The Last Raid (3)

Haalfrin reaches his hand out and helps the guard up. "Here try it like this."

The boy guard looks at Haalfrin with pure confusion on his face, and the chief's son points his finger at the guard and bursts out laughing. "Ahahaha!"

The guard is only a little younger than the chief's son, so he's just young enough for his ego to be fragile. Seeing that a boy younger than him is laughing at him, the guard's face turns red, and he charges at Haalfrin again – this time with his sword cocked to the side for a sideways slash.

Before the boy can reach Haalfrin, the old man steps forward at the last second and punches the guard right in the throat, then follows up by letting his sword fall on the boy's toe.

Yelping in pain, the young guard steps back – coughing in agony and holding his throat with one hand.

Haalfrin shakes his head again and says, "Good job holding the sword the way I showed you. However, your movements are still too predictable. You don't have any proper stances or forms. Stances are positions you stand and hold your sword that makes it easier to attack or defend in multiple ways. That makes it harder for the enemy to guess what you're about to do. NEVER run at someone with your sword already prepared for a swing. Always keep your weapon between yourself and your enemy! Stupid! You'd be dead by now!"

Hearing this random old raider scold him more harshly than his own grandfather, he feels that this old man must be toying with him again, and he inches his way closer to Haalfrin – this time with his sword held in front of him.

"WONDERFUL!" Haalfrin smiles, "You learn quickly! You'd make a great fighter if you found a proper teacher! Now. Come at me again!"

The boy lunges forward and tries swinging his sword again. CLANG!

The next moment, the boy's on the floor again, looking to the side and seeing the chief's son sitting on a barrel – clearly enjoying the show. The raider's on the other side of the garden fence look like they're about to wrap up the battle, so the clan heir feels he has some time to make some old memories with the old fart.

Again and again, the young guard is beaten to the ground. Again and again, Haalfrin gives tips to the boy – hoping the boy can actually kill him.

He really doesn't have any other opponent, either; on the way into the baron's courtyard, he saw that the battle was basically over. Even then, if he had joined the battle next to the other raiders, they'd have gone out of their way to protect him.

Here, in this isolated corner of the courtyard – he's more likely to die without interference.

…Plus, Haalfrin knows that despite his experience with the sword, he's also a lot older. He knows he won't be able to even move for much longer… which is a good thing! He can die in a proper battle and be taken by Freyya this way!

After being beaten down, again and again, the young guard finally lays limp on the ground. He's not tired or injured extensively; he's just given up.

Haalfrin leans against the wall wearily, then looks down at the boy with a disappointed face.

"Honestly," Haalfrin thinks, "I'm not used to toying with people. It feels unnatural. Still, I was just trying to give the sop a chance at killing me, but he just sucks way too bad. And… It would be way too shameful if someone this weak killed me."

The chief's son, whom we may forget that Haalfrin just saved, stands there in awe, forgetting to help the rest of the raiders out entirely.

Haalfrin just leans on his sword, huffing and puffing. He walks away from the room with the groaning man behind, while acting like his sword was a cane. He appears especially frail in that moment.

The 14-year-old raider adds in a chipper voice, "That was cool old man! I didn't know you were that good!"

Haalfrin tries acting modest and nonchalant about it, but he feels a deep sense of pride well up inside him at that compliment. He needed the confidence boost with his self-esteem in the dumps from his decrepit incompetence. "Yes... I can still do things!"

The old raider looks over the courtyard and sees his clansmen quickly cleaning out the rest of the guards that had come back from defending the walls.

Chief Beyyor doesn't bother killing the captives, since he never offered them a chance to surrender anyway. Plus, it's clan policy to not kill those who surrender. If their victims know they're going to be captured or sold into slavery later, they wouldn't have much reason to put their swords down, now would they?

With the Kareen's stellar reputation, they can end many battles and get away with a lot of loot with fewer casualties. You could say the Kareen are honorable, but from their view, giving mercy is just a practical choice.

After some quick cheering from the raiders, they quickly get to looting the granary.

The "young chief" runs up to his father and starts spouting off, "Dad, dad! I just saw something really cool! Haalfrin just fought off a dozen men. After that, he walked away with a sore back. He didn't seem like a fearsome warrior at all!"

Eh? A dozen? Haalfrin is pretty sure he only took down one boy who'd hardly held a sword before. By the time they get back, will a dozen turn into a hundred? "Oh well. All good stories are exaggerated anyway."