Cling!
Fragments of steel flew amidst the pouring rain.
Clank!
Blood sprayed in viscous splatters, coloring the endless deluge with a slab of red.
Clang!
Marine's sword smashed into Duke Calon's blade. The deafening recoil slammed into her wrists, searing the nerves and muscles. She winced, refusing to relent as their blades were locked against each other.
Metal screeched, wailing with a sharp, piercing howl. Sparks flew everywhere as the frenetic clash of steel ignited the blades on collision. An unsettling dread crawled up her back. As the duke got used to her attacking patterns, it became more and more difficult to fight with her unconventional style. Duke Calon was relentless, continuously pressuring her with short, heavy swings aimed at her vitals. The speed and power of his attack forced her onto the defensive. Marine was given no room to maneuver except forced to counter and retaliate in a direct clash of steel. Slowly, she was getting pushed back. The duke's decision was logical—Marine's physique cannot be compared to his towering might.
Every time their swords met Marine was struck with a heavy reverberation that rippled down to her shoulders. Her bones and joints throbbed from the incessant blows. In pain, she took a step back. The uneven ruins and the pouring rain, however, rendered the courtyard into a slippery mess. Her heel slid just ever so slightly. A brief lapse in her concentration. A single microsecond of confusion where she nearly lost her balance.
That tiny bit of opening was all Duke Calon needed.
Without hesitation, he rushed in, abandoning the careful and patient exchange that he had been slowly winning. Marine widened her eyes. The duke's sword was raised skyward as he charged in with seemingly reckless abandon. His torso was exposed. An opening. She was desperate for an opportunity to take back the momentum. But Marine's instincts screamed, warning her not to take the obvious bait.
This is bad.
Reluctantly, she raised her blade to match the oncoming strike. Their swords collided once more. This time, however, Duke Calon's sword immediately sprung back up upon the clash of their blades. Leveraging the height, he plunged the sword down again.
Clang!
The onslaught continued. After the third strike, Marine's sword shattered.
She pushed off on her left leg. Duke Calon's sword cleaved the air beside her. As if expecting this turn of events, the duke immediately prepared a lateral swing. Like a snake locked onto its prey, Duke Calon's sword refused to let her escape.
In desperation, Marine leaned back, dropping below the arc of Duke Calon's sword. Strands of her hair were cleaved off by the vicious lateral swing. Not expecting the dangerous and unconventional move, Duke Calon was slow to capitalize as Marine reached for the pistol on her thigh.
In a flash, she drew and took aim.
Boom!
The deafening shot exploded over the rain. Blood sprayed. But Marine's desperate counter was not fatal. Duke Calon had twisted his body to the side at the last second—the lead bullet barely grazed the edge of his waist, stealing a chunk of flesh off his war-torn body.
He dodged that?! At this distance?!
Marine was already charging ahead. She moved to grab the spare sword strapped to the side of her hip, desperate to seize the tiny opening left by the duke's erratic movement.
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fanfiction"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
