Liam barely had time to steady himself before Baxter moved.
Fast. Precise. Merciless.
Liam saw the attack coming—the shift in Baxter's stance, the way his blade angled toward Liam's ribs—but his body was too slow to react.
He twisted at the last second, but the blade still bit deep into his side.
Liam grunted, staggering.
Baxter chuckled, yanking his sword free. "There it is."
Liam tried to step back, but Baxter didn't give him the chance.
Another strike. A deep slash across Liam's arm.
Another. A brutal kick to his knee, sending him crashing down.
Liam's body betrayed him again, his muscles still sluggish from the wolfsbane. His claws flexed uselessly.
Baxter loomed over him, his smirk cruel. "You really thought you could beat me like this?"
Liam spat blood onto the ground. "I still can."
Baxter let out a mock sigh, twirling his sword. "You really don't know when to stay down, do you?"
