Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ FIFTY FIVE ~~

"Defuse!" The resounding explosion did little to soften the impact from the Grand Master's attack on the flat of my blade. My feet lost traction and I flew into the side of the building. Pain exploded in a flash of white as strong as the Silken Skewer and I fell to my hands and knees, sword clattering to the ground.

A sizeable dent smouldered in the steel, the entire blade covered in soot. I swiped at my forehead, blood and ash on my skin. If I hadn't twisted my blade at the last second to block and used Defuse... I hated to think what shape I'd be in. I palmed the blood from my nose, too unsteady to try standing.

"Estra!" Leraj clambered through the rubble and helped me to my feet. "You're bleeding."

"Don't worry," I rasped, throat as dry as a desert. I coughed and cinders rained off me. "I just need a drink." He handed me the flask. Pain throbbed through my left leg and I winced putting weight on it.

"Smart using Defuse to counteract the attack."

I chuckled, which sounded like a dying man's hoarse breath. "I have the uncanny survival ability of thinking fast when danger is literally in my face. We may have a problem though."

"What?"

"I think my leg is broken. And I think I'm deaf in one ear. And the world doesn't want to stay still."

We hobbled out of the crater I'd made to see the wide furrow from Dreyfus' attack and Guila nowhere to be seen. Diane was curled tighter, rubble on her but relatively unharmed. Cold Fire no longer surrounded her and the others but it had done its job for now. She raised her head when I touched her arm, leaning on her.

"Gowther's here," she said, looking up to the rooftop.

He was letting Guila onto her feet. I looked at the furrow, at the hole I'd made and then back up to Gowther. My eyes narrowed as he made his introduction and struck his pose.

"What, couldn't save me?" I shouted up to him. 

"I'm sorry, I only had time to save one of you. And you were already preparing to block so I knew you'd be fine." His blank stare irked me.

"Yeah, yeah, excuses." 

"Huh, that's him?" Helbram asked, shocked.

"That guy doesn't look anything like the one in the wanted poster," Howzer said, still locked in battle with Gilthunder. They hadn't changed positions from when Gilthunder had first attacked.

He could take on any of the weakened targets before Howzer could even react but instead he stuck to one of the strongest, the one member of the team who didn't seem to have any serious inflictions. Even so...

"Leraj, do you think you could attack Gilthunder before he moved?" I whispered to the demon.

"No. There would be no point anyway," Leraj muttered and speared me with a look that said, 'don't ask anymore' in response to my confused expression.

What else does he know that he isn't telling me?

Now that all attention was on Gowther, I slouched against Diane, sinking to my backside. I might be rankled that he hadn't saved me – a fellow sin – over a Holy Knight, but I couldn't deny that having Gowther here would shift our chances. I couldn't relax, not really when the battlefield in view still held so many formidable players, yet I had been given precious seconds to work on healing my leg. The greave on that side had been thrown off and the right side badly damaged. From the left knee down, the leg was swollen and red, the skin straining against two protruding sections. If I'd seen that when I was upright, I might have fainted. Shock kept the pain at bay but experience told me that now I'd noticed it, the agony would arrive soon. 

I pushed my mana against Kitsune and absorbed more, then turned my attention to the bones. I squeezed my eyes shut. The muscles pulsated against the shards that had sheared off and I worked on getting those bits moved back into the main bone before righting the two protruding bones with gentle pressure from my fingers. It was slow, tiresome work that left me prickled with pain all the way to my toes. The world around me faded, the itch in my leg taking up all focus.

"Estra?" I jerked awake to Leraj shaking my shoulder. The swelling in my leg had gone down, only light red instead of tomato red. Bruises were blooming and fading just as quickly. The leg was straight again. "We may have a problem."

Leraj helped me up and I tested the leg. No pain. And I could hear properly again. "What's wrong?" I asked. 

The answer revealed itself when I surveyed the area. Gowther's hands were on the Grand Master's head, two blue bolts on his hands. Frozen mid-lunge, Dreyfus had his sword through Gowther's body.

"What the hell?" I muttered, unsure what I should do. Helbram wasn't moving without a command it seemed, Dreyfus and Gowther were locked together. Howzer kept Gilthunder occupied as always and Guila had just jumped down from her rooftop perch. I drew my blade, rolling my wrist to work out the muscle ache, and stood there awkwardly.

"What's happening?" I asked the group.

"All Gowther did was lay his hands on the Grand Master at the same time the Piercing Stab landed and they've both been completely frozen in that spot ever since," Howzer said.

Ever so slowly, Gowther toppled backwards. I started, icy fear shooting through my veins.

"And you and I shall never cross blades again," Dreyfus said. He raised his bloodied blade. "Farewell."

"No!" I took a step forward only to have Leraj grab me under the arms and yanked me back. "Let go, Leraj!" I flailed about, attempting to jab an elbow or kick a heel against him.

"Stop fighting me, Estra," he said into my ear. "You can't defeat him."

"Try me," I growled, preparing to headbutt the living daylights out of him.

Suddenly, Dreyfus fell to a knee, panting and visibly shaking with exertion. Leraj let me go and I stumbled forward, the fight gone at the sudden turn of events.

"Lord Dreyfus!' Helbram exclaimed.

"The Grand Master's hurt," Howzer pointed out and Gilthunder disappeared, reappearing at Dreyfus' side. Should have attacked him when we had the chance.

He slid under his arm and helped him up. Retreating backwards, Gilthunder carried Dreyfus away.

"Sir Helbram, I'm leaving the rest to your hands," Dreyfus said.

"As you wish!"

"Seriously, getting taken out right away after that big entrance. I mean, who's ever heard of that?" Howzer asked.

"The Sin's even more impressive than I imagined," said Guila. "Because, thanks to him, even if it's just for the moment, we only have to face Sir Helbram right now."

"Surely the battle will go easier without those other two here, is that what you are all thinking?" Helbram ripped his tattered cloak from his shoulders and waved his sword through the air. The green blade was unlike anything I'd seen before. "Now that this is no longer a melee, I can do whatever I want."

"No, I don't think so," I said, my blade clashing with Helbram's. I growled in his face as we stood locked. Over Helbram's shoulder I could see Dreyfus throwing one last look back before him and Gilthunder disappeared around the corner.

"Estra!" Leraj cried but I ignored him.

We might have been outranked before but now, now we stood a chance. Kitsune had recovered my mana, Leraj was a master with a sword, and Guila and Howzer seemed ready to lay their life down for Diane and Ziel.

"You think you stand a chance?" he sneered, pressing, testing my resolution through the strength in my blade.

"I always stood a chance. Now it's just better," I responded, careful to keep my face neutral. His power reverberated through his blade. I still had to be wary because a wrong move, the wrong attack would open myself up to an attack from him. "I owe you for your insults at Vaizel." I shoved him back, sent him stumbling, and pointed my blade in his direction. "Get ready to taste defeat by my blade."