Chapter 82: Ignite II

  Leo’s heart pounded so loudly that he was sure the others could hear it. He swallowed, his eyes never leaving Asher.

  The bounty hunter was moving more cautiously now, more careful in the way he used his arrows now that he knew Leo had a way to counter them. The [Fragmentholder]’s eyes briefly flitted over to the quiver hanging from the man’s back. The amount was slowly but surely dwindling.

  A loud explosion rang from close by, shaking the ground slightly. Leo could see Spade dodging through the smoke. The [Executioner] seemed to be holding up fairly well, but with Darius continually firing spells, she had no way of getting close.

  Leo’s mind churned. Right now, they needed to deal with Asher. Once his arrows were out of the equation, they could team up against Darius. He’d just have to hope Spade could hold the man off for that long.

  Leo inhaled and flung a throwing knife in Asher’s direction. The man dodged and released his arrow, but Leo had expected it. He leapt to the side as it whizzed past and sprinted forward. In the corner of his eye, he caught Allan racing ahead on the opposite side of the man.

  Asher fired another arrow, lightning quick, and Leo activated [Teleport Object]. He vaulted over a large chunk of debris, using the momentum of the jump to throw himself in the bounty hunter’s direction.

  His dagger plunged into the wall as Asher ducked below the swing. An elbow flew at Leo’s face, and he barely managed to let go of his knife and duck down in time. He swept his leg around in an attempt to knock the man over, but Asher was quick on his feet, leaping backwards to put more distance between them.

  Just as he moved to draw another arrow, an axe slammed into the wall an inch away from his neck. Allan cursed and went for another swing while Leo hurriedly yanked his dagger out of the wall.

  Asher nimbly dodged the [Healer]’s attacks, easily evading them with his speed. He reached for the knife hanging from his belt. Leo lunged.

  A second before his dagger could reach the man, another explosion shook the area.

  [Darius has activated the [Ignite] spell]

  Leo stumbled, barely managing to remain on his feet, but the brief break in concentration gave Asher enough time to twist away.

  Across the space, a fresh hole had been blasted into one of the walls. Jagged pieces of wood and cracked stone collapsed onto the ground in broken heaps. Lingering flames burned brightly, and for a second Leo was worried Spade had been caught in the blast before he made out the [Executioner]’s form a little ways away.

  “Leo!”

  The [Fragmentholder] snapped around just in time to activate [Teleport Object] as another arrow flew straight towards him.

  The arrow was immediately followed by a punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of his lungs. Leo’s vision blurred, and he fumbled for his dagger. He caught the gleam of a knife swinging towards him when Asher was suddenly yanked back.

  Allan had appeared behind the bounty hunter, arms straining as he held him in place. His axe lay on the ground a few feet away, likely having fallen during the previous explosion.

  Leo immediately used the chance to slash at Asher’s neck, but in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

  Leo swung around, eyes wildly searching only to finally spot the man standing near the bottom of the stairs. He cursed. So close, he thought. He’d nearly forgotten about the escape skill.

  [Darius has activated the [Ignite] spell]

  Umber light flashed. Leo quickly grabbed Allan and pulled both of them behind one of the few standing pillars. Two arrows flew past where their heads had been mere seconds ago.

  Hidden behind the pillar, Leo allowed himself a brief moment of rest. His breaths were heavy, and he quickly activated [Mana Recovery]. Even with [Fortify], they wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.

  “Sorry,” Allan said beside him. The [Healer] also sounded out of breath. “If I hadn’t dropped my axe, I could’ve—”

  Leo shook his head. “Not your fault. I messed up too.” He peered out from behind the pillar, just far enough to see what was happening. Spade was on the other side of the room and utilizing the debris as cover. Darius barely looked tired—just how much mana did he have?

  They couldn’t just hide here forever. Eventually Asher would either approach or he’d start targeting Spade, and the [Executioner] wouldn’t be able to deal with both of them at once.

  [Darius has activated the [Ignite] spell]

  Another explosion rocked the entryway, more plumes of grey smoke filling the space. Leo coughed. His throat felt dry and stinging. It was already hard enough to land a blow on Asher, nevermind the constant blasts messing with their balance. He paused.

  The blasts.

  Slowly, an idea began to form in Leo’s mind. He quickly scanned the area again, noting the wide range of the magic and the position of the staircase. He eyed the party stat sheets to confirm, and he felt his heart race as more of the pieces fell into place.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  It was risky, dangerous, and probably only had a fifty percent chance at working. But they had to try.

  “Allan,” Leo said. “I think I’ve got an idea.”

  —

  The clang of clashing metal rang clearly throughout the entryway. Spade had managed to get close and was duelling Darius with her sword, but the noble looked like he was trying to put more distance between them. The two’s proximity was probably the only thing that was stopping Asher from shooting, but the second Darius got away again, the bounty hunter would aim.

  Leo’s fingers tightened around his dagger. They had to act now.

  He gave Allan a nod, and with one final inhale, he bolted out from behind the pillar. He was vaguely aware of Allan running around the perimeter of the room behind him, the [Healer] using the pillars and debris to hide him from view, but Leo kept his gaze focused on Asher.

  The bounty hunter’s eyes flashed as the [Fragmentholder] came into view, and his lips twisted into a sneer. Leo met the gaze with narrowed eyes of his own.

  He jumped over a fallen pillar and hurled a throwing knife at the man. Asher rolled to the side, landing in a crouch and immediately shooting another arrow that Leo deflected. He could see the man scowl at that. Good. The more angry he was, the more he’d keep his attention on him.

  “Enough,” the man snarled. He let loose another arrow, but this time Leo dodged it and countered with one of his own throwing knives. It went wide, but it was enough to temporarily draw Asher’s attention away.

  Leo activated [Sprint] and quickly closed the distance. He swung at the man, but Asher blocked it with his own knife. Leo gritted his teeth. His hand shook as he attempted to push forward, but the opposing blade held firm.

  A flash of movement appeared in the corner of his eye. A leg swept towards his torso, and Leo immediately vaulted over Asher. He used the bounty hunter’s shoulders to propel himself upwards and attempted to yank at the quiver straps, but Asher quickly realized what he was doing and shoved him back.

  Leo landed on the opposite side of the man in a crouch, his back now to the stairs. One of his legs stung, screaming at him, but he ignored the pain. In front of him, Asher fumed as he straightened his quiver straps.

  “You persistent little—”

  Leo’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Maybe,” he said, “you should get better at aiming.”

  Asher’s eyes flashed dangerously. Lightning quick, he shot another arrow that Leo barely managed to deflect in time. In the corner of his eye, he caught Spade and Darius still fighting towards the center of the space and Allan approaching the stairs on the opposite side. It was now or never.

  Leo spun around and raced up the staircase with the aid of [Sprint]. He ran in a zigzag pattern, silently praying that he’d gotten Asher angry enough to follow him.

  Sure enough, the sound of pounding footsteps soon sounded from behind. He was fast—fast enough that he’d catch up in no time at all.

  Adrenaline pumped through Leo’s veins. He was quickly approaching the top of the staircase, and he could hear Asher getting closer and closer. Come on, he thought.

  And then, the notification he’d been waiting for appeared.

  [Darius has activated the [Ignite] spell]

  “Allan! Now!”

  Leo flung himself towards the railing and gripped on for dear life just as a mix of ultramarine and umber light filled the entryway. His ears rang as another blast echoed throughout the space, but his attention was fixed below him.

  At the bottom of the staircase, Allan slammed his hand down onto the first step.

  [Allan has activated the [Even Path] skill]

  The stairs rumbled, clouds of dust rising as they began to turn over and flatten down into a smooth slope.

  Asher’s eyes widened. He stumbled as he attempted to jump away, but it was too late. He plummeted backwards towards the ground floor, but he wouldn’t land far enough, Leo realized. The explosion was too far away.

  Without thinking, Leo released the railing.

  He skidded down the steep slope, ignoring Allan’s panicked shout and barely managing to stay upright. The wind whipped violently past him, the soles of his shoes heating as he rapidly approached the ground. There, he could see where Asher had landed and was now climbing back to his feet.

  [Darius has activated the [Ignite] spell]

  Leo hurled himself at the bounty hunter as burning heat burst in front him, shoving the man forward with all his force. He heard a piercing scream, the sizzling of flames followed by the painfully familiar stench of burning flesh.

  He was still falling, still moving. He couldn’t stop himself, the momentum driving him forward towards that bright fire with no end in sight. This was it. Leo closed his eyes and braced himself for pain.

  At the last second, a hand grabbed onto him and yanked him back.

  Leo tumbled backwards onto the ground, landing in a heap. He quickly scrambled up and saw Allan behind him.

  The [Healer] was panting, his chest heaving with exertion. Leo’s own limbs felt shaky and weak from the close call, and he could still feel the lingering heat of the fire on his skin.

  “Never,” Allan gasped out, “ever do that again.”

  A hysterical laugh bubbled up Leo’s throat, and if he was in any other situation, he might’ve let it loose. “I promise,” he said.

  By then, Asher’s screams had faded. The thick plumes of smoke began to settle, revealing the bounty hunter’s collapsed body, unmoving and charred beyond recognition. Leo swallowed and looked away, suppressing the memories that rose at the sight.

  [You have gained experience! Experience shared with [2] other party members]

  [The skill [Dagger Proficiency] has leveled up! Current level: 3]

  [Progress towards next level: 71%]

  Leo barely processed the notifications flitting by his vision. Instead, he scanned the area, quickly locating Spade on the other side of the entryway. The [Executioner] had a long burn running down one arm and her breaths were heavier than usual, but grey eyes remained trained on Darius.

  The noble stood in the center of the room, his sword drawn and other hand still raised. A bit of smoke rose from his palm. His dark eyes briefly passed over Asher’s dead body, but he otherwise paid him no attention. In the light of the hissing fires, his eyes seemed to glow.

  Leo’s jaw tensed. Slowly, he rose back to his feet and raised his dagger again. Asher was dead, but it wasn’t over yet.

  They still had one more person to deal with.