The clang of steel against steel… the smell of fresh sweat, the heavy panting that came after the powerful swing of a blade.
The overwhelming exhilaration that came with each block each side step or thrust, sometimes throwing one several feet into the air in recoil, followed by the determined retaliation carried out through an even greater lunge.
…challenging one's opponent in a show of sheer power, skill… and gut-wrenching endurance.
The rush of having that powerful swing blocked was met with one of equal, almost overpowering force, and the intoxicating drive that came with following through with another powerful attack.
Each powerful clash sent shockwaves of cataclysmic magnitude across the dry desolate valley, cracking the ground and ripping it asunder, only to start the process anew.
Alas, the world-shattering shockwaves changed nothing.
