Chapter 32: A Needless Beating
Eve lunged.
Caelus brought his blade up just in time to catch the first cut. The impact jarred his wrist, and before he could recover, her second sword swept in from below.
He twisted away.
His ribs screamed at the movement, stealing some of the strength from his guard. The edge skimmed past his side, and Caelus stumbled two steps before regaining his footing.
Eve pressed forward.
Her blades flowed from one attack into the next, forcing Caelus to retreat while constantly adjusting his position. He could still read her weight shifts and anticipate the direction of her attacks, but the precision he’d reached earlier was gone. The Ring had left his perception strained, and his damaged body could no longer follow every correction as quickly as his mind demanded.
Caelus waited for her next commitment and stepped inside it instead of retreating. His blade turned beneath hers and opened a shallow line across her shoulder.
Eve kept coming.
He refused to surrender the rhythm he’d earned earlier.
Their blades struck hard enough to scatter sparks across the floor. Caelus redirected one cut, slipped beneath another, and brought his sword across her guard.
Eve caught it with one blade and turned the contact into a pivot. Her second sword swept toward his throat.
Caelus ducked.
The edge passed above his head.
He rose into a counter, but the pain in his ribs slowed the movement just enough for Eve to slip away.
His breathing had grown rougher, and his sword arm was beginning to lose the steadiness it had possessed at the start of the fight.
Eve changed rhythm.
Her first blade drew his guard high, the second vanished behind his sword.
Caelus tried to turn with it, but his damaged ribs delayed the movement.
Her blade tore across his side.
Heat spread beneath his shirt.
He stumbled backward, catching himself before he fell.
Caelus searched for another opening, but every advantage he identified disappeared beneath the simple limits of his body. His legs had begun to tremble, his vision was narrowing at the edges, and his sword felt heavier with every exchange.
His mind was still working, but his body was no longer keeping up.
His left knee buckled.
Caelus caught himself with one hand as his sword slipped from his fingers and struck the floor.
He reached for it.
His arm stopped halfway.
There was simply nothing left in it.
Caelus lowered his head, breathing hard through his teeth.
Eve stopped a few paces away.
Her blades lowered naturally at her sides as she watched him catch his breath. Her face held none of the smugness he’d expected from someone who had just won.
Caelus stayed on one knee rather than letting himself collapse completely.
His hands pressed into the stone while he dragged air back into his lungs. He wasn’t going to lie flat in front of Eve if he could still stay upright.
Without healing potions, I’d be walking out of here in a chair.
He almost laughed.
The fact that the thought was accurate made it less funny.
The training chamber door opened.
Veyra stepped inside.
Caelus looked toward her and then toward the empty doorway behind her.
She’d been watching.
The thought settled badly.
She had watched the entire duel and waited until he could no longer continue before stepping in.
Her eyes moved from Caelus’s bloodied side to Eve’s shallow cut, taking in the difference without comment.
"Next time you duel with him, hold back a little."
"He’s a rank below you, you know." Veyra added.
Eve lowered her gaze briefly toward Caelus.
"He asked to continue."
Wait, when did I say that?
Caelus frowned at her.
"And you’re stronger than he is."
Eve fell silent.
"I’ll hold back next time."
Veyra drew two vials from her coat and tossed one to each of them.
Caelus nearly dropped his.
He pulled the stopper with his teeth and swallowed the potion. Heat spread through his chest as the worst of the damage began repairing itself, the cut along his ribs closing beneath the fabric. The relief was immediate, but it didn’t erase the fatigue that had settled into his muscles.
The worst of the pain had vanished, but his body still remembered what had happened. His muscles remained heavy, his joints stiff from the repeated impacts, and every breath carried a faint ache through his ribs. The potion could repair damaged flesh, but it couldn’t magically erase exhaustion.
Caelus flexed his fingers around the empty vial before lowering it.
At least he could move again.
He glanced toward Eve.
She looked almost untouched by comparison.
That irritated him more than the injuries did.
Of course.
Her body had barely been tested by the fight.
His had nearly given out.
And that was with the Ring helping him.
Caelus retrieved his sword and used it to steady himself as he stood. His knees remained unreliable, but he kept his posture straight.
I feel like an old man.
Veyra’s eyes settled on him.
"Why are you fighting with her in the first place? Shouldn’t you be in the library?"
"Eve offered to help me with magic if I train with her."
"Help you with magic?"
"She’s willing to help me understand chantless casting in exchange for training."
Veyra regarded him without comment.
"And you accepted?"
"I saw no reason to reject useful assistance."
They looked at each other.
"Do whatever you want," Veyra said.
Her gaze sharpened.
"But if you can’t cast several Zero-Tier spells by the end of the week, I’m not teaching you chantless casting."
Caelus nodded.
One week.
He could work with that.
"Eve, go."
Eve nodded and left without a word.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Caelus looked at the closed door, then back at Veyra.
She hadn’t called him back to discuss his training.
Her attention remained on him.
Caelus’s grip tightened slightly around the hilt of his sword.
Caelus turned toward the exit.
"You stay here."
I just want to rest a little, for God’s sake!
He kept the thought to himself.