The Unexpected - Part 8

In his head, that was about the only connection that Oliver could begin to make to Gar. There was nothing else to draw on, no patterns to form – but that very lack of a pattern became a pattern in itself, and so he ascribed to Gar all that was void, all that was empty, and bit by bit, the attacks and lack of flow surprised him less and less.

That didn't allow him to fight any more viciously, however. He still found himself so firmly outmatched that it was as though in his heart he was defeated already. The slashes that he gave were half-hearted, as if he had already accepted the prospect of his demise.