Roland shifted his attention back to the tall frame he first mistook as his death knight. Considering the same mysterious likeness they shared, from a closer look he noticed the masks were actually noticeably different. This fellow carried iron spikes on the cheeks. And he also didn't have flowing red hair falling beneath the mask as the willow did.
'So all the kids have one.' He thought to himself.
Suddenly Roland wasn't feeling as lucky or special anymore. But more importantly, why was Alyssa following him?
She upheld her aura of cold nobility. Taking her first feet inside the cave, there seemed to be an element of caution as she walked towards him with her eyes scanning the fleshly walls intently.
Her eyes never blinked as she beheld him with a blank coldness once she arrived by his side.
"There you are, my little lamb. I was wondering what you were doing skulking around the woods. Hmm, tell me about this place then?"
Roland's countenance turned ugly, this crazy young girl had been keeping a close eye on his movements. He cursed under his breath, he should've been alert to that real possibility. Especially where he still didn't know who was trying to kill him.
He followed her airy gaze, not for a second fooled by her current calmness.
"This place? It's just a…it's just er…a place." Roland stammered softly.
Alyssa stopped her movements. And slowly twisted to face him.
"Oh is that so. Hmm. You know Lady Herone has some doubts about you. Ever since that mishap of you not dying, you've been acting rather differently. Almost like you've become an entirely different person she says, and there's you not following through with direct orders on using the alloy I gave you. Hmmm, it's all a little suspicious little lamb."
Roland could feel sweat trailing down the side of his neck. He could only watch in silence whilst Alyssa sized him up and down.
Roland tried not to react, with the high levels of adrenaline coursing through his blood. He was barely stopping himself from running out of that opened door. But all his instincts were screaming towards that being a bad idea. That death knight standing not ok far away screamed of danger.
'So I was right about that woman. She's the one plotting.'
Alyssa followed his pondering gaze and smiled broadly.
"Thinking of escaping? It'll be foolish." She sighed aloud whilst shrugging her shoulders.
"Rather you should let me finish my speech. It's rude to interrupt others especially me if all people." Said Alyssa flicking the curls on the end of her silk locks.
"In-interrupt? You I didn't say any-"
Roland blinked and a leg kick arrived in a flash. He stepped back unconsciously with a reaction he could never have repeated if he tried 100 times. There was a follow-up, Alyssa's fists shot forward like a viper and a large thwack slammed against his ribs. The force lifted him up and sent him crashing down against the hard table.
Roland heard bones pop and crunch but no pain was felt, just an increase in the adrenaline racing wildly through his body. He pushed himself off the ground and adopted a prone stance, he tucked in close and grabbed hold of her arm. He stepped past her and placed a leg behind. Alyssa was deeply surprised and didn't react as Roland swept her off her feet and tossed her using a judo throw over his body.
Alyssa twisted her body on the way down and landed on her heels. Her arms were like drills and swiftly unhooked themselves away. One punch shot forward like a leopard's paw. Roland dodged by a hair breath. But the second and third slammed furiously against his body. The blows sent him flying backwards where he slammed horribly against the stone throne. He crumbled down comically into a slouched position.
Even with the pain receptors dulled, he felt every bit of damage against his body. He blinked a few times before coughing up blood.
Alyssa wiped her hands whilst staring at him with that usual cold face.
"Hmm we'll look at that. You really have changed? Or maybe she was right…maybe you're somehow not little Roland anymore. Maybe the poison turned you mad hehe. Ahh, can you imagine that would be so…fun?"
Roland tried to jerk himself to his feet but a sudden flash of silver shot past him and a strong force pinned him against the throne. Once he finally caught up to speed he noticed a slender pale sword impaling his shoulder.
A terrifying scream lurched out from his mouth.
Alyssa's blank expression slowly contorted into a cute frown.
"Shh-so noisy little lamb. You deserve to be disciplined for misbehaving. And stop pulling that kind of face, you know I hate weak people."
Alyssa held out her hand and twisted it. Roland felt the sword lodged into his arm painfully grind deeper into his flesh in tangent with her movements. Pain, a true sense of terrible pain ran throughout his body. He called Omega for help internally but only received the same warning sounds.
{host taking critical damage.}
{Adrenaline boost decreasing}
{attempting to reduce pain receptors}
{vitals in danger}
{Host will lose consciousness if more blood is lost}
{Warning! Warning! Critical damage was taken. Omega urges host to flee}
Roland tried to steady his breathing into a gentle calm. With all things considered, at least he wasn't dead. He wore a distant look whilst he watched her almond-shaped eyes beholding him in a strange light. From the very time he encountered the unhinged young woman. Roland understood straight away what her problem with him was.
He was prey and she was the apex predator. By design, the talented and dominant one was always going to seek to devour the weaker ones beneath her. Especially the ones deemed a threat.
Only Roland held no idea why his existence here was a threat to these people. He was nowhere near being the next successor which he typically might've thought would cause such problems between both he and this dangerous family he inherited.
And Alyssa being a direct descendant to the actual Cloud royal family didn't add up with why she was colluding with Lady Herone to kill the patriarch.
Alyssa Cloud was the top prodigy of the family. And speculated to possess a bronze-ranked body at the peak stage on top of her already rich talent. With or without omega he was nowhere at a level where he could fight her. Knowing the walls were closing in, Roland had only one other option.
"I'm …sorry. Pl-please, forgive me?" His hoarse voice stammered as he made the most pitiful face he could think of.
Alyssa turned her head to one side in a childish manner and said.
"Oh, so you've reverted back to this face. Aha a broken heart is such a peculiar thing little lamb. Once upon a time just hearing those words would stir something primal right here in the center of my chest."
Alyssa seductively pressed her endowed chest. Roland's heart skipped a beat before he swiftly shifted his gaze elsewhere in embarrassment.
Alyssa covered her little mouth and giggled childishly. "Fufufu, it seems I'm still a little smitten. And as such, I have decided to ignore Lady Herone's request to kill you."
Roland exhaled a deep breath, he could cry tears of joy if his body wasn't so depleted of all forms of strength.
"Besides…I believe severing an arm or two works much better." She announced abruptly raising her hand. Panic flashed across Roland's gaze.
"W-wa-wait-No-no"
Alyssa lifted a single arm upwards and brought it down again.
[Silver Cut]
Roland blinked once and saw a bright silver flash forward.
*SWIPE CHING*
He heard the horrible sound of flesh being severed. And then an eerie emptiness fell against his entire left side. The world seemed to change in an instant for poor Roland, who was left in a daze as he watched the spray of carmine against the air before something unmissable flew away from him. By the time his body crashed into the stone table. Time seemed to have resumed again and a devastating pain ran amok.
Roland wailed a blood-curdling scream to the height of his lungs. He pressed his right arm over his left side and felt nothing but a hot liquid dousing his hands. His arm was gone.
{Warning Host has sustained irreversible damage. Warning! Host has sustained irreversible damage}
Roland drenched in cold sweat panicked and crawled away in retreat clutching hold of his shoulder, he didn't stop until his back met the firm wall.
'She cut my arm off! She cut my arm off!"
Fear and resentment fueled his reasoning right now. Whilst Omega cycled through the limited options. Roland had completely disregarded the systems help. And a primal instinct seemed to lock into place. He scanned the ground like a hawk and locked onto the dagger placed beside the table leg. He kicked off his heels without thinking and took hold of the dagger spilt out from the open satchel.
Roland freed the glass dagger from its sheath and charged forward in a desperate and possibly deranged lunge. The loom of surprise lasted moments as Alyssa lifted up her sword again. This time Roland staggered his run and zigzagged away from her. His trailing foot rode the momentous wind as Roland planted all his weight against his right foot and performed a spinning kick. His bones crunched as he wrapped his perfect kick around Alyssa's lithe waist. The element of surprise rocked the girl off her feet. She staggered back a few steps before quickly regaining her footing.
Roland took the brunt of the impact, he could feel his bones breaking but thankfully the adrenaline rush was still in effect so the pain was greatly lessened.
He furiously glowered at the angelic round face still watching him with a blank stare. Then a deranged smile broke out and she charged at him with her sword poised for combat. Alarm bells started to ring and Roland felt a real sense of death looming closer. With all his senses heightened to their piques, he dodged narrowly to the side before jumping backwards. Alyssa was like lightning and almost blurred right through him. Roland could see the sharp blade shooting right for his chest. He already dropped the dagger and snatched at the nearest thing he could grab hold of from the shelf.
Alyssa's sword met the book and punctured right through it. Roland counted his lucky stars but he underestimated the sheer reaction time from someone with a peak bronze body. Alyssa's arm shot fourth like a snake and grabbed him by the throat in a vice grip. She snatched his breath away and Roland could only splutter whilst darkness was already encroaching his vision.
'Omega…omega…help…'
Omega's response chimed through his thoughts again. But the information which arrived would do little to fill Roland with hope as he submitted himself to the expected outcome.
{Heat signature detected}
{100 feet away}