Chapter 17 - Combat practice
Cantorn was hurled back by the previous clash with his enemy. He immediately caught himself in the air, already prepared for the landing. This was the first time that he willingly picked a challenge on eye level and he tried to turn this into some good combat practice. Ever since he was transported here, he had either won through petty tricks or sheer luck.
Today would be different. He wouldn't back down and he hadn't prepared any lifeline either. Should he lose today it would mean certain death, but it would also mean that he was just too weak to survive in this harsh environment. While he usually was advocating for proper preparation, this was different. This was his baptism of fire, his first and most important tempering. Failure was not an option, since it would mean his end, so all he had to do was win. Fairly easy, right?
The soft ground slightly gave in as Cantorn got back on the ground. He immediately set off again, rushing towards the beast again. However, this time he slightly altered his approach. Instead of immediately activating his 'Infused Dash', he acted a little more patient. Fully prepared to dodge the next attack that was coming, the half-dark elf dodged the beast's jaw with ease. Like a hammer, the bone-covered jaw swung towards him. However, with his agility boosted greatly by his daggers, he ducked under the strike. Only now did he activate his dash, charging straight for the beasts hind legs. His goal was to limit the beast's mobility by as much as possible.
Sloppy as his strikes were, the wounds that formed on his foe's legs weren't deep. Merely creating flesh wounds wasn't Cantorn's goal. While he probably would win through sheer endurance, it wouldn't do much for his combat skills. As he backed away, the beast let out an angry roar. It now began to move out of its defensive position. Unlike before, when it had merely tried to fend off his strikes, it now much rather tried to engage him. He swiftly dodged to the side as the beast charged towards him. Bits of grass, stone and forest ground spewed up when the beast came to a stop. Immediately retaliating, it charged again. While it wasn't closing the gap as fast as last time, he noticed that it appeared to be way more focused.
The giant jaw swung at him again. This time he wouldn't be able to dodge it, so instead, he tried something different. Moments before the impact happened, he jumped slightly up and backwards, all while crossing his arms defensively before his upper body. Now, with a lot less force, he got struck. While the force of the strike had been frightening before, it now turned out to be more than manageable. While he sustained some light bruises, Cantorn was able to balance himself in the air almost instantaneously nonetheless. By performing such a risky move, the dark elf wasn't only able to gauge the power level of the beast a lot better, it also allowed him to retaliate faster.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he activated his dash again. His enemy was still recovering from the previous clash and Cantorn surely wouldn't miss the chance to do some damage. This time he opted for some more significant wounds. As he rushed towards his opponent he leapt, grabbing onto the back of the beast. He immediately plunged his daggers into the neck of his foe, not only just to hurt it, but to hold onto it as well. The beast began bucking around when it noticed the unwelcome elf on its back, but despite its best efforts it didn't manage to throw him off. Cantorn slowly began to free one dagger out of the beast's neck. While that made holding onto his prey a lot harder, it also allowed him to attack it again. With one very precise stab, he blinded the brutish creature on the left eye. Blood and other disgusting fluids began gushing out of the wound.
Now he truly had drawn the wrath of his opponent. Doubling its efforts, the beast jumped around even more. The humanoid figure on its back then decided to ease the process a little, getting off all on their own. That didn't soothe the creature's anger a single bit, as it was still roaring full of hate. 'Haven't I been really nice right now?', Cantorn thought to himself jokingly. By now he know that the battle was practically won already. Preparing to finish the beast now, he began to charge 'Infused Dash' again. He felt like this was a good and especially versatile skill, and it definitely helped him win today. However, during the charge, Cantorn noticed that something was slightly off. The air around his opponent slowly began to swirl with mana, the atmosphere tensing noticeably. His guess was, that the beast was planning to end this here as well. Deciding to take the obvious challenge, the dark elf took off. The closer he got to the beast, the more he could feel the mana in the air. Just before he arrived, the muscular creature finally made its move. In what looked like a heavy effort, it lifted its two front legs high in the air. Cantorn immediately moved to the side, getting out of the direct striking distance. He wasn't sure what the beast was trying to do right now, but he felt rather safe as he know that he couldn't get struck by either its jaw or legs. Then the air suddenly got heavy. It felt like the weight of the beast had increased by tenfold, just for a moment.
Cantorn got completely caught by surprise. The beast dropped down its legs, but with an amount of force that shouldn't even be possible. As it impacted the ground, he felt like his brain got rattled and the bones in his feet shattered. His vision suddenly got blurry and all sounds were weirdly subdued. Having trouble staying on his feet, Cantorn fell to the ground.
His vision came back to him just in time. The jaw of the beast was swinging at him sluggishly, only missing him because reacted quickly. In a large effort, he managed to roll out of the way at the last second. Despair washing over him, Cantorn suddenly felt like he had gotten too cocky in his capabilities. As he tried to focus, he noticed that the beast was coming at him again. Nonetheless, he felt like he missed something. The beast was moving way too slow, and it seemed like it was having trouble moving. Its hind legs were also still bleeding a shit ton, same with its one eye. He still had a chance, no, he was even certainly winning.
Trying to end this now quickly, Cantorn got onto his feet. They were screaming with pain and he was sure that they were seriously messed up, but right now he couldn't care less. In an effort to end this as quickly as possible, he used the oldest trick in the book of dirty fighting. He threw dirt into the beasts good eye. It hit well and he could instantly see that it was now having troubles at locating him. While he hadn't wanted to use foul tricks like that, his life was still important. Ninety percent of the fight had been more than fair, so if he had to cheat a little during the last ten percent, well, who cared. Surely not him.
With a final move, Cantorn stumbled towards the beast. It seemed to notice him getting close but it couldn't tell where exactly he was, judging by the way it wildly swung its head. Expending just as much force as he could, he trudged the last few steps towards the beast. Calmly he set one of his daggers at its throat. It was a precise cut that ended the fight, severing more than just a few veins.
Bathed in blood again, the dark elf slumped down. This was a win. Far from a good one, and even further from a skilful one, but it was a win. One that he would enjoy and learn from, more than from any fight before.
First. Thanks for the chapter.