Kaelan's thoughts raced as he assumed a battle-ready stance, leaning forward, his hand tightening around the hilt of his greatsword.
'Grip the earth... Lean forward, circulate your mana...'
Cracks rippled beneath his feet as the claws on his toes dug into the ground, anchoring him tightly.
'And leap forward.'
In that instant, Kaelan sprang forward, his body streaking across the earth as purple lightning crackled around him.
The ground beneath him buckled from the force of his leap, sending shards of stone flying as he moved.
Arriving right before Alexei, he paused momentarily to swing his sword.
Alexei barely had time to react; from his perspective, Kaelan closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
Instinctively, he swung his own sword in a wide, vertical downward arc, aiming to intercept Kaelan's strike.
