Silent War
Turning to look at the trees, he saw a familiar figure.
Cain was swinging his sword as though fighting an invisible enemy.
Thrust, parry, forward, back, Cain moved without the slightest hesitation. His dancing sword reflected sunlight so dazzlingly, it was as though he was slicing cleanly through the air around him.
Intrigued by his skilled martial arts, the elf quietly began to approach, but before he had taken two steps the knight stopped. Suddenly, he turned and pointed his blade toward the elf;
“For a warrior like you to approach me now, are you challenging me?” Cain’s eyes were closed, and he spoke with a meditative expression.
Ellen smiled and silently took a few steps to the side, but Cain merely turned with him, keeping his swordpoint perfectly aligned with the elf.
Ellen thought for a moment before backing away and circling behind the knight before closing in.
As though he had eyes in the back of his head, Cain didn’t turn and simply raised his sword again, pointing directly at the elf.
“How are you doing that?”
“Perception magic. I can detect living things within a certain distance, especially if they have magical attributes.” Cain still didn’t open his eyes.
“So you can see even in the dark, or when something’s in the way?”
“Mm. Closing my eyes helps me focus.”
“A useful skill indeed,” Ellen nodded. “If you’re free, could you explain the magic you learned when you were a paladin?”
“I’d be happy to, Captain,” Cain opened his eyes. “But are you sure you don’t want to fight first?”
“Not a chance!” Ellen laughed. “If it were a long-distance fight, I could beat you without even touching you, but if I let you get close it’ll be my loss.”
“Then, let me say this,” Cain looked serious. “I’ve been thinking about it, and although there’s no way to recover your reduced magical resistance, you can make up for it in other ways. For example, improving physically, and actively strengthening your defensive abilities. Even if you are hit, if you consciously focus on protecting your vitals, you can reduce the damage you take.”
“Cain …” the elf looked at him in surprise.
“I know elves don’t have much in the way of a physical advantage,” Cain smiled. “So, would you like to learn a few defensive moves?”
“Cain, you seem like you’ll enjoy being my teacher, am I right?”
“You could be right.”
“Then I have no reason to refuse,” Ellen smiled. “Where do we start?”
“First, let’s have a look at your strength,” the knight handed the elf a sheathed short sword. “Come at me!”
It was a quiet battle. Between a sheathed short sword and a sword, the sound isn’t harsh even as they’re clashing together. Cain was careful not to overpower him, and once he was sure Ellen could withstand his attacks, he shifted into a defensive stance.
Still, the tension of battle didn’t diminish.
The elf cautiously observed the knight, looking for an opportunity to strike, but he could only spot weaknesses just as Cain hid them, and they were gone before he could react. There was no doubt the knight had a disadvantage in agility, but as long as he didn’t make mistakes, it didn’t make a difference.
Nothing will happen if I just keep waiting, Ellen thought, and changed his strategy, attacking more actively. But he neglected his defense in the process, and was quickly stopped by Cain’s sword.
“One,” Cain said, and withdrew his sword.
Ellen understood the meaning of his words. If this weren’t a practise fight, then Cain’s sword would have killed him once already.
Two times, three times, four times. The knight didn’t say them aloud, but the elf was keeping count. Each time it was only the tip, or the broad side of the blade, and the contact was always gone the next moment. But if this were actual combat, every one of them would have been fatal.
Ellen didn’t consider himself skilled in melee, but he was very experienced in dodging. However, this confidence crumbled over the course of the fight. Cain’s calm style of fighting was designed to make his opponents panic and to create an opportunity to strike; he didn’t push when he had the upper hand because he was waiting for his opponent to expose themselves further.
How long has this fight been? Five minutes? Ten minutes?
Cain said he’d go easy on me, but-
Ellen felt a jab of pain in his chest.
“Don’t get distracted,” Cain’s voice held a hint of displeasure.
“Sorry,” Ellen took a deep breath and concentrated on the battle.
At the very least, I can’t let Cain be disappointed.
Be patient, minimize his number of ‘deaths’, and an opportunity would surely come.
Finally, after blocking countless strikes, the opportunity he’d been waiting for arrived.
A hole appeared in Cain’s defensive footwork, and the next time their blades met Ellen pushed Cain’s to the side, stepped closer to the knight and brushed lightly against his chest before falling to the ground.
“One.”
“You did very well,” Cain smiled, and held out a hand to help him up.
The elf had been utterly tense all this time, and the fingers holding his short sword were stiff.
“Ellen,” the knight spoke with a mild tone. “Sometimes you become too focused on ‘attacking the target’ and ignore your own safety. This tactic can make your attacks very accurate, but it comes with a heavy price. Also, you are more easily injured than others.”
The elf nodded, leaning against the knight’s shoulder and panting hard.
Of the original Unicorn Legion, he was indeed the member with the largest number of injuries. He’d always a.s.sumed it was because he was a weak archer, but apparently this wasn’t the case. In fact, it could be said that only luck had kept him alive thus far.
“It won’t be easy to try and change your fighting style at this point, but if you can, you should remember not to fight alone, and to listen to what your body is telling you. After all, not all wounds will fully recover after the battle. If you go all out in a single fight, you won’t be at your best in the next fight, and you’ll do yourself more harm than good.”
“Ah … I will try to change my habits … now that I think about it, I’m, hah, really lucky to have lived till now …”
The knight shook his head. “Your hand is a bit stiff, your breathing is too heavy; your shoulders and lungs are probably really hurting right now, correct?”
“Oh, you can tell?” The elf laughed hoa.r.s.ely. “Yes, that’s the gist of it. But my circ.u.mstances are rather unusual, so there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
“Those two points in the body are vital in a fight, so the matter of building up your strength again is essential. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” the knight frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to force you to this point just to expose the problem.”
“It’s not your fault … no, wait,” the elf looked up. “Just now, did you let me hit you just so you could stop the fight?”
“Oh, you figured it out?” Cain teased, his eyes narrowing happily.
“You …” Ellen stared at him, trying to look angry, but his heart was overflowing with a warm feeling.
“If you want revenge,” Cain grinned, “we can continue this in the afternoon- Mrs. Cavendish, is it time for lunch?”
“Huh?” The elf turned to see the Grand Mage’s wife a short distance away.
“Ah, before that,” the knight got down on one knee and secured the short sword to the elf’s belt. “… when I’m not beside you, let this protect you in my place.”
“Cain,” Ellen laughed, “thank you, but do I owe you anything for this?”
“As I’m letting you borrow it, you can just give it back when you don’t need it,” Cain replied. “I miss those fast-paced battles we used to fight with the mercenaries. I hope someday we can do something like that again …”
“Well, I’ll hold out for as long as I can, but I doubt our future enemies will be so easily dealt with.”
“Yes,” the knight stood up. “The road is still very long, and you are the most important part of our team. Ellen, don’t give in too easily, alright? I know you can do this … we all do.”
This chapter was so sweet! Could it be that spring has finally sprung for everyone’s favorite elf? I’m rooting for you, Ellen!
Whew! It’s been a while, but I wanted to get another chapter of TUL done before moving forward with TDO. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
~ ~ ~ Chapter 20 >>