Lexton rested the hammer against his shoulder again, rolling it lazily as if the massive weapon weighed nothing.
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest.
"Feeling it yet?"
He tapped his armored chest with a thick finger.
"That's Ravran blood, girl."
Dark mana pulsed around the jagged horns curling from his head, thick and violent like smoke rising from a forge.
"Our bodies are forged for war."
His grin widened, teeth flashing.
"You can dance around all you want—eventually your bones will crack."
Alice didn't answer.
She simply adjusted her stance, blade angled slightly downward, eyes locked on his shoulders and hips rather than his weapon.
Careful.
Patient.
Reading him.
'…Looks like I'll have to step in.'
The two of them stared each other down, the tension tightening like a drawn bowstring.
Lexton lifted his hammer.
Alice shifted her footing.
Just as they were about to collide—
"Such a pity," I said lightly. "Seems you've forgotten about me."
