The first round ended without a clear victor, both panting lightly but far from exhausted. Skitz rolled his shoulders, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
"Alright, no more playing," the goblin said, flipping his daggers in a fluid motion before letting the faint shimmer of mana ripple over his form.
A whisper of air, and he was gone.
Eldric blinked. "Vanished…?!"
The dirt where Skitz had stood was empty. Shadows seemed to ripple unnaturally, the sunlit ground shimmering as if bending light itself.
A faint crunch of gravel behind Lumberling. He pivoted instantly, spear thrust snapping forward, but struck only empty air. A flicker to the left, Skitz's blade flashed toward his neck.
Clang!
The spear shaft twisted in a sudden, almost impossible parry, deflecting the strike an inch from his skin. Lumberling slid back, sweeping his weapon low in a circular arc, creating a zone Skitz couldn't easily breach.
"Still fast," Lumberling muttered, eyes sharp.
