Within it, a dagger rushed toward him at an unimaginable speed. He had trained to use his ‘sixth-sense’ with Evangelina, but that training meant nothing here.
For some reason, Midnight nearly had no presence. Within the obscurity, Verity felt as though he was face to face with a ghost. There was no smell, no sound, nor anything that could help him locate her.
As she lunged toward him, all he could do was protect his vitals. He twisted his body and made sure to protect his heart.
In the next moment, Verity staggered, a deep gash etched into his side. He clutched the bleeding wound and let out a groan. The injury seared, as if he’d been burnt.
‘Of course the daggers are poisoned...’
And it had to be quite potent, if even his [Minor Poison Resistance] failed to ward it off.
Verity clenched his teeth. “Wait dammit!” He shouted. “Ash was trying to kill you! I defended you!”
Midnight clicked her tongue, her irritation rising. “As if I’d believe that, idiot.”
She clenched curved daggers in both hands and lunged toward Verity. She planned to reap one of his legs this time.
Though she made no sound, Verity sensed that the very lack of it meant she was approaching. He lowered his stance and winced from the searing pain in his side.
‘Ahh Dammit! Nine Hells Spearman ship Seventh Stance: Violence - Absolute Destruction!’
BOOM
If he could not see her, then he would just destroy everything around him. He aimed his spear at the ground, and under the force of his blow, the cold stone shattered, giving place to a large crater.
Surprised, Midnight was forced to leap back, allowing Verity a moment of respite.
For the first time in while, Verity had difficulty catching his breath. His skill was fighting off the poison as well as it could, but it was spreading fast. “So let me get this straight,” He managed to say in between breaths. “You honestly believe that I killed Ash then ran away without doing anything to you or that noble girl!? Does that even make any sense!?”
Midnight scoffed. “You must take me for a fool,” she said, her voice laced with hatred. “Eleanor told me that you were in cahoots with the bandits! You used their poison to keep us asleep, but Ash was barely able to resist it!”
She laughed, a dry, slow laugh. “Ha. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Even as you are now, you would have never beaten Ash fair and square. The poison must have impaired him somewhat…” As she spoke, she silently neared Verity, the darkness serving as a veil. “You fought, and still, you barely managed to win. Ash dealt you a grave wound, and you were forced to flee….! I saw the charred forest, I saw the aftermath!”
Midnight was convinced she’d hit the nail right on the head.
Verity thrust his spear in the direction of the voice, but it hit nothing. In the next moment, a dagger plunged into his back, an inch from his heart, and Midnight kicked him to the ground.
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The poison spread further, and Verity groaned in pain, rolling a few meters away.
In the next moment, she stood over him, a disdainful look on her face. “Thinking up a lie to save yourself, huh? Don't bother, I won’t fall for it. I know you’ve killed Ash, and you will die for it!”
As all sorts of pain surged within him, something seemed to click within Verity’s mind and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stupid…” he muttered.
He stood up slowly, his crimson blood spilling over the cold stone, and no longer feeling any threat from him, Midnight allowed it.
“What did you say?” She snapped.
Verity scoffed. “I said you’re stupid,” He repeated, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. “...But fine, if you won’t believe me anyway, I’ll give you the fight you want so badly.”
Verity was not going to die here, not after all he’d gone through. He had no desire to kill Midnight, but if it was between him or her, then it would be him.
Midnight frowned. “Ha. You still think you have a chance? You will die a meaningless death here, and I’ll tell your friends you were eaten by an orc.”
“...We’ll see about that.”
Verity placed both hands on his spear, holding it tight.
Then, he activated its sole offensive enchantment, but he did not aim it at Midnight. Instead, fire surged from the tip of his spear as mana drained from him, and he shot the flames directly below his feet.
SWOOSH
A torrent of immolating flames spread around him, and Verity stood within them, unbothered by the heat.
At last, light had returned to his eyes. He laid eyes on Midnight’s figure in full, and he shook his head at the fury within her eyes. “And they call me a Fool…”
Midnight raised an eyebrow. “...Was that supposed to be your trump card?” Although she placed her hand on her hip, attempting to seem laid back, her years of experience told her to be wary of what she could not understand. “I’m sorry to say this, but you missed… and stone doesn’t burn, so it won’t be long before you’re out of light again.”
She was right, somewhat. The flames that surged from his spear were not any typical flames, and so they would last longer than they should, but they would eventually fan out.
Not that the fight would last long enough for that to matter.
It wasn’t that the poison would consume him before that, or that he would bleed to death.
It was simply that Midnight would be at his feet before his light was extinguished. Verity would make sure of it. The shut-in who’d been fired from his job was long gone, molded into a warrior.
He understand all to well that in this world, it was kill or be killed.
[You are engaging in a challenge where the odds are stacked against you.]
[The skill -Beyond Reason- is being activated. Your stats have been increased accordingly.]
He lowered his stance, his eyes aflame with resolve. “Midnight… you’re perhaps the stupidest person I’ve met in a while,” he began. “I see it in the way you speak. You try to convince yourself that you are correct…” A thin trickle of blood sipped from the corner of his mouth. “... Because It’s easier to find something to blame, rather than face the much harsher truth, right?”
Midnight’s face contorted. She said nothing, her eyes glaring daggers into Verity. ‘Tsk, If I just retreat now, this bastard will die without me having to do anything.’ She clenched her daggers.
‘But there’s no satisfaction in that...’
Midnight exhaled sharply, and she lowered her stance as well. For a moment, she remembered the clueless wanderer wearing strange clothes and holding a spear that seemed much too fine for someone like him, but she quickly pushed those thoughts away.
‘To think it was all an act…’
“I’ll make sure your last breath is one of agony and despair," she finally answered.
Verity sneered, the flames swaying before him. Perhaps it was his proximity to death, or the poison, or his depleting blood, but he almost found this whole thing amusing. She was trying to kill him for saving her life, after all. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
He sighed. “Again… what an idiot you are…But I won’t go down so easily.”
By now, Verity was used to sailing so close to death. He’d lost count of how many times he’d gotten himself in situations where he’d almost died.
At one point – he was not sure when – Verity began to find pride in surviving, in spitting in death’s face, in denying its claim to his soul.
He was weak, small, and he had no talents, yet here he was, still alive.
If Felicia enjoyed battle for the sake of battle, then what Verity sought was to prove himself worthy of victory.
To prove that he deserved to live, to exist.
He sought, yet defied death, to justify his life.
Some may have called it Foolish and somewhere far, somewhere unreachable, a grin curled the lip of an unfathomable being.
Vera smiled.
As for Verity, he gave Midnight a long look, and he finally spoke. “Come,” he spat through gritted teeth.
Both of their figures blurred.
Here is Midnight in this scene. (again, completely Ai generated AND in a different style from the last one. I'm not sure if we hate this or what."