Shit.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Evel watched in dread as the man stumbled forwards towards him, crossbow in hand. His left side was staggered lower.

  Evel had already cancelled the usage of his ability.

  Think! Think of something!

  Evel told himself repeatedly, but when facing the weight of his own possible demise, it was impossible to have a perfectly clear mind.

  Evel no longer had a method of injuring this man. His only option now was to go into melee, but the man’s stature was too large.

  At this moment he felt as if the man was looming over him.

  Was his only option to run?

  Even if he ran, would he actually be able to get away?

  If we got away, would he survive without a weapon?

  These questions gripped tightly onto Evel’s mind as he considered his situation.

  Evel looked at the man ahead in fear. The man who would kill him today.

  No!

  Focus!

  Evel looked once more, but this time, focused on the injured left shoulder.

  He’s injured, and doesn’t have any bolts he could use against me, so his best bet would be to enter the melee.

  If he uses the bolts on his shoulder, his bleeding will get much worse, and at that point I just have to stay out of his range for a bit before he bleeds out.

  A flash of inspiration hit Evel.

  What about his weapon, the spear?

  A small sliver of hope, a lifeline, took root in his mind, as determination drowned out his fear.

  However, Evel’s thoughts weren’t instant, and in Evel’s frenzy of thoughts, the man hadn’t stopped moving

  He had already gotten close and prepared to swing the crossbow, using it as a crude club.

  Evel took a quick back step and activated his ability once more.

  The transparent, imperceivable hand appeared once again, except this time, it wasn’t moving, it remained floating in the same spot.

  Seeing his aura flare up again, the man, now only about a meter away from Evel, slowed his approach. He still didn’t know what Evel’s ability was!

  He knew that a rock had fallen behind him, and that some rope-like material had strangled his ankles causing him to fall.

  I can’t afford to fall again.

  The man took a quick backstep, and carefully checked his feet for any signs of entrapment. Then he checked above him to ensure nothing was about to fall on him before focusing back at his opponent.

  Wha-

  His opponent had run off! He’d been bluffed again!

  Evel grasped this small opening he had created and bolted towards the direction of the spear, being careful to not run into trees. Soon, the spear was in his sight as it was wedged onto a tree.

  Making use of every advantage he had, Evel dropped some caltrops along the path to further slow down his pursuer. The grass in this area was short, so Evel didn’t expect the trap to actually injure anyone, but it was a useful stalling tactic.

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  The man chased after Evel, and put together Evel’s plan. If Evel was able to get the spear, no matter how much better he was fighting, with a gravely injured shoulder and a weapon not fit for short range fights, he couldn’t win.

  The man clenched his jaw and channeled his ability once more.

  Evel was surprised.

  That spear is deep in that tree and still far, and he still has enough Energy to pull it out?

  But this surprise didn’t impede Evel.

  Evel inhaled deeply, and as soon as the spear wiggled out of the darkwood and flew back towards the man, Evel jumped at it.

  Catching the spear mid flight, he held on to it tightly.

  The man bit his lips in frustration, seeing no way out when the caltrops Evel had placed caught his eyes. Also making use of every advantage he had, the man pulled even harder on the spear.

  But Evel wouldn’t let go.

  His muscles could surely outlast the man's dwindling Energy reserves!

  Evel tugged back on the spear, his muscles bulging against the strength of his opponents pull. His hand slid down the handle as the metallic tip of the spear started cutting into his hand.

  The pain fueled adrenaline straight into Evel’s body as he held on tight for dear life, his body slowly being dragged along with the spear.

  The caltrops!

  What he had initially placed to slow down his opponent now was being used as a trap he was forcefully being dragged into.

  HOLDDDDD.

  His heels dug deep into the earth leaving two jagged trenches in the soil as the unseen force reeled him in like a hooked fish.

  “RAHHHHHHH!”

  “AHHHHHHHH!”

  Evel’s guttural roar collided with his opponent’s jagged scream, as they poured every fiber of their being into this tug of war.

  Veins popped in Evel's neck like thick rope, his vision tunneling as he poured every ounce of his soul into his heels. The ground below his feet had been stained by the blood in his hand, but in his frenzy failed to notice the pain.

  Heel. Dirt. Iron.

  The sting of his own trap seared into his shoes, but Evel continued yelling his pain away.

  He must almost be out of Energy.

  The man was also screaming, bathed in sweat, as he pulled on the spear as hard as he could.

  He must almost be out of stamina.

  Evel was slowly getting dragged further into the trap field and in this moment of intense desperation, activated his ability subconsciously.

  He continued to command every fibre of his being into pulling the spear, and naturally Eth obeyed his command.

  The trenches stopped expanding forward for the first time, and with the help of a third hand, the contest had been left at a standstill.

  Not realizing it was Eth, Evel noticed the load get slightly lighter.

  Then, he saw the illusory hand from the corner of his vision.

  Eth provided the final inch of leverage needed, and he felt the pull of the man’s ability weakening. Seizing the moment, Evel yanked hard with a roar from deep within his chest.

  The man’s scream died in a wet wheeze. His energy had been completely depleted, his mind was stretched to the max and his shoulder continued to agonize in a throbbing pain.

  He looked forward in a blurry gaze as he watched the man in ripped clothes and black top hat take deep exaggerated breaths, as he held onto his spear.

  Had he lost?

  Through the haze of his own exhaustion, Evel met the man’s eyes. A flame burned deep within them, silently answering the question the man was too afraid to ask.

  The man stumbled forward and fell to the ground. In all his pain and exhaustion, consciousness had slipped away.

  Evel limped closer, carefully avoiding his own traps, spear clenched in hand. Each step sent torment through his feet, as the caltrops dug deeper, but he did not stop.

  Bloodied hands trembling, Evel raised the spear far above his head.

  Then the spear fell through the man’s neck, delivering a deep, final blow.

  He had won.

  Evel stumbled onto the ground beside the dead body and laid flat on his back.

  I actually killed somebody.

  A cold shiver of revulsion struck him at the prospect.

  He had just undoubtedly taken the life of another human being, yet in this moment, he felt nothing but an uncomfortable joy.

  Evel closed his eyes and listened to the world around him.

  First he heard his own breathing. It was ragged and strained, each inhale whistled through clenched teeth, and each exhale faintly hummed, trembling like it may be his last.

  Next he heard his heartbeat.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  Compared to the intense beating a few moments ago, it had slowed down substantially. He felt calm now despite the continued pain that seared throughout his body.

  Next he heard birds singing, leaves rustling, branches creaking, insects chirping, the wind howling.

  Evel lay flat on his back for a few more moments as he took in the world.

  Then, he quickly got up.

  My safety isn’t even guaranteed, yet I’m already relaxing.

  I must stay focused.

  He took off his tailcoat and ripped off some of the fabric to create a quick bandage for his hand. Although the bleeding was immense, he knew it would heal given time. Hands just tend to bleed a lot.

  Next he focused on the stinging affliction coming from his feet. Most of the caltrops had only lightly poked him, but one small caltrop was buried deep into his left foot.

  Through a soft whisper, he counted down.

  “Three, two, one.”

  Evel ripped the caltrop out, before quickly bandaging up his foot as well.

  My clothes are dirty, this may get infected later…

  I don’t have better options for now.

  Then, he ripped out the two bolts from the body and returned them into his quiver.

  A faint smile washed over Evel’s face.

  He really had won.

  He had had so many doubts, his ability was harmless, his affinity was terrible, he didn’t come from money, nor experience, and despite all that…

  He won.

  He used fallen branches and leaves to cover the dead body, along with the spear. Though they hadn’t exchanged any words, he felt he understood the man, and that was reason enough to grant him this small mercy.

  Evel was exhausted enough to collapse on the spot, but he knew he had to move. His yells may have traveled far, alerting others of his location.

  Next Evel slowly limped over to the caltrops and began collecting them with shaky hands. Although they were detrimental in this fight, he may need them in the future.

  He returned back to the clearing, where the dead body of Mara remained untouched. He grabbed her reflective amulet. The outside was like a mirror, but inside was a tanned young boy, no older than 10 with a forced smile. The image reminded Evel of Mara who had been so desperately holding on for life.

  His eyes remained fixed on the boy for a few more seconds before he stashed it away in his pocket.

  He prepared Mara a makeshift burial with nearby leaves and branches, almost toppling over as he placed the last branch.

  Then, he walked as far as he could from the battle, forcing himself to suppress the pain, before he stumbled to the ground and sat down, back against the rough bark of darkwood.

  Evel closed his eyes, but didn’t sleep.

  He just needed a bit of rest.