As Vanya advances, you back away, making sure to stay just outside of his reach.
"Why are you fleeing from me?" Vanya asks. "You came all this way to confront me. If you want to fight me, then fight me."
"I'm giving you a few free strikes," you reply. "I thought you could do with an advantage to level the field. After all, you never were quite as good with a sword as you claimed, were you?"
Vanya's eyes narrow, and his brow creases. Suddenly, he darts toward you, bringing his blade around in an arc aimed at taking your head from your shoulders. You see the attack coming only at the last moment, and as you turn away, Vanya's blade bites into the leather armor at your neck. You fall back from Vanya, pressing one hand to the wound to find it wet with your own blood. Readying your sword, you wait for Vanya to come at you again, and he is only too happy to oblige, lunging forward with a deadly thrust aimed directly at your heart.
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