Like His Brother
His sword clashed with the dagger, and sparks flew from the impact. Esvor shouldered into The Topple, knocking him off-balance, then slashed upward. But The Topple quickly retreated, stepping back and scooping a handful of mud from the ground. As he retreated, he threw the mud at Esvor's face, then lunged forward to counter.
Despite the mud blinding him, the Rebel-King instinctively rolled to his right, dodging the dagger. He wiped the mud from his face and readied himself for the next attack.
"Who knew the Rebel-King actually knew how to fight and not just fuck whores and suck high elf dick like his brother!" The Topple laughed.
"Yeah – who knew?"
The Topple dashed forward, his dagger aimed at Esvor's chest. The Rebel-King quickly raised his sword to block, the steel meeting with a harsh clang.
"Ooh, nice one, King!" The Topple said with a leer, twisting his blade to find an opening.
Esvor pushed back, deflecting the attack. "I don't have time for perverts like you," he replied, his stance firm.
Esvor struck out with his sword, spinning a full 360 degrees to gain momentum and increase the force of his attack. The blade sliced through the air, creating a whistling sound as it swung toward his opponent's head. The Topple parried with a quick flick of his dagger, then immediately moved in with a counterattack, attempting to stab Esvor in the arm.
But the Rebel-King was ready. He sidestepped, letting The Topple's dagger slash through empty air.
"You should be in Snow Fallen, King." The Topple licked his dagger. "Why are you here? Don't tell me – because of me? Aww, I'm flattered."
"Shut up, you good-for-nothing."
"You annoy me." His expression shifted abruptly, turning more disdainful.
The ground beneath Esvor's feet trembled, and thick branches shot up, wrapping around his legs and holding him in place. The Topple grinned, raising his hands as the earth behind him cracked and shifted. A large chunk of ground rose into the air, a massive slab of earth poised to crush the Rebel-King.
But before The Topple could bring it down, a sharp whistle pierced the air. An arrow, shimmering with an iridescent sheen, struck the chunk of earth, shattering it into rubble. A deafening roar followed the arrow's impact, echoing with the sound of a Lindworm's cry.
Esvor looked up, relieved, as Yuki emerged from the shadows, bow in hand. The scales on her bow glinted in the moonlight, the remnants of the earth falling harmlessly to the ground around her.
"King!" she yelled. "Watch out!"
The Topple muttered a high level spell, and a fierce gust of wind erupted from his hands, swirling with lethal precision. The air was filled with razor-sharp currents, cutting at Esvor's face, arms, and legs. He raised his sword, attempting to shield himself, but the wind slashed at him relentlessly, leaving thin, stinging cuts across his skin.
Despite the pain, Esvor gritted his teeth and stood his ground. Blood trickled down his cheek, but his grip on the sword only tightened.
When the spell ended, Esvor dropped to one knee, his sword plunging into the mud for support. He was breathless, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The cuts on his body stung from the remnants of the wind, and his muscles ached from resisting the force of the spell.
"A normal person would've died from that." The Topple said with a smirk. "I guess it's true. Even unblessed fucks like you get powerful."
"You talk too much for a braindead idiot." He stood up slowly. "Just shut up."
"As you wish, King." The Topple dashed toward Yuki, his dagger ready to strike.
Yuki reacted quickly, raising her bow to block the dagger's thrust. The metal blade screeched against the bow as they clashed. While he pressed forward, Yuki's other hand slipped to her belt, grabbing a hidden knife. In a fast motion, she slashed across his arm, forcing The Topple to stagger back with a curse.
"You cunt! Cunt, cunt, cunt!" The Topple held his wounded arm. "I'll cut your tits off!"
"Ooh, shiver me timbers," Yuki replied with a smirk. "King was right. You really do talk too much."
The Topple's eyes burned with fury. He lunged at Yuki with a ferocity that sent her backpedaling. His creepy smile came back as he swung his dagger wildly, forcing Yuki to parry with her bow. Each strike was more aggressive than the last, and it took all of Yuki's agility to dodge and deflect his relentless attacks.
The Topple's wounded arm didn't seem to slow him down. His strikes came in rapid succession, each blow meant to maim or kill. Yuki ducked, dodged, and rolled, but she could feel herself tiring.
As she narrowly avoided another swipe, The Topple's dagger nicked her shoulder, drawing blood. Yuki winced and stumbled, losing her balance for a moment. The Topple took advantage, going in for a killing blow.
But Esvor arrived just in time, slamming his sword against The Topple's dagger, diverting the strike. He pushed back, forcing The Topple to retreat a few steps, giving Yuki a moment to recover.
"Looks like he's a tiny bit angry," Esvor said. "Thanks for coming, Yuki."
"Always, King. And this bow is awesome!" Yuki was really excited. "It roars when I draw it back all the way and shoot! Can you beli –"
"Fuck both of you!"
The Topple grinned wickedly, clearly enjoying the challenge. He ran at them with a flurry of quick strikes, testing their defenses. Esvor and Yuki worked together to block and parry, but The Topple's agility and speed made it difficult to find an opening to counterattack.
Esvor swung his sword, trying to create space, but The Topple darted under it and went straight for Yuki. She parried with her bow, but the force of the attack nearly knocked it from her hands. Esvor moved quickly, thrusting his sword at The Topple's side, forcing him to leap back to avoid getting hit.
The Topple quickly created some distance between them and then hurled a fireball toward Esvor and Yuki. The fiery orb streaked through the air, its heat distorting the surroundings as it flew toward them.
But Yuki reacted faster than him. She used a high level enchantment spell, her bow glowing with a bluish light as an ice spell enveloped it. She drew back the bowstring and released an arrow, aiming straight at the incoming fireball. The ice-tipped arrow flew through the air and collided with the fireball, causing a burst of steam as the ice and fire exploded on impact.
The resulting cloud of steam momentarily obscured the view, but it also prevented the fireball from reaching its target. Yuki stepped back, re-nocking another arrow, while Esvor used the distraction to reposition himself for the next attack. The Topple's expression turned more aggressive as the steam began to clear.
"Thanks, Yuki." Esvor gave her a quick nod.
Yuki rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh, whatever will you do without me, King?"
The Topple glanced over his shoulder and saw other teachers approaching from across the courtyard. "Looks like it's time for me to go," he said with a smirk. "We'll meet again, King. And you, you whore."
He began to chant a teleportation spell, and Esvor ran toward him, trying to stop the pervert. But it was too late. The Topple vanished in a swirl of dark energy, leaving behind only a faint trace of his spell. Esvor cursed under his breath, his hand grasping at the empty air where his opponent had just been. The approaching teachers arrived to find only Esvor, battered and breathing heavily, standing alone in the aftermath.
"Yuki!" Tamiko yelled, storming over to her. "I told you not to run! What if you'd gotten hurt? Why didn't you wait for us?"
"Ugh – Tamiko-nee, come on…" Yuki rolled her eyes, looking annoyed.
"Don't 'come on' me!" Tamiko snapped, her hands on her hips. "What did I tell you? You idiot!"
"We'll talk about this later," their mother, Gale, said, her voice calm. "First, let's find somewhere safe."
"Yes, mother," they both replied in unison, glancing at each other with guilt.
Gale turned to Esvor, her eyes softening with concern. "Can you move, Esvor? You look pretty banged up."
Esvor gritted his teeth as he tried to stand. "I can... I think. Let's see who these mysterious girls are in the boys' dormitory."