Sahara

Hrothgar Tradition: A Friendly Fight for a Demigod

I slowly stepped to my right, trying to size up my opponent, D'Taro. A skilled fighter finds their opponent's weakness first, and that was my intention. D'Taro mirrored my movements, stepping sideways in the opposite direction. We were both assessing each other, watching every move with careful precision.

Being smaller than him, making the first move was not an option. I needed to be quick, fast, and deadly. Just as I was calculating my next steps, D'Taro lunged forward. He was a huge, muscular man, and while I expected him to be fast, I was surprised by his speed.

In mere seconds, he was upon me, his arm extending sideways, holding his wooden sword. He drove it forward, but I managed to dodge it, stepping back swiftly. D'Taro lowered his knees and twirled around, and I saw perfectly what was coming. He aimed to knock me out using his shield. I bent backward to evade the swing of his shield and quickly pushed myself away from him.

As I created some distance, the crowd roared in excitement. Straightening myself, I cocked my head to the side, staring at my opponent.

"Well, well... He proves to be really good. Karth warriors really are amazing fighters," I muttered to myself. "But not enough."

I clenched my fist and took a deep breath. I had to be careful. Really careful. D'Taro began to charge toward me again, and I started jumping lightly, carefully assessing the speed and strength I needed to use. Watching his eyes and his movements, I calculated the space I needed to dodge his attacks and counterattack.

He closed in and swung his wooden sword from left to right. I dodged again, but he didn't relent. He continued swinging his sword while keeping himself guarded. He was really good, attacking without giving me an opening. But I knew he would tire soon enough.

As predicted, his movements became a little slower. It might not have been visible to most mortals, but to me, it was clear that he was slowing with each second, though his strength did not wear off.

He swung his sword again, and this time, I parried it. I saw it clearly then—a drop of sweat dripping from the side of his temple. I grinned and, with one swift move, struck him across the face with my staff. The blow staggered him and caught him by surprise, but he quickly recovered, raising his shield and closing any opening I saw.

He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, glancing at the blood. I expected him to get angry and charge at me again. Instead, he smirked and turned his attention back to me.

"It's been a long time since I saw my own blood," D'Taro said. Surprisingly, he dropped his shield and took a fighting stance. He changed the way he held his sword, gripping it backward. He inhaled sharply and exhaled through his mouth, lowering his body.

"Let's play."

We lunged at each other simultaneously, but I made the first move, swinging my staff upward. I missed him by a hair. He was a seasoned warrior, and I'd have been disappointed if he hadn't managed to dodge my attack. He countered by pushing away my staff before swinging his sword.

Our weapons clashed with a resonant thud, wood against wood, as we engaged in a series of rapid strikes and parries. I dodged left, then right, aiming a low sweep at his legs, but he jumped over it effortlessly. He retaliated with a powerful downward strike that I barely managed to block. The force of his blow reverberated up my arms, but I held firm, pushing back with all my might.

D'Taro grinned, clearly enjoying the challenge. He was relentless, pressing forward with a series of heavy strikes that drove me back. I had to be nimble, weaving and ducking to avoid his blows, looking for any opening in his defenses.

He swung his sword in a wide arc, and I ducked under it, using the momentum to spin and deliver a swift kick to his side. He grunted, stumbling slightly, but quickly regained his footing. I pressed the advantage, striking at his midsection with my staff. He blocked it with his forearm and countered with a punch that I barely evaded.

Our movements might have looked like a close fight to the audience, but one of us would tire first, and it would not be me. I found an opening, jumped, and then spun, hooking my kick to his face. He staggered but managed to grab my wooden staff, forcing me to halt my hit-and-run tactic. He pulled me towards him and drove his sword forward, but I avoided it just in time.

We exchanged attacks and dodges in close proximity. I could see D'Taro enjoying this friendly fight, and to be honest, I did too. As we engaged, I realized that D'Taro's secret lay in his ability to grow stronger and faster with each move. This was why he managed to strike my face, sending me into the air. I landed on my feet, breathing raggedly and feeling the stinging pain in my left cheek.

"Still wanna play, Your Highness?" he grinned, clenching and unclenching his fist.

Oh, mister. You just struck a Fabrik. That must have hurt. I could tell, even behind that smug face of yours, that an unexplainable need for an answer burned within you.

"I guess one of us needs to finish this," I simply answered.

D'Taro twirled his wooden sword between his hands, his game face on, and lowered his body again to prepare. I lunged forward, and he quickly put up his defense.

I faked a sidestep to my right, which fooled him. His body reacted, but it was too late when he realized what I aimed to do. I drove my staff down, targeting his shoulder. He took the hit, causing him to fall on one knee. I quickly followed my attack with another kick, answering his solid hit to my face. He rolled away and then got back up to attack. This time, I parried his strike, disarmed him, and delivered another kick to his body. He staggered backward and fell on his back. Despite being disarmed, he quickly got up, unwilling to give up this friendly fight.

Given the distance I created with my kick, I aimed at him, stretching my left hand forward while holding my wooden staff at eye level with my right. D'Taro was still disoriented after my successful attacks. I threw my staff with such force that it alerted D'Taro. While he was distracted, I executed my plan.

The staff missed him by a hair, but he was surprised. Before he could react, I had his wooden sword pressed against his chest. He looked down at me, holding his breath. He knew the fight was over.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. I stood tall, breathing heavily but victorious. D'Taro nodded, a grudging respect in his eyes.

"Well fought, Princess," he said.

I grin. "You too, D'Taro. You too."