Echoing Thunder

“Al, watch out!” Van yelled after pushing Timothy out of the way.

“I am!” Alastor returned without hiding his annoyance over Van’s unnecessary call. It was evident that he was not affected by his enemy. Overwhelmed with contrite, but in no way he was going to lose. The mercenary blocked another attack from Layla.

“Are you holding back?”

“No.” Alastor answered unsurely. Layla spot that uncertainty in his face.

“Are you holding back against me?” Layla asked again. Frustration began to rise. Those words were his impending doom.

“A little… yeah.”

Layla glared at Alastor that seemed to flicker a fire into burst and the skin on her forehead furrowed. The pattern of her attacks changed. From being nimble, Layla stride became straight up predictable.