Thorgar felt fury ignite within him as he glared at the nameless boy beside him. He had known for a long time that this nameless was just an unnecessary burden in their escape.
But it seems he was wrong. This nameless had turned out to be their doom.
Involuntarily the grip on his broken spear increased. His mind convoluted flashing scenes and in each one, he drove his spear brutally through the nameless's chest.
But then a single side glance from Draven, who was standing beside the Shogun with his hands crossed in front of him, made him look away.
Undettered, Princess Valerie asked. "So? What shall it be? A duel or just a gank from you all."
Draven in the native tongue said to Shogun. "She wants to fight."
To which, Bloodaxe sighed. His red, long hairs bobbled as he rotated his head. Then readying his mace, he shouted.
"Wherever we go, let the Earth burn!"
Even without realising he was doing so, David shouted the same words almost instantly, catching himself off guard. It was not just him; the others had joined in the chorus. It was all as if a sacred chant had been uttered, even though the three of them had no idea of the native tongue. And yet...this line was printed deep into them.
Shogun leapt in the air, his powerful arm coming down in a powerful slash. His mace aimed at the princess's head but missed her as she slid away from the range.
Then David saw something really incredulous. Instead of letting the mace continue it's momentum, Shogun pointed the head of the mace vertically downwards. The moment it landed, he summersaulted using the mace as a support.
Landing on his feet, he struck again. The princess was very close to him and as a result, dodging the strike and coming out unscathed didn't look like an option.
She dashed forward, her sword flashing out with a blinding speed. Shogun understanding her intent, halted mid step and brought his mace close to his body.
But he wasn't able to react in time as Valerie flipped her sword and with a powerful backhand, pummeled the sword pommel at the Shogun's diaphragm.
He choked in pain as he was pushed back from the strike. Valerie however refused to let her advantageous position slide away. Following his movements, she aligned her sword straight at his chest.
Already disoriented from the previous strike, he barely managed to move to his right. As if expecting just that, Valerie went down on her knee as she dashed forward and flipped her sword at his ankle.
A thin stream of blood gushed out instantly and Bloodaxe let out a slight grunt. Before Valerie could follow her assault with another strike, Bloodaxe rolled away his place.
Rising up, almost painfully so, he held up his mace. Taking a deep breath, he focussed on the approaching Valerie who was zipping straight at him, the sharp blade of her sword at his chest level.
Even as she approached, Shogun didn't strike. His aggression suddenly seemed to die down as he blocked the sword with his mace, resulting in a clanking sound that reverberated around them.
Princess Valerie's sword flashed into a flurry of rapi strikes. Gritting his teeth, Shogun blocked them all. Even though he had a heavier weapon, the vibrations he felt from each powerful strike almost made him drop his mace several times.
But somehow he persevered...
For several more minutes they exchanged blows as Shogun defended against all her strikes.
Soon, Valerie felt something amiss... as if Shogun was defending her blows a lot smoothly, almost effortlessly. Yet her face didn't show any expression under the war helmet.
Then suddenly...
*Boom*
The mace missed her by an inch as it slammed on the ground, sending cracks around them. She backed off immediately, reassessing the man in front of her.
"Not on my watch." Without turning around, she crossed her sword behind her as it blocked the shaft of the broken spear. Thorgar's eyes widened in surprise.
'How she know I behind her?' He thought inwardly as he was pushed back. He had sneakily tried to stab her but it seemed her self awareness was more than he had guessed.
Thorgar hurled the spear at her, thinking of giving enough time to Shogun by distracting her. However, before the spear could even reach her, Valerie vanished from her spot.
A metallic clink echoed from behind Thorgar as in the next moment, he felt his vision blurring. With a loud thud, he fell on the ground. Unconscious.
Above his fallen body stood Valerie. Her sword was raised horizontally, its pommel at exactly the same spot where Thorgar's neck had been seconds ago.
'Did she just...teleport?!' David almost blurted out the words as he saw something realistically impossible. He really was in another world, he realised.
In an indifferent voice, she said. "I see who you are...a follower of the Time Pathway. It's rare to see your kind, Shogun Bloodaxe."
Draven and Bloodaxe snapped their heads as they both looked at the woman in front of them with evident shock and surprise written on their faces.
Not because she had somehow understood Bloodaxe's pathway but because...
"Did you just speak in the...native tongue of the Ancient Deity?" Draven spoke with a queer vibration in his tone. In the native tongue.
"Surprised huh? I would say the fact that a Time Pathway user exists in the ranks of barbarians is more concerning." She spoke, her voice flat and monotonous.
"You get stronger the more you fight... that's why you were only defending against me." She added.
David and the other nameless girl stood cluelessly, esch looking at the other for any clarification. Then in the common language, Draven whispered. "They are here."
The next moment, the neighing sound of a horse rang through the field as multiple hooves thumped in the distance.
The princess continued speaking in the native tongue, "You are strong, I admit. But can you really defeat me?" She didn't wait for an answer as her form vanished from the place.
On instinct, Bloodaxe pivoted sharply on his feet as he turned around to block the sword strike.
"You really need to be foolish to believe I would do the same thing...again." As her sword descended, several needle like particles emerged from the edge of the sharp blade.
Each of them bit into the sore muscles of Shogun's forearms, drawing blood and exposing his tissues.
Bloodaxe gasped, as he let go of the mace.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" She asked.
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A/N: Got the contract. Thanks for your support:)