Rhania gritted her teeth as a flurry of sword blows drove her back. The situation was the reverse from her fight with Glonn. Though she had the advantage in speed and strength thanks to her tapping the magical energies flowing beneath her feet, the orc was by the far the superior swordsman. His bladework was quick and flowing, making it difficult for Rhania to do anything but defend.

However, it seemed that he was not immune to fatigue. One of his swings was a little slow and her muscles strained as she put all her strength behind deflecting it. A loud clang echoed out as their blades met and the orc’s arms flew upwards, and Rhania stepped forward as she positioned her sword to thrust at the opening the orc had left. However, her instincts screamed danger as she readied her thrust and she widened her focus. Just as she was about to strike, she saw the orc’s leg flash. He had set a trap!

Her body screamed in protest as Rhania forced her feet to move. She abandoned her counter thrust and attempted to jump away, but the orc’s leg still clipped the bottom of her boots, knocking her off balance, and sending her tumbling. She rolled onto her feet and to her surprise, found that the orc had stood his ground instead of following up on his advantage.

“Your instincts and feel for the sword are good,” he remarked. “A few more years of practice and you would have been a formidable foe indeed.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” she said through gritted teeth as she charged forward again.

Planning out her moves when sword fighting had never been her forte. She had gotten this far by reacting to her opponent’s moves, but it seemed this foe was using that against her. She blocked a quick strike with her hilt and prepared to counter but saw stars and staggered back as the orc’s fist landed square on her nose.

“It’s frustrating, isn’t it?” the orc asked. “Finally meeting someone who can see through all your petty tricks.”

There was another exchange and Rhania was forced back to avoid being skewered. The orc, however, seemed content to win each exchange without pressing his advantage.

“But let me tell you, the frustration of someone who has worked hard to hone his craft being defeated by someone who only won because of their innate talent is far worse” the orc said. “You, who was born with every advantage and then spitting in the face of the Erdgart by refusing to hone your talents. You disgust me.”

“If all you want to do is talk, why don’t you put your sword down and we can hash it out?” Rhania growled.

The orc smirked. “I suppose you’re right. The time for talking is over.”

Without warning, he charged forward. His blows were quicker and rougher. Openings appeared in his swordplay, but Rhania found a shoulder charge or an elbow strike waiting for her if she attempted to exploit it. However, that was not to say she found her position hopeless. Her foe’s sword was slender and beginning to chip from the countless blows they had exchanged. Had it been a normal sword, it would have shattered long ago, but the fact remained that if both their swords were forged from outstanding metals, the sheer thickness of her sword meant she held the advantage.

Rhania saw an opportunity and struck at her opponent’s sword as hard as she could. However, the orc relaxed his wrist, deflecting her blow, and causing her to stumble forward. He planted his fist in her midsection, causing her knees to buckle. Rhania gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay upright as she forced herself into the orc’s chest.

This manoeuvre caught the orc off guard and Rhania was able to slam her head up into his chin, sending him staggering back. However, his arms reached for her, and Rhania grabbed one with both arms and pulled. They heard a sickening snap as she broke his sword arm at the elbow. The orc was able to toss his sword into his left hand and smashed the hilt into Rhania’s back.

The half elf gasped and staggered back as the orc swung his sword. Rhania sprang forward and swung at his sword. The orc grunted as the blades met and his snapped in the middle. Desperately seeking to end the duel, Rhania overextended herself and the orc kicked her legs out from under her. He flipped the remains of his sword around into a backwards grip and pressed his knee to her neck as she lay on the ground.

“Close,” the orc smirked.

Rhania struggled in vain as the orc raised the shattered remains of his sword. He was about to bring it down on her chest when he shuddered and turned around to see Ricar standing behind him with his dagger buried into his back. The orc reached for him as Ricar pulled the dagger from his back and drew it across his throat. The orc gurgled as Ricar kicked it to the ground.

Once the wiry man helped her to her feet, Rhania beheaded the orc’s prone body with a single stroke from her sword.

“Thank you,” she gasped.

“I think I still owe you a life after that,” he said as he picked the orc’s sword up. “This is beautiful. It’s a shame it didn’t survive the battle intact.”

“It’s still probably worth a fortune,” Rhania said and winced as the adrenaline wore off. She ached all over. “A more than worthy replacement for your sword if you reforge it.”

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Ricar picked up the snapped length of blade and examined it before looking at the mountains to the east. “I suspect only the dwarves have the ability to do that.”

He paused before handing Rhania back her dagger. “Thank you for lending this to me.”

“I must confess it felt strange not having this on me,” she said as she returned it to its sheath at the small of her back.

“Are you in a condition to go after Glonn?” Ricar asked as he glanced at her wounds.

“I fear he has come to us,” Rhania replied.

The wiry man followed her gaze and saw their quarry standing at the entrance to the temple. He was covered in sword wounds and watched them with unblinking eyes.

Rhania struggled to her feet and raised her sword. “He looks worse for wear.”

“My fight against the one you defeated was long,” he said. “But I have learned much. You would be fatally mistaken if you think I am the same as I was yesterday.”

“Your power has waned,” Ricar called out. “You can’t even turn those greenskins into abominations after you bent them to your will.”

“Perhaps,” Glonn allowed. “But I still have enough strength to defeat the two of you.”

“Why didn’t you go inside to replenish yourself while we were fighting your minions?” Rhania demanded.

Glonn smirked. “I have been told I have to do certain things to prove myself.”

“Then why send your minions to soften us up?” Ricar asked.

Glonn shrugged. “I think honour is meaningless in the quest for victory, but others do not share that sentiment. I was not told I could not send my minions after you.”

The bearded man raised the sword. “Let us get this over with.”

Without warning, he lunged at Ricar. Rhania placed herself between them, intercepting a blow that was aimed at his neck with her sword. Her sword creaked and she looked at it with concern. Glonn smirked and with several quick flicks of his wrist, drove the half elf back as Ricar scrambled clear.

Once the wiry man was safe, Rhania pressed forward. Though Glonn’s swordsmanship had improved dramatically, his skill didn’t come close to the orc that she had just defeated. However, her strength was flagging, and she wanted to end this quickly.

After several exchanges, Rhania managed to inflict several deep wounds upon Glonn. However, his new physique meant they were only flesh deep and healed within seconds. Her arms grew heavier with each exchange and she realized that Glonn’s immense strength from before was gone. She ground her teeth. Her opponent was fighting smarter, and she had rushed headlong into another trap. She stepped back and avoided Glonn’s sword by a hairsbreadth.

The man smirked. “Are you finally at the end of your rope?”

Without waiting for a response, he unleashed a savage two handed swing at Rhania’s midsection. Exhausted, she could only parry it. She heard her blade chip as Glonn’s sword struck it. The impact of the blow threw her into the air.

Her opponent was already charging her even before Rhania’s feet touched the ground. However, Glonn was stopped cold by Ricar, who had approached from his blind spot and drove his blade into his midsection. Glonn glowered at the wiry man before backhanding him across the face. He roared in agony as he jerked the sword out and cast it aside. Rhania saw his wound close up before Ricar’s sword even hit the ground.

“Cast your ridiculous inhibitions aside,” a voice echoed inside Rhania’s head. “Act now, or a new age of darkness will be unleashed upon these lands.”

Rhania gasped. The voice was forceful and sent chills down her spine, but she knew now what she had to do. She dropped to her knee and whispered. “Oh, Aertani, God of Light, Thy child beseeches Thee for the use of another of Thy miracles so that she might smite Thy foes.”

Almost at once, she felt a jolt of electricity through her body. She held her sword up to the heavens and it ignited in a blaze of light. Glonn, who was standing over Ricar and about to finish him off whirled around as she closed the distance. There was another sharp crack as their blades met and she was nearly blown off her feet from the force behind Glonn’s blow.

Glonn continued to rain blows down on Rhania. He was attacking from the top down, which prevented her from being thrown into the air, and her knees buckled under every hit. A crack had formed in her blade, and she knew she hadn’t much time left. However, her opponent, sensing his impending victory appeared to be caught up in a frenzy as he struck her sword with reckless abandon. She decided to conserve her energy and continued to defend.

It only took a moment for an opportunity to appear. Glonn too was running on fumes and hesitated for a moment before bringing his sword down. That was all Rhania needed to sidestep the same blow that he had struck her sword with a dozen times before. Her sword flashed out and Glonn screamed in agony as she severed his right arm that still clutched the sword as it fell to the ground.

Rhania attempted to finish her foe off but stumbled as she stepped forward, causing her swing to hit air. Knowing that he was defeated, Glonn spun on his heel and ran towards the nearby river with Rhania in hot pursuit. Exhausted and having to drag her heavy sword behind her, Rhania could not keep up and could only watch as the one armed man dove into the river without hesitation.

She was about to chase him when she saw Ricar begin to pick himself up. She then turned around and saw the sword lying on the ground. They had what they came for and didn’t know if any other minions of darkness lurked nearby. It would be foolish to risk it falling into their hands after everything that had happened in their pursuit of him up until now. Besides, Glonn was grievously wounded and would probably end up drowning in the river.

Her mind made up, Rhania trudged over to the sword and frowned, wondering if she could risk taking it. However, they couldn’t very well just leave it here. While she was debating what to do with it, she heard Ricar approach.

“I don’t know if it’s safe to touch that,” she sighed.

“Then perhaps we should just leave it here,” Ricar remarked.

Rhania saw something glint in the reflection of the sword and whirled around to see Ricar holding his shattered sword, standing over her. He cursed and lunged at her, and Rhania’s sword fell out of her hand as they both tumbled to the ground. She kept her hand clamped firmly around Ricar’s wrist as the pair grappled on the ground.

Rhania tasted blood as Ricar landed a punch on her cheek. Summoning her last reserves of strength, she managed to kick him off and scrambled to her feet as she drew her dagger. Ricar let out a roar as he charged and swung his sword from the shoulder. However, in the heat of the scuffle, he had forgotten that he only had half his blade left and his swing fell well short. Rhania was able to dart in and stab him through the heart, knocking them both over in the process.

She watched the life slowly leave his eyes. When his body went limp, she rolled off him and looked up at the sky before letting out a frustrated roar.