Steel shrieked against wood, a raw, grating sound that vibrated through the air.
Merin's twin daggers danced in a blur, each parry sending a jolt up her arms.
Tugnier's massive club, swung with the force of a battering ram, shattering earth like glass with every missed strike.
A wave of raw, untamed aura slammed into Merin, pushing her back, dust swirling around her boots.
"Huff… uff…" she gasped, skidding across the uneven ground, her chest heaving, lungs burning.
"You seem to be on your last leg," Tugnier rumbled, his voice a low growl. He wiped a trickle of crimson from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, a fresh wave of blood welling up to replace it.
The wind slashes Merin inflicted earlier had opened a dozen shallow wounds, but the real enemy gnawing at him was the slow, creeping paralysis spreading through his limbs, a cold numbness that threatened to slow him down.
His breath hitched, a ragged sound, but his stance remained steady.
