Silence.
The entire clearing fell deathly still.
Not a single centaur spoke.
Not a single breeze stirred.
Even the birds seemed to have abandoned the valley.
Sigrid stopped walking.
For several long seconds, she didn't move.
Then, ever so slowly, she turned around.
"You want to know why I ignore what you did today?" Sigrid asked softly. "Fine. Draw your sword and hold it out."
Mavis blinked through her tears. "What?"
"Draw it."
Hesitantly, Mavis raised her custom weapon, bracing her feet.
"Hold it with everything you have." Sigrid instructed.
Mavis locked her elbows, gripping the hilt with both hands until her knuckles cracked.
Sigrid didn't utter another word. She drew her broadsword in a fluid arc and brought it down with a thunderous CRACK!
The force of the strike shattered Mavis's stance instantly. The strange weapon tore free from her grip, flying through the air and landing twenty feet away in the tall grass.
"Pick it up." Sigrid said quietly.
