Chapter 217: 3v3

    The earth user clenched his fists and growled. What did you do to Gerald?

    Oh, if you want him back, all you have to do is beat me. Derek stepped forward. The second his foot touched the ground, spikes shot up from below him. They tore through the soles of Dereks shoes, but werent even strong enough to make his feet bleed. That tickled. He smiled. Inwardly, he was fuming. Now I got to get another fucking pair of shoes. Luckily, good shoes werent as hard for him to find as good pants or shirts. As long as the boots were comfortable, he didnt care how they looked.

    The man stomped on the ground, and the sand beneath Derek began flowing. Ah, so he can turn this sand into a quicksand of some sort. Derek began sinking into the ground. He thought about his skills Im sure Absolute Nullify would make quick work of this, but Ill just go with the classics.

    He shifted into the void and pulled himself out of the sand. Then, he moved to behind the earth user and came out stopped the skill. With the void flowing through his left hand, he tapped the man on the shoulder with his right. When the man turned, Derek let his fist fly.

    When he was aiming not to kill, the stomach was the perfect place for his void covered fist to land. If he hit in the right spot, there werent and major vital organs he had to worry about destroying. This, in turn, allowed Derek to strike without worrying about an instant kill.

    Overall, his strikes werent much stronger than they were when he sparred against Shae, but his opponent was tougher and had better defenses than the Savannah Adventurers Guild Master. Dereks Multi-Strike was still on cooldown, so he waited to see what kind of damage a single void fist would cause.

    Apparently, not a lot. It was enough to cause Cliff to groan and let out a cough, but not much more than that. When the strike landed on Gerald, it was stacked four times with Dereks newly increased level in Multi-Strike. Plus, while Geralds Vitality may have been high, Derek was unsure if his Endurance was better than Cliffs.

    Dereks next strike flew at Cliff once again. This time, he wasnt taken by surprise, and a thin layer of sand formed in front of Dereks fist and blocked the attack. Well, that was the thing about Dereks void enhanced strikes. Even when you blocked them, you really didnt.

    A second passed after Derek pulled his fist back, and the man let out another grunt. Derek smiled. If Cliff wanted to block his strikes, he would have to do more than a small layer of sand.

    As Derek was fighting the heir to House Aarden, Avery was bored. The plant user was awful in a one-on-one battle, especially against someone like him. The half elf was currently planted face first into the ground, unconscious.

    Avery was standing next to Edward, feeding the Crown Prince Health Potions and reattaching the mans arms. The rogue really wanted to fight against the Shadow Witch, but it seemed Edgar had a bone to pick with her. He understood it, as seeing your brother in such a helpless situation would cause any person to react that way.

    Once Edward was taken care of, Avery went over to the others, who were all caught up in the initial ambush by Geralds team. He sighed, as all but one were dead, and the other didnt have much time left in his dying state.

    Avery took a scroll out of his storage and channeled mana into it, bringing the guard out of the dying state. Edward, now with both arms, soon walked over to Avery and the other man. The other man was now unconscious and no longer in danger.

    Thank you for that. And for coming here. Edward said as he approached.

    Avery nodded. Of course. My lady asked me to come, so I did. Plus, that first shot with my bow felt good really good. He smiled. It was a memory he would cherish. Even so, he thought he went overboard at first and killed the man in one shot. He was happy when he stood.

    Come on, I dont want to be too far away from that elf when he wakes up. Avery said as he led Edward, who was now carrying the unconscious guard, back to where he had deposited the plant user.

    Should we help them? Edward asked.

    Avery scoffed. Do they look like they need help?

    Edgar chuckled and shook his head. No, actually. Ive been holding back quite a bit. Would you like me to show you what Ive got?

    How about you just let me leave here? We can forget this ever happened. You wouldnt want the Assassins Guild as an enemy, would you? She said.

    Oh, I dont have to worry about that. I can guarantee this mission was sanctioned by the guild. Even if it was, when an assassin dies on the job, the guild doesnt retaliate. Its the assassins fault for being too weak. Dont think you can trick me with that. Edgar said, then pointed at the ground next to Avery and Derek, where his brother was sitting. Plus, youre the one who hurt Edward. I cant let you get away with that.

    The Shadow Witch clicked her tongue. Maybe, but I didnt kill him, did I? In fact, I refused to kill him. Just ask that damn rogue.

    Edgar frowned, but finally made up his mind. Then, I wont kill you. Ill take you back, then Ill let someone else figure out what to do with you.

    With that, he didnt allow the woman to say anything else. He used Ethereal Spark, becoming lightning once again. He zipped forward, cutting straight through the womans hasty attempt at defense, then landed on her body.

    He said he wouldnt kill her, so he didnt. Instead of going for the heart or brain, he kept his attack external. He dealt just enough damage to take her out of the sky.

    Like a bird with broken wings, the Shadow Witch plummeted to the ground. When she landed, she wasnt unconscious, just badly injured.

    Edgar was standing next to the woman. He had beaten the woman to the ground, actually. When she landed, he flipped her over, then removed anything that looked like it could be a storage device from her. He couldnt have her healing up and escaping, after all. He pocketed the items, then dragged her to her feet by her arm.

    Come on.

    Edgar walked over to Derek and the others with the Shadow Witch in his grasp.

    What now? Derek asked.

    Now, we go back to Savannah. Edgar said. We can let everyone else sort this out.

    Derek nodded and opened his Time Prison back up. When he opened the door, Gerald tried to rush out, but was met with a swift kick from Avery. Derek looked over at the man.

    What? Hes fun to hit? Avery shrugged.

    Derek laughed and tossed both the earth user and plant user inside. Then he looked at Edgar.

    Go on. Edgar pushed the Shadow Witch forward.

    The woman sighed, but walked inside. As soon as Derek closed the door, what little was left of the shadow dome around them disappeared. He pulled the void back together and let out a deep sigh. He could finally be done with his Gerald problem at last.