Chapter 309: The Plain, II

"Ain't gonna happen, not anymore." Ned tried to produce either of his swords, but to no avail, the rules Master Will—no, the Plain indicted to him was stopping him.

This is not a dream anymore if I die here, Ned thought and raised his hand to defend. He chose to be passive than to approach the three thugs.

"Correct, kid." Master Will stroke his beard and out of nowhere he produced a smoking pipe which was already lit. "You can only get out if I say so, or if your real body lost too much energy. After all, I need you alive. Now, entertain your Master, and show me the result of your training these past months."

Before, Ned was surprised to see his Master. Now that he somewhat grasped his current situation, Ned let go of the feeling and thoughts about his Master. The existence of the Plain was something Ned couldn't comprehend. He pondered if it was the creation of Rassus. But, Rassus wasn't that strong to alter his mind. Ned hissed from the thought.

Master Will blew a smoke after a slight grin. Along with the tap of his pipe was the thugs moving in unison.

The smaller one was dashing toward Ned in the middle, while the two broke the formation and were attempting to circle Ned.

"Too unfair." Ned tsked seeing how Master Will produced a smoking pipe while Ned couldn't connect to his spatial inventory.

Instead, Ned conjured Fireball. He then threw it to the thug on his left, making a roaring sound upon contact.

Smoke and fumes bent which was followed by a figure coming out of the remnants of Ned's Fireball.

"W-what?" Ned was thrown off guard as he witnessed the thug coming out of the smoke, unscathed.

A heavy blow on his right face he received after the thug on his right successfully made it to his blind spot. Ned was pushed but was stopped by a kick on his left side after the unscathed thug made its way to Ned's range.

In pain and dizziness, Ned raised and crossed his arms to defend his face from the incoming punch of the smaller thug.

Pica coins clinked inside the pouch of the smaller thug after his punch connected successfully on Ned's guarding arms.

Ned was thrown behind with his black boots trailing the ground of soil and leaves. Ned's vision blurred and he fell on his one knee.

The three thugs stopped attacking—for now—after they formed a circle around Ned, cutting his exit.

Ned took the time and focused. Yet again, he was surprised that no matter how he tried to detect his opponents' strength, he couldn't do so. Which means, Ned was fighting an unknown enemy in terms of strength, and there were three of them.

During this time, Ned now realized that his display wasn't on display. Normally, if he was in combat, the display in red would pop out accordingly. But none of that happened this time.

Ned gritted his teeth, if his assumption was right, then...

"Overclock."

Silence on Ned's part while a grin on Master Will's face.

"Yeah, kid." Master Will pointed the tip of his pipe to Ned. "No ICE; no everything: Overclock, Predictive Combat Emulator, Detect and any other skills related to your body and your system ICE."

This also means; Ned was in deep shit. Overclock was his trump card if things get deadly and without his display, he was fighting enemies without knowing where their weak spots were.

"And another yes, kid. You may not know it, but you are heavily relying on that... ICE of yours. Now that she wasn't in your head, you can now fight true to yourself."

Am I? Ned thought. Am I relying on her too much?

"No," Ned mumbled. "She wasn't just a system. She was a gift. Thinking of her as a consequence was treacherous on my part." Ned stood, and on both, his hands were spells Fireball and Windball. "If she's not here. Then I have to find a way until I hear her voice again."

Along with Ned's grunt were two spells colliding before him. Fireball and Windball met with each other, producing a roaring explosion that thrown the three thugs in a spreading manner, while Ned was pushed back by the blast.

The blast was too strong Ned rolled the moment he landed on the ground. Instead of pain, agony was striking every part of his body. This was the first time he felt so much pain. Too much that simple breathing would cause him pain.

They were fast, faster than Teklavit, faster than Jerra, and was nearly as fast as Twali on his Werewolf form.

"What to do..." Ned gritted his teeth and forced his body to stand.

The Grieving woods should be a place wherein Ned has to smile. The trees, the flowers that bloom, and their hill-house, all were identical. Yet, with his current situation, smiling was a lost cause. This wasn't the Grieving woods he knew, nor the O'rriadt the missed. This was all nothing but a place he needed to overcome with nothing but his own strength.

"And here I thought they were simply a Hollow."

Ned took a deep breath. Steeled his mind and avoid thinking of all the pain coursing his body.

"No other way but to fight."

A hole was created in the aftermath of the explosion, but the three thugs were nowhere to be seen. On the far end was Master Will, still enjoying the pipe of smoke he was having together with a grin. Ned has never seen Master Will grinning so wide. An indication that he was nothing but an impostor among the Plain.

Again, the three thugs were trying to flank him. But once done, it won't happen again as Ned conjured Windball and shot it to the thug on his right. Faster conjuring time, but less power than the Fireball, the Windball traveled midair. Hitting not the thug but the ground before him. This explosion gave Ned to redirect his focus to the thug in the middle while evading the closest thug on his left.

In a blink, Ned appeared in front of the smaller thug. All he needed was another few seconds to test the strength of the smaller thug.

Not minding the pain flowing his body, Ned raised a leg to kick but hit nothing but air as the smaller thug dropped down in a neck of time. Having thought of possible scenarios, Ned's left foot was rooted on the ground and spun along with his right foot.

Surprise took the smaller thug to bent further on his knees but was too late since Ned's right foot was already under his jaw.

The smaller thug fell with the back of his head first.

They all wore a black cloak with a black hood, and the only distinction to the three of them was the smaller thug with a coin pouch tied over his wrist. Now that he was down, Ned was given another breath to compose himself. This time he was aiming for the thug on his right where the Windball's explosion just ended.

Ned spun (now facing the thug on his right) and ignored the incoming thug on his right (on his left before) and proceeded to the thug from the Windball. Ned must take the first action before he does. Every move must be done in a precise and swift manner. The spell that could support Ned's actions was a Windlance: much faster than the Windball but weaker. But Ned wasn't aiming for strength. He needed speed; speed he got after he conjured a Windlance and thrust it towards the thug.

It's either block Ned's Windlance or die. The thug chooses what he ought to do. Even though they were enemies made by the Plain, still, their instincts were that of a human, so he chose to block the Windlance with a knife he hurriedly pulled behind his waist.

The knife successfully blocked the spell, but in return, it was broken in half.

Ned dashed. Upon reaching the thug, he ducked, and spun, and swept the thug's foot.

The thug fell on his butt.

Ned conjured Windlance to finish the fallen thug but retraced it since the latter wasn't able to continue. Instead, the Windlance he just conjured was shut to the thug behind him.

The remaining thug has already the knife on the ready, but he didn't use it to block the spell. He took a step to his right instead, evading the Windlance but tearing a part of his cloak. But he never stopped to come forward to Ned.

Ned caught a glimpse of the smaller thug, still on the ground, on his right, now with a knife he was pulling under his cloak.

But Ned got the time to cripple the remaining thug, and so he dashed to meet the last standing thug.

In his thoughts, different scenarios were playing: conjure a Fireball and shoot it, but the thug might evade it with ease. Perhaps, distract him with a Windlance and once he does, punish him with a flurry of punches. Maybe he could try to conjure both Windlance and Windball, distracting him of the first spell, which will give him the chance to hit him with the second.

Ned chose the third scenario. He conjured Windlance and Windball both at the same time while he dashed, ignoring all the pain.

"This better work o—"

Ned felt a hot sensation on his right leg, he then wobbled and lost control of both the spell he just conjured. The two spells faded and Ned fell after his right leg stopped moving.

But it didn't end there. After he fell, Ned saw a knife flying straight to his head. It would be too late if he tried to roll to evade the knife with the painful sensation on his leg. Ned couldn't conjure a spell either. And so he blocked the knife with his bare hand.

A thwack of the knife bore to Ned's hand. The throw was precise that it went straight in the middle of his palm.

Ned gritted his teeth and looked at his leg. It was a knife the same as the one stuck in his hand.

"You see, Ned." Master Will reached for the wooden sword and jumped off the boulder he was sitting on. He walked toward Ned with a pipe he was gritting and the wooden sword on the other. "There's another flaw in you..." Master Will bent and looked at Ned with a mocking stare. "When was the last time you killed someone after you were sent into this world?"

Ned wanted to say something, but the pain was too much for him to bear.

When did he really kill someone after he was transported to the world of Earflgard?

"That's what I thought too." Master Will used the hilt of his sword and hit Ned to his head.

BLACK