“Marem, who is this?” asked Leo.

“Please, do not bother with such pointless rabble. I am Samuel, the silver blade of the night, the lord of speed, and master of the dual blade style.”

“He’s a living legend,” answered Marem.

“That is correct, I am one of the few so powerful and fearsome as to be considered a legend beyond time while still remaining alive. Now, as I said before, you two must come with me.”

“Is there any way we could just talk this out?” asked Leo. “I’m impressed that you already tracked us down, but this doesn’t need to be a whole fight.”

“The time for words has passed us. You are correct that this doesn’t need to be a fight, because you two can come with me peacefully. I am certain that it would do wonderfully for your prison sentences.”

Leo looked at Marem, both of them realizing that Samuel wasn’t willing to be reasoned with. They had hoped to avoid being caught for as long as possible, but it seems that they weren’t so fortunate. If they would be forced to fight, then Leo was prepared to do whatever was necessary to win.

“You seem to be an honorable man, so why don’t we do this properly?” asked Leo.

Samuel raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Leo’s question. “Your assumption is correct. But whatever do you mean?”

“Instead of fighting like barbarians, why do we not duel like gentlemen? If you’re willing, I would like to challenge you to a duel. Just you and I fighting until one of us yields. If I lose, then Marem and I will go with you willingly. If you lose, then you’ll let us leave,” offered Leo.

Samuel mulled over the offer for a moment. “Apologies, but I cannot do such a duel. I am honor bound, as such, I cannot allow you two to leave. It would be betraying my oath to the kingdom.”

“Then what about we still go with you if you lose. But in exchange, you not only don’t mention the duel, but you also speak in our favor during the trial.” Leo hoped that Samuel would fall for what he was planning.

“Hm, that does seem to be a compromise that wouldn’t betray my oath,” said Samuel. “Very well, I will accept your duel. Marem, would you please be so kind as to give us a count for when we should start?”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Actually,” interrupted Leo, “We do things slightly different in my culture. When two people agree to a duel, they must shake hands first. It’s a sign of respect between opponents, showing their willingness to accept their outcome without the influence of their emotions.”

“Ah, I would hate to disrespect your culture.” Samuel walked up to Leo, sheathing one of his daggers and extending a hand out.

Marem still had no idea what the hell Leo was talking about, but she decided to stay quiet and step a few feet away. Leo grabbed onto Samuel’s hand, giving him a firm handshake. But when Samuel tried to pull away, he found Leo’s grip quickly tightening until it threatened to snap his hand in two.

Samuel winced at Leo’s grip. “Not to be disrespectful, but this handshake has gone on for long enough.”

“I agree,” said Leo.

He pulled an arm back and hit Samuel in the face, hearing an audible crack as his fist smashed into the legend’s nose. Before Samuel could say anything in response, Leo hit him with another strike to the jaw.

“What the fuck! You broke my fucking nose you fucking prick!” shouted Samuel.

The living legend used his free hand to desperately cut at Leo. Leo could barely see the flurry of attacks that struck at his arm. He could only feel the hundreds of scrapes that accumulated on his wrist in a matter of seconds.

Leo kept striking the living legend, who was still cursing out Leo through the broken jaw and mouth full of blood. Leo made sure to hold himself back just enough to not kill the man. After a dozen blows to the head, Samuel stopped talking. The hand wielding the dagger went limp, stopping his attempts to cut through Leo’s wrist.

Leo knew that there would be no way to outrun a guy like this, and Samuel wouldn’t fall for the same trick again. If he was able to move at his top speed before attacking, his cuts could slice through Leo’s toughened flesh. That wasn’t even considering what he could do to Marem.

Leo took a breath before doing what he had to do. While holding a sturdy grip on Samuel’s hand, he snapped both of the legend’s legs. After he was certain that Samuel wouldn’t be able to walk, he crushed the man’s other hand. It felt extreme, but he needed to do anything possible to make sure Marem and him got away.

“Gods damn, Leo. You really didn’t hold back on that one,” said Marem.

“He wouldn’t have held back when it came to fighting us. Now, we need to get moving, he’ll be chasing us down the second someone heals him.”

“Alright, let’s get walking.”

“Not an option. I know it’s a bit awkward, but I need to carry you.”

Marem relented and let Leo pick her up. With her in his arms, Leo could move far faster than their normal pace. He began dashing through the forest path, desperate to gain as much distance as possible. The biggest risk to them was the chance of multiple living legends attacking. If he could escape Samuel, then they would be in the clear for now.