A slight sound perked Tinder’s senses. He halted, placing a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. He scanned the thick trees surrounding him, analyzing every possible place one could hide.
There! Movement caught his eye. He trained his gaze on a large disheveled trunk, where a shadow attempted to flatten itself as much as possible against the rough bark. Tinder stood motionless, his breath barely escaping through the small slit of his lips. He waited.
A sudden flash of reflected moonlight, and he instinctively raised his blade to counter. The clash of iron on iron reverberated through the cold, crisp air, breaking the silence of the night. The battle had begun.
A sinister voice taunted him from a figure concealed by a dark hooded cloak, "Your senses are sharp, but they won't do you any good against my shear skill!"
Tinder smirked at the hooded figure with confidence in his eyes, "If a simple strike is all you call 'skill', why even use my senses?"
The figure turned and struck at Tinder in a series of artfully planned attacks, but the boy dodged and parried them all with ease, further frustrating his opponent. After closely watching, Tinder saw an opportunity and took the chance to thrust his blade forward, jabbing his opponent in the gut.
"Ow!"
Tinder gasped, shaking out of his imagination, immediately drawing back the wooden stick from poking his friend's stomach. "Oops! Sorry Roarik! Are you ok?"
Roarik seized the moment to dramatize his overly exaggerated 'death', falling to his knees and groaning in faked agony. He grasped his stomach with one hand, and reached out to the sky with the other.
"I...am now...defeated!" Roarik uttered a few more groans and then fell limp to the ground.365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTinKG7jxM2
Tinder giggled , "Roarik you really are dramatic for your age." 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKlosDG2R6
Roarik lifted his head from the ground and looked at Tinder with a sly grin, " I'm seventeen I'm allowed to be dramatic, but that actually hurt."
Tinder then looked at his friend apologetically, "I guess we should probably stop sharpening the ends of our sticks!"365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZo68oYAgdQ
Tinder smiled and raised his makeshift weapon in victory, " but hey, I won!"
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