Rise of the Living Forge-Chapter 399: Refuse

Olive’s breath scraped against her lungs. Her heart hammered in her chest and she nearly stumbled as she skipped back, dodging a strike from Average’s shadow blade by mere inches. Loose rock shifted beneath her feet as she fought to catch her balance.

The fight had been going on too long. Power thrummed through her entire body, twisting to pour into the wooden arm at her right side. It was an endless maw of all-consuming hunger, drinking every single scrap of energy it could wring out of her.

And it was the only reason she hadn’t lost the fight yet. The cursed weapon was incredibly strong, even when holding back. It felt like more than just an extension of her body. It was a whole extra mind to process the fight with.

No matter how fast Average’s strikes were, the wickedly sharp growths swaying in the air around Olive like the branches of a tree were constantly in his way. They might have been considerably less effective if he’d been heavily armored — but it was clear that he wasn’t built to deal with someone that could cover every single one of their angles at once.

It’s too bad I can’t just use this power constantly.

Even if it hadn’t been for the intense cost her arm was extracting from her magical reserves, Olive could feel its presence pounding against her mind like a resonating hammer blow. The arm wasn’t exactly trying to wrest control of her body… but it certainly wasn’t trying to play gentle with her consciousness.

And if she happened to pass out during the fight — well, then nothing could be done. It would have no choice but to take control and win the fight for her. Even if it managed the victory, that wasn’t the way Olive wanted to win this.

She was the wielder. Her arm was the weapon, and she would not be overwhelmed by it. Not every fight had to end with a brutal slaughter. That was not what an adventurer’s purpose was. Her desires weren’t even entirely selfless.

Every time she gave in to the arm’s desires, every time she let it control her, she lost a part of herself. Letting the cursed weapon unleash its powers was a delicate balancing act. A little too much slack in its bindings and it would take her body entirely.

Olive’s teeth gritted. She leaned back, letting Average’s sword howl through the air before her. Her arm pulled her forward and she stepped with the strike. She swung her arm, not even bothering to use the sword clenched in its grip and instead sending the jagged growths sprouting from it ripping through the arena floor.

Average skipped back, blurring to avoid getting smacked like a ball. He was starting to tire as well. Even he only had so much energy to work with… but it wasn’t going to be enough. Olive was running out faster than he was.

And when she did, her only options would be to let the arm take more than just mere power or surrender.

The rest of her team wasn’t holding up much better. Maeve was still keeping Spark occupied, running around the arena like a chicken with her head cut off and miraculously dodging every single bolt of crashing lightning.

It was a miracle that she hadn’t been hit yet, and the frustration as to that fact was evident on Spark’s face. The mage wasn’t even moving anymore. She just stood in the corner of the arena, pointing her staff and sending spell after spell crashing down in Maeve’s wake.

Perhaps the only one of them that had managed to have any level of success was Elias. Out of the corner of Olive’s eye, she’d seen him send both himself and Baldy over the edge of the stage.

We’re so close. I can’t give up here. I don’t want to lose this fight aver getting worn away until I can’t do anything but collapse or give in to my arm. Something has to change. But what?

Average’s sword slammed into Olive’s back and sent her flying forward. She hit the floor and skidded across it, her armor letting out a grating screech as the stone dug into it. It had adapted enough to prevent the worst of the damage from the strike, but the razor-sharp shadows still managed to cut into her back.

Pain burned as Olive forced herself to stagger back up, all too aware of the energy the attack had drained from her — but she couldn’t afford to assess her wounds for long. Average was upon her once again, his sword swinging for Olive’s shoulder.

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Her arm jerked her back. She fell to her back and the sword screamed overhead. Olive shoved herself back to her feet once more, sending her foot snapping up in a kick as she rose.

Average leaned back, dodging the blow before diving for her once more. Olive found her entire body twisting as her arm abruptly swung itself. Instead of her swinging it, it swung her. She barely had a chance to let out a surprised curse before her knee slammed into Average’s cheek.

He let out the same curse Olive had just said and staggered back, his hand flying up to his face as his momentum was stolen from him. Shadows twisted around his lips as the wound he’d taken started to repair itself.

Damn, that ability is annoying. How unfair is it to just heal from everything and barely use any magic? I have to do something. I can’t beat Average alone.

There was a brief opportunity for her to press the momentary advantage her arm had gotten her over Average. She’d maybe be able to land one more blow, but then he’d disengage until he’d healed again and she’d be back where she was a moment before.

Unless Average made a massive mistake, there was just no way for Olive to beat him without feeding even more leeway to the arm… and she wasn’t doing that no matter how hard it insisted.

There has to be another option. A different way to…

A thought passed through Olive’s head. Not one of her own, but a suggestion from the last being she’d expected to get it from.

Her own arm.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

The strategy went directly against what its goals should have been. A path that she might — just might — have to turn the fight in their favor. One where she wouldn’t have to sacrifice any of her goals in the fight. It was a shot in the dark, but Olive wasn’t in a position where she could be picky. She didn’t have time to be.

Thank you.

And then, instead of pressing the advantage she’d gotten over Average, Olive spun on her heel and sprinted full-tilt toward Spark.

The mage still stood in her side of the arena, aiming her huge staff at Maeve as the tip of her tongue poked out from between her lips in concentration. She was so focused on her task that she didn’t even register the fact that Olive was stampeding toward her for a moment.

A blur carved through the air beside Olive as Average materialized beside her.

“Do you really think I’d let you get to my team?” Average asked, his sword already carving toward her side.

Olive just smiled. Wood exploded out from her arm with a creaking roar, twisting through the air in the path of the shadow blade. They thickened and twisted into the rough shape of a shield. Average’s attack carved through the growth with loud, snapping crunch, but it slowed his blade just enough to let her sprint out of its distance.

Out of its distance — and into range of Setting Sun’s mage.

Every attack Sparky has used so far has had a pretty big area of effect, not to mention it seems to take her several seconds to call that thunder down. If I can just take her down before she casts…

Olive lunged.

Average’s sword sliced into her back, draining even more of her dwindling scraps of power, and sending pain shooting through her, but she was already in motion. It was too late to stop her.

She plunged toward Spark, bringing her sword to bear and taking aim at the other woman’s chest. The mage wasn’t defended — Olive couldn’t afford to run her straight through the heart, but she had to land a blow that would put Spark out of the fight instantly. There was no other option.

Spark’s gaze finally snapped to the side. It focused on Olive as she plummeted through the air, and the mage’s eyes widened in fear and surprise.

This might be a bit cheap, but a fight is a fight and this is the only chance I’ve got. If she had any powerful, fast spells, she should have used them already since she said she was going all out.

I’ve got her.

Spark spun toward Olive, bringing her staff to bear.

A brilliant blue glow ignited at its tip as freezing power drove into Olive’s eyes.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. And, for a brief instant, she felt as if the world had suspended itself. She hung in the air a mere moment away from driving her sword into Spark’s chest.

Power swirled at the tip of the other woman’s staff, having built far faster and with far more intensity than any of her previous attacks. The magic was already starting to leave the staff in a burning wave of pure blue fire.

And in that moment, Olive knew she’d lost.

She was fucking holding back. Goddamn it.

I can get past it. Give me more. I will cut her down and drink her power. Then we will win. I can give you what you desire.

A flicker of realization cut through Olive’s stunned thoughts. The arm had known what was going to happen. It knew that Spark wouldn’t go down so easily, and it had dragged her into sending everything she had in one last strike to try and force her hand.

She had no doubt that it really could do what it promised. This really had been the move to make if she wanted to win the fight at any cost. It had been the right call… but it wasn’t the call Olive was going to make.

That isn’t who I’m going to be. I refuse.

Her grip on her sword loosened.

The fire slammed into her like a physical blow. Scorching heat wrapped Olive and drove the breath from her lungs like a physical blow. Her armor drank the last scraps of her power like a cactus draining the water from a few droplets of rain.

Then the world went black and she knew no more.