Restart Again: Volume 2 Adam Scott (most difficult books to read txt) 📖

released my grip on the weapon. It glanced harmlessly off the side of her shield and bounced away towards the ground. Without my arm driving the attack, her shield failed to rotate back into place and remained horizontal, leaving her head and upper chest vulnerable. I thrust my empty offhand forward and summoned my blade simultaneously, sliding it just over the top of her shield and into her armored collarbone.

Even though the edge of my sword was blunted, I knew the attack would be painful for her. She spun back a few feet and clutched her neck with her empty hand, taking a few hissing breaths as her brow furrowed and her eyes squinted shut. When her eyes opened again, she let out a bout of laughter. The sound of it caught me off guard; for how dour and serious Val was, her laugh was soft and warm, almost sprightly.

I waited for her to call out with some explanation of her outburst, but I was met instead with a head-on bull rush. My enhanced reflexes were the only thing that allowed me to dodge out of the way of her outstretched shield in time, and I hopped back to take a ready stance. “The score is even now!” I shouted to her with a wide grin. “It’s time for you to step up and defend your undefeated record!”

Her response came in the form of a violent horizontal swing of her shield. I caught it on the flat of my sword and was surprised when the force of the blow shifted me a few inches across the grassy field. We locked eyes as I held her shield at bay; for the first time since I met her, I felt a real sense of camaraderie between us. Valandra shared my passion for combat, and it seemed I had finally found somebody capable of matching my prowess in battle.

Our match continued to increase in intensity, with each parried blow and dodged strike only fueling us to push each other harder. Her fighting style was truly unique; not only did I have to completely unlearn my strategies for fighting a target with a tower shield, but I also had to adapt on the fly to the various ways she used it as a weapon. Her offhand also posed an interesting threat in the form of a heavily armored gauntlet. She used it to deflect blows that her shield was out of position to catch, as well as throw devastating punches when I moved in too close.

As the fight dragged on my limbs began to ache from exertion, but Val showed no signs of slowing down. My previous desire to prove my superiority had long since faded and been replaced with respect, along with a surprisingly high level of introspection. I knew that by increasing the mana flow to my combat enhancements I could overtake her in time, but I wasn’t interested in victory. She’s fighting without enhancements, and she’s still keeping up with me. I’m not sure I really deserve a win at this point.

After my next parry I disengaged and dropped my enhancements. The fight ended soon after, further emphasizing to me the difference in our pure combat capabilities. Val caught my sword in her gauntlet, pulled me in close, and brought the flat of her shield around to connect with the side of my face. My vision immediately filled with stars as I fell backwards, and the sound of combat faded into an aggressive buzz in my ears. Too concussed to think clearly, I stared up into the late afternoon sky, blinking slowly as my head swam.

At some point, Lia appeared in my field of vision. She knelt down and cupped my face in her hand, turning my head slightly to inspect my wound. I regained enough sense to remember my abilities and channeled a healing spell to my wounds, as well as a moderate level of pain reduction. As my vision cleared, I realized that Lia looked much less concerned than I expected, and instead was giggling to herself quietly.

“Is something funny?” I asked with emphasized indignation as I sat up.

“Val beat you,” she replied with a mischievous grin.

“Yeah, well,” I started before catching myself. With a deep breath, I pushed away my wounded pride and gave her a nod. “Yeah, she did. She’s an amazing fighter. I think we’ll both learn a lot from her.” A warm smile spread across her face, and she leaned in to give me a quick hug.

“I see my worry was unwarranted once again,” Val said as she approached. “My last strike was far too aggressive for a sparring match. I would like to apologize.”

I waved away the thought. “That was the best fight I’ve had in at least a lifetime, maybe longer. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” With a loud sigh I flopped back into the grass. “Turns out, I might be a bit rusty.”

“Oh, thanks!” Lia yelled sarcastically, putting a boot lightly into my ribs. “Sorry I’m not exciting enough for you!”

“You know what I meant,” I groaned at her. “Why don’t you take a turn in the ring with her and see how it goes?”

Lia turned to her excitedly. “Could we? Would you mind?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Val said with a small smile.

“While you do that, I think I’ll work on making us some dinner,” I said as I stood up. “I’m feeling something fresh after our fight. Maybe I’ll do a bit of hunting.” Val looked at me with a curious raise of her eyebrow, but nodded without inquiring further. “You be careful with Lia while I’m gone. None of that full force stuff,” I called out over my shoulder as I walked out of the arena.

“Of course,” Val responded. Lia gave a wordless whine of annoyance, and I left with a smile on my face. The spot we had chosen to park the wagon was only a brisk five-minute walk from a large thicket of trees that