Chapter 36: Your limit

Rylan watched Jakob's feet as it stalked towards him, careful strides that inflicted fear into him. Rylan tried to moving, he tried to stand to his feet but his body felt like it weighed ten tons, every muscle ached, his fingers trembled and he couldn't focus his Arkana or even feel it properly, He was finally feeling the repercussions of pushing himself as hard as he did, his throat filled with blood, choking him and making it almost impossible to breath, he coughed it out but it was continuous as the pain from Anel’s stab rushed in without warning. A scream muffled by his own fluids left his mouth, blood began to leak from the wound and once again he felt the effects of the poison laced blade.

Jakob stopped a few centimeters away from him as he writhed on the floor, unable to do anything but shift and shake in pain, A saddened look took over his features as he leaned down to check on Rylan.

“How're you feelin?” He asked, Rylan raised his head and the genuine look of sympathy in his eyes made bile rise into his already clogged throat. He coughed, droplets of blood hitting Jakob's face, Rylan threw a weak punch, he didn't move and the desperate attack hit. The look vanished and he rose to his feet. “It came a lot later than I thought it would but regardless, it came.” His voice lowered. “I wanna cry for your sake Rylan, you tried, you really tried and I don't know what the fuck that yellow light you showed was but it caught me off guard, Twice. Even severely weakened and injured you beat my strongest player, For that you will forever have my respect.”

“Fuck….you” Rylan cussed weakly quickly followed by a pain filled groan induced by a sudden burst of sharp pain, Jakob smiled.

“I'm glad you still got the strength to talk. Don't worry, I know it feels like you're going to die right now but I assure you, you will be back in top shape in no time.” Jakob turned to Anel who was recovering from Rylan's attacks. Four players had reached them, two ran to her, helping her to her feet and keeping her steady and the other two walked to Jakob's side.

“Are you ok sir?” One of them asked, worry creasing his brows as he looked at Jakob's bleeding ear.

“I most likely am.” Jakob chuckled lightheadedly, the effects of bloodloss starting to show. He turned back to Rylan. “Do you know why you're so powerless Rylan…You didn't know when to stop, you thought perseverance was all you needed to best me, You didn't know your own weakness. Even a gun stops being a weapon when you point it at yourself.”

The last couple of words were muffled to Rylan's hearing, his vision blurred and body went numb, he could feel his body shutting down in real time but there was something that stood out, Underneath the ground he could feel a mass of Arkana, faint but existing, He had not a single clue what it could be but regardless he gamble his life on it. It took every iota of his concentration to gather the miniscule amount of Arkana still present inside him into his palm then he poured it into the ground, Anel immediately noticed, she pushed off the two helping her and staggered to Jakob's side.

“Do you—” He lifted his palm and cut her off, his eyes fixed on Rylan's outstretched palm.

“Boss—” once again he interrupted her but this time with a warning glare, She nodded and took a step back, Rylan continued to pour his energy into the ground in gentle waves stopping only when he no longer had even an ember of Arkana within him.

“What’d you do?” He questions, taking a cautious step forward to get a better look, he leans down just as a gentle rumble sounds through the ground.

“Boss, step back.” Anel said calmly, already taking steps backwards. Jakob didn't move, another rumble followed.

“Boss.” Her volume increased, still Jakob didn't move but the ground beneath them continued to rumble gently at two second intervals.

“Boss, that's too close, step back.” Again her warnings fell on deaf ears. Her eyes were wide, she'd experienced first hand what Rylan was capable of when he was given an opportunity and right now Jakob was giving him a very big opportunity. “Boss, please step back, I beg you.” A plea, Jakob finally turned to her.

“Relax Anel, he's too weak to do anything that could remotely harm—” The ground beneath them cracked and burst with enough force to send Jakob flying backwards.

“Boss!!” Anel screamed as the two players caught him and she immediately ran to his side.

“What the —” The players lost his words as he watched what could only be described as a dirt covered golem emerge from the earth, 4 meters tall, headless rocky exterior with joints connected by dried veins. Rylan had been thrown meters away and was now meters away, blood streaked down his forehead but curving his lips was an ever so subtle smile.

\[Level 3 : Earth golem\]

\[Unique scenarios : Escape\]

The notification popped into every one of their views as the golem turned its attention from them, its lack of sense meant that it relied exclusively on Arkana which would mean it would attack only those with Arkana meaning Rylan who had drained completely drained himself of his Arkana and Peter who didn't have any to begin with wouldn't be targets of it's rage. At the start of his action, Rylan was clueless as to what it is he had been doing but moments before it burst out of the earth he'd realized that below the ground rested a beast and as luck may have it, it was a Golem, He really was just a Lucky shut in.

“You fucking bastard!” Jakob cussed but the sound of his voice reverberated with amusement, he rushed forward, obsession clouding his ability to think straight, the Golem turned, it's reflexes insanely fast as it lifted its hand and threw it into the ground, spikes rose from the earth, Jakob skipped back and successfully dodged the first, the same method was barely effective against the second and the third pierced deep into his side, His blood colored the stone as a pain filled groan ruptured through him, he stumbled backwards but the Golem gave him no chance to recover, more spikes shot up but before they could reach him Anel pulled him back.

“No!” He screamed, the spikes formed had created a wall that separated him and the rest of the players from Rylan and Peter. “No!” He rushed forward again, tugging himself free from Anel's grip but was quickly swept off his feet by the players. “NOO!” He screamed as they threw him over their shoulders and hauled him away from the Danger of the Golem.