Another Path - Part 5

He wasn't wrong in that. By now, the sky was already near-full dark, and within the forest, that made it near pitch black. If not for the torches that they carried, it would have been impossibly difficult to see what was going on.

Blackbeard's men struck more torches aflame – they'd kept them extinguished whilst setting their ambush – and the space between two groups was bathed in a passable light. Even if it hadn't been, Vol wouldn't have struggled. His eyes had long since adjusted to the dark.

"Get going, I said!" Blackbeard roared, his voice uncomfortably loud in the echoing dark. It felt wrong. With the snow beginning to come down, what they should have been doing was seeking shelter, not looking for bloodsport. Many of Usar's men shared that sentiment.

Vol, though, was beginning to feel the adrenaline. His painful arm didn't seem nearly as bothersome as it had been for the whole run here. Even the tiredness in his legs didn't seem to make much of a difference.

He eyed the men, and with the new level's system, he felt like he could really see them. The System had called this the Basic Level System, so the future promised even further insights, the ability to glance even more closely at a stranger and understand him.

The future promised strength. That was the more important thing.

Usar's men could hardly believe the smile they saw on his face as he drew nearer, those arrows sticking out of his arm like stakes fired at a vampire. With his brutally low charisma, they were struck by the same feeling as Usar, that this was more monster than man.

With that feeling, it was not hard to strike out with their sword. The most skittish of them was the first to strike. Joshua – who had courted Lydia and still bore that love for her. He came in with anger, stepping ahead of the rest.

!! SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT

BASIC SIDE-STEPPING SKILL MASTERY INCREASED. 2/5 CONDITIONS SATISFIED

BASIC AXE-SLASH SKILL MASTERY INCREASED 2/3 CONDITIONS SATISFIED

The System called out his improvements as though hungry for them. It had been said that the rate at which his weapons skill would be collected was doubled, due to his increased weapons proficiency, but for them both to increase within a single strike was unexpected.

As Joshua lunged in, Vol had feigned weakness. He'd kept his eyes to the floor, and not moved, as though he hadn't noticed Joshua yet. The sword came for Vol's head. A reckless strike, inexperienced, and emotional. It left Joshua's side wide open.

Vol moved in a flash. He slipped out of the way of Joshua's strike with a speed that seemed unlikely for one of his size, and then he burrowed his axe deep into Joshua's exposed flank, his superior strength bashing him straight through the chainmail, and biting fatally deep into the exposed flesh beneath.

!! SYSTEM EXPLANATION!

SKILL ACQUISITION INCREASED ACCORDING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF A CERTAIN COMBAT SITUATION. CURRENT COMBAT JUDGED TO BE DANGEROUS.

So that was it, Vol thought with a nod. He hadn't imagined the increase. It had been there, as had the remnants of experience that he'd gained in his short bout with Blackbeard. Vol removed his axe from Joshua's side, and with a casual strike, he burrowed it into the man's head, ending him.

The others had begun to lurch forward to back up their wounded comrade, but it was already far too late. His skull had been crushed, as Vol had become fond of doing. Usar's men flew into a rage, whilst Blackbeard's Raiders, called out their whooping cheers. They appreciated sly tactics like feigning weakness. It was the privilege of the strong to toy with the weak, after all.

Usar's heart slammed against his ribcage with urgency. The danger of the situation suddenly seemed far more apparent to him. He'd been wary at first, and now he was all but certain that an axe hung out over his head. The speed with which Vol had dealt with Joshua was something that he could not underestimate. It belied a talent with the axe far beyond that of a simple bloody thirsty murderer.

He recalled how the youth had been able to outrun all of them for so long, and cursed. From the start, it had been obvious that Vol was something outside of their normal frame of perception… But still! He was an injured youth, barely a man grown, a single arm in use. He shouldn't have been this dangerous…

"Move together!" Usar shouted, taking command. He realized that anything less than total group fighting would not work against Vol. Joshua had proved that immediately. But the same trick of feigning weakness would not work again. They knew how fast he was.

Vol was forced to take a step back as Usar's group came at him in a line. He was pleased to have cut their numbers down so early, but it still didn't give him much of an opportunity to counterattack. As soon as he stepped forward and focused on one of them, the rest would surround him.

But maybe that was an option now… Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give flesh to get flesh. He had the promise of increased regeneration from the System, after all. As long as it wasn't a fatal wound, he would be able to recover from it.

He grinned at that, a bloodthirsty grin. Even the smallest things from the System had incredible advantages. It was the Blessing of the Strong. More than Varsharn's. More than what Blackbeard had. He was overcome with a feeling of delight. He dared to step forward.

!! SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!

YARMDON THRILL ACTIVATED!

He had not bet on his thrill being available so soon after him having previously used it, but his emotions were in a fever pitch, so why wouldn't his ancestor's blood stir along with it?

As he predicted, as soon as he went forward, two of the guardsmen stood their ground to meet him, whilst Usar and the level four guardsmen went around him, aiming for his flank and completing the encirclement.