Twice was pretty good, Tal thought, and he twisted the spear with relish before jerking it back, looking pleased as a cat with cream on its whiskers. He started to flash Deimos an excited grin, basking in his success--
And caught the General's grin in return, just in time to skip back (but angled to the side, some good coming from the repetition of the lesson) from the ghoulish dummy as it rose from the dead again, dancing in its macabre air-currents like a revenant untethered by gravity and out for revenge.
This wasn't an angle Tal was prepared to counter in the usual way, and instinct took over as his brain froze in uncertainty; not a stab nor a thrust this time, but using the spear like an axe or a staff he swung the shaft of his weapon from the side to impact the incoming target in an attempt to smash it sideways and down, panting with exertion and no little adrenaline at the unrelenting assault of wood and stuffing.
And caught the General's grin in return, just in time to skip back (but angled to the side, some good coming from the repetition of the lesson) from the ghoulish dummy as it rose from the dead again, dancing in its macabre air-currents like a revenant untethered by gravity and out for revenge.
This wasn't an angle Tal was prepared to counter in the usual way, and instinct took over as his brain froze in uncertainty; not a stab nor a thrust this time, but using the spear like an axe or a staff he swung the shaft of his weapon from the side to impact the incoming target in an attempt to smash it sideways and down, panting with exertion and no little adrenaline at the unrelenting assault of wood and stuffing.
