Median and Eric clashed their swords, the heat from the fire surrounding them, drenching them in sweat.

“Hmm... There’s something odd about you.”, said Median, trying his best to push Eric back. He gave it his all, “I can’t push you back... no matter how hard I try!”, as he jumped backward and wiped his sweat off his forehead.

Eric glanced over at all the bodies lying around them.

“They really are alive... you can check it if you want to...”

Eric put his sights on Median again.

‘Oh... you’re wondering how I defeated all of them alone when I can’t even push you back?”

Eric looked around a bit, not being able to look into Median’s eyes.

Median sighed, “Maybe you’re just that good...”, and plunged straight towards Eric, who countered the swing very easily, making Median fall on the ground.

“Argh! How?”, Median screamed, as he got up and wiped the dirt on his battered clothes.

“Why does it not work on you?”

“Why doesn’t what work on me?”

Median sighed and looked at the ground, “Nothing...”

“That slave collar... are you here on orders.”, asked Eric while looking at the collar sadly.

Median nodded, “She asked me to flank! So here I am, flanking!”

“You should take this seriously if you want to put an end to this... please take me seriously.”, he added while taking a pause and gulping, “I... I don’t know if they took it seriously...”, he waved his hand around, pointing towards the bodies on the ground, “...but I beg you... please put a stop to this.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to pry but... but do you blame yourself for the things you’ve been ordered to do?”, asked a curious Eric, lowering his stance in the process.

Median stayed silent as he kept looking at the ground.

“Did you hear me?”

“I will do as I have been ordered to do. Flank.”

“What?”

Median looked at one of the royal guards on the ground, “This’ll work.”, and rushed towards Eric. He got faster, faster than Eric could’ve predicted.

“What?”, asked Eric again, as he found Median to be near his back, trying to flank him. Median slashed with all his might, but the effect didn’t last for that long as Eric barely dodged the blow.

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He looked at another royal guard again, before doing the same but instead of flanking he attacked Eric headfirst, clashing his sword with his.

“You’re stronger? But why are your eyes closed?”, asked Eric as he got pushed back, barely able to control his fall.

Median opened his eyes again and looked at another royal guard before closing his eyes again and striking Eric. Eric, on the other hand, found this whole deal very interesting. His curiosity got the better of him as he focused less on the fight, only focusing on defending himself to observe what Median was doing.

It took him a while when it finally struck him, he remembered how this guy ran away while stopping and looking back at Orph and only Orph but never at him. Maybe that wasn’t because he was too weak to be cared about when running away. Even now, he wasn’t looking. He even closed his eyes, sometimes missing his strikes but still taking his chance rather than opening them and facing Eric head-on.

“Maybe my curse...”, he thought to himself as Orph’s words of it being his blessing came to his head, to which he added, “... or my blessing is interfering with him.... with his abilities?”

Eric picked up some dirt on his hands and waited for Median to open his eyes again, and as soon as he did, he threw the dirt on his eyes.

“My eyes!”, Median screamed. Without giving him a chance to recover, Eric rushed towards him and pushed him down while taking his sword away. He got up and picked up Median’s sword and threw it away, as far away as he could.

Median smiled through the pain, with water in his eyes, “You finally figured it out?”

Eric nodded.

“Can you please speak; I can’t see if you’re nodding or doing anything at all...”

“Yes.”

Median laughed, “But you’re still going easy me...”

“You should’ve plunged your sword through me when you had the chance.”, he added while regaining his sight. He looked at one of the royal guards and got close to Eric and tried to punch him. Which he missed, none of those punches landed as Eric dodged them quite easily. Median looked at his hands and then back at the royal guard laying down.

“Why do I feel so... unskilled?”, he asked himself before getting punched right in his face by Eric.

“Ow.”

“Royal guards aren’t really trained in using their fists... for combat? I don’t know if they’re trained in using their fists for anything else though.”, Eric replied.

“That doesn’t sound very smart...”, said Median before getting punched in the face again.

“Ow! Can you stop?!”

Eric nodded a no.

Median looked around and found a sword that belonged to a royal guard, as soon as he scrambled to get the sword, he got tackled by Eric. A grappling match ensued, which resulted in Eric coming out at the top.

“You can’t stop me...”, said Median, with tears rolling down his eyes.

“I can.”

‘Yes, you can!”. Median pushed Eric away with all his might and got up while trying his best to catch his breath.

“Take out your sword and plunge it right through me.”, he added.

“I’m not going to do that.”, Eric replied while crossing his hands in disapproval.

Median touched his slave collar, “You see this? I must obey what she said... I have no choice... so please...”

“Exactly. You have no choice. Which is why it is not your fault.”

“Just do it! I must be stopped! There is no other way!”

“What part of me not wanting to do it do you not understand?”, Eric screamed as he rushed towards Median and punched him with all his might. Knocking him out in the process.

Eric stood there for a while and caught his breath before picking up Median’s body and tying his hands to a tree nearby with a rope. “Don’t worry... We will figure something out.”, he said as he left Median to report back.

He looked up at the sky, full of stars. Which he could barely make out through all the smoke.

“At least I hope we do.”, he looked back at Median before running to where he needed to go.