>>6162816>You could scarcely believe your ears. Elric was seriously looking to spar with you? While the idea itself seemed ridiculous and perhaps even dangerous, you wanted to encourage this new, more assertive side of him. You feared that rejection might just lead to him reverting into his old, cowardly ways. Better to help build him up into a better man than to leave him hanging. “Are you serious? Fine then. Just don’t complain if I kick your ass.” “T-thank you, Lord Tristain!”
You and Elric put a few paces between yourselves as you prepare for your duel. You watch closely as he takes up a rather impressive sword stance. Elric’s blade is pointed towards you, close to his face, and his knees are bent, as if ready to spring forward towards you like an arrow. That weapon certainly does a lot of the heavy lifting in making him look intimidating. Still, as you watch Elric, whose eyes are narrowed and studying you closely like a hawk, you feel something unexplainable on the back of your neck. Has this boy been holding out on you? It looked as though he was seriously ready to give you the fight of his life. Now that would certainly be a surprise. You place one hand on the hilt of your axe, currently strapped to your back, and call out to Elric with a sharp grin.
>“Whenever you’re ready!”Elric launches towards you, kicking himself forward. He closes the distance quickly, sword low and ready to catch you with a thrust. He juts the blade forward, both hands on the hilt as he aims for center mass. At the last second, you step to the side, smacking the back of his head with an open palm. He collides face first to the ground, and does not move.
>“Hey, you okay?” You ask Elric. You receive no response. Shit, did you kill him? You nervously nudge his body a few times, until you’re finally met with what sounds like an unconscious moan. Oh, thank the Goddess. That would have been impossible to explain to the others. You stare at Elric’s blade, which was still firmly clenched in the boy’s hands even in this state. Maybe it really was just a piece of junk after all?“Oy! You knocked him on his ass pretty good, Lord Tristain.” You hear a voice call out from behind, and find four of Alvin’s men standing there. These were the same ones that had accompanied you into the Keep. They’d been a bit out of their depth for sure, but they still managed to help in their own little ways. That they’d even survived the night was a testament to their good fortune.
>“Of course. You saw what I fought last night. If those things didn’t stop me, it’s not like Elric here ever stood a chance.” You boast proudly while Elric convulses a slight bit on the ground.“Damn right!” The man who’d been wielding an axe agrees. “We wanted to find you, Lord Tristain. All we’ve been talking about is last night’s battle.”
