134 Blood Alley (1/2)

Round two against the Masked Rider was something I didn't think I'd be doing anytime soon. Yet here I was about to throw down with the sneaky little drow who'd supported Ardeen Spellweaver in killing his father.

I spent a few seconds scrutinizing my opponent and noticed that she'd changed her look somewhat.

She still wore that same ebony mask and hooded cloak she had during the last war, but she'd traded in her blackened steel chest plate for a snug leather vest and pants that showed off her lithe form.

I fixed my stance into the high-guard—both arms raised high over my head with both my hands gripping on the falchion's sword hilt in order to keep the shadowblade upright.

The masked rider mimicked my movements.

I exhaled a long breath and then did something I hadn't done in any of my previous duels, I sent out my killing intent first.

Well, it might not have actually been killing intent, more of a milder version really. Something like, I'm not going to kill you but I am going to hurt you badly.

Still, I think my message came across, and as the pressure of my not-so-killing intent reached the masked rider, I could see the surprise in her eyes. I don't think she'd expected me to have a much keener blade in the few short months were apart.

However, that was all the reaction I got. And in return, the killing intent she sent back at me certainly gave an I-will-see-you-dead kind of vibe.

But I held my ground as well. I wasn't the Dean of old. I was Dean Two-point-oh.

I gripped tighter on my falchion's hilt and waited for that instant to strike.

A bead of sweat dripped down my forehead.

My opponent stood unmoving save for the calm rising and falling of her chest.

It seemed our battle of wits had begun. But I really wasn't the type to wait around.

I inhaled another deep breath, and after releasing it back into the night air, I took a long stride forward.

In that same instance, the masked rider pushed forward as well.

Our blades formed an arch as they came down ahead of us in that instant that we'd reached each other's range.

We each released a single stroke that promised death to one of us it hit properly.

I heard the swooshing of shadowblades, felt the wind of my falchion's passing caress my face, felt my weapon bite into something soft, and then the pain exploded out of my left arm as a gash was cut into it.

With grinding teeth I continued forward, passing my opponent as I did. Despite the pain, my concentration peaked, and in the next half-second, I pivoted around and sent my falchion slashing sideways.

The masked rider had once again mirrored my movements, and our swords clashed in the space between us, shadowblades grinding against each other's edge.

Sparks flew.

Our shadowblades flew past each other.

I twisted my grip to the right and sent my falchion slithering back where it came from.

Our shadowblades met again in the center, once more grinding against each other with sparks flying more violently than before as the vibration of my sword increased its pace.

I felt like if we'd stayed in a sword-lock, my falchion would have come out on top. She must have sensed it too because she'd pushed her blade to break contact.

There was a third slash from the both of us. This time, my falchion had come slashing in on a more upward arc while hers leaned downward.

Sparks flew yet again.

The sound of steel grinding on steel like a chainsaw to a steel beam assaulted our ears.

Yet neither blade broke through the other.

Then there was a fourth slash but this time, it was my falchion that came down from above and hers that rose from below.

This time, though, we'd stepped into the attack and drew closer to each other.

I looked at her face, saw the minuscule movements of her drawing back, giving me insight into her next move. So when she came back in for a head-butt, I'd already pulled back.

Spirits, I love Fool's Insight, I thought, although my inner monologue might have been premature.

Pulling away had the double effect of unbalancing me for a second, and the masked rider failed to capitalize on that.

She kicked out at my inner leg, forcing my left leg to buckle and I found myself suddenly in a kneeling position.

I raised my falchion forward just in time to block her next katana slash. Then I pushed myself back up and pushed back against her sword.

She didn't resist my push. Instead, she'd let me move forward while spinning her own body around in order to catch my neck in a backward slash.

Luckily, Fool's Insight showed me it was coming, and so I ducked and avoided the attack that would have decapitated me.

I took this opportunity to switch to a single grip and then slash at her, but she'd pulled her stomach back before my shadowblade could reach her. At the same time, she'd sent the butt of her katana crashing down onto my head. I blocked this with my injured forearm.

\”Yowzah,\” I hissed as she grazed the wound on my arm.

While I had her there, I reversed grip on my falchion and sent it slashing back the path it had come from.

Unfortunately, she'd used her other arm to slam down onto the arm holding onto her sword like a hammer, breaking my stance and forcing me to withdraw my attack.

I was suddenly bent over, a position that would have been dangerous for most people. But, as my Fool's Insight was still active, even her flickering shadow was enough visual information for me to see guess her next move. So when her next slash came, I was already rolling away to the opposite side.

The sound of her blade crashing against the stone floor reached my ears, and with another exhale of breath, I leaped to my feet and raised my falchion high in preparation for another attack. But when I gazed out into the alleyway, I realized that I'd lost my opponent.

The earlier maneuver had forced us to switch places, and now I was at the far end of the alleyway and she was deeper inside it with nothing to stop her from attacking the people who were previously behind me.

This is exactly what she did. Instead coming back toward me, she'd run the opposite direction and toward Aura and the twins hiding just inside the back door.