David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

“How DARE you!” spat his uncle, “You DARE challenge my rule?”

“If you refuse to acknowledge the threat that now faces not only our people, but the world we hold dear, then you bet I do!” cried Rex, fueled by the rage igniting from within.

“So be it!” shouted his uncle. “May the strongest man win!” he said, as he unclasped his fur cloak, letting it fall to the ground and revealing even more of his massive figure. One of the council members handed him a great claymore, and he quickly readied himself for battle, swinging it effortlessly back and forth to loosen up his muscles.

“Rex, are you sure this is the right move?” asked David, alarmed at how quickly the situation escalated and concerned for his friend’s safety.

“Don’t worry lad, this was bound to happen sooner or later” he said, smiling briefly before grabbing his double axe from the strap on his back.

As the two men walked towards each other, the crowd of spectators circled around, making sure to leave a large enough space for the two men to duke it out without putting them in harms way.

Rex, determined to win for the sake of his people, had a raging fire burning in his eyes. He slowly paced around the circle opposite from his uncle, waiting for the right moment to initiate his attack. His uncle sprang forward first.

The King rushed towards Rex with such fury that it nearly caught him by surprise, but Rex was well versed in his fighting techniques from watching him practice when he was a child.

He quickly lifted his battle axe and deflected the blade as it lunged toward his chest. Rex spun around with perfect balance, gaining his momentum, and using it to launch a counterattack at his opponent’s waist. The King jumped back and just barely dodged the attack.

The courtyard echoed with the ring of steel on steel and the grunts of effort that both men emitted as they fought for their rule and their lives.

Sparks flew as the blades clashed time after time in a seemingly endless fray of steel against steel. Minutes went by but seemed like hours as each man attacked and parried, neither man able to get an advantage over the other.

The King lunged at Rex who sidestepped and countered with equal force, just barely missing his uncle’s torso. Time and time again the attacks came, each time narrowly missing or parried away just in time as the combatants circled around the arena in deadly combat. The two were clearly both equally matched.

Rex jumped over his uncle’s swinging blade as it arced inches above the floor in an attempt to knock him off his feet. When he landed, the King swung his leg at Rex’s firmly planted legs. His boot connected with Rex’s right knee and made his knee hit the ground as it buckled under his weight and the force of the impact. Rex gained composure just in time and rolled under his uncle’s swinging blade, narrowly missing what would have been a fatal blow.

He jumped up from his roll, putting weight on his injured knee and quickly buckled under the sudden searing pain that shot through his leg.

As he slowly got up, he realized it was more hurt than he had expected. They began circling each other once again; Rex slowly limping around the edge of the circle of spectators, each holding their breath as they watched from the sidelines.

He watched as his uncle smiled vehemently from across the way, suddenly confident that he now had the upper hand.

“You’ll never beat me, Nephew. You’ve got the same blood as your father, and I was always better than him. Now I can finally get the chance to prove it!” cried the King.

“We’ll see about that” replied Rex, trying to push aside the pain now throbbing in his knee.

He knew if he were going to have a chance at winning this fight, he had to end it soon. He could feel the pain in his knee and knew that it was sprained at the least. His head was getting light from the intensity of the pain. He shook it off the best he could and gathered what remained of his strength for one last attack. It was now or never, life or death.

He dashed toward his uncle, axe held high and ready to swing. His uncle charged and lifted his sword high, ready to meet his nephew head on.

Suddenly Rex tossed his axe over his uncle’s head and ducked into a roll, sweeping his leg around as he tumbled past his opponent. He connected perfectly and the King landed hard on his side, banging the side of his head on the hard marble floor, and sending a spray of blood out across the ground.

Rex jumped up and caught his axe, spinning around fluidly with the grace of a warrior. He kept the momentum going as he swung his axe with all his might just as the King was getting to his knees.

Dazed from the fall, the King lifted his sword up to deflect the attack, but he was too late. Rex’s axe connected, slicing through both of his opponent’s forearms in a perfect sweep sending blood in a circular pattern to splash across the soldiers standing off to the side. His uncle’s hands fell with the weight of the sword as soon as the blade passed through the bone.

The sword tumbled through the air, almost as if in slow motion. He was helpless to stop it as the point sliced deep into his gut, the immense weight of the blade forcing it to continue penetrating through his abdomen and out from his lower back. He fell sideways to the floor, his bloody arms reaching at the blade with hands that were no longer there.

“You…were right, nephew…” he gasped, struggling to retain his consciousness. “I had forgotten what it was like to feel the thrill of combat, to truly feel alive…thank you…for reminding me…. Live