wyldheart: You noticed the finger thing---whoo-hoo! That makes you incredibly awesome.
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They fought furiously, blades flashing swiftly as they battled across the rocky plain. Back and forth they ran, over piles of rocks and up the little ridges, each man trying his hardest to disarm the other. As the sword fight raged on, it quickly became evident that the man in black knew exactly what he was doing. At last--a truly worthy opponent!
The Spaniard smiled to himself as he stepped back, dodging a blow from the other sword. "I see you've studied swordplay too," Geraldo said, swinging his blade. The man in black was clearly a master at fencing....not quite as skilled perhaps, but dangerously close. Close enough to be a threat.
"A little, maybe...in my spare time."
Geraldo suddenly darted up a large rock and flipped over the head of the masked stranger, landing behind him. The man in black was not surprised, however, and slashed at the Spaniard, narrowly missing his stomach. Then, he suddenly began to fight even more furiously than before, and in a matter of seconds he had gained the upper hand over Geraldo.
Geraldo realised that the man in black was gradually pushing him closer and closer to the cliff, and he began to feel a little worried. (If you will remember, he had decided to fight with his left hand, giving his opponent the advantage. Also, as luck would have it, the man in black had turned out to be a lefty--evening things up a bit more. However, the man in black was more skilled than he had expected, and would surely win if something wasn't done immediately.) Geraldo decided it was time for some real action.
The man in black continued to press him toward the edge. Only a minute more, and the duel would be over.
"You're pretty good," Geraldo said.
"Thanks. I've worked very hard to become so."
"I admit, you are better than I am," said Geraldo with a smirk, still fighting desperately to keep away from the cliff.
The man in black raised one eyebrow. "Then why are you smiling?" he asked, suspiciously.
"Because--I know something you don't."
"And what might that be?" A foot from the edge and moving closer.
"I am not left-handed!"
A split second later, Geraldo's sword had changed hands, and now the man in black was the one fighting for his life as the Spaniard advanced.
The man in black was completely thrown off guard by this sudden twist, and faltered, slipping on a small rock. He fell to the dirt, and Geraldo would have run him through then and there, but he swiftly rolled away and jumped to his feet--sword still in hand.
"Never expected that, did ya', bubba?" said Geraldo smugly.
The man in black gave a slight laugh and they locked swords again.
They continued to fight viciously, the battle almost at a standstill--for a moment one would seem to be winning; then suddenly the other would beat him back. It was obvious, however, that Geraldo was the better fencer; the man in black was tiring and his blade did not flash so quickly and accurately as before. This began to bore Geraldo, who had known of course that he would win all along, and he was ready to end the battle now that the man in black no longer proved a challenge. Plus, Curllini would be angry the longer he had to wait.
Geraldo swiped at him, forcing him up a hill and among the large rocks, where it would be trickier to keep one's footing. They were fighting near part of an old, crumbling stone wall which ran along the edge of the hill, meeting the side of the steep cliffs. The Spaniard eyed the wall--one good push, and the whole thing would fall down, down to the water far below. If the masked man was trapped by the wall and rock, he couldn't fight his way out so easily, and mightn't that be the end to the man in black!
The man in black continued to block Geraldo's blows, but he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Geraldo lunged at him, thrusting his sword forward, and the man in black fell against the crumbling wall. A few pieces of stone fell over the sheer edge of the cliff, as Geraldo shoved up against him, trying to force him over.
Grunting with the effort, the man in black pushed back in an attempt to free himself.
"There's something...'oof!'...you ought...to know," he said.
"What's that?" asked Geraldo, still shoving.
The man in black grinned from ear to ear.
"I am ambidextrous!"
Geraldo didn't even blink. "And...just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means: I'm not left-handed either!"
This time, Geraldo halted, and the man in black was able to push him aside. Then he leapt forward, brandishing his sword in his right hand.
"Mm-mm-mmm....You read too much. But you're still a bold dude," said the Spaniard, actually delighted with this turn of events.
They resumed their duel--this time, each would be fighting with every ounce of skill he possessed.
They bounded over the flat rocks as they crossed the hillside, their swords flying even faster than before as they fought. They were almost evenly matched...but one of them had to win eventually, and neither was willing to give up until he did.
The man in black swiped at Geraldo's head; Geraldo ducked just in time, and slung his blade at his opponent's feet in retaliation. The man in black jumped into the air, and did a back-flip out of the way. He jabbed his sword at Geraldo again, and Geraldo just escaped injury with a quick sidestep; then he leapt off a little ridge in the hill to a flat piece of land several feet below. He held his weapon firmly, waiting for the man in black to follow--if he charged off the ridge as well, Geraldo would be sure to catch him on the point of his sword...
The man in black paused, then unexpectedly he flung his sword at the Spaniard. Geraldo dove out of its path, and the sword landed with its point sticking into the ground. While he got to his feet--a bit dazed--the man in black somersaulted off of the ridge, and ran over to pull his sword out.
Geraldo looked up, impressed. "Who are you?"
"Does it matter?"
"I'd like to know before one of us gets skewered."
"Get used to disappointment."
Geraldo shrugged, "Okay."
...and their weapons met again.
They circled each other while fencing, the sound of metal clashing against metal rising louder and louder on the otherwise silent plain. Endlessly, they continued to parry and thrust and dodge as they moved swiftly over the ground. A cloud of dust billowed about their feet and their swords flashed brightly in the sun, almost too quick for the eye to see.
Suddenly the man in black swung at Geraldo's left, and as the Spaniard eluded the blow, the man in black slashed at his ear, momentarily surprising him. The distraction lasted only a split second, but that was long enough for the man in black to knock the sword from Geraldo's hand, sending it flying into the dirt a few yards away.
Geraldo instinctively turned to follow his sword, and came face-to-face with the point of the other blade. He closed his eyes, disgusted at himself for such a bitter defeat after so many battles, and fell to his knees.
"Kill me quickly," he said with a weary sigh.
The man in black did not move. "Mmm.....nah. I'd sooner destroy a stained-glass window than someone of your talent," he said finally. "However--since I can't have you following me, either..."
He clubbed Geraldo on the head with the hilt of his sword.
Geraldo fell to the ground unconscious.
"Please understand, it's nothing personal," said the man in black, and then he took off over the hill--following the footprints of the other kidnappers towards Guilder.
