as my legs were replaced with noodles and buckled under my weight. I could only find my knees as support, and my muscles burned underneath my skin. As quickly as it had arrived, my wind dissipated from around me.
"Damn-it! Is this some type of… drawback?!"
My body felt as if I was blindsided by a truck, and the gravity of both this planet and the situation held me down. My vision became blurred, and the ground splintered into doubles. There was this nauseating feeling rushing up my throat, but no matter how I coughed, nothing came out.
Everything around me seemed to warp, and my perception became skewed. I had no clue what was going on, but light soon became a distant memory.
"HHH-Hey, Mister!"
Sounds slowly leaked in from my surroundings. A voice called from beyond the void, but I couldn't recognize it. It was distorted.
"MMM-Mister! Wake up!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! Squelch! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Gaaaaahh! You!-"
Clang! Clang! Squlech! Squelch!
"Mister! Mister! Open your eyes!"
My eyes? My eyelids were heavy and refused to adhere to my commands at first. There was this distinctive clash of metal that became more and more prevalent as I attempted. Eventually, I mustered enough strength to accomplish that.
"Good!- Now… Please hold yourself up.."
The person who spoke did so in a strained manner. Upon taking more light into my eyes, the sight before became visible once more. Although my body was shrouded in dull pain, I realized that someone was underneath me with my arms propped atop their shoulders.
"Hold on, Carilius. Let's help him down for a moment.", another voice says.
Another voice spoke on that occasion and found myself placed in a lower position. My brain was wracked with stress, and things were foggy for me, so I didn't completely recall where I had heard that name before.
"Mister, your party member has returned, and she needs your help! Can you stand?"
A young man suddenly poked his face into my vision, his body blocked the direction and I heard the clash of metal. His face was warped with distress. He reached out and took my forearm into his hands. The pleading eyes of the younger man were urging me into action. Action that I wasn't sure that I couldn't perform.
"My party member?", I voiced hoarsely.
"Carilius. Look at the man. He barely just woke up. I doubt he could even move in his current state. He has overworked himself."
"But, Uncle. Someone has to do something to help her! She is going to get overwhelmed by those men. She'll die if we leave here to protect us.", Carlius protests.
'She? Party member? I don't recall - No, I do recall…'
"She ordered us to get him and the others onto the carriage and try to escape. We must find a way to be able to escape as she suggested.", Carilius' Uncle retorts.
"Now help me -"
"No. Ugh-", The older man reached out to help me to my feet, but I denied his attmot. Instead, I used Carilius as a crutch to pull myself upward. My body was stiff, so an audible grunt poured from my lips. "I'll handle this."
I staggered unbalanced, but somehow, I managed to pull myself standing. Despite the pain and discomfort flooding through my body, one thing appeared in my mind.
'These are my men! They are my strength! Bring all the men that wish, and they will defeat them!'
Those words came from Claire. She had faith in our capabilities to boldly make that statement. She barely knew us, but her confidence in our competence is something that I can not betray. I am the representative of Da Boyz and the strongest among us. If I allowed Claire to self-sacrifice, then I'd never hear the end of it.
"Hold on! You shouldn't be able to stand, and you can't fight in your condition.", Carilius' Uncle states. The older man stepped in front of me with his arms outstretched.
"Alright, so I'll just go whip their asses instead of fighting.", I respond.
I took a single step, but the weight on my shoulders nearly sent me crumbling. This only served to reinforce the older man's words. Yet, I knew that I still must try. I reached towards the back of the carriage and leaned on it for support as I grabbed my breath.
"Listen, Old man, I told C that she can rely on my strength. I didn't just mean 100% of it. I meant beyond that as well."
"I'm glad that you said that, Q, but i-it won't be necessary."
Those words peeked out from behind the older man. In reaction, he turned around and revealed a certain elven woman. Her right arm covered a wound on her left, and a blade stained with blood dangled towards the ground. Her face was filled with light bruises, and her side was laced with her splattered foes. She hobbled towards us, but before she could collapse, Carilius rushed to her assistance.
"Ugh- Thank you, both.", She says faintly.
"C?", I question.
Her eyes shifted to me, but she merely smiled in return. Her pale complexion had drips of fresh blood trailing down her cheek.
"I'm fine. Rough, but fine. Let's get into the carriage before any more arrive.", she replies.
She was rather beat up, but at least she breathed, so that was a good thing. I had no choice but to agree with her words. Therefore, I waved Carilius' Uncle to assist his nephew and get Claire in first. Around that time, the stage coachman would quickly rush to our side of the carriage.
"I-I managed to move enough of the tree out of the way. The carriage should be able to move through with one horse, but it will be a difficult and longer ride to Ava."
"Okay- Help us get him inside then, and we'll take our time to get there.", Carilius' Uncle responds.
The stagecoachman nods his head, and with the combined assistance of the other two, they help me to enter the carriage. Although we returned to practically the same position as we arrived in, there were stark differences.
The mother now hovered over Claire, her hands delicately guiding a handkerchief across her face to remove the blood from her complexion. Carilius' Uncle sat closer to where the stagecoach was, and the two men began talking back and forth with one another.
The young Carilius seemed to constantly look out of the back of the carriage as if he were surveying the area. Yet, there was one thing similar. After the chaos ensued, there was a brief air of peace. One that swept my sight into darkness again.