Quick reminder: Tibaut was 5'11” and towered over the boyish man in drab robes before him. Yet he was the one feeling intimidated.

He had no words for his backhanded compliment and decided to do something somewhat tricky. The priest had come with a torch but he placed it on a part of the wall further away from them. The light was in Tibaut’s control from a flame he kept positioned at the top of the ceiling between them.

He ran towards the short and somewhat arrogant priest, throwing a punch. The priest backed away to dodge but the lights soon went out.

“Hmm- gueh!” He shouted in the dark. He certainly dodged the punch Tibaut threw at him but what he didn't dodge was another Tibaut threw almost immediately after the lights went out. He quickly backed away after it hit.

The lights came back on and the priest looked amused.

“That was a good one. But I wonder if it will work a second time?” He asked.

He wore a smile that was just begging Tibaut to do it. So Tibaut ran back towards him and was quickly forced back on the defensive due to their gap in offence.

He continued to block and parry blows but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

(“For such a short bastard why the hell does he hit so hard!?”)

Each blow wasn't on par with Elizabeth, Cormac or Albus but they had a deceptive bite to them, unlike those people. But they didn't hurt enough that Tibaut considered fully focusing on parrying.

He went for a leg sweep and Tibaut easily jumped over it. What he wasn't anticipating was a kick that sent him flying backwards. His gut felt like it was rammed by a scooter and he struggled to regain his breath.

“What was that?”

His descent felt odd but he couldn't tell what about it was odd.

(“It's ssssooooooooo obvious.”) The voice said, sounding like a disappointed teacher.

He tried to think about it but the priest was in hot pursuit with a smile on their face.

“It's nice to see you won't break in one hit.” He cockily stated.

He came down with a diving axe kick that Tibaut decided to block instead of dodging. The blonde prick was still airborne and Tibaut let loose a kick at approximately the point he would land.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Which made it all the stranger when he gingerly landed on his leg and used it platform to throw another kick. Tibaut narrowly dodged it but not without losing a few strands of hair and being forced to back away.

He essentially said screw after that attack and converted the flame that illuminated them into a fireball. The priest showed no concern and dodged while running towards Tibaut.

Tibaut quickly formed another light and several other fireballs and lances.

(“Screw this guy, I think I've seen most of his tricks to comfortably use my magic. Plus it doesn't seem like he can create projectiles with his magic.”)

Tibaut threw several smaller fireballs towards the small man, interspersed with a few fire lances.

The firelances were tricky but other than them he had no problems evading. As he finished jumping over the cluster he was met by the face of Tibaut.

Of all things, Tibaut gave him a headbutt, slamming his forehead with the priest's face and used the moment to launch a fireball. The priest resolutely stepped forward, avoiding the attack and Tibaut narrowly blocked the small fist aimed at his torso. He tried to sweep his legs but the priests jumped up and gave him a dropkick almost by instinct.

But with the priest now airborne, he fired a fireball he had formed behind him. The priest had noticed this for quite some time and with his height he was easily able to manoeuvre his body to avoid it. But as it flew under him and was about to hit redhead, it stopped.

(“What? I didn't-”) The priest briefly thought.

He was now low enough that he couldn’t manoeuvre his body to dodge it. Tibaut flung the fireball directly at him. He almost certainly knew this wasn't the end but at the very least, it'd heavily turn the tide in his favour.

The priest looked like he had seen a ghost and stared at the fireball dead-eyed.

And managed to duck it after falling to the floor.

(“Bullshit, that should have hit!”) Tibaut cursed.

The fireball continued flying down the hallway and an explosion was eventually heard, shaking the floor slightly.

It seemed he could only move his fireball once.

His kick clashed with the priest's and it felt like he had struck an iron pole.

He formed and fired a fire lance at the priest's side. Creating it in the priest's field of vision had him expecting the moment he made his next moves. He dodged it but the moment after the lights went out.

(“Screw it, losing a fist is more than a deal if I get to kill this guy.”)

He planned to form a fireball on his fist after punching but that plan would never come to fruition. He felt his entire body come to a standstill. It only lasted a second but the priest managed to land four blows within that time frame.

Tibaut was sent to the floor, clutching his chest. He shot off a fireball between them and Father Daniel backed away. The closeness of the blast left Tibaut’s ears ringing for a moment.

He returned the light to see the priest snickering. “Please don't use the same trick twice, it's quite boring.”

He stumbled to get up and leaned against a nearby wall. This was far from the worst he had been through but it would be a lie to say he wasn't hurt.

He kept his eyes on him and his hearing began to return.