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For a few instants, both opponents faced silently, unmoving.
And suddenly, both blades moved in a blur and clashed.
And the duel began.
Those who were watching were surprised. Simeo was renowned as one of the greatest swordsmen of Hayjar, a veteran fighter that won countless fights.
And yet, Carrios managed to hold his own. Even though he was bulkier than the elf, the merchant striked and moved with a speed and ease that showed he was far from a beginner in the noble art.
At the sight of this fight, more and more people of the outpost came and circled to watch.
It looked like a strange dance, where bodies and blades moved in an instinctive choregraphy, which actually wasn't that surprising. Simeo professed that a duel and a dance were pretty similar: both were based on the principle of anticipating the actions of the other, after all. This attitude owed him the nickname of "He who tangoes with death".
After a few minutes, the "dance" began growing in complexity, as the duelists began resorting to more complex moves and feints, and using the environment at their advantage. It wasn't rare to see one kick a bag towards his adversary, or jump on a table to dodge a swipe and gain the high ground.
It was at this point that the betting began.
"Ten coins on Simeo!" exclaimed a colonist.
"You're on!" replied Rokk.
Quickly, many people had betted quite the sum on the mercenary, while Rokk was the only one to bet on his son.
Surprisingly, none of the Red Claw mercenaries betted, even though it was one of their comrades in the duel.
A duel that kept going for a bit longer.
And suddenly, the blades began moving even faster.
All the audience stopped talking, they realized the end was near.
A few more exchanges came, always faster and more complex.
And suddenly, Carrios, in a quick arc, twisted and ripped the sword out of Simeo's hand and pointed his own blade at the old elf's throat.
Silence befell all, as they looked astonished, at the merchant who had beaten the famous swordsmaster.
Until a sound broke the silence.
The sound of Simeo laughing.
"Bravo! Magnificent!" exclaimed the elf with a big smile. "It's good to see you haven't forgotten my lessons, Carrios!"
"And it's good to see that age still doesn't stop you from tangoing with death, Simeo," smiled Carrios as he put his sword away.
"Lessons?!" repeated many spectators, surprised. Simeo was known to be hired to teach swordfighting, but it was rare as his fees for this were extremely high, and they didn't really see a merchant being one of these students.
"When I was a child, my father and I had a run-in with bandits. After that, he decided I needed to learn self-defense and hired Simeo to teach me. He wanted nothing but the best and could afford it."
"And he's by far the best student I ever had," commented the elf. "The only one who managed to learn and master all of my tricks!"
Everyone understood now why none of the other mercenaries betted, since they surely knew of their comrade's student.
And the gamblers muttered angrily as Rokk collected his gains with a wry grin.
Art by buckdasystem
Carrios and Simeo © me
For a few instants, both opponents faced silently, unmoving.
And suddenly, both blades moved in a blur and clashed.
And the duel began.
Those who were watching were surprised. Simeo was renowned as one of the greatest swordsmen of Hayjar, a veteran fighter that won countless fights.
And yet, Carrios managed to hold his own. Even though he was bulkier than the elf, the merchant striked and moved with a speed and ease that showed he was far from a beginner in the noble art.
At the sight of this fight, more and more people of the outpost came and circled to watch.
It looked like a strange dance, where bodies and blades moved in an instinctive choregraphy, which actually wasn't that surprising. Simeo professed that a duel and a dance were pretty similar: both were based on the principle of anticipating the actions of the other, after all. This attitude owed him the nickname of "He who tangoes with death".
After a few minutes, the "dance" began growing in complexity, as the duelists began resorting to more complex moves and feints, and using the environment at their advantage. It wasn't rare to see one kick a bag towards his adversary, or jump on a table to dodge a swipe and gain the high ground.
It was at this point that the betting began.
"Ten coins on Simeo!" exclaimed a colonist.
"You're on!" replied Rokk.
Quickly, many people had betted quite the sum on the mercenary, while Rokk was the only one to bet on his son.
Surprisingly, none of the Red Claw mercenaries betted, even though it was one of their comrades in the duel.
A duel that kept going for a bit longer.
And suddenly, the blades began moving even faster.
All the audience stopped talking, they realized the end was near.
A few more exchanges came, always faster and more complex.
And suddenly, Carrios, in a quick arc, twisted and ripped the sword out of Simeo's hand and pointed his own blade at the old elf's throat.
Silence befell all, as they looked astonished, at the merchant who had beaten the famous swordsmaster.
Until a sound broke the silence.
The sound of Simeo laughing.
"Bravo! Magnificent!" exclaimed the elf with a big smile. "It's good to see you haven't forgotten my lessons, Carrios!"
"And it's good to see that age still doesn't stop you from tangoing with death, Simeo," smiled Carrios as he put his sword away.
"Lessons?!" repeated many spectators, surprised. Simeo was known to be hired to teach swordfighting, but it was rare as his fees for this were extremely high, and they didn't really see a merchant being one of these students.
"When I was a child, my father and I had a run-in with bandits. After that, he decided I needed to learn self-defense and hired Simeo to teach me. He wanted nothing but the best and could afford it."
"And he's by far the best student I ever had," commented the elf. "The only one who managed to learn and master all of my tricks!"
Everyone understood now why none of the other mercenaries betted, since they surely knew of their comrade's student.
And the gamblers muttered angrily as Rokk collected his gains with a wry grin.
Art by buckdasystem
Carrios and Simeo © me
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Male
Size 1682 x 1300px
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