I reincarnated in game

49 Showdown

Hugh moved in a purposeful manner, placing himself between Elizabeth and the person preventing her from giving aid to the wounded.  He turned and looked at the insolent man standing in front of him.  His epithet read, “Tom, Human Warrior, Level Twenty-Seven, at Full Health.” 

Elizabeth looked at the man who had stepped forward to be her champion.  She had seen him leave his companions to come to her aid; she saw the worried looks they had on their faces and the comforting touch the girl had given him. He had leaned over and whispered something in her ear.  When he turned, there had seemed to be no hesitation in his step.  There was a slight flicker of recognition in Elizabeth’s eyes.  It went unnoticed by anybody.

Tom assessed the man who had separated himself from the crowd and assumed a protective stance in front of the Saint.  He could see that this would-be defender was about his own height but not nearly as muscular; in fact, he looked almost too thin for his height.  Tom took in the interloper’s sandy blond hair and thought he wasn’t that bad looking for a half Crystal; his brown eyes had a very determined look in them.  He noted that the man was armed with a short sword.   

“And who are you?” Tom asked, derisively.        

“Those men need aid.  The Saint is trying to help them.  Please step aside … this doesn’t need to escalate,” Hugh stated in a calm voice.

”Fine.  If you want them to have aid, fight me for them.  If you win, I will let them go.  If I win, they remain my prisoners,” Tom said emphatically.

The crowd moved back to clear a space around the combatants then circled around so they could watch. 

Elizabeth was at the front of the bystanders, flanked by the two guards.  Everyone was watching the fight; the two guards were watching everyone.

Hugh would not normally have been one to interfere but he could see that the wounded men needed assistance and that the Saint was being challenged.  The guards were only focused on their mandate to protect their charge and would not engage the challenger because that would leave her exposed and defenseless.  Hugh decided it would be up to him … nobody else looked like they would be volunteering.  As he went to step forward, Judi touched him on the arm.  He turned and saw both her and Kenneth looking very worried.  “I’ll be OK,” he had whispered back to her. 

On his walk to intervene, Hugh thought to himself, “This is going to be an uphill battle.  That man is at a higher level than I am and he is a warrior.  I will have to be very careful.  Hopefully he will be overconfident; that may give me an edge.”

Tom drew his sword, and assumed an aggressive posture.  “This is single combat; no outside help for either side.  Victor takes the spoils.”  He turned to face Hugh.

Hugh drew his short sword from his scabbard and assumed a defensive posture. 

As Tom started to circle Elizabeth’s champion, he reflected to himself.  “I definitely have the advantage as far as weight and strength is concerned and my sword has a longer reach.  I probably have the edge with respect to experience because of my military background; I have no idea what his experience may be.  This should be interesting.”   

Hugh moved in unison with Tom, making sure that the latter was always directly in front of him. 

Without warning, Tom lunged forward with the point of his sword aimed at Hugh’s chest.  Hugh blocked the strike with his blade; Tom’s weapon was deflected harmlessly off to the side. 

Tom pivoted quickly and moved in for another strike.  Hugh parried the blow off to the other side.

“So you actually do have a little skill with the sword,” Tom observed.

Hugh nodded very slightly. 

“So show me what you got,” Tom responded.  He assumed a wide stance and held his sword at his side, pointing upward; then he beckoned to invite Hugh to try something.  They were standing about ten feet apart.

Hugh was holding his short sword in his right hand, ready to attack.  He moved his left hand to the belt at his waist.  He took a deep breath; then charged forward suddenly.

It wasn’t difficult for Tom to block his attacker’s weapon but he didn’t expect the blow to his chest from the man’s left hand.  At the moment of impact, a loud, concussive shockwave of wind hit Tom, causing him stagger backwards. 

Tom recovered his balance quickly.  A small grin appeared on his face.  He tasted blood; he wiped his mouth.  He retaliated by charging in to do an overhead strike.  Hugh blocked the attack with his blade.  While their blades were in contact, he grabbed Tom’s sword hand at the forearm which his free left hand; Tom did the same back to him.

“I see you have a few magic tricks up your sleeve,” Tom grunted to Hugh while each strained to ward off the other.

“Yes, I do have a few,” Hugh replied.  “Like this one!”  He flicked the button on the handle of his sword.  The lightning crystal responded by sending an electrical charge along the blade to the point of contact … it then followed Tom’s blade and sparked and sizzled when it got to the handle. 

“That one is not going to work on me,” Tom retorted.  His eyes flickered and arced with lightning.  He used his greater strength to force Hugh’s hands downward to chest level and then surprised him with a headbutt.  A brief arc of lightning followed the contact.

It was now Hugh’s turn to stagger backwards.  He grimaced to himself as he managed to regain his balance.  “At least that blow gave me a little breathing space,” he muttered to himself.  “Looks like this man has some thunder magic,” Hugh observed.

The two combatants went back to circling each other, like fighting c***s, looking for an opportunity to get the upper hand.   Every thrust was parried and each strike, effectively countered.

The sparring had been going on for about fifteen minutes.  Hugh came up with a plan in his mind.  It might be a little risky but right now, their dueling was at a stalemate.

Hugh stopped circling; without saying a word, he mimicked the way Tom had invited him to attack by beckoning to his opponent.  Tom was a little wary that it might be another trick but decided to take advantage of the opportunity that was being offered … he lunged forward and actually felt the tip of his sword connect in a blow that glanced off to the left of his opponent’s heart.  A blinding light radiated from Hugh’s body at the moment of contact. 

Tom’s lost his vision; temporarily blinded by the light.  He was wiping at this eyes with his left hand to try to restore his sight while keeping his sword moving back and forth in front of him to avoid a frontal attack.

Hugh deployed a distraction crystal imbued with the animal growls immediately in front of Tom.  Tom was distracted by the sound, but figured it was another ruse.  He stopped moving and held his sword ready; he needed to listen for any sound which would give away his opponent’s position since he could not see.  It was difficult for him to pinpoint the sound of footsteps because the growls were incessant.  Hugh took advantage of Tom’s confusion and stepped around him.

Kicking Tom at the back of his right knee caused both knees to buckle; he was in danger of falling.  While he was off balance, Hugh grabbed Tom by the collar and yanked him backwards.  Tom ended up flat on his back in the snow.  Hugh kicked away the sword which had fallen beside Tom.

Once Tom was on the ground he knew exactly where he was; it helped that his vision was slowly coming back but things were still quite blurry.  He saw movement when Hugh kicked his sword.  He reacted quickly.  Reaching out, he grabbed Hugh’s foot; he gave a it a huge pull, upending the standing man.  Hugh fell on his back next to Tom.

The two men lay panting side by side.  “It looks to be a draw.  You got some moves, kid!” Tom said with a tinge of respect in his voice.  “Even though there is no clear winner, I am a man of my word.  You can take the prisoners.”       

The two exhausted men each got to their feet.  Tom’s vision returned; he was able to see clearly now.  He turned to face Hugh and extended his hand.  “You put up a good fight … for a half Crystal.  My name is Tom Kingsley of the Kingsley Chamber of Commerce based in Manfar on Second Level,” he said.

“Thanks,” Hugh said as he accepted the proffered hand.  “My name is Hugh.  I come from Valari here on Third Level.”  Hugh turned and saw his friends approaching. “These are my friends, Judi and Kenneth.  We are staying here in Aldo for a short while.”  Tom shook their hands as they were being introduced.

Tom then reached into his pocket and withdrew an eagle medallion which he flipped to Hugh; Hugh caught it in mid-air.  “That is our family crest; if you ever need to contact me, just show that at any Chamber of Commerce.  They will be able to direct you to me.”

“Thank you, Tom,” Hugh replied.  “That is very nice of you.”

“No problem,” Tom replied.

As soon as Tom had declared the combat a tie and conceded to release the prisoners, Elizabeth once again asked the locals who had volunteered to assist the wounded men and remove the body of the deceased man to come forward. 

The crowd dispersed. 

Tom left. 

Elizabeth went over to where Hugh was talking with Judi and Kenneth.  “You have my thanks.  I must leave now; the king will be worried.  Be well; until we meet again.”

As she turned and walked away, she smiled to herself, thinking, “It might be sooner than you think, Hugh!”