"All mortals must face death..."
Osenfort's right corner of the mouth lifted slightly, and he suddenly suggested:
"Do you want to have another match with me? If you win, I'll tell you something important."
"Compete in what?"
"Swordfight, to see who can kill the other."
With that, he bent over, his rough hand reaching for the earth beneath the snow, and then lifted a stone sword from the soil. This was the only supernatural power he'd shown so far, but Shard still felt he was just an ordinary person.
"Why would I suddenly duel with you?"
"Because you really need the information I can provide."
So Shard picked up the rusty longsword:
"Very well then, I hope you can say what you want to tell me before you die. If you die, I'll take your body and go to your estate to fetch the statue I want."
He actually knew Ston Osenfort possessed a certain degree of immortality, as Haila Osenfort had mentioned earlier that morning.
Clang!
