The Twice-Enchanted Blade: Part 17

After taking a breath, Rhombus continued his story.

“The hermit laid out the basic rules for the duel. Basic stuff, really, single weapon, no magic or enchanted equipment, not much seems to have changed in the duelling scene since the days of King Orion. One particularity was that the old man was to act as a referee, determining the winner – not that it would’ve helped me much, since a single direct hit from my opponent’s axe would’ve spelled doom.

“Before stepping into the designated dueling area, I turned to Gandor. ‘Your sword, ’ I said, reaching out with my hand. My bodyguard seemed reluctant, typical of him, really. He always did put my well-being before my orders. Oh, I don’t hold it against him, far from it, he saved me from many an idiotic decision, and at the end of the day, his allegiance is with the house, meaning at the moment my father, first, and myself second. Anyway, as a good bodyguard would, he asked, ‘Would it not be better if I went to fight, sir?’. He was right, of course, fighting things trying to hurt me is the entire point of his job, but I was getting fired up for the duel. I fought many huge monsters, and many skilled warriors, but never a giant – someone with an obvious advantage in strength but with human-level intelligence. That’s why I’m always pestering you about that duel, Clossar. Not to worry, with my curiosity satisfied, you can breathe easily for a while.

“Back to the story, though. I couldn’t let this chance slip by, so I had to become more insistent. A promise to keep the duel secret from father and a promise of extra payment when we return did wonders. With a non-magical sword in my hand, it was time for the fight to begin.

“A circle was marked on the ground, and we walked in. It was fairly large, which suited me well given that I had to remain mobile if I wanted to win. The biclops opened the fight by charging at me, swinging his axe horizontally. I ducked under the attack and turned, intent to launch a counter from behind, but inertia took him too far for me to reach. As he positioned to face me again, I attempted an offensive of my own, but he made a light swing, forcing me to switch to a dodge. His superior reach was becoming a serious problem.

“Offensive approach would yield no result, so I decided to focus on defense for the time being, hoping he would grow impatient or overconfident and make a mistake. This wouldn’t be easy, as my opponent was quick and aggressive. He went for an overhead swing and then, as soon as I avoided it, redirected his weapon to attack again. I didn’t have time to dodge this one, so I blocked, and the impact sent me stumbling backwards. With great effort, I redirected my momentum to avoid leaving the arena’s boundaries and managed to recover in time for his next attack.

“He continued with a rapid flurry of swings from various directions, which I barely managed to evade. His attacks were powerful and must have been taking a toll on him, but my dodges were, as much as I tried to avoid excess movement, taking a lot of energy. I began to wonder if I would tire before him and become unable to fight properly. That thought alerted me to the fact that I had fully gotten into the rhythm of his attacks and could, for a while, dodge mostly by muscle memory while attempting to formulate a plan. The biclops was convinced he had me on the ropes – poor fellow, how wrong he was – and was continuing a steady stream of attacks, waiting for one of them to land.

“I realized then that he was open the whole time, and cursed my own cowardice. There was ample room for counterattack, for as quick as he was, he swung his axe like a lumberjack. His attacks, however, had a psychological effect, as the sheer ferocity made me reluctant to be found anywhere in the vicinity of the massive axe.

“Focusing all my willpower, I prepared for a counterattack. The next time he attempted the overhead swing, instead of dodging to the side as I used to, I charged into him and plunged Gandor’s sword into his thigh.

“The biclops roared in pain and surprise, and I pulled the blade out and withdrew. For all intents and purposes, the fight was won. My enemy, however, didn’t give up yet, giving me an opportunity for a little victory lap. He attempted another attack, but with his leg badly injured, it was pathetic, and I dodged easily and slashed him again across the chest. Once again, he readied himself for a counter, and I sighed, readying myself to land a killing blow, when the hermit shouted ‘Halt!’ and declared me the victor.

“I insisted on getting the promised information immediately, but the hermit rejected me, saying we wouldn’t be able to enact the plan until tomorrow anyway, and he had to take care of the injured loser. There was no choice but to humor him, and an hour later, the old man fulfilled his end of the bargain.

“He began cryptically. ‘You’ve seen the Roc this morning. What does it look like to you?’ ‘A giant eagle, ’ I replied, ‘You deliberately drew my attention to it. I assume we are to be captured by it and taken to its nest?’

“The hermit laughed. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. The Roc wouldn’t even take notice of such a puny creature like yourself. Not even the biclopes are threatened by it, but some of their livestock is, which is why they keep roofs on all their enclosures. The Roc only goes after the largest game. Giraffes, dinosaurs and ’, he flashed a grin, ‘elephants’.

“At this moment, I figured out what the plan was. I didn’t like it a single bit”.