Frost remembered all of the advice he'd ever received about fighting. He remembered watching the shitty fighting instructor DVDs he'd bought from the thrift store on late nights at the orphanage, praying he'd be strong enough to take on the ones who made his life miserable. He internalized those lessons and let them guide him. Never underestimate your opponent. Don't be hasty, but never hesitate.
Hesitation is defeat.
Frost didn't have any words for Ren, despite his anger. He'd let his actions speak for themselves.
[Ren Hoffmann is activating an attribute: Pile of greed.]
[Frost Direshard is activating an attribute: Wildcard.]
Ren raised an arm into the air and summoned ten identical golden longswords. All of them spun out of pitch-black portals and then stopped, obeying the orders of their master. They were angled directly at Frost, hovering still for a moment before booming forward with massive gusts of wind. They crossed the space between them faster than even a bullet, and with no sound but the whistling of the wind as they cut through.
Frost's Void-sense screamed danger in the back of his mind as his whole vision was taken up by sharp weapons looking to impale him. This was a fight unlike any he'd taken before, and one he was ill-prepared for. He hadn't been granted the time or resources to properly test the limits of his main attribute yet, and testing it in an actual combat scenario was less than ideal.
Then again, he didn't have a choice. Right now it was do or die. Electricity sparked around his eyes as he entered 'the zone' fuelled by his intense emotions. All of the swords fell out of their arcs, striking the elevator or falling down the shaft. Frost felt his Void energy drain, although it wasn't significant. Most of all, he felt reassurance in his mind. That worked! He mused. I can do this!
Ren grabbed a lever-action rifle out of the air and pointed it at Frost. "Was it you that made that orb!?" he demanded.
Frost crouched down, slowly and discreetly pulling the knife from his boot. Orb? Like the orb I took on the bridge? Don't tell me it's some sort of artifact… "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied honestly.
"Bullshit!" Ren fired a bullet, but it abruptly stopped and fell out of the air moments before reaching Frost. The bullet was still spinning around rapidly, but clattered to the ground instead of going further. From Ren's perspective, it seemed like all of his weapons so far had collided with a forcefield. He breathed out to calm himself and retain a level head.
A main attribute was never something simple like a forcefield. It had to be something deeper, like manipulation of air density or telekinesis. Both of these were existing attributes, though, and the law of main attributes meant that an attribute was never repeated. Something original that can stop bullets like that with no effort? What the hell is it, and what's the weakness? Ren's thoughts went wild.
He came to one conclusion; it was best to stay at a distance, lest he risk being totally annihilated.
Frost drew the knife and held it behind his back. He was watching Ren closely. His initial conclusion was that Ren's attribute was some sort of summoning ability. But why did ten of the exact same sword appear, and what had he used to shoot them forward? Was it all a part of the same ability, or some sort of duplication trick? Pile of greed… How fitting.
Frost flipped his knife around in his hand and threw it into the air. Only there was no knife anymore. He'd thrown… Nothing? Ren enhanced his senses and watched carefully, suspicion plastered on his face. A moment later his danger-sense was triggered, but it was too late. He dodged backwards, but not quickly enough to avoid taking a knife through the shoulder. What the hell!? His mind raced.
Frost reached his hand out and focused. As Ren reached to pull the knife out, it suddenly became extremely heavy. "Grah!" He cried out in pain as it tore downwards through his skin. He leaned forward, allowing it to fall out of its own accord and tumble down into the top of the elevator. It struck the metal surface with enough force to leave a noticeable dent.
Both combatants looked at each other at that moment. Ren's face was filled with confusion, while Frost's was riddled with confidence.
Could it be that he's really this weak!? Frost thought.
This guy… He really is ridiculously strong! Ren thought.
More bullets came out of the side of Frost's elevator, going straight for Ren's forehead. He dashed forward and swung the flat of his sword like a bat to send them away, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as the wound exploded with blood.
Lana had sensed that Frost needed an opening, and she'd given him just that.
Ren had lost sight of Frost for not even a second, but by the time his eyes readjusted to the scene, Frost was on top of him and bringing his sword down on his head. With milliseconds to spare from being bisected, Ren blocked the weapon. His sword snapped in half under the unbelievable weight of the strike, but served its purpose in just barely redirecting the attack and allowing him to dodge out of the way.
An opening was created, allowing Ren to break through and seize Frost by the neck. The boy kicked his legs and desperately grasped at Ren's forearm, but his powerful enhancement kept his grip locked in place. If Ren wasn't dead right now, then it meant Frost's ability wasn't applicable on living beings. It meant he'd won!
Ren summoned the power of flame and burned Frost's throat to a pile of ash. Strangely, nothing happened, like a deity had descended to interfere with this murder. The flare of an attribute activation could distinctly be felt. Was this another property of Frost's attribute that he'd failed to predict? Just how far along was this boy in the development of his abilities?
Frost smiled. I got cocky, but it doesn't matter. I win! He focused on the knife and willed it up. The weapon spun around, angling its blade straight at the neck of the distracted Ren. It flew forward at breakneck speed. Frost foresaw Ren's shocked and pained face as the weapon killed him instantly, but the moment never came. Instead, it stalled the instant before impact.
"Bind!" Parsh yelled.
Another enemy entered the field. A blond-grey haired man that Frost didn't recognize. At that moment, he felt a little bit disappointed to be the lone attack-type with two support-types at his back. He needed to end this quickly, or he'd end up dead! Now that there were two enemies to deal with, Frost's mind pushed closer to the brink. His eyes felt like they were about to bulge out of his head with his brain exploding soon after.
What had happened that day he'd beat up the kids at the orphanage? It was like he'd just snapped, and the next thing he knew he'd hurt a bunch of people. That feeling… He'd tried so hard to replicate it for so long. None of the people on the street had ever been a true challenge, even if he'd come close so many times. At that moment, in his enemy's grasp, he felt it again.
He was immortal, even if only for a moment. His cheeks went bright red with excitement.
Ren felt a sharp pain in his arm, only he had no arm. A sword fell from above with the weight and sharpness of a thousand scalpel-sharp car batteries. It took him right at the elbow and embedded itself into the elevator below. Ren's arm fell to the ground, and he spared a fleeting and precious moment to stare at it with shock and confusion.
Frost had placed his sword back into his Void pocket, and then re-summoned it from above to drop it on Ren's arm at the perfect angle, all with whatever modifications his attribute seemed to allow? Ren was certain of one thing only; This was no beginner tactic. Either the man before him was a professional killer or a master at improvising.
Frost summoned the sword back into his hand and used this singular moment to his advantage. By the time Ren recovered, the sword was coming straight at him and seeking to pierce his throat. He ducked underneath it, feeling the wind of the strike brush his hair as he stepped forward and buried his fist into Frost's chest with blinding speed. He felt the satisfying snap of a rib under the weight of it.
Frost's mouth was forced open as he let out a pained croak. He stepped backwards and slid to the edge of the elevator. The fatigue of using his ability so much in a short period of time reached his body, and he began to lose his balance. I'm still new to this, he realized, I pushed myself too far in such a short period of time. Not good!
He started to fall backwards with no ground to catch him. Ren dashed forward at that moment and grabbed him by the vest, yanking him back upwards. Frost was hanging at an awkward angle with his feet barely clinging to the elevator, his arms hanging freely. At that moment, the two men came face to face at long last.
"Bind," Parsh said casually from the side. He held Frost's sword firmly in place.
"Who the hell are you?" Ren asked him. "What do you want?" There was a tone of something almost like reverence in his voice.
Frost smiled ear to ear as he realized exactly the situation he was in. These people probably thought he was some supervillain, son of someone strong and important, owner of that weird orb, and way more powerful than he truly was. Given the circumstance, they must've been terrified to discover that they sold someone like that into slavery. Who was Frost to not play into their delusions?
"You might not know me, but I know you, Ren Hoffmann." He lied using the name Ren had revealed in using his attribute. "If I were you, I'd get off my back and enjoy the life I have left. That, and thanking your god that I decided I've got better places to be."
Ren opened his mouth to reply, but Frost finished undoing his vest and fell away, freefalling to the neighboring elevator below. At the same time, Ren's elevator slid to a stop as Frost used his attribute to hold it in place.
Parsh had been watching this entire exchange while stunned with fear. That person was the mastermind behind everything they'd experienced so far. The massacre on Dragonsfold. The mysterious Void-destroying orb. The relative of the Drake Direshard. A shiver ran up his spine. After witnessing Ren lose so easily to mysterious circumstances, Parsh could barely bring himself to move. He took a few steps forward and joined Ren at the side of the elevator.
They looked downwards towards their mutual adversary.
Frost looked up at them, winked, and then jumped through the service hatch and closed it behind him.
Ren bit his lip, and turned to Parsh with a complicated expression on his face. "I… Think we got lucky."