Halonar

The Sound of Silence

Jack pulled another barb out. He was running in a circle, which under normal circumstances, was a laughable situation for a lost individual, but in his case, was completely intentional.

Another arrow flew past his ear, whistling as it went Thunk into a tree next to him. As his legs raced, so did his mind.

How would he beat Leand? He wasn't even on the same level. No, that's the entire point of this fight, of this whole thing! It's that thinking that caused you to lose what you love, you got a second chance, don't make the same mistake!

He slowed to catch his breath, but he dared not stop, for yet another arrow embedded itself in a rock near his foot. Sure, fantasizing about fighting Adaraians , even scheming against them, a plausible plan, but fighting them was an entirely different scenario.

You took down that hero Lyla, you're stronger than you think! He encouraged himself.

Right. He did manage to kill Lyla. Leand wasn't as easy, but surely there was some way...

He had to make a plan.

Whoosh. Another arrow.

He saw the troop carriage in the distance.

C'mon! Think! He thought. Suddenly, he remembered a children's story he read to Helen...

Helen. This for her. This is for your family!

It hurt to even think about her. But the story he read to her when she was young, it was about a noble hero, of course he knew better now, but a hero who had the ability to control water. He had a fatal weakness however... which was electricity.

Yes. Adaraians had weaknesses and strengths, especially those with elemental powers. There was just one problem.

Air was a neutral element.

Air didn't have any weakness, nor any strength. Air was just air.

No time. He ran up the carriage. The five soldiers were momentarily surprised, but quickly responded. They leveled the spears and drew their swords. Jack pulled out his barbarian sword.

The first soldier attacked, jabbing spear forward, Jack weaved out of the way, only to intercept a sword at the base of his. He ducked and slashed. The other three soldiers lined up behind him, forming a ring.

Jack took note of the fact that the two guards armed with spears kept their distance, a smart move considering you had a chance of stabbing your buddies rather than your enemy.

Jack shifted his pose. The grip of the barbarian sword was noticeably uncomfortable, but not unwieldy. It significantly dismayed him how little he actually used it. He hadn't held the damn thing for this long. Still, Wyatt's training was clear in his mind.

Then Jack tried something he never did before, a backflip.

Jack had seen Wyatt do it many times. And Kuhara danced like a butterfly when she did it. Wyatt made it look possible, Kuhara made it look easy.

He didn't dare suggest it was really that simple, or that he could do it. Wyatt didn't seem like one to discourage a student from learning.

Jack imagined Wyatt doing it, then he repeated his movement.

Jack sprung his legs. Launching himself over the heads of the confused swordsmen, landing right in front of an even more confused spearman. Jack arced his sword, slicing the man across the face. The second spearman took his opportunity, stabbing Jack.

The blue shield materialized yet again, stopping the spear completely. It cracked and fizzled partially.

Then Jack realized why he was weak. It was because of the numerous spells he had cast so haphazardly, including the shield one.