"I used a spear a couple of times, but I wasn't really with it, nor any other weapon in fact, but I don't see a reason to not try again." Grinned Talon at Rokara before asking her, "Want to spar again?"
"Maybe you're not such a sore loser, Talon," Rokara grinned back, flexing her muscles. "But you're still going down for the second time."
They reentered the sparring ring, but this time, Talon returned the sword to the rack from which he had taken it, opting instead for a training spear that he pulled from the same rack. But before the two could engage in combat, Huntsman Lance waved to Talon, gesturing for him to walk over.
"You mentioned you're not trained with the spear, so I'll give you some pointers. That girl is definitely trained, so it won't count as cheating." Said the huntsman before he pointed directly at Talon's leg.
"First, stance is crucial. Plant your feet firmly, shoulder-width apart, and keep your body sideways. It provides a smaller target for your opponent," instructed Huntsman Lance, pointing directly at Talon's leg as an example. "Now, when you thrust, use your hips and legs, not just your arms. It adds power and makes your strikes less predictable. Understand?"
Talon nodded in response, somewhat reluctantly 'He seemed way better than any oh the other huntsman scum, but can I trust him?'
"Good. After witnessing your strategic thinking, I don't think that I need to provide you with strategies against her. If you do manage to win, I'll reward you." Said the enigmatic Huntsman with a smile on his face before returning to the side of the other spectators. The rematch between Rokara and Talon drew in every one of the hunters, they were waiting patiently for the two of them to start.
"Ready, loser?" Rokara's question made Talon frown. "Didn't you say earlier that I'm not a loser, as you called me before? Your memory really isn't your strong suit," replied Talon, aiming to get back at Rokara. "I called you a sore loser, but it doesn't matter because you will still lose."
"We will see," replied Talon, pointing his spear at Rokara. She tightened her grip on her hatchets, readying herself to charge at Talon. The tension in the air was palpable as they stood there, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The moment hung in the balance, and then, with a sudden burst of energy, Rokara lunged forward, hatchets poised for an attack. The spar between them had begun.
This time, Talon used the shaft of his spear to strike Rokara under her chin, disrupting her focus. He then initiated his counterattack by delivering rapid, successive stabs with his spear that managed to push Rokara back.
Stab after stab, Rokara draw closer to the wall, but to Talon's surprise, his opponent used that to her advantage. She pivoted, facing away from him, and swiftly sprinted towards the wall. Using it as a platform, she vaulted back at Talon, executing a wide swing with her hatchet, targeting his head.
In a panic, Talon swiftly ducked, narrowly avoiding the wooden hatchet as it grazed the top of his head. Despite its material, the blow could still render him unconscious. Reacting swiftly, Talon then swiped his leg, attempting to trip Rokara.
Just before his leg could connect with Rokara's, she swiftly raised her own leg and executed a destructive stomp to the ground, propelling Talon away. He rolled on the ground, writhing in pain, while Rokara panted, gasping for breath.
As Talon struggled on the ground, Rokara took a moment to catch her breath. The cheers from the hunters intensified, their bloodlust apparent as they yearned for a brutal outcome. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, and it felt as if the spectators desired nothing more than a lethal clash between the two combatants.
Talon and Rokara locked intense gazes, scrutinizing each other's every move. The bloodthirsty cheers from the crowd, however, elicited frowns from both fighters. Casting a side glance at the spectators in disgust, they concealed their feelings and resumed their stare-down, bracing themselves for the impending clash.
In a split second, the two rushed at each other yet again, seemingly preparing to collide with each other, which would seem dumb from Talon's side, as he is obviously lacking in that field, when it's compared to the likes of Rokara. To everyones shock, Talon used his spear to vault at Rokara, aiming to kick her head.
And to Talon's terror, before he could deliver his kick, Rokara dropped her hatchets to the ground and grabbed Talon by the ankle.
"Not again—" Talon couldn't even finish his words before being slammed into the ground. Before he could regain his composure, his face met the ground once more. The impact broke his nose, and blood began to gush from the injury.
Just before facing another slam into the ground, Talon swiftly rotated his body along his free leg to deliver a crushing blow to Rokara's head, the kick caused her to lose grasp on his leg. Breaking free, he quickly put distance between the two.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Talon observed that Rokara seemed disoriented. Her breathing was uneven, and her eyes appeared almost hollow, fixated on Talon with a murderous intent. She resembled a predator, poised to finish off its prey.
The hunters surrounding them seemed to grasp the true nature of the situation. Rokara's behavior exhibited a symptom of the haunted—gifted individuals consumed by the power of their own gifts, transforming into something else, something dangerous. They grasped the hilt of their weapons, with a sick smile on their face, ready to take the life of the girl is she was deemed to pose danger.
"Rokara, please, stand down." Talon slowly raised his hands, attempting to keep Rokara calm. A wrong move could trigger an attack, claiming her life in the process, which wasn't overlooked by the hunters, one of them threw the sheath of his dagger at Rokara, aiming to anger her.
The hunter was successful in his hateful attempt, Talon failed to keep Rokara calm as she succumbed to her rage, and unleashed the power of her gift. An invisible force pushed everything away, including Talon.
The hunters, with twisted smiles on their faces started to march towards Rokara with their hand on the handle of their sword, ready to draw it against Rokara, but Huntsman Lance put up his hands in the air, signaling to the others to stop. "Hold! We need to find another way." commanded Huntsman Lance. His voice cut through the tension like a knife, carrying an authoritative tone.
However, a hunter defied the order given by the Huntsman, driven by a false belief, the man was refusing to yield. "Sir! We can't afford to let her go on like this. This is a Haunted, killing her will serve nothing but the grater good!" Argued the hunter with a firm tone.
"Hunter, this is a child, what good would it serve by killing a child?!" The huntsman's shout echoed with an even firmer tone as he removed his spear from his back, pointing it at the ground, drawing an invisible line. "If anyone crosses this line, I will consider it a refusal of orders. I don't think I have to explain what the punishment for that is."
As Talon rose from the ground, his gaze shifted to the spear-wielding Huntsman with gratitude. 'I wasn't sure if I can trust this man, even now… I'm not, but maybe he is not the same as these scum.'
The hunters did not dare to test their luck after crossing the line. At least, most of them didn't. The hunter who had previously argued with the huntsman rushed forward, his sword already drawn from its sheath, rushing straight thorough the line drawn by the huntsman, who looked like he was ready to impale the hunter, yet he stopped before his spear could pierce the flesh of the hunter.
Once again, Rokara began to activate her gift, rage overtaking her mind. The invisible force struck once more, sending the hunter flying away and breaking several of his bones in the process. The sound of bones snapping and witnessing their comrade tossed like a rag doll made their blood boil. Now, ignoring the line entirely, the hunters in the room all began to walk towards Rokara while drawing their blades.
Before Rokara could activate her Gift once more, Talon stepped before her, blocking the way between her and the rest of the approaching hunters. This seemed to clear Rokara's eyes a bit, and she halted the activation of her gift.
But even after that, the hunters kept approaching with murderous intent, but before they could have hurt Rokara or Talon, a wall made of ice materialized from nothing, blocking the hunters in their path.
"It's nice to see you again… brother." Said Huntsman Lance as a faint smile found it's was to his face.