Mark

Pushing through the crowd that was now surrounding Jb I called out angrily,"Hey, Jb!" The man ignored my shout, almost automatically moving in the opposite direction. Narrowing my eyes I squeezed past multiple bandits, determined to reach him. It seemed the closer I got, the further he was. As if that makes sense,"Jb!" I tried again, no answer. Sighing my legs sped up until I was full on running towards him,"Jb stop right now!" His figure froze at my words, my own legs freezing in their tracks. Jb turned to face me, his face expressionless,"Did you just tell me to stop?" Gulping down my fears I reminded myself that Jinyoung was counting on me, and if I failed who knew what would happen to him. What's happening to him while I'm here wasting time. Standing straighter I lifted my chin slightly,"We have something to talk about, and trust me, you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Jb scoffed,"There is not much I want to hear at the moment." Nonetheless he began walking in my direction. Clenching my fists I anxiously looked at the crowd behind him,"I need to talk to you alone." Jb raised an eyebrow, a lazy smirk on his face,"Plan on killing me Tuan?" Rolling my eyes I pointed to the trees,"You won't want anyone to hear this." I added a shrug for good measure,"But if you want all the bandits to know about why you have to let Junior go the-" Jb's hand covered my mouth, my own hand instantly reaching up to smack his away. The glare fixed on me was returned in a second,"There is nothing that can make me let him go." Though he wanted me to believe he was confident I noticed his voice lower so no one but us could hear,"I am Jb, leader of the bandits. You have nothing on me, Mark. The only reason you have any type of power is because I gave it to you by bringing you here. Give up, you are not getting Junior back."

Pushing my chin up I shook my head,"That's where you are wrong. You gave me nothing. Everything I gained here was from my own will and you will let Junior go because a couple weeks ago you made a bet." Jb's angry expression crumbled for a second, I knew I had him cornered,"You made a bet saying that I would train for two months and then be taken on a rage that I would either pass or fail, in exchange for a punishment on Junior and I being erased or doubled." I cast a look at Youngjae talking to Hansol behind us,"I have a witness." Jb's eyes moved in his lover's, or ex-lover's(Youngjae hadn't said if he had broken up with him yet) direction before his face turned back to stone,"So? This bet has nothing to do with Junior being a traitor." Suddenly having a lot of fun I shook my head once more,"Wrong again." Jb flinched in what seemed to be shock. I almost smiled, having Jb in my control for a change was something I could get used to,"You see you said I could take anyone but Junior on the rage assignment. You also mentioned that a person would train me. Who did you mention?" I waited for him to answer. I could practically see Jb's thinking process as he muttered,"Junior."

"Junior." I repeated,"And those two months aren't up yet. That means Junior has to train-" Jb's hand went to his belt and pulled out a dagger I hadn't seen beforehand. He pushed me with his free hand and I stumbled from the surprise attack. Using his right foot he kicked me in the stomach, my body falling to the floor from the impact. The dagger swung towards me and my eyes shut. The expected pain didn't come. I opened my eyes to see the dagger placed in the ground a centimeter away from my ear,"I know what it means!" Flashbacks of Jackson chasing me on the night I got taken ran through my mind. Jb stood a few feet away from my head, looking down at me through narrowed eyes.

My mind immediately began to form a battle plan. I hadn't gotten this far to have him say 'I know what it means' and not get Jinyoung back. My right hand reached for the dagger. Grasping the handle I pushed off the ground and used my legs to steady myself. Jb now stood weaponless and only then was I aware of the sudden crowd that had gathered to witness what was about to happen,"Well if you know what it means-" I lunged forward, closing the gap between us with the dagger held away from me, blade first to block any throws to my face. My knee rammed itself into Jb's mid thigh. A gasp escaped the bandit leader but his stance didn't flinch. Taking advantage of my slightly shocked state he swung his left fist toward my stomach. Right foot first I barely avoided the blow,"-then you know you can't-" Moving the blade between my teeth I used both hands to grab at his wrist and forearm. Quickly twisting his arm he instinctually reached with his other hand to stop me. With him defenseless I used my left foot to wrap under his leg and squeezed, successfully causing him to fall to his knees,"-punish him while the bet is still standing." I spoke while securing his arms behind his back, my foot still pressed into his knee, keeping him on the ground,"Even though he did nothing wrong and you are just falsely accusing him." I added quietly, my voice slightly muffled from the dagger. I silently thanked Jinyoung and Yugyeom for never going easy on me during practice.

"So, I propose an addition to the bet." Jb grunted, falling still. I took his silence as the okay for me to continue,"Let Junior train me until the two months are up. Then, I will go on the rage you want and do whatever stupid mission you wish of me. If I succeed, every accusation you have placed against Junior and I must disappear, and a revote for leader will be held." Jb broke into sick laughter as the crowd I completely forgot about gasped. The man on his knees in front of me snickered,"What makes you think they will vote for anyone but me?" I shrugged, even though he couldn't see it,"I can be very persuasive when I want to be." That didn't make Jb happy, his arms struggling to get free. Not expecting the action my grip had loosened during my speech, giving Jb time to easily break away from me. My feet were swept from under me as Jb moved his leg across the dirt, tripping me in the process. The dagger placed in between my teeth disappeared, only to reappear against my neck,"And what if you fail?"

"Well......." Pausing for dramatic effect I cradled my legs near my chest before pushing on Jb's, causing him to fly off me. The dagger fell to the ground beside him. Making a run for it my fingertips touched the blade, only to stop as Jb wrapped a hand around my ankle and pulled me back. My chin collided with the ground and a groan escaped my lips. The weight of a body fell on top of me,"You were saying?" The weight disappeared and I quickly scrambled to my feet, not wanting to take any chances. Brushing the dirt off my clothes I locked eyes with Jb,"If I fail, you can do whatever you want to me. Exile, make me go on ever rage for the rest of my life-"

  "Kill you?" The interruption made me gulp. Hesitation is weakness, I reminded myself,"Yes, you can kill me if I fail." Jb perked up at the answer,"And this rage can be any task?" Don't hesitate,"Yes." A slight stutter entered my voice and I internally swore. Sticking my hand out I gave a small smile, a fake smile,"You give me Junior now, he trains me for the rest of the two months, then I go on the rage and do the task. We know the rewards for completing and the penalties for failing. Do we have a deal?" Jb's head tilted and I took the opportunity to scan the crowd. Youngjae caught my attention, a frown on his face. Maybe this isn't what he thought I would do. It's reckless, but in one way or another, it's Jinyoung's life or mine. After a while Jb took my hand in his and gave a firm shake,"Deal."

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WOOOOOOOOOOOO

I suck at fighting scenes I'm swooorrry

How are you all doing?

And not to make you sad or anything but the amount of chapters left in the book are going doooown!! Almost in the tens