Huuuuu. I breathed in a deep breath as my eyes shot open showing Adam falling towards me with the tip of his swords pointing at my chest. Rolling on my side over my chain I am hurting but need to keep mowing if I have a chance not to be knocked out again. But that was not going well, I ran as fast as I could but I was quickly boxed in on both sides by two training blood slashes I quickly decided they weren't my biggest threat. Flaring my gray aura both internally and externally I leap through the right blood trail, tearing away much of my protective aura, as the ground behind me was torn up by a powerful and wide grey aura slash that was wide enough to even disrupt his previous slashes. His attacks were so frequent and aggressive that I couldn't get a second to think and if I tried to get in close I knew it would only end poorly.
I had tried to blind rush in to catch him off guard; as I had no idea how he would attack, but his straight punch to the face sent me flying into the dirt leaving a Meteoric shirt trail behind me and was his First K.O. Second I had tried to use more of the First Blood aura but I had lost control and the beast was released so I woke up with a sharp pain running through my chest and some slow healing wounds on my arms and wrists. Third was the first time he used magic; as I tried to run away to try and think, it was an Invocation that caused lighting to strike me down and that should have been enough to knock me out but he decided another punch to the face wouldn't hurt. The fourth time I tripped on my chain and that let him get a stab in my side letting him hit me with a spell I could bearly make out before I was blacked out. Fifth I had lost control and in my anger let the beast out, so again I just woke up with a sore neck and back.
This was my sixth time waking up trying to land even a scratch on him. But I am not given a second longer to think about it. I am only grateful that the spell that Adam had cast earlier wasn't just a healing spell it was a regeneration one allowing me to continue even with Adam attacking me like he is. Jumping up and back I dodge his slash and go for my pocket to get my book. Luckily it is well organized so I can get to one of the verses that has intrigued me for a while now.
""He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights."" I manage to finish the chant not a moment too late as I dodge Adam's downward slash with a back step. I take that opportunity to step back in with one of my own, Adam tries to backstep just the same but with my now enhanced speed, I can keep him in sword range. but that wasn't enough as a swing with the back of his blade towards my guard threw my strike off course sending it into the ground with the impact dirring it into the ground. From the corner of my eyes, I see Adam aim a kick to my head but with a strong leap from the still large amount of auras in my body I dodge and pull my sword out before it hits me. in the air, I knew I only had a few moments to get ready.
""It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure."" My chant was punctuated by the sharp screech of metal on metal as I managed to clash with Adam who had managed to reach me with that teleporting skill. I managed to hold out against him, and for a brief moment, I was able to resist him. Throwing a kick I thought I had finally caught him off guard but with a sudden burst of force I am flung back a few feet so my kick goes wild.
"When you get more experienced you are going to want to start applying enchantments before a fight." Adam said without attacking as we made our way back down to the ground.
"In a fight use Chants like this, ""He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows."" his continuation and chant raised fear in me as he hadn't used that invocation before. A small ember flared to life in his palm that was facing towards me. Then bursting from his hand a dozen bolts of fire we sent flying closing the distance between us in an instant. before I could react a voice that I had been ignoring screamed out from inside my head.
"Don't fight, dodge." The words were a bother but a bother I couldn't ignore as the bolts of fire were mere moments away. Trying my best I dodged the first few but soon I was cutting through the flames that I couldn't dodge. But through my swings and bursts of the flame bolts, Adam left my sight. The moment before I touched the ground I found Adam but that didn't fill me with any confidence as a sword swing followed by a thick wave of gray aura that swallowed my vision.
Waking up for the seventh time I was in pain all over even with the regeneration it was hard to keep my motivation up when even the feeling of my clothes brought pain and every breath smelled of blood. forcing myself up I see Adam walking down the path of gorged earth his steps crunching along the dirt and stones the sound made me fear for my bones sounding the same but I stand regardless. My mind was foggy and slow but that was only my mind.
"Listen to me now or this cycle will stay repeating." Nodding I lower myself into my stance ready to launch off in any direction.
"Grab the chain and begin swinging your sword." I let my hand go lax and the sword falls letting the chain run through my hand as the sword touches the ground I tighten up my grip. Adam stopped having only closed half the distance in that time but as I had seen and know this was still within his reach. I spin my hand as fast as I can swirling the sword and soon I have to adjust my stance so it doesn't dig into the ground. Our stand lasted for the longest yet a few seconds but that was soon broken as Adam took a step.
"NOW!" the Shout didn't need to explain more as I let loose and through my sword right at him. He ducks and dodges swiftly to the left of my sword. in that stance, he begins to charge and close the gap. When he was only a few steps away my chain went taught and the voice shouted out again.
"Quickly, pull it to the right!" Not willing to hesitate I turn my body vulnerable towards him as the taught chain snaps back as I pull with all my might. now returning with an equally frightening speed as it left my hand it still wasn't fast enough as Adam was upon me.
"Now, Swing The other side and intersept." His words were almost too slow as Adam swung down but I countered just in time he even used that pushing skill but it was not that useful against a chain as it managed to wrap partially around Adam's sword just in time for the sword to close in on Adam's neck.
"HaaaaaaH!" Adam shouted taking his right hand off the sword and backhanding my sword away but even without the shout I saw for a moment an opening.
"Now!" I moved a moment before I heard it with the distance between close to nothing I threw a punch with my hand holding the sword. But it wasn't enough adam turned his head towards me and I saw his hand begin to swing towards mine. I could only see my eighth attempt flashing before my eyes before a glimmer of hope began to shine.
"Fool Pull the chain." on Insting I invested everything I had left to that. pulling on the chain and as such the sword Adam was pulled off balance.
"Haaaaaaah!" I shouted as if I could make my strike faster or stronger but it didn't matter as I only grazed the side of his peck as he turned out of the punch landing his squarely in my side as the crunching sound of broken bones filled my ears, irony blood filled my mouth and my vision flashes white. I somehow stay on my feet looking at Adam how back a few paces outside of my range as I try and fail to bearly muster up any strength as even with the aura in my body it couldn't reinforce the fraction of my remaining strength into anything substantial. Stepping forward Adam's sword disappeared and he began to clap.
"Goed Gedoen" his words were like the the sign of the end as the strength left my body, I would have crumpled to the ground if not for Adam catching me and laying me down. Even as my body was recovering my strength was not enough to do anything but breathe my blood-filled breaths.
"You deserve a reward." Adam said cutting through the silence. I couldn't even look at him as I tried to muster my muddled thoughts against the backdrop of my beast cackling with laughter in my head.
"What technique do you want to learn? just ask and I will do my best to instruct you." Adam's voice gave me something to focus on.
"That teleportation one," I say with labored breaths thinking of how that technique was used to both save and greave me.
"tele ?.. ooh this." His words were the only thing left as he disappeared from my side and appeared ahead of me forcing me to lift my head and see him. nodding he smiles a sad smile.
"That one is a bit too advanced, but I did say so I will get you started." His words almost cause me to give up again but bringing forth his sword he gestures for me to do the same and I stand and do the same. Touching my sword to his after a few seconds it was blasted away again.
"This is a smite." He said as I recovered my stance and pulled back my sword now I wished I had asked how he teleported his sword around. But I can pull it back and as I instinctively shrink it back I stuff it into my pocket.
"You Condense your aura so it Burst against whatever it is touching." His explanation made little sense to my tired brain but my Beast seemed to get it right away and that scared me more.
"You can try this to get the hang of it." He said bringing up his sword arm and leveling his sword sideways. Putting a stone on the flat side of his sword, it stayed there for a second before being launched up into the air. After a second it returned and landed in the same place it was launched from. That demonstration was something I understood more but still left me confused about how I was meant to use my feet to do that and how I wouldn't just shoot myself up.
"Really, Well done, let's head back." His words reminded me of how tired I was and how long the journey back would feel.