Chương 95: Chapter 058 History Repeats Itself (Part 2)

Greaves' laughter echoed up the mountainside.

"Oh, I like you, my boy." He released the grip on Jack's throat and stepped back, sheathing his blade.

"You remind me of myself when I was young and foolish. Hungry for power. With my mentoring, you could be something great." He scratched his chin in thought. Shit, what is wrong with his mind? Having been released, Jack almost made the error of rubbing his sore throat with his healed right hand. He took a deep breath and forced a chuckle.

"Thank you, my lord." He dipped into an awkward bow, making sure to act like his tendons were still severed. This rogue skill is incredible. It shouldn't be this good. He'd read about the [Rogue's Tongue] skill in his past life. At level 0, it shouldn't be capable of influencing Greaves to this degree. Could it be interacting with other skills? I can feel that [M ultitasking] is allowing me to have two chains of separate thoughts.

"Very well," Greaves continued, his gaze drifting to Fenton's corpse as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Your group?" As he listened to Greaves, another part of his brain thought about how all his passive skills might be interacting. Hmm… it could be [Rogue's Tongue], [Convince], and possibly [Multitasking]. It has to be. These pseudo skills are amazing. He had realised the pseudo [Rogue's Tongue] skill was working in unison with the pseudo politician [Convince], and the pseudo administrator [Multitasking] skill. Jack swallowed, forced a calm smile, and prayed the name that bubbled to his lips meant something.

Baron Greaves repeated the question with impatience in his voice.

"Which circle are you from?" Jack took a deep breath.

"Viscount Daelrath's, my lord." His intuition indicated it was the right thing to say. He remembered the name Greaves had mentioned while torturing him with his own drow dagger. A chill crept down his spine at the memories and how close he'd been, and still was, to repeating that ending to his second life. He hoped Viscount Daelrath was from a rival circle.

"Hmm… Daelrath." Greaves repeated, the name rolling across his tongue.

"Why turn on him?" Jack didn't hesitate.

"I'm his bastard son… and I hate him, my lord." He lowered his head in fake humility.

"One day, I'll see him dead at my feet… at your feet, my lord." He bowed deeply. Greaves smiled, his teeth glinting at the response. As he opened his mouth to speak, a brass messenger drone shaped like a small scarab beetle arrived and landed in his palm. Without another word, he moved away from Jack before activating the rune at its back. He listened to the whisper from its aether-powered speaker. Two guards edged closer to Jack, watching him. He knew this charade wasn't going to last much longer.

This is my opportunity. He used pseudo [Heal] on his tendons again. The fibres reknit a little stronger, but they were still fragile and sore. He ran through his options; he didn't have many. Escaping or killing everyone isn't realistic. I'm already dead, but I can at least save my family. The thought strengthened his resolve. He had one hand missing, one arm that wouldn't hold up to the rigours of heavy combat.

His mana levels were high, but he knew by the time he'd stripped away Greaves' enchantments, he'd be dead. Not to mention, he had no weapons, and due to Greaves' stolen mage [Enhanced Shield], physical weapons couldn't hurt him. The only positives were that he had a [Chronos Sphere] scroll, a smoke bomb, and two blinding powders. Jack devised a terrible plan while watching Greaves access the drone message a dozen metres from him. It might work… it has to, for justice, and my family.

Halfway down the slope, between Greaves and the still yapping deerhounds, a grey wolf with one green and one amber eye appeared. It leapt onto a large boulder. Other than Jack, no one else appeared to notice. The guards continued what they were doing. The wolf stood majestically on the boulder and howled; the sound filled the air like a call to arms. The deerhounds below fell to silence, the horses whinnied in distress, but no one else noticed the wolf.

The wolf stared at Jack for a long moment, nodded, leapt down from its vantage point, and disappeared behind a large boulder. Jack's lips curled in a bitter smile. Whatever happens next… The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as Greaves turned back towards him; his face showed obvious signs of disappointment and anger. [Assassin's Intuition] flared. That's not good. He chuckled inwardly as his mind raced. The look the Baron was giving him told Jack everything he needed to know. I'm dead either way.

His lies were already unravelling. He took a deep breath and reached for the [Chronos Sphere] scroll. As his hand entered his jacket pocket, one of the guards thrust a spear towards his leg.

"[Chronos Sphere]," he whispered, and time slowed to syrup. I hate Greaves. I hate Greaves… Jack chanted in his mind as he sidestepped out of the way of the spear thrust and activated the pseudo goblin [Enrage] skill.

"Fuck!" He felt his strength increase and saw red, both literally and figuratively. Through the increasing rage, he kept chanting, I hate Greaves… in his mind to maintain focus on what was important. His view of the world turned red, as if he were experiencing a blood moon through a narrow tunnel. The burning rage welled within; it was all aimed at Greaves, the man he hated more than anything else.

"I hate Greaves!" he roared while ripping the spear out of the guard's grip. He ignored everything else.

"I hate him!" Nothing else mattered. His thoughts were boiling blood and single-minded madness. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He aimed the spear at the Baron and activated the [Pseudo Knight: Lance Charge] skill. Part of his terrible plan involved praying that a spear held with only one hand would be considered a lance.

"I hate Greaves!" he shouted again. He couldn't afford to lose focus and waste his limited time attacking guards. His target was the Baron; nothing else mattered.

"Greaves! Must! Die!" Another potential flaw in his plan was that he hoped the [Pseudo Mage: Enhanced Shield] skill the Baron possessed wouldn't stop people from interacting with the mage. If it did, it would mean a simple handshake or a pat on the back by a friend was impossible. If his plan worked, Jack planned to do far more than give the Baron a friendly pat on the back. Jack shot towards Greaves at a tremendous speed, the loosely held spear slamming into the Baron's bright blue pseudo [Enhanced Shield].

The spear stopped dead and slipped from his grip as his body passed clean through the barrier and crashed into the noble. Both men let out a choked 'oomph' as the impact drove the air from their lungs. In an enraged state, Jack had only one thought. I fucking hate you. The collision was so violent that his nose was pulped on impact. Though he felt no pain, he registered the wet crunch of his own bones and heard Greaves' ribs crack through the haze of stars in his red-tinted vision.

His momentum carried them both over the edge of the precipice, tumbling towards the raging river below in a slow-motion blur. As they fell, Jack punched at the Baron with both his fist and his stump. The noble's pseudo [Enhanced Shield] and his magical protections failed to activate from simple physical blows. Greaves' nose burst into a flourish of slow-moving blood.

"Die, you bastard!" Jack yelled as the white, churning surface of the river's rapids grew closer, and time returned to normal just before they hit the cold water.

"Die, you…" His yell was cut short by the impact. Greaves grunted in pain, and a look of panic crossed his bloody face as he and his attacker were submerged. Jack was still seeing red. Fucking die. Beneath the water, Greaves struggled with Jack for dominance. The Baron flailed his arms in panic to reach the surface for air, and clawed at Jack's face in terror as the rapids dragged them downstream. I hate Greaves. The one thought consumed Jack's infuriated mind.

Still in an enraged state, he felt no pain and ignored the Baron's blows. As Greaves struggled to the surface, Jack punched him with his stump, shattering teeth and cartilage. The two adversaries fought in the dark, airless habitat for supremacy, all the while the current threw them against jagged rocks, causing more injuries. Greaves winced as a sharp stone scraped across his spine, opening a deep wound. Jack didn't even flinch when his knee was shattered on a boulder as they were dragged across the rocks.

Greaves activated a pseudo healing skill, closing his bloody wounds as new ones were made. I hate Greaves. Still feeling no pain, Jack ignored the damage while gripping onto Greaves with his right hand and punching him in the face with his stump. He was still seeing red, the [Enrage] skill still active. The Baron's pseudo [Enhanced Shield] and other protections failed to activate under these conditions.

Both men surfaced and filled their lungs before slipping back under the raging river as they lashed out at each other. Bastard. Die. Jack screamed in his mind as he continued to punch the Baron as they were dragged downstream. Greaves fumbled to retrieve a dagger from his jacket while activating his healing skill. Though Jack and the river were causing damage to the Baron, much of it was being offset by healing. The entangled pair resurfaced for air before ducking under the ice-cold water again. I hate Greaves.

Still in a rage, Jack continued to punch Greaves with his stump, knocking several of the Baron's teeth out and tearing open the wound on his severed stump. He hit him again and again, while Greaves stabbed him with the dagger he'd retrieved. I fucking ha… Jack's thoughts were cut short as his rage began to ebb, and the pain returned like a bad nightmare. Fuck. What's… Fuck. His mind cleared of the rage-induced fog, and the space was filled with pain.

Despite his pseudo [Endure Pain] skill, the pain was debilitating. He knew he was dying; he'd taken too much damage. I won't let go. He punched Greaves in the mouth again, ramming his bloody stump into his mouth. Choke, you bastard. I will have my revenge. At the same time, Greaves regained his composure; he grabbed Jack's right arm and activated a [Pseudo Mage: Frost Touch] spell. Jack grunted in pain as he felt his arm freeze and break off against a jagged rock. Greaves bit down on his stump like a savage dog.

The noble smiled as he drank his attacker's blood. His wounds began to heal rapidly thanks to [Sanguine Pact]. His nose repaired, and his teeth began to regrow… As they surfaced above the water again, Jack glared at the recovering noble.

"No, you fucking don't!" he spat as he gulped for breath with burning lungs. He activated the pseudo [Fireball] skill through his stump straight into the Baron's bloody mouth. Fucking die, you murdering bastard. Greaves' protections tried to activate, but they were designed as an external, not an internal shield. The pseudo [Enhanced Shield] made things worse for the Baron; the fire was trapped and had only one route, down his throat. Jack offered a bloody smile as he watched the Baron burn. Die, you bastard.

Greaves' eyes bulged in horror as the flames incinerated his tongue, throat, lungs, heart, and other organs, overwhelming the Baron's stolen healing skill. Fire erupted from his eyes, nostrils, and ears. Boiling blood and brains mixed with the river water. The noble's flesh blistered and cracked. Jack felt his stump burn to the bone. He didn't stop. He clenched his teeth and grimaced at the pain while casting a second pseudo [Fireball] through his melting stump.

"I fucking hate y…" he howled as they both slipped under again. As they sank into a calmer and deeper part of the river, Jack felt a wave of power and a new skill form as Greaves died. I got you, you bastard. He smiled with relief. [System Message-Internal View] [Novice Blood Mage Class Levelled] [Novice Blood Mage (1)] He didn't care about the notification; all that mattered in that moment was that with the Baron dead, perhaps his family would be safe.

Jack sank to the bottom of the river with his blood spiralling into the water like smoke while his spent body convulsed and spasmed from a lack of air. He didn't fight it. He knew this was the end. I love you all… His vision faded as he remembered his family one last time. Mom, Dad, his sister, Polly, his baby brother, Richard, and his new little sister, Zia. Be safe… I love you all. Jack imagined them all in his mom's kitchen, enjoying a simple meal.

His dad was at the head of the table, and his mom smiled while she served her family food. Polly and Zia sat together laughing about something funny. Baby Richard was in his crib, gurgling away while trying to eat his own fist. Where Jack would normally sit was an empty chair and plate. The imagery tore his heart in two. In the cold, dark water at the bottom of the river, his vision cleared, and he saw an ornate door covered in intricate runes. The door opened, and there was a bright light.

The last thing he heard was the same female voice he heard the last time he died.

"So many mistakes." Jack died. Again!