Chapter 99: Jiraxa’s first spark.
Lee wasn’t as fast as Mirax or the Haonians, but they were only few steps behind when he leaped off the edge, propelling himself forwards. On the way down, he felt the two thick spears swooshing past him, but was more focused on tucking the bag with sparks under his armpit and properly grouping up, preparing for the impact.
The fall of hundred yards was not going to last long.
He did miss the exhale part, though, not that it mattered. The horrifying sight of Mirax spasming on the flat rock in the middle of the lake, for a split moment made Lee forget where he was, but he was immediately brought back to the reality when he hit the water himself.
It wasn’t as bad as Mirax’s end. Apparently, in panic the guy managed to jump so far, he landed on the rock Jiraxa danced on earlier, instead of water. But the water wasn’t a cotton candy either. Lee knew his legs were broken even before his vision darkened, but solely on willpower he resisted the natural reaction, and somehow didn’t pass out.
Enduring the agony, he paddled with the one free hand, barely getting to the surface, and fortunately it was when Jiraxa arrived. The girl reacted first and went after him, even though her swimming skills were questionable, while the two devils on the shore stared at what was left of Mirax in disbelief.
"Take the bag!" Lee managed to hiss though clenched teeth.
Even if her intentions were good, it looked like he was better off helping himself. Besides, while he would’ve loved to pass out, he couldn’t let his cover to be blown. He was wet and it was hard to imagine whether he would still be able to play the old woman after getting out of the water. Fortunately the passionate devils didn’t care, at least so it seemed.
"I’m coming!" Arax shouted and rushed in the lake, his expression completely contradicting his actions. Neither of the brothers liked water, and Thorax didn’t even manage to get further than knee deep.
"We need to get away. Fast! And far!" Lee hissed, but this time because of burst of pain after Arax picked him up. The two huge hands were merciless, but in a way Lee was thankful for the rough treatment that didn’t let him loose consciousness.
"Can you walk?" Arax asked, putting Lee on the ground, and the latter had to use the last bits of willpower to resist the urge to curse him.
"You two! Use the shield as stretchers!" He commanded, "And go! I’ve no idea if the Haonians have ways to get down from the cliff. The guys are super strong – Slivax’s squad is in trouble."