Skah and the stranger circled each other.

Skah twirled his sword by a leather cord. Two feathers were attached to the end and they fluttered in the wind.

The stranger slid his feet across the ground, sword held ready.

Skah smirked. “Afraid to at-“

The stranger leapt, stabbing.

Skah grabbed his sword handle and blocked. The metals screeched against each other. His side was nicked and the skin frozen.

Skah ducked and hacked at a passing leg. The blade set the pant leg on fire.

The stranger rolled to the ground. The fire went out.

Skah backed off. His side felt tight. He glanced at it. The heat of his blade melted the iced flesh. A drop of blood trickled down his side.

The stranger stood up and patted his smoking pants.

Skah rolled his shoulders and glanced behind him. Chase stood up and looked his way.

The stranger leveled his sword.

Skah held his sword up. “You sword isn’t for sale, is it?” He edged towards his ox.

Skah’s brows creased. Why isn’t he intimidated? He thought.

The stranger lunged forward. Skah blocked, twisted his sword and tried to hook. The stranger pulled their sword back and slashed.

They exchanged blows. The swords screeching each time they touched.

Skah hacked and pressed towards the stranger. Their swords grated together and screeched.

Skah pressed harder, forcing his weight into the smaller stranger. The stranger’s sword touched his hood. Ice crystals spread across it as the sword was pressed down.

Each heard and felt a loud clicking from their swords. Skah’s sword dimmed and starting becoming red.

Skah jumped back.

Each of them checked their swords.

Skah’s quickly turned white-hot again.

The stranger ran a gloved finger along his swords length. He swung it about then settled into a stance.

Skah looked back up at the stranger and grinned. He swung his sword about and copied the stranger’s stance. His blood pounded in his limbs. Despite his sword’s heat, a cold seemed to grip his heart. The cold eyes of his opponent gazed at him over a frozen sword.

Lightning crashed above painting the world in white.

Skah dodged instinctively. Something hissed past his head in his blindness.

He slashed. His sword connected with a screech. His sight returned. He blocked a thrust. The stranger backed off.

Skah’s sweat steamed off him. He panted. He advanced and swept his sword at the stranger’s limbs.

The stranger parried each blow but was driven back.

Skah hacked with the back of his sword and hooked the stranger’s sword with the swing.

The blow knocked the stranger’s sword to the side.

Skah pressed his attack. The stranger parried but was taken off balance and slipped on the mud, falling to his knee.

Skah blocked a slash to his leg then lunged back as Chase charged from the side.

The stranger rolled away to his feet.

“Chase! Don’t get involved!” Skah turned back to the stranger and shrugged. “He’s getting impatient for his nap.”

“Your talk is cheap.” The stranger walked towards the center of the town.

Skah took a hesitant step after the stranger. Skah took a few deep breaths. This isn’t fun like I thought it’d be. He thought. Each of this guy’s attacks aims to kill. He looked over to where Chase was preparing for another charge. Thing is, he thought, that sword would make drinking easier.

Skah looked up to the heavens. “Isn’t there an easier way?”

A pattering of rain began to fall. Snow surrounded the stranger.

The center of town had mud-covered cobblestones. The stranger let his blade scrape over them. The wet cobblestones became covered in ice.

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Chase charged after the stranger.

The stranger side-stepped and Chase slid past him on frozen cobblestones.

Chase lowed as he crashed into a wagon. Water sloshed from the jars.

Skah groaned and walked to the edge of the cobblestones.

The stranger stood in the middle of the space. He motioned to Skah. “Why do you carry that sword if it pains you so much?”

Skah shrugged and a pained look crossed his face. He forced a wry smile through it and pointed his sword at the stranger. “You’re not worthy of questions.”

“If I give you my name, will you tell me?”

Skah raised his sword. “It’ll take more than that.”

Skah felt the pain in his side as the cut continued to warm. Perhaps a cool nap isn’t worth it. He thought.

He strode towards the stranger. Ice melted beneath him. He carried his momentum into his swing.

The stranger ducked. Skah’s feet flew out from under him on wet ice. He landed hard on his back. He rolled away as a cold blade stabbed down at him.

The stranger kept his wide base and slid over the cobblestones, following Skah as he rolled. A slash narrowly missed Skah’s neck.

Chase bellowed and slipped as he charged. His sliding body hit both Skah and the stranger, sending them tumbling.

“Chase! I told you! Don’t get involved!”

The stranger let out a grunt of frustration as he stood up. “This is supposed to be between me and you! Not your ox too!”

“Do you want a tissue?”

The stranger glared at Skah.

Skah grinned. “If it’ll be too much for you…”

The stranger raised his sword. “Just die.”

“Oh! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!” Skah held up his hand.

“What?!”

“We haven’t decided what you get if you defeat me.”

“Victory.” The stranger lunged.

Skah stepped to the side, blocked and backed off. “Really. I mean it.”

The stranger rolled his eyes. “Fine. Victory and your soul.” He slashed.

Skah jumped back. “Tsk tsk tsk, can’t give you my soul.” He ran down the street.

“Aaargh!” The stranger chased after. “Just tell me why you carry that sword then!”

Skah ran through the rain and into the brush and trees outside of the village.

The stranger followed after who was closely chased by the ox.

The ox snorted, the stranger glanced behind him.

He was only allowed a gasp of surprise as the ox butted him into the air. The stranger landed on the Chase’s back. Chase bucked and threw the stranger into a thicket.

***

The stranger shook his dazed head. He found himself upside down, tangled in the branches of a bush.

He wriggled and tried to pull his legs free. The blood had already gone to his head. He felt dizzy.

Something rustled on the outskirts of the thicket. He froze.

“Somewhere around here?” A voice said.

It was that big bare-chested boy. The stranger looked around himself. His sword was nearby in the branches. It had already frozen everything around it solid.

“Yeah, I can feel the chill. How about it Chase? Think a fire will root him out?”

The stranger’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Wait! Fight me honorably! I’m stuck!” He forcefully pulled his left leg free and his head brushed the ground.

“Did you hear that Chase? Me neither. Too muffled.”

The stranger’s efforts were redoubled. “I’m stuck! I can’t move! I’m stuck you coward!” He felt a wave of heat wash over him.

“Hmmm, seems like it’s too wet. It just smokes.”

Smoke drifted over the stranger and he coughed. He tugged on his right leg and tried to pry the branches away from around it. His efforts became frantic.

Rain pattered the bush leaves.

The stranger let himself fall back, panting. Calm down, he thought, calm down.

Something started hacking at the bushes. The pattering hiss of water on hot metal reached the stranger’s ears. More smoke drifted over him.

The stranger took a breath, then forced his body up through the branches. His clothes got caught. He struggled a little more and the branches let him go. He flipped himself up and over where his leg was caught and fell to the ground next to where his sword was caught in a bush.

He thrust his hand into the bush and frozen twigs shattered off. He grabbed the sword and rushed through the thicket towards the smoke.

To clear the last bush the stranger used a tree to jump off of. He landed and lunged at a prepared Skah.

Skah grinned and blocked the thrust. “Smoked you out like a fox, didn’t I?”

“I was stuck.”

Skah swung and the stranger parried.

The stranger cut at Skah’s legs and Skah dodged. “What is your name?”

Skah smiled. “That’s a question.”

“Fine, my name is Yuko. Yours?”

“Skah.”

There was a crashing in the underbrush and Chase burst forth.

This time Yuko didn’t dodge but jumped off Chase’s head at Skah.

Skah blocked and fell back against the flurry of Yuko’s fast strikes. The heat of his blade was wearing on him.

Yuko felt the advantage and pressed his attack.

Skah’s sword felt like a large log. His blocks were getting slower.

A feint jab from Yuko slipped past Skah’s sword. Everything slowed for Skah.

The cold blade screeched past his own. He felt the frigid blade’s tip puncture his stomach. The sweat on his chest turned to ice. He felt his left stomach muscles freeze.

The blade retracted as quickly as it came.

Skah saw the realization of advantage in Yuko’s eyes. Another thrust.

Is this the end for me? Skah thought.

The blade was coming for his heart. Something welled up inside him. He watched as the blade came for him. He angled his own sword and deflected the blade past his head. What little hair he had froze stiff.

With the hook of his sword’s tip he caught the small hand guard of Yuko’s sword. He stepped and pulled back with all his strength.

Yuko let out a yelp as the hot blade seared his hand. He let go as his glove caught fire.

Skah panted heavily. He was slicked with sweat. He winced as he awkwardly stepped forward.

Yuko had thrown off his glove. He eyed Skah. As if ready to begin fighting again. He glanced at his sword.

Skah shook his head and shuffled backward. “The sword’s mine now.”

Chase happily lumbered over near the frozen sword.

Thunder rumbled through the sky.

Yuko fell to his knees. “You can’t…you…” He covered his face with his hands.

Skah carefully stepped away with both swords. “I won.” He winced. The shallow wound in his stomach made it hard to talk. He held his own sword near it. He motioned with his head. “The scabbard.”

Yuko looked up at him and glared. “We only agreed on the sword.”

Skah clenched his teeth against the pain. “It’s part of the sword.”

Yuko stood up and glanced about him. He started edging away.

Skah stepped after him but stopped when pain lanced up through his chest. “Yuko.”

“I honored my vow.” Yuko started walking away. “I will defeat you again. Go ahead, take your nap, I’ll be waiting.”

***

Yuko pounded the tree in frustration. “So close,” he whispered. “I was so close!” he yelled. He kicked the tree and bruised his toe. He hopped up and down and hissed through his teeth. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!”

It had been about an hour since the end of the fight. He looked out from behind a tree at the road leading out of town. The road he had gone into town on. Skah had been taking the opposite road.

Yuko groaned. That meant he’d be retracing his steps. “They’ll get me for sure without the sword.”

A cow lowed. His head snapped up. Sure enough, Skah came from the trees and started walking down the road. His chest was bandaged and his walking was slow.

Yuko watched until he was down the road, then followed at a distance.