268 A Trade (1/2)

”You seem to be quite attached to that one. Show me your rage,” Trank mocked Jack while licking his lips, savoring the reactions he was receiving.

In a fit of anger, Jack's charge was coming at full power. However, that left him wide open to a counterattack from the nimble Trank. Jack's fist glanced the man's side in return for Trank's slash across Jack's back.

”Not bad for losing control. But you'll need to be smarter than that if you want any hope of saving yourselves.”

As the two party leaders faced each other in the growing heat of battle, faint red light started to envelop Eliza's fallen body. Bowzer defended her as Trank's men were in shock of the sight. The red glow soon amassed into an ethereal lily at her bosom and sank into Eliza's chest. Once it was fully absorbed into her corpse, the energy dispersed rapidly and the hole in Eliza's neck resealed itself.

Breath rushed back into Eliza's lungs and her blood started to pump anew. Her paling face had blood rushing through it yet again.

Out of reflex, Eliza shot back up. As she sat on the ground, a look of confusion and worry filled her eyes.

”Eliza, don't waste any more time!”

Her attention was brought back to the current situation as Eliza looked back to Keela. ”But… How am I--”

”No time for that! We need you!” Keela shouted while keeping track of everyone's health and status, directing her efforts to keep her comrades alive.

Eliza refocused herself and rejoined the battle she had been forcefully removed from, bewildering Trank's men and causing them to worry.

”Men, don't mind her!” exclaimed Trank for all to hear. ”That only proves how wealthy these travelers are. They had such a powerful recovery item that could revive one's self… I wonder how many more they have?”

Jack calmed down slightly as Eliza got back on her feet, feeling all the more grateful to Argyle and his generosity to sell him the Phoenix Lilies. On the other hand, he despised Trank all the more.

'Eliza, stay alive… Please.'

'... Of course. You too.'

After a quick mental exchange, both Eliza and Jack returned to the action.

”Come, boy. Don't tell me that's all you've got? How can the association's rising hero be so simple and boring?”

Looking Trank in the eye, Jack took out a dark red sword. It didn't give off any special aura or seem too expensive, but it wasn't showing any sign of damage in the fiery hands that wielded it.

”What an interesting blade… Show me what it can do, or I might get bored and kill one of your friends to pass the time.”

Unaffected by Trank's trach talk for the time being, Jack jumped forward. As Trank sidestepped, Jack activated Sudden Death and flanked him. The blade started to glow blood-red as it tried to pierce through Trank's chest.

Somewhat startled, Trank activated his skill to vanish and reappear a ways back.

As he caught his breath, Trank felt proud of his choice to waste a skill to evade the attack. He took note of the blood-red glow's reach so he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

”Too slow.”

Trank looked back to see Jack behind him, resetting himself for another Blood Thrust attack. Seeing Jack's leading arm about to pierce his back, Trank decided to dodge to the side of the thrust in order to be most efficient.

As the glowing blade neared the evading Trank, it stopped. And then, it started to go backward.

What Trank wasn't expecting was Jack's deactivation of Blood Thrust and his use of its momentum to hurl a Penetrating Fist with even more speed. It wasted more mana, but it gave Jack the opening.

Eating the flaming fist, Trank coughed up more blood as he was launched into a nearby tree.

Jack looked closely at his almost empty mana bar. Even with the dryad's blessing in place, he was practically running on empty.

Also, Jack noticed something wrong with his left hand. He wasn't able to use it or even clench it in a fist.