LOREN
His blow glanced off Melita’s arm instead of her shoulder, but Loren wasn’t going to let that deter him. If he could continue striking around the same spot, he figured he’d wear her down eventually. While it was probably a little unfair to use his magic to tip the scales in his favor, she was clearly the superior combatant in a straight physical fight. And he was tired of holding himself back from his full capabilities just to make people more comfortable. Even now, he was using the bare minimum of the powers at his disposal; although magic danced at his fingertips, he held it in check, watching the red-headed woman dash around. If she wanted to waste her energy like that, so be it.For his part, he remained planted where he was, firming his grip and his stance. Let her come to him. She obliged him: Melita ran forward, and he was gratified to see she was using her uninjured arm. As she leapt in the air, he smiled. She could be as graceful and lithe on the ground as she wanted, and she’d put a lot of momentum into her leap and her strike down towards him.
But she couldn’t change direction or speed up now, and while her feet were off the ground, she was vulnerable. Plus, she’d signaled the move to him, so he had plenty of time to pivot neatly away from the strike to his left shoulder. And he used the momentum from his own turn to swing his staff in a savage two-handed blow towards the right side of the red-headed woman’s chest.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
