Dance of death

"I mean that in order to get the information you seek, you need to first pass the fight challenge. this is a requirement of all new The Grey Tears members. So who is going to undergo the fight challenge first?" The wizard asked. Falael looked at Grace, trying to work out what she was thinking.

"I will do it," Falael declared. Grace looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Okay. First the man, then the woman. Not exactly chivalrous, not letting the lady go first, but whatever. Follow me," The wizard led them out of the room.

The chamber the three of them entered was a cavernous space, lit only by a few torches and a large off-white mat covering the floor. Falael's eyes darted around, taking in every inch of the space.

"You may want one of these," Uzohr said, handing him a long simple sword, with a blood red ruby the size of a hairpin set in the hilt. Falael took the sword, checking for balance and the sharpness of the blade. This feels familiar, Falael thought. Almost a little too familiar. It's like as it's made for me, or at least made by one of the royal sword smiths that used to service my family. At least I know a sword that is too heavy or blunt won't hamper my skills. The wizard walked to the other side of the room where another door hung, and he opened it. In lumbered a giant, filling all the height of the room with his enormous size. Oh shit, Falael thought. I don't know if I can beat him. Ah well, we've already come this far. Might as well go the whole way.

The lumbering mass of a man picked up a crude-looking axe and took a swing. Deftly Falael dodged it, drawing his sword across his opponent's legs. It was as if the man didn't feel the blood gushing out, as Falael dodged another attack, diving through the legs and cutting them again. Again Falael's opponent didn't seem to notice but, getting angry at his inability to land a serious blow, threw his axe across the room and attempted to pommel Falael into the floor with his bare fist. Falael moved just in time, catching his opponent off guard for a split second before being thrown halfway across the floor by a punch to the stomach.

Grace couldn't do much more than stand around, mouth open as Falael was being turned into mincemeat. She tried to move, but she felt as if she was walking through cement. She wanted to look away but fount that she just couldn't. on and on it went, looking more and more likely that Falael would end up dead before he would give up. Maybe he would rather die than give up, Grace thought, letting her eyes wander the cavernous space. Her eyes came to rest on a small rack further along the wall that she ad been leaning on and, gathering all of her strength, she made her way over to it. On it, lined up in a neat little row, were several swords. She picked one up. She had never held a sword before, and it felt a little foreign in her hand. She took the deepest breath that she could and, as Falael's opponent had his back turned, she flung herself at him, trying to stab him in the back.

No dice, she thought as she missed her mark, stabbing him in the buttock. Enraged by the unexpected attack, the lumbering mass of the man swung around, knocking Grace off her feet and giving Falael a chance to get back on his feet. He took it, getting on to his feet and launching one more blow to his opponent before collapsing with exhaustion. Grace lunged at the strange man that was her supposed opponent, slicing her blade against his leg. Spinning, Grace lunged again and got the sword wedged squarely in between the looming giant's shoulder blades. She stepped forward, driving the blade deeper into the hulking mass's otherwise seemingly impenetrable body so far that the tip was visible on the other side. Grace let go of the hilt of the sword as the man slumped dead.

Falael didn't know whether he was falling in love again or he was paralysed with both fear and awe. Grace had seemed like a Rottweiler puppy, all bark and no bite. Sure, she had spirit, but she had seemed as if she needed protection. Now grace looked like a mother bear, all bite and no bark.

"Bravo!" Uzhor exclaimed, making his presence known. "Bravo indeed."

"Let us go," Grace shouted, looking as if murdering the wizard was top of her bucket list. "We completed your challenge, now let us go!"