Not Even a Duel

A girl eventually brought two weighted wooden swords to the two. She handed one ro Melinda who she looked at with great admiration. When she came over to give Del one she looked as if she were holding back thr urge to spit on him. Del paid no mind to it and simply thanked her when he took the sword. The girl then went to the sidelines to observe the duel. Several others that were on the field were also watching.

Del looked at the wooden sword as he held it. With a smooth flick of his wrist he made fhe sword spin once. He gripped the sword tightly. He looked over at Melinda who was glaring at him.

"Ready when you are." He said as he held the sword lazily with the point downwards.

Melinda looked at him and despised him. He was a mere commoner yet thought he was better just because he had a bit of talent. He even had his chin raised as he looked at her. Well she was going to teach him the difference between those with the privilege to be taught by the best and commoners. "Then start!" She said aggressively as she got into stance. Her family had many styles for several kinds of weapons, and a simple two handed sword was among them.

She doubted that this boy had any kind of equivalent techniques to her. She was sure she could win since she had studied swords the most, and from the earlier display this boy must have spent his entire time with some sort of hands skills.

A beads of sweat formed when she looked at Del for a few moments longer. Not only her, but everyone else there looked at him with awe, wonder, and anxiety.

Del had taken off the thick heavy wool shirt he was wearing. Underneath was a linen top that had the sleeves torn off. What gave everyone the shock was his body. His arms were thick with greatly defined muscles almost looking as if they were sculpted. His chest was wide while his waist was thinner but still visibly thick. While he wasn't the pinnacle of fitness, his body was still amazing to those who existed in a world without a bench press.

"What in the world?! Is he a half orc?"

"His meals must be some of the most healthy filling."

" I didn't even know a build like that was possible on someone our age, he's shaped like a monster!"

Several onlookers saw Del and suddenly that crowd that was practicing moments ago became loud as they discussed on what could be Del's secret to having such muscles. While Del wasn't exceptionally fit, he was likely already had far more raw strength than most of the people at this academy.

Del then began his approach. He had already made three steps before he was in front of Melinda. Melinda had snapped back to reality at the last moment. She realized this distraction would cause her to take damage, and everyone else knew it as well.

Something unexpected happened though. Instead of swinging his sword, Del shuffled forward quickly. He stuck a foot out and put it between Melinda's feet. He then swung the foot outwards while keeping it low. His foot came into contact with Melinda's and he kept pushing, making the girl fall forward and drop her sword to catch her self.

Melinda was now spreading her legs out wide amd her hands on the ground while Del stepped back a few steps with an amused look. This infuriated Melinda as she looked up at him. She closed her legs together and got back up quickly while grabbing her sword. She went to swing at him hoping to wipe the smile off of his face. As the sword came down Del side stepped and kicked out a leg to Melinda's knee causing her to fall forward in the dirt.

She barely had time to cover he face as she dived head first. She hit the floor with a thud as dirt was kicked up the grass. As she lifted her face it was covered in dirt. She was at the boiling point if her anger. She got up once more grabbing her sword. As she got up though she felt a pain in her heart. She felt anger, but it also felt like she was being over powered. No, she was but refused to accept it.

She charged once more, and this time as the anger took over she was far more sloppy than any of her previous strikes.

"He" A single chuckled escaped Del's lips as they turned upwards.

Melinda had a dread over come her. It was too late for her to even form even a thought about it. She had swung across at Del's head as if to decapitate him. Del slid his right foot forward and lowered quickly while dropping his sword. He then put both hands out, one on her stomach and one on her chest. His sliding foot caused Melinda to lose balance and fall forward. As she fell forward Del summoned Manus into his hands and used the skill 'Strength'. As she fell forward Del used her momentum to lift her off the ground and throw her to the side.

Melinda flew through the air before hitting the floor with a thud. He rolled a couple of feet before stopping. Now he whole body and outfit was covered in dirt, now accompanied by a bloody nose. After a few moments her eyes became red and tears started to well up in her eyes. All that anger had built up and had no other way to come out.

"Tsk, poor girl, how could a man do something that to such a beautiful girl?"

"He didn't even use a sword! How could this even be called a proper win?"

"Well in his defense not using a sword put him st a disadvantage."

"It doesn't matter! His cruelty was unnecessary!"

"Hm... Maybe it wasn't. We all witnessed the duel. Judging by how they look, I could assume that boy is a commoner, maybe he has some kind of vendetta..."

Many comments were made by the onlookers. Del didn't mind them at all. He realized no one had a clear view of his face and so the grin he always kept on his face had disappeared. He looked down at the girl who now lie on the floor beneath his feet. "I'm sure you deserve this." He thought to himself.