Echo sighed, he was too good at seeing things right through her, "Fine. I just need to talk to Jane and Jasmine, okay? They usually leave at eight, so I need to go."
"But it's already eight!... You do know that you can talk to me right?" he asked, with a crease on his brows.
Turning to him, she smiled sweetly. He was right, it had already passed eight, and they must have left to work. She sighed, and sat on the bed.
"You're right… We'll eat, and then talk to the commander," Echo replied, explaining what they were going to do.
Damon nodded, responding, "Okay!"
They did exactly as Echo said. After breakfast, they visited the briefing room, which was surprisingly empty.
"Where is everyone?" Damon asked, looking around.
Echo simply shrugged, "Follow me!" She thought maybe everyone had gone to the training field.
Damon, though confused, followed Echo silently.
They arrived at the patio. The field had never been more lively, soldiers, captains and even the commander was watching a fight.
Echo watched the two fighters, they were fighting so intensely, despite it being just a training exercise.
Damon smirked as he watched the fight, he had always enjoyed watching a good fight, it was entertaining. He glanced at Echo, and smirk widened. "Scared of a fight?" he teased.
"It seems a little more intense than a normal training exercise," she replied. Echo had always thought that sparring was a good way of practising, but she had never really been interested in fighting. It was cool in the movies, but it was just not for her… or at least until the accident. The accident!... It had crossed her mind a lot lately after meeting Damon again. She wondered if he knew what had happened, but she never asked him.
"Hey!"
Echo immediately broke out of her thoughts, at the sound of the commander's voice.
"Commander!" she lowered her head, after which she glared at him.
The commander turned to see the fight, as the warriors cheered. One of the fighters was on the ground, while the other had his sword to her throat.
"What's going on?" Damon asked, crossing his arms. Echo glared at him, as he dragged her hand with his, earning a soft apology from him.
The commander, noting everything that was going on with the two replied, "It's a training exercise. A warrior can challenge another. What we see mostly is friends trying to figure out who's better, or a naive warrior challenging Sebastian."
"I think we've got a naive warrior right there," Echo motioned towards the centre of the field, where the fight was taking place. A young warrior was standing face to face with Sebastian, their swords gripped in their hands.
The three were silent as they watched the fight. Sebastian was in no hurry to attack the warrior.
Echo almost found it intriguing that he was so well controlled in a face to face fight. The last time they duelled, he was too eager to defeat her.
The warrior charged at Sebastian, who simply moved to the side, with his sword slashing the stomach of the warrior. The warrior stared at Sebastian before falling to the ground. Jane rushed towards the warrior with a stretcher.
Sebastian turned to the commander, and noticed Echo watching from the sidelines. He was holding back on his victory, until he pointed to Echo with his sword.
"What's he doing?" Echo asked the commander, with a poker face.
The commander glared at Sebastian, "He's challenging you to a fight."
Echo raised her eyebrow with a nod, "I'm assuming you'll take this off then?" she asked, raising the handcuff.
The commander sighed, he unlocked the handcuff, "Just remember once you pass out, or forfeit your out."
Damon turned to Echo, and cupped her face, "Are you sure about this?"
"It's just Sebastian, I've fought him before," Echo replied. She was not at all worried, her training may have been for only a year, but she was more than capable to take Sebastian out. It won't be easy, but it could be fun.
The commander sighed softly. He knew the two's rivalry would make the fight intense, but then he hadn't seen a good match with Sebastian. This was going to be entertaining.
Echo changed her outfit, as she walked towards Sebastian, glaring right at him, while her sword appeared in her hand. With every step she felt her heartbeat increase. A fight always got her adrenaline up. She brushed past Sebastian's shoulder, who smirked at her pettiness.
Both warriors took their places. Echo closed her eyes, listening to the sounds around her. It eased her nerves a little, helping her focus much better. She opened her eyes, and stared at Sebastian, who was staring back at her too.
This was a fight everyone was excited to see. The spectators were as nervous, Sebastian had been their best warrior for almost eight decades. Would the promised warrior win the fight?
The commander stood on the side, "There are no instructions to this fight, except that killing a fellow warrior will have grave punishments. That being said, you can choose to forfeit at any given time, and if you pass out, we'll take it as if you forfeited… BEGIN!"
The other warriors roared, as they cheered for Sebastian. The other captains stood cautiously watching the fight, just in case things were to get out of hand.
Echo gripped her sword, while she kept motivating herself, 'You've got this, Echo. Just don't be rash, and keep your guard up. I can't let the witches down now… I can't let myself down now. Even Damon's here, if I show him that I can protect myself he doesn't need to worry about me, right?'
Sebastian attacked first. His blow was blocked by Echo. She countered, but he defended himself, and the two stepped back, circling again. Their eyes were locked intensely glaring at each other that anyone watching might even think they were communicating among each other.
Sebastian attacked again, this time Echo rolled away, and countered straight after, attacking him without giving him a break. They shared blows that did not draw blood. The two moved around, their swords gleaming in the sun, filling the field with the sound of clashing metal. Neither of the two were giving up easily. A few close calls, but both of them were doing their best.