Chương 124: [Leo Vs Phil]

Leo came out of the tunnel to the sound of the crowd. The midday sun beat down on the dirt floor, hotter than it had been all day. It had only been a few hours since they'd arrived, but Leo was already done with the heat. I wonder if they have anything like ice cream here. I doubt it but you never know. I'll ask Shai after this. Phil came through the opposite tunnel with a smug look on his face. They looked at each other across the arena floor, and Leo smirked.

Not bothering to acknowledge the crowd, they walked to their starting positions. Phil started spinning one of his swords while they waited for Grimgar to begin the match.

"Wow," Leo said.

"Impressive. You should take up baton twirling when we get home. I'm sure you'd look lovely in a skirt." Phil laughed.

"Pot kettle mate. All you need is a trench coat and a fedora and the 'nice guy' look is complete." Leo laughed back. Grimgar raised his hand. Here we go, let's see what you've got. The hand dropped. Phil charged from the start, both blades forward, looking to land something early before Leo had found his footing. Stepping back and to the side to get out of the way of the rush, Leo brought the Sarren up low with the blade angled toward Phil.

He walked back in a slow arc, making sure not to get close enough to the arena wall, keeping Phil from being able to use both weapons at the same time. The push not finding the opening he'd wanted, Phil slowed and reset his feet. Waiting until he saw Phil's momentum stall, Leo threw a horizontal slash and stepped forward into a stab, extending his reach. A quick back-step avoided the slash and a sidestep beat the stab; with both strikes finding nothing, they separated briefly.

Phil came again—not the full charge but probing, looking for a gap to exploit. To keep the quick strikes from getting close, Leo kept his blade moving in steady parries. A lunge to the left, a pull back, then a swing for the right—Phil kept up the pressure, but Leo moved his feet, keeping his sword between them. He refused to let Phil get inside his reach while he waited for a real opening. Then Phil's right arm came back. Leo's eyes went to the blade. Really? You're leading with that? Go for it.

An immediate sidestep brought the Sarren around into a stab. If he could get clear of the throw, he'd catch Phil closing the distance with only one short sword, and the thrust would be right there waiting. He'd watched Phil do it already. He'd also seen Sam do it twice today. Phil had gotten an earful from Shai for it, which was probably the reason he was going to do it again. Phil's hand came forward. The sword stayed in it.

Lunging to the side as Leo committed to the thrust, Phil came in from an uncovered angle, catching him before he could adjust his shifted weight. The blade bit across Leo's lead arm before he'd even finished the motion. One. Oh, for fuck's sake. How did I fall for that? Look at that stupid grin. Leo laughed despite himself.

"Prick," he said. Phil tucked his sword under his arm, swept into a full theatrical bow—arm extended, head down, held longer than necessary—then straightened and looked directly up at the viewing platform. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Phil turned back to Leo with a stupid grin on his face.

"Nice moves," Leo said.

"You been practising that in the mirror?" Phil continued to grin. The shit-eating look was obviously meant to irritate Leo. It didn't; it made him want to get even. Grimgar's hand came up and fell. Leo came forward immediately, not waiting for Phil to settle, the Sarren already moving as he closed the distance. Phil got his blades up and Leo drove into them hard, putting his full height and weight behind each strike.

The Sarren was longer than Phil's blades and Leo used it, battering the guard wide with every exchange, each blow forcing Phil's arms further out until he was reaching just to keep the strikes off him. Phil gave ground and tried to redirect rather than take it straight, but Leo kept coming. Every deflected strike cost Phil a step backward and the next one was already on its way before he'd finished dealing with the last.

Phil's blades were moving constantly, catching what they could, but the pace was too high and the guard was starting to cost him more than it was giving him. Phil's next redirect pushed his arms out too far and the gap was there before he'd finished the motion. Leo drove the Sarren through it and caught him across the shoulder. One-one. Leo stepped back.

"Okay, I get it now. I get why you come out like that." He squinted and grimaced.

"That was you. Watching you try and deal with it was hilarious." He paused.

"Completely unrelated, but who are you asking to the dance?" Phil opened his mouth to reply just as Grimgar's hand dropped and the fight began again. He dropped whatever he was about to say and stalked forward. The aggression was gone, but it was replaced by feints, quick steps one way then the other forcing Leo to track him rather than standing in front of him with the Sarren doing most of the work. He wasn't looking for a way through Leo's guard. He was looking for a way to make Leo create a gap himself.

Leo watched him and stayed patient. He didn't chase, didn't take anything that looked easier than it should.

"You might want to start looking, man," Leo said, turning a low cut away.

"If you wait too long, you might end up having to dance with Luka or something. That big orc woman from earlier seemed to like you." He redirected a combination and stepped sideways.

"Dommy mommy type. I bet she'd make you call her mommy. That sounds like exactly the sort of thing you're into."

"Will you just—""No judgement, man," Leo said, moving around a thrust.

"Or if that's not your thing—" he dipped under a blade and came back up "—there are loads of beast-kin women here. I'm sure you'll find one. Or are you worried you'll end up being called a furry?" Phil laughed, just for a second, the focus slipping just enough that his next combination came from slightly the wrong angle. He recovered fast and threw a feint hard to Leo's left, convincing enough that Leo moved his full weight to cover it. Phil's blade wasn't there.

It came back the other way and Leo moved to follow it, weight shifting mid-step. Phil stepped in and Leo read it as a strike coming—started to bring the Sarren across to cover it—but Phil's lead leg swept into his instead. Leo's foot went out from under him. He felt himself going and fought it, trying to stay upright, but the balance was already gone and the fall was slow enough that Phil had time to step through and drive a stab into his side before he hit the dirt. Phil looked down at him.

"TIMBER." Leo landed, looked up at Phil standing over him, and gave him the finger. Then he laughed and got up. Two-one. They moved back to the centre for the reset. Phil looked across at him from his mark.

"Maybe you should call me David from now on. All I'm missing is a sling." Leo laughed.

"Sick reference, bro. Your references are out of control, everyone knows that." Phil grinned.

"I fucking love that movie."

"Yeah man, the bit where he's like 'you don't have enough bullets' is funny as fuck." Grimgar coughed, his hand already raised. Leo noticed and winced.

"Sorry man, we're ready when you are." He brought up the Sarren. The hand dropped. Phil came forward and Leo threw the first attack without thinking about where the next one was coming from. His feet moved and the Sarren followed, a diagonal cut that became a feint when Phil moved to cover it, the feint becoming a drive forward when the opening showed.

Phil got a blade across to meet it and Leo was already moving sideways, the next strike coming from a different angle before Phil had finished dealing with the last one. Phil got a blade up late.

"Okay, what the—" Leo kept going. Not planning, just moving, each thing becoming the next thing because it felt right. Feints when Phil's weight was in the wrong place, drives forward when the guard was wide, the Sarren's reach a constant issue for Phil who struggled to deal with the pressure. Phil's guard kept arriving just after it needed to, adjustments trailing a beat behind wherever Leo had already gone. He was off balance, scrambling, each dodge putting him in the wrong place for what came next.

Then Phil stopped trying to defend and lunged forward instead, driving a stab at Leo's chest to break the rhythm. Leo saw it coming. He stepped to the side and turned with it, the Sarren swinging around as Phil's momentum carried him past. The blade left a red line running down Phil's back before he'd finished the motion. Phil stopped moving. Two-two. Leo watched Phil turn to look at him. Then he brought the Sarren up slowly, tilted it, and slid it into an imaginary sheath. Phil stared at him.

"You fucking Weeb." Leo laughed.