The Reformation Wars: Conflicts Rekindled

Chapter 16

When Andre had first lunged at Manfred, he'd frozen in place, shocked that his dearest friend would even consider attacking him. But a mere second before impact, an invisible hand mobilized him, and whether that was only survival instincts or even a divine intervention, at any rate, Manfred side-stepped and retreated behind one of the thick stone pillars while he unsheathed his longsword.

Manfred held the long blade in front of himself as a deterrent while he watched Andre stumble to a stop and open his eyes in confusion at having missed his target. He jerkily glanced about to seek Manfred out again, and upon spotting him, he renewed his attack.

As was his custom, Manfred kept his sword in constant movement to defend himself. Andre's crazed onslaught taxed both Manfred's concentration and energy, but he managed to ward off every one of the incoming attacks. Knocking aside each wild swing proved a challenge, not through their precision, but because of their illogical patterns and lack of control. If one thing was certain, it was that no sparring session between the two had prepared Manfred for this.

Manfred frowned when Andre leapt into one of the pillars and subsequently pushed himself off that. He ducked just in time to avoid the airborne attack. Instead, he felt the blade barely skim over his longest strands of hair, quite possibly giving him a slight trim. Andre landed clumsily, and though in the process, he left his back quite exposed, Manfred refrained from taking advantage of the opening. After all, his only goal was to defend himself until his friend calmed down.

Andre certainly hadn't calmed down yet. Appearing thoroughly enraged by his failure to get a single hit in, he spun on his heel and charged at Manfred again. At first, Manfred raised his blade to block the incoming attack, but then he realized his close proximity to a pillar gave another option. He slid behind the stone barrier with one quick step.

The evasion had cost Manfred his ability to see Andre, but he heard metal scraping on stone, and subsequently a frustrated grunt. Manfred gasped when Andre abruptly spun around the pillar with a heavy blow coming in at great speed. He managed to raise his sword in time to take the brunt of the impact, but enough force remained for Andre to use Manfred's sword as a leverage point. His blade tore into the exact same spot on Manfred's right shoulder as Juan's had earlier. Andre deepened the wound his father had begun.

Manfred gasped and jerked his shoulder away. The pain he'd experienced there before returned with a vengeance, an itchy sensation overloading his mind with a compulsion to reach over and dig his nails into the wound. But with gritted teeth, he resisted and backed a few steps away, sword poised to bat away any further attack. Manfred struggled to ignore the tickling feeling of blood trickling out of the breach.

Andre charged in again with a two-part attack aimed first high, and then low. Manfred deftly countered both moves and also threatened with the point of his own sword to hold Andre at bay. Due to his blade's slightly shorter reach, Andre would be forced to contend with his opponent's weapon before he could press his own attack with any safety.

After a tense pause, Andre erupted into action again. First, he swung at Manfred's injured shoulder to draw his sword that way in defense. With his left side now exposed, Andre aimed a second attack at his ribs.

Manfred barely jumped back in time. When Andre pressed on with his assault, he shoved him away with a kick. He doubled over briefly to catch his breath, but he soon returned. This time, Manfred swept Andre off his feet with his own leg.

Andre dropped onto his back on the hard floor with a breathy grunt. But in only a second's time, he had already leapt to his feet again. As was his custom, he ran forward and engaged.