I held on to my spear tightly, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath. The sound of our spears clasping reverberated throughout the basement as Dimitri and I engaged in a fierce battle; I knew I was skilled in combat, but he was really good; his technique, his handling of the spear, and the way he handled it as if it were an extension of himself rather than just a tool were all perfect.
I froze, gasping for air, but I retaliated by striking his spear aside after Dimitri’s initial blow, which just stopped the tip of his spear in front of my heart and demanded my capitulation. With our spears clashing, we both started over, and although I fought harder this time, it was just too difficult to hit him since he moved so swiftly and gracefully. With a heavy sigh, he pulled away from me as his spear struck my neck, causing me to freeze. Dimitri pulled his spear back, and we resumed our battle. I was much more focused this time, avoiding and deflecting all of his attacks. He near
