Every instinct that Verdant had told him to follow that sword carefully with his eyes, and to try to predict its path. He was filled with the urge to use every ounce of information he had, overcomplicating what was simply a routine slash.
He forced his eyes elsewhere, away from the man's weapon. He looked him straight in the eyes instead, changing his focus, doing what felt beyond counterintuitive.
The moment their eyes met, Gadar flinched. He showed the first little bit of proper emotion that he'd shown in a while. His eyes squinted uncertainly, and then he resumed his attack, as though to reassure himself. Verdant kept looking him square in the eye, daring to trust his body to what it needed to do, even without following the arcs of the slashes directly.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Steel rang out, and Verdant still kept his head. He didn't feel any added pain. He assumed that meant that he hadn't been struck yet, but he wasn't certain.
