Warrior (2)
T
hree minutes and fourteen seconds.
That was how long Jake lasted in the first fight against Valdemar before he found his skull crushed. Not even by an axe, but from a fist smashing his head into the sand so hard his face caved in. Three minutes and change didn’t seem like a long time, but when he mentioned it to Artemis, she had been damn impressed he had even survived that long.
At the beginning of their fight, Jake had held on well. He had kited Valdemar around, avoided his blows as best he could, and tried to get a read on the man. He’d tried to read his tempo, his tendencies, and his habits as he looked for any minor flaws or openings to exploit.
Jake had found many flaws and openings… Too many, in fact. Valdemar had been left wide open whenever he attacked, and he’d
