The fight between Kona and Nigel was over in a matter of seconds. It wasn't a fair fight to begin with due to her mechanical leg. Nigel was going easy on her, though; he was pulling his hits, but even so, it was a one-sided fight of dodge and riposte. After a few hits to the arm and leg, Kona dropped her axe and fell to one knee, admitting defeat. Though she didn't look ashamed or upset, she looked proud of herself. I suppose she wanted to see what she could do with her new leg. We all thought she would never be able to fight again, let alone run. His footwork was sloppy, but I feel like even as she is now, she could still beat an average warrior in single combat. Though, as for Nigel, he was just on a whole different level.
After her total defeat, Kona left the ring, and it was my turn to enter.
"Alright, Shinya. I hope you were watching how I was dodging her attacks. I want you to do the same. Your strength is overwhelming, so if you land one blow, you'll probably kill someone. So, if you just dodge and block, that's your best bet at prolonging the fight. So, I'm going to swing at you slowly at first and gradually go faster and faster; you have to dodge and block my swings. Got it?"
I took a wooden training sword and weighed it in my hand. I'm more inclined to fight with my bare hands rather than using a weapon like this, though I did buy those throwing knives. Even though I haven't had any use for them, I suppose it's convenient to hold onto them just in case. I swing the sword around in the air, getting a feel for how it cuts through the wind. The resistance was more than usual due to the wide, dull edge.
Kona watched from the side as we began our training. Nigel started with wide and slow swings that were obvious and easy to block. As the wooden blades collide, each swing comes slightly faster than the last. Swing by swing, clash by clash, the speed increased. I was able to block and dodge them well enough, but he kept getting faster and faster. I raised the blade to block an incoming swing, but I was too slow; his blade clipped my hand, and I dropped the blade. The fight was over.
"Try to focus on just dodging, footwork only, no sword this time."
"Do I even have to? If it's a real fight and the options are to dodge or die, wouldn't Wrath help me like he has in every other fight?"
"Wraths are more likely to grab the arm, snap it in half and kill the guy in three seconds of the fight starting."
As annoying as it was, he did have a point. Every time I used Wrath's powers to fight, I always went for the kill, whether I meant to or not; the results were always the same. Come to think of it, he's been silent for a long while now, as have my dreams. I remember Wrath telling me that communication was difficult, but why? My thoughts were interrupted as a wooden blade was swung at me from overhead. On instinct, my hand shot up and caught the blade, gripping it tight as it snapped in half.
"Oh shit, sorry, I wasn't really paying attention."
"Not paying attention? You just snapped the sword in half?"
"I couldn't dodge in time, plus a swing like that could have given me brain damage."
"So… wrath did that?"
"I guess so."
Nigel looked at me curiously as he walked over to where I had dropped my wooden sword, and he picked it up to replace his now broken one.
"Well, pay attention, we've got a lot of training to do."
We trained for hours until the sun started to hang lower in the sky. We were both exhausted, dripping sweat and heaving. My muscles ached with fatigue; I suppose that's something Wrath can't heal instantly. We returned for a lavish feast and spent the following day resting, though while Nigel still complained about fatigue from the day before, I felt perfectly fine. So on the day before the fight, Kona would train me instead. We trained in various methods of dodging and parrying strikes, since the warriors in this part of the world fight a bit differently from how they do down south. She taught me their methods of combat and how to dodge them. They relied on power over speed, intended to rend an enemy's shield and armour under the might of their blows. The task was simple: just don't get hit.
The day of battle finally came, and my opponent would arrive shortly. After a hearty breakfast, we waited in the arena where the fight would take place. As time ticked past, more of the locals gathered around, waiting for him to show.
The crowd was dense, and I could only tell he had arrived from the cheering by the locals in the distance. As they parted, he climbed into the ring. He was tall, about the same height as Kona. He had blonde, short hair and a beard, but his build was massive, with large muscles. He looked the part of a warrior; I just had to remember not to end the fight too fast.
He drew a sword from his scabbard as I picked mine up from the ground. We neared the centre of the ring and began to circle each other.
"So yee be the little shit that stole away me prize?"
I did respond, I just gave him the look that screamed, 'I'm going to beat you. '
"No words aye? Scared shitless seeing a real man?"
That's right, keep talking. The longer this goes, the better.
"How bout this little boy. Rather than kill ye, I'll take out a leg or two. Then take you back and have you watch Kona be pleased by a real man."
I stopped walking, I stood straight, I felt my shoulders tighten together. "I'll make you regret saying that, you piece of shit." Before I even realised I said that out loud, I reeled back with my sword behind my head and a leg up high. As if tossing a rock as hard as I could, I flung my sword towards him. It spun through the air and hurled towards him as he raised his sword in defence.
There was a loud clang of metal on metal. He slumped to the ground as he gurgled, and blood spewed from his throat as my sword was embedded inside of it. His own blade snapped in two. If he hadn't blocked, his head would have rolled. I guess I threw a bit too hard. I really fucked this up. I can't make it look like I wanted the fight to drag on, though; that might look suspicious.
I walked up to him, and he was still alive and breathing, his eyes locked onto my face. I reached forward and leaned towards him, gripping the handle of the sword lodged in his neck. I wasn't sorry. After what he said, he pissed me off. I leaned in close to his ear, his eyes almost bulging from his head.
"Nigel can block that throw blind… pathetic."
With a twist of my wrist, the blade slid through the few nerves and the few nerves and strings of muscle left clinging his two halves together.. Pulling it free, his body toppled and fell on the ground. I lifted the blade and thrust it through his torso, lodging it in place.
I looked around, and everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide and mouths agape. I suppose everyone expected me to lose, of course they would, just look at me. You would never tell that I had a demon giving me an unfair advantage.
Before I could say anything, the crowd erupted in a cheer. I expected them to boo, throw things, and hate me. No, they weren't invested in the outcome of the fight. They just wanted to see a fight.
A few leaps over the railing and into the ring, grabbing me and lifting me into the air as they cheered. From my heightened position, I saw Haralde watching from the back. She scoffed and walked away. I suppose she was the only one who actually cared about the outcome of the fight. Though I do hope L managed to at least get into the cave. I'll check on him later tonight. If he's not in his room, I'll have to try sneaking over there to save him.
As I was being hoisted by the crowd, I felt them shift under me as I was carried away above the heads of a few people as they chanted, "Drink, drink, drink!" over and over. I looked behind me as Nigel and Kona were following. Among the noise, I heard one shout, "A warrior is born". I suppose this is something to do with their culture, then. As long as this provides an adequate distraction for L, I don't mind.