He saw the knife aim right at his throat, and he twisted his body to the left and deflected the strike with his knife. The moment the two blades collided, the strength behind the attack got to him and he felt his fingers lose their grip for a second.
He had an idea of the strength of each of the blades, but he had one thing that was sure in his head which was ingrained in him during his training. And that was that the knife isn't all that great if the wielder doesn't know how to use it.
But unfortunately for him, he was facing an expert who was a professional at handling knives. A single glance and movement were all Jack needed to determine how much of a professional the man was.
That was when something popped up in front of him.
[Side Quests Activated]
[Kill your opponent in ten minutes]
[Reward: The Art of Knives, Page 1]
[Time Reminaing: 09:58]
The countdown had begun by the time he had finished reading the quest, and he was put into a position where he had only one option, and that was to kill the only lead that would give him an idea as to who the Sin Claire was.
"Argh! Why! Don't tell me this guy is useless alive?", he screamed in his mind, as he deflected another strike that was coming for his right shoulder, keeping his distance with the footwork that he had learned.
"Is this all the Mediocre Detective amounts to? Too weak!", he scoffed as the speed of his jabs increased, and Jack was struggling to keep up with the speed. His eyes were able to keep up, but his body lacked the skill to dodge them.
This time, the attacks were non-fatal. Whilst the first two were truly fatal, the next ones were non-fatal and while he could deflect some of them, the others hit his body, drawing blood from multiple places.
[Warning! Taking multiple injuries. Immediate healing required]
"What the hell? Healing? What is this? Player Unknown's Battleground or something?" he thought as he took another hit in his right bicep, and began to huff and feel out of breath.
The blade which was glinting silver had completely turned red and was threatening to end his life at any moment. He took a couple of steps back and reassessed his options. Five minutes had passed, and he just had five left.
The knife came for his heart, and that was when he saw an opportunity to strike. Readying himself for the attack that was coming towards him, he twisted his whole upper body to the left and using his right, stabbed him on his right in the lower abdomen.
"Urgh!", came a groan and he heard the footsteps shuffle and a slight jump. Jack was sure that he had got them good this time and looked at his blade which was red with blood now. A smirk danced on his face as he taunted him more.
"Can't take a single stab? And look at you, calling me mediocre. You're the one that's mediocre. Your skills are the mediocre ones", he taunted. A sudden confidence rose in him, and he began to taunt him.
The knife glided through the air and came right next to his neck, and a clang was all he heard. The man was surprised that Jack had figured out the technique that he was using, and used the same style to deflect it.
"Don't tell me…", he stuttered as the blade pulled back and a slight shiver was seen, and Jack took the initiative to strike. The countdown was now at two minutes, and he had to make sure to kill him under ten to get the reward that he needed.
"What if I fail?", he thought as he shook his head sideways, stopping the doubt that crept into his mind. Using the same style he was using, he began to inflict damage, and his attacking speed significantly reduced after he had taken a lot of hits from Jack.
Using his left, he punched the arm that was holding the knife, and the attack struck his forehead instead of his neck. And he took the chance to stab the knife into his right shoulder and pulled the man close.
He was wearing a black mask, and Jack was about to unmask it when he got head-butted and his nose began to bleed.
'CRUNCH!'
He heard the sound of a bite taken, and he removed the mask to see blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. A smile was all he had, and the look in his eyes was drained of all life.
He moved his mouth weakly, and Jack leaned in close to listen to what he was saying. He needed to know what he was saying and had a hunch that it might be a clue.
"Thank you…Cough… for freeing… me. Free… the… others", he said and his life left his body. Just as Jack wanted to know more about him, he heard the sound of beeping.
'BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP, BEEP.'
The speed of the sound increased, and he was hearing it from the body that was next to him. He turned the body quickly and saw a bomb strapped to his waist, and there were just ten seconds left.
Channeling the same pressure from before, he sprinted to the window and jumped out of it. Half his body was out, and a huge blast occurred behind him.
"BOOOOOOOOM!'
His body came flying from the aftereffects of the bomb, and he landed right at the rear window of the car. He felt his consciousness slipping in and out, and he needed to make sure the kids were safe.
He opened the back door to see if they were still inside and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the two of them hiding like he had told them to. Pulling himself together, he placed a hand on the handle and pulled himself up, and Miranda looked at him in horror.
"What in the world…", she paused as she saw a bloody man standing right in front of her. He pulled out his gun, as he knew he had time to give her any instructions. He limped his way across the hood and got into the driver's seat.
"Alright. It's just one tire that has been punctured. I can do this", he thought as he wiped the blood that was blocking his vision, and ignited the engine again.
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My Other Works - System: Inherited