The sound of his voice slowly stops reverberating around him. Norbert watched the figure as it continued to walk forward, not changing as Norbert's voice finished. Leaving the hall in an empty silence, almost longing for something to happen to fill it in.

Looking at the individual beside him, Norbert saw them stop momentarily, taking a blade out of their cloak. Norbert stepped backwards to gain distance as he looked at the individual, Norbert watching as the blade that came out lengthened, growing thicker until it was the size of a standard sword in its hand.

Taking a breath, Norbert unsheathed his own, the sound of metal scraping on the sheath as it exited reverberating around the hall, giving energy to the air around him; Norbert was now entirely focused on the task ahead, not to be bested by the figure.

Seeing the two pink appendages still coming out of its body, Norbert was confused at how the sword was still being drawn, held in front of the individual. He did not want to get further confused and possibly distract him, seeing the two pink appendages reminding him not to falter the energy coursing around his body.

Norbert kept it where it was as the figure came forward, taking several steps before swiping across. Norbert swiped his sword to the side, the clang of metal on metal reverberating all around him, feeling the shockwave travel up his arms.

Tightening his grip on the handle of his blade, stopping it from wavering, his hand became numb as if he had just hit his funny bone. Norbert looked out towards the figure, confirming his suspicions that it was unaffected as Norbert watched his opponent's blade stay dead still.

Gaining control again of his arms, no longer feeling as shaken, Norbert slid his opponent’s blade to the side; stepping forward, Norbert slashed upwards, the figure's blade halting it completely, slamming their weapon down.

Norbert pushed more energy into his arms to protect his body, allow it to propel forward, and reinforce it enough to take the strikes the figure was sending. Norbert instantly felt coldness creep inside him, spreading out his ankles.

Looking down, he saw they were still attached to his shadow, the same as before. Norbert looked up, bolstering it again, not to be distracted, knowing something was coming towards him.

Being distracted and unable to do anything, Norbert could only watch as the blade came for his stomach, the figure swinging it like a bat towards him. Placing his blade down in front of Norbert, only able to slightly deflect it as he felt it bite deep into his body.

The blade spun around so it was at the hilt as the figure launched him away. He was flying through the air; he dropped his sword in surprise as it flew away. Rolling No, Robert landed on the ground, sharp spikes of pain splintering everywhere around his body as he continued to roll on the ground. Norbert wondered how the figure could place that much power behind that one strike, far more than before in their quick exchange.

Lying on the ground, Norbert sighed in annoyance, the freezing feeling not stopping as he let it continue. He focused more on healing himself up before the figure appeared again and continued more with their beating.

Abating it as much as he could, not wanting to be completely frozen and weakened as well, not knowing what would happen when he woke up, face down on the floor again.

Looking down at his body as his feet became frozen, seeing his guts finally matted together, Norbert, having finished his healing, now focused on pushing back the freezing inside his body as much as possible.

Rolling over onto his side, Norbert on his stomach, he put his hands underneath him, ready for a push-up. Pushing himself as hard as he could, sending himself upright into a standing position, and taking a step back, Norbert balanced himself, getting used to walking again without being able to bend his knees at all.

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Breathing out once to calm himself, Norbert looked around, wondering where the figure was and if he was so quick and powerful, why couldn't he have travelled the distance of the hall quicker, rather than make him wait an agonizingly long time every time they met.

Taking a stumbling step forward to keep his balance, Norbert took out a dagger and a throwing one, hoping to get at least one shot off at the figure before he reappeared.

Norbert looked down at the ground, seeing the two pink appendages going ahead of him; Norbert thought he saw a pink spot on the horizon and not relinquishing control of the energy going around his body, not wanting to lose any more of his body to the freezing and the slip of control it could cause if he rushed it.

Breathing calmly, Norbert slowly stepped towards the figure in the distance; even now able to see it getting bigger and bigger, Norbert realised it must be moving quite quickly towards himself. He continued to breathe easily as he bent forward, slapping his leg with the blade's flat, slowly going lower and lower.

He confirmed the freezing sensation above his knee. Norbert stood still, not wanting to rush forward while part of his body was frozen. He stood there thinking, wondering how he could now push back against it, compared to all the other times, even recently, when even a tiny deviation would result in him losing complete control and being consumed.

Slowly shuffling forward, relieved when he felt his knee bend usually, having walked stiff-legged for so long. Crouching down slightly as he felt his knees move, a relief that he was winning the fight against the freezingness the appendages were causing him.

Standing still, Norbert could now see the figure, moving forward, gliding over the stone, with no movement in the legs area and no sword seen on them either. Calming himself, Norbert threw a dagger into the air before catching it, trying to keep his mind off the impending doom heading towards himself.

He followed it with his eyes, catching it as he thought about what would happen. Spinning the dagger in his hand, he took a step forward. The figure instantly appears only a meter away from Norbert. Taking a step back, surprised, Norbert felt the freezing sensation once more start again, only for Norbert to push against it, not wanting to be distracted.

Launching the throwing dagger out of his left hand, Norbert watched as it somersaulted towards the figure, their blade again appearing in their hand to deflect it. Norbert did not care about the result; he leapt forward, throwing another towards the figure.

Another dagger already appeared in Norbert's hand as he launched it, only a moment behind when he ran forward, impacting with the figure.

Expecting the two of them to roll away, allowing Norbert to get underneath the sword and stab away, he was surprised when he ran into what felt like a wall, Norbert bouncing slightly off him as he fell, sprawled on the ground. Feeling a sharp pain in his hand, staring down as he somehow impaled himself in the hilt of the dagger, not believing how that was possible.

Rolling away automatically, half his mind still in shock, not able to comprehend what happened to him or how he was on the ground. Not focusing on the wound, Norbert stood up again, the freezing in his body only slightly spread from the distraction; the further he went on now, the less and less effective it seemed before him.

Stepping to the side, the figure's blade coming down, Norbert takes another throwing dagger, not wanting to use the knife he received to take the sword on and possibly damage it.

Rushing forward, Norbert went between the blade, feeling it whisk by his body as he plunged the dagger into it, surprised at the little resistance he felt with it.

The blade efficiently sank into the body; Norbert stared at it as the sword approached him. He was stepping back but was unable to properly, something holding onto his hand that still had the dagger inside. Pulling his body as far away from the sword as possible, feeling the weapon bite into his body and cleanly pass through, cutting into his leg, taking out a chunk of it before arching away from his body.

Staring down at the stump that was his arm, Norbert looked down at his leg, the piece missing from his thigh, surprised at his clothing having been cleanly cut, not providing any resistance at all.

With shaky breaths, Norbert raised his eyes towards the figurehead, knowing that he was out of time, knowing he couldn't heal both of the wounds enough to help him with the fight simultaneously as fending off the cold constantly lapping at his heels.

They are biting the bullet, at least hoping to take the smile off the figure's face, either literally or metaphorically, not knowing the authentic look of it.

Charging forward, Norbert took another dagger out, feeling the sword become pointed right at him; not caring in the slightest as it impaled his body, Norbert instantly lost the feeling to his legs; without looking down, Norbert leaned forward onto the figure, he began moving his arm in piston motions, in and out into the figures back. Watching as it turned its head towards Norbert.

Darkness took over his vision, his entire body freezing, and his mind already losing the fight, slowing down like a windup toy on its last legs. I felt the figure's head leaning forward, whispering the single word "Next" into his ear.