“My grandfather?” Dallion hesitated. Most of the things that Dallion had learned about awakening were from his grandfather. Could it be, though, that certain details were omitted?

“He was the one who first obtained control of this area,” the village chief said. “I guess he’s not as reliable as you thought.”

“Yeah, things like echoes tend to get in the way.”

At the moment Dallion’s concern was how to continue the fight, rather than any information his grandfather might have kept from him. Without the escape option, he couldn’t make use of his ultimate surprise attack. To make matters worse, the bonuses of his entire defense sequence had been completely negated.

“You’re not leaving here unless I let you.”

He doesn’t know what I was aiming to do? Dallion thought. So, he had a chance after all. As long as he did the final jump as soon as the moment the escape rectangle appeared, the old man wouldn’t be able to react in time.

“Give up,” Aspion said. “You don’t even suspect your worth. The people need the awakened. As long as you don’t oppose me, you can stay in the village. If you join my family, you’ll never need for anything.”

Options flickered through Dallion’s mind. Direct attacks had proved inefficient, but what about a ricochet shot? Combination attacks were a thing; if a melee attack could be combined with a defense action, why not a ranged one as well?

“As long as you promise me, I won’t even ask you to admit defeat. No one can see what’s happening here. In the real world, you’ll continue with your attack and I would think of some nonsense of your bravery proving you suitable for my granddaughter. My echoes will take care of the rest.”

“Anything so long as I don’t cause a ripple.” Dallion tested his theory, discreetly aiming at the buckler with his dartbow. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but Dallion was able to see the red line bounce off the metal surface like a laser off a mirror. Part one of the new plan had gone without a hitch. “What if I want to leave? Go to a city? I heard that they are the places to be.”

“We all have to make sacrifices. You’ll stay here. Whatever you want will be brought to you. Merchants like the awakened. Several members of my family earn their keep by improving an item or two each time one of the travelling peddlers passes by.”

“I see. What about him?” Dallion pointed at something behind the village chief.

It was the oldest trick in the book. No one on Earth would have fallen for it. However, this wasn’t Earth. Whether through habit or curiosity, Aspion turned around to look. And that was the precise moment that Dallion went on with the second part of his plan. Taking advantage of his high reactions, he angled the buckler in such a fashion so a shot would hit his target, then squeezed the trigger.

The bolt bounced off exactly as the line suggested it would. The only time Dallion had seen anything of the sort was when playing virtual billiards. That was only part of the plan, though. A single attack, even if successful, wouldn’t amount to much. Moments after firing the shot, Dallion sprinted forward.

Aspion tuned out in time, just as Dallion expected he would, buckler deflecting the bolt in the very last moment. The action, though, had been close enough to trigger the appearance of a series of green markers.

Here we go again.

Step, step, turn, step, twist…

The pattern was easy to follow. Dallion went on segment to segment. The village chief didn’t seem to catch on, continuing with his attempts to slice Dallion with his sword. Several times the blade passed inches wide from the boy’s face—a scary, yet surprisingly invigorating experience that only made Dallion all the more determined.

ESCAPE TRIGGERED

If you wish to escape combat, smash the window

Finally, the rectangle appeared. Dallion didn’t even bother waiting, immediately leaping to a spot on the side of the chief. From there it was one simple swing to do one of his golden classics—shield to the head.

“Sleep tight, old man.” Dallion grinned, A loud ringing noise followed like metal hitting on metal.

There was a moment of confusion. Could it be that the village chief had a head of steel? Or maybe being awakened for so long had caused him to gain abilities Dallion wasn’t aware of. As it became obvious, the answer was very different. Dallion’s buckler had clashed against nothing else but the chief’s own shield, resulting in the unusual noise.

“How?” Dallion asked, leaping back.

“I told you you’re just a beginner in this.” There was no hatred on the chief’s face, only disappointment and possibly even pity. “Even the gifted need time to develop. You were lucky being selected by the hunting party, but nice weapons and a one-week training course aren’t enough to defeat me.”

Without warning, Aspion jumped into the air. The action was elegant, precise, almost graceful. Looking at it, Dallion had the distinct feeling he had seen it before… only last time it was Gloria who had performed it.

“You’re good at combining your skills, just as your grandfather was.” The chief landed back on the ground a short distance away. “But there’s only so much you could do with attack and guard. I can do that as well, but also combine them with acrobatics.” He leapt forward, swinging the sword as he did.

A series of green lines appeared on Dallion, changing location faster than the boy could keep up. There was no avoiding such an attack. The only option was retreating while deflecting what he could with his buckler.

MINOR WOUND

Health reduced by 5%

MINOR WOUND

Health reduced by 5%

MINOR WOUND

Health reduced by 5%

MINOR WOUND

Health reduced by 5%

The attacks continued like a whirlwind of swords. This was no normal combo, it was something the village chief had trained to do. Halfway through, he paused, letting Dallion take a breath.

One single attack and he had already reduced the boy’s health by a fifth.

“Last chance,” Aspion said. “Give in, or lose your powers.”

“I think I’ll pick option three.” Dallion gritted his teeth.

“Suit yourself.”