Osric didn't waste the moment of distance.
He stepped forward first.
Elliot met him halfway.
Their shields collided with a dull thud as both swords moved at the same time.
Iron scraped against iron.
Elliot's blade came down in a heavy diagonal strike.
Osric raised his shield.
The impact slammed into his arm like a hammer.
He staggered back a step.
But this time he didn't panic.
His Shield Mastery guided the movement of his arm, turning the shield slightly so the force slid away instead of crashing straight into it.
The next strike followed instantly.
Osric twisted his body and deflected the blade.
His own sword flashed toward Elliot's ribs.
Elliot blocked it easily.
"Still trying?" Elliot said calmly.
Their blades separated.
Then Elliot attacked again.
This time faster.
Osric barely managed to react.
His Combat Instinct pulled his shield upward just before the sword would have split his skull.
Clang!
The impact rang through the clearing.
Pain shot through Osric's arm.
But his breathing stayed steady.
His Composure forced his thoughts back into focus.
'Watch his shoulders. Not the blade.'
Elliot stepped forward again.
Another strike.
Another block.
But the third strike slipped past Osric's guard.
The blade cut across his side.
The pain was sharp.
Warm blood spread beneath his armor.
Osric gritted his teeth.
His Pain Resistance dulled the worst of the shock, allowing him to stay upright.
Instead of retreating, he stepped inside Elliot's guard.
His sword thrust forward toward Elliot's throat.
Elliot jerked his head back just in time.
The tip sliced across his jaw, leaving a thin line of blood.
For the first time Elliot's expression hardened.
"Interesting."
—
A few meters away, William roared and swung his axe in a wide arc.
The hatchet fighter jumped back.
The shield user stepped forward to cover him.
Their coordination was getting better.
William wiped blood from his forearm with his sleeve.
"Two against one, huh?"
He grinned.
"Fine."
He charged.
The axe crashed into the shield user's guard.
The impact forced the man back.
The hatchet fighter lunged from the side.
William saw it coming.
He twisted his body and slammed his shield into the attacker's face.
The man stumbled.
William's axe rose again.
—
Elliot attacked again.
Faster now.
Osric blocked.
Deflected.
Stepped.
Countered.
Each movement guided by instinct and training.
But the difference in strength was still there.
Every clash sent vibrations through his arm.
'If this keeps going… I'll lose.'
Elliot swung again.
Osric deflected the strike and stepped sideways.
His sword flashed toward Elliot's wrist.
Elliot pulled back just in time.
But the attack forced him to retreat a step.
For the first time in the fight.
Osric noticed it immediately.
'He moved.'
The realization gave him a small surge of confidence.
Maybe Elliot was stronger.
But he wasn't untouchable.
Elliot's eyes narrowed when he saw the realization flicker across Osric's face.
"Don't get confident," he growled.
This time Elliot attacked with clear aggression.
His shield slammed forward first, forcing Osric back a step before the sword followed immediately after.
The strike came low.
Osric tried to pull his shield down in time—
Too late.
The blade cut across his thigh.
Pain exploded through his leg.
Osric nearly lost his footing as warm blood soaked into the fabric beneath his armor.
Elliot's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"There it is."
He stepped forward immediately, sensing weakness.
Osric knew what Elliot saw.
A wounded leg.
Slower movement.
An opening.
But retreating now would only make it worse.
So instead of backing away—
Osric stepped forward.
Elliot's sword rose again.
But Osric moved first.
His Combat Instinct pushed his body into motion before Elliot's swing could fully begin.
Osric slipped slightly to the side and drove his sword forward.
The blade punched through the outer layers of Elliot's trousers and bit deep into the muscle of his leg.
Elliot froze for half a second.
Then the pain hit.
"You—!"
He staggered back, fury exploding across his face.
Blood immediately soaked down his leg.
Elliot's calm was gone now.
Rage replaced it.
With a furious shout he swung his sword down with all his strength.
Osric raised his shield.
The impact was brutal.
The force drove straight through his arm and shoulder.
His injured leg buckled beneath him.
Osric crashed to the ground.
Snow burst upward around him.
Elliot limped forward immediately, raising his sword again.
"Stay down!"
—
A short distance away, William's fight was reaching its own breaking point.
The man with the wounded shoulder was breathing heavily now.
Every movement of his arm looked slower than before.
William saw it.
And attacked.
His axe swung in a powerful horizontal strike.
The shield user rushed forward to intercept.
Their shields slammed together.
But William had already turned.
Instead of finishing the injured man—
He spun and redirected the swing.
The axe came down hard.
The blade buried itself deep into the neck of the shield user.
The man collapsed instantly.
The hatchet fighter froze for half a second, stunned.
That was all William needed.
His axe ripped free and came down again.
The strike split through the man's collar and shoulder.
The body crumpled into the snow.
William exhaled heavily.
Then he looked up.
Osric and Elliot were still fighting.
Without hesitation, he started moving toward them.
—
Osric rolled to the side just as Elliot's sword crashed down into the snow beside him.
Osric forced himself back onto his feet.
His injured leg screamed in protest.
But his Pain Resistance dulled the worst of it.
Elliot's breathing had become rougher now.
Blood continued to drip down his wounded leg.
"You should've just joined us," Elliot snarled.
They clashed again.
Shield against shield.
Sword against sword.
This time the rhythm of the fight had changed.
Elliot's strikes were still powerful.
But they were less controlled now.
Anger bled into every swing.
Osric saw it.
And adapted.
His Swordsmanship guided each movement.
Each deflection.
Each counter.
The difference in strength was still there.
But technique began to close the gap.
Their blades collided again and again.
Iron rang through the clearing.
Both men were breathing heavily now.
Elliot blocked another strike from Osric.
Then something in his expression shifted.
His eyes flicked past Osric's shoulder.
Osric didn't need to look.
He already knew.
William.
Elliot had noticed him approaching.
That single moment of distraction was enough.
Osric moved.
His sword lunged toward Elliot's chest.
Elliot reacted instantly and pulled his shield across to block—
Exactly what Osric expected.
At the last moment, Osric twisted his wrist.
The blade dropped lower.
And sliced deep into Elliot's already wounded leg.
This cut was far worse.
The sword tore through muscle.
Elliot screamed.
His leg collapsed beneath him as he crashed into the snow.
Blood poured across the white ground.
"You bastard—!"
He tried to raise his sword again.
Osric kicked it away.
The weapon slid across the snow out of reach.
Elliot tried to push himself up.
Osric stepped forward and slammed his shield down onto Elliot's arm.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing.
Elliot howled in pain.
William stopped a few steps away.
He didn't interfere.
He simply watched.
The man beneath Osric was no longer the confident adventurer from earlier.
His face was pale.
His body shook.
"You… you don't have to do this," Elliot stammered.
Osric said nothing.
"I was angry, alright? I lost my temper. That's all. We can forget this happened."
Blood ran down Elliot's face as he spoke.
"Please."
His voice broke.
"I'll leave Ashbrook. You'll never see me again."
Osric looked down at him coldly.
A few minutes ago this man had been trying to kill him.
Now he begged for mercy.
Osric raised his sword.
Elliot's eyes widened in terror.
"Wait—!"
The blade came down.
It punched through Elliot's skull and buried itself deep into the snow beneath.
The screaming stopped instantly.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Osric remained still for a moment, his sword buried in Elliot's skull.
His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Blood dripped from his blade into the snow.
Slowly, he pulled the sword free.
Behind him, William stood quietly, watching the bodies scattered across the clearing.
The fight was over.