Balrow is already in front of me, shield equipped on his left arm.
Left leg is in front, right leg behind on a rudimentary stance, just like me.
"Alright, the goal of the spar is simple, I just need you to try and challenge me, pressure me, we obviously don't try to hurt each other, and the one who win, is the one that touch the other one body with only their hand"
Balrow nod at those rules, and don't say anything else as he lift up his right arm behind his shield, his finger are sprayed in a palm form, probably his win condition.
I look at balrow and take my own stance, my barechested and bloody body ready for everyone to see, strong frame builded over yea-! Well I started seriously with dad when I was 8, can I say it's been a decade already?
Oh right, the description, sorry, I just break my own monologues sometimes.
Fuck, what a bastard this guy, he fucking interupted me did you see that?
Anyway- strong frame builded over yea-! We just made clear it was a decade!
LET ME FUCKING MONOLOGUE FOR FUCK SAKE DON'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY!? IF WE KEEP INTERUPTING OUR OWN SELVES THEY WILL THINK WE'RE CRAZY!
Who's gonna think what, I'm monologuing for myself dumbass!
Oh, so now I'm a dumbass!?
Yeah you are!
And don't you think YOU'RE the dumbass for insulting yourself!?
Well for sure, but you're me, so you're the dumbass!
You're fucking crazy, can't I just describe one THING in peace!? For what? It's funny, it's not like we're actually in a book or whatever.
Yeah, but it makes me lose track of time and now I'm daydreaming while balrow is attackin-! Wait what?
Without any hesitation, I push the covered end of my stick against the pushing shield of balrow, I do it one time to test the strength.
And a stronger -still controlling my strength of course- second time to push him back, using his steady frame to push myself backward too, I take a step back and maintain distance between us.
I look straight into balrow eyes just above his shield, he cover himself and slowly walk forward, like a mountain.
He just try to advance while taking my multiples shove back with the haft of my spear, the spar go into a sort of lull.
Where I keep him at distance while he slowly try to take ground, sometimes he does push a bit faster forward, or push against my shaft strongly when it impact his shield.
But I quickly redirect back by stepping backward, or giving multiples quick hit against his shield to take my ground back, we continue until I feel my spear becoming heavy.
It is indeed quite heavy, the spar is kinda funny, but it does give quite the burn.
My spear doesn't dissapear.
Satisfied, with my conclusion, I try another test, I hit balrow one time against his shield, again, another time, another time, and another time, it's kinda expected for me to hit another time now, so that's what I do.
I hit another time, and another, and I don't really need my spear anymore do I?
I rush forward spear in hand, I thrust forward against his shield like usual, my movement is all the same, however the second I realize that I don't need my spear anymore...strangely enough, no impact come rattling balrow shield.
As he look above to investigate, the only thing he meet is my empty head touching his head. "I win"
Second test has worked too.
Balrow stand back normally as I do too now, nodding at me. "Good test, it will be useful in a fight"
What?
Oh right, I told him I needed to test something, well I was talking about the weakness, but let's say I always wanted to only test my second test, it's not really a lie, just not the full truth.
Nodding back "Yeah, that's why I wanted to test it out, definetly have some potential" I'm not gonna share possible weakness like that.
We stare at each other in silence, strangely enough it's not uncomfortable, it's quite the confortable silence actually, I do however cut it off "oh yeah, do you know where all the stones the goblin had are?"
Balrow frown a bit at my question but doesn't comment or ask why I asked him that, he ponder for a while, pretty much unmoving, just thinking with nothing but that slight frown to indicate it before he comes back to me a second later with an answer "I know, stay here, I'll come back with them"
Without saying anything else, he turn around and start moving toward a corner of the room.
Huh, how did he knew I wanted them? Well maybe it was obvious since I asked.
I take the shirt off my spear, this fucking knot is a pain in the ass to remove, finally removing it, I put it on again.
Just need to be careful the fabric doesn't rub against the makeshift bandage on my side too much.
Fuck, this shit feel sticky and dry at the same time, I almost want to keep moving around without my shirt.
As balrow go grab the stones as he said, I go back into a stance and get more comfortable with my one and only weapon.
It looks quite good.
The shaft is a polished, and now a bit bloodied dark wood. finishing with a tip in iron that survived being slammed against the floor with the weight of an entire goblin on it.
Impressive. I think? Don't know how resistant spears should be.
it's quite a normal looking spear though. there is also two...kind of strange metal things poking from the base of the tip.
I think it's used to stop charging animals or something from not going up the spear by impaling themselves, I'm not sure, but I think it is.
Balrow soon enough come back with the stones, he hand them to me without uttering a single word.
Just tend them, and put them in my hand, I stock all of them in my inventory and nod in thanks, he nod back. I turn to practice, he turn toward the couch.
Yep, cool guy till the end.
I return the spear in my inventory, and take one of the sharp stone out.
Grabbing it mid air I bring it closer to my face and analyze it, those little shit's hurt when thrown.
My face can attest.
Just like my old teacher can.
Ha! This bring me memories, bitch pushed me to bully her out of her job with a fucking backpack full of stones!
Well dad did. But whatever.
I throw the stone in the air and catch it back easily.
The backpack was heavy as fuck though, my younger self would be jealous if he knew I could stock all of those carefully recolted stones in a fucking inventory.
Dad always said.
'it needs to be big, small enough to rest in your palm, big enough too pick up speed when you throw it'
Twisting the stone in my hand, I feel out the weight.
Good memories, good memories. He picked up the majority of the stones while teaching me which ones where the best to pick, what a great dad and son bonding moment it was!
Yep, younger me would definetly be jealous.
Touching the edge prick my finger, definetly sharp.
Well, he would be jealous, but it's not like it was that heavy, the fact that I was barely eight didn't help with the weight too.
It's a pretty good stone. Could do with being slightly bigger.
I throw it up again and as it touch my hand it directly pop in my inventory.
Alright, who am I kidding? He would definetly be jealous! Look at me younger me, I'm cool, big, and no teacher would try to bully us anymore! WHAT MORE, I EVEN HAVE SPACE FUCKING MAGIC, ISN'T THAT FIRE!? Perhaps even cooler that this bitch face when she just realised I broke all her fucking car windows.
Not sure about it though, that was quite the face after all.
I go back to my practice and try to repeatedly catch stones that I take out of my inventory before they fall on the ground, I do it one time, two times, a hundred time.
Only with the right hand.
Only with the left hand.
I do it with the spear, it's quite complicated since it appear horizentally in front of my belly button but I practice, I practice until I get into the reflex of directly pointing my spear in front of me after I let it out of my inventory.
I alternate between spear and rock, after a while I even take everything back into the inventory and try to run and take out one of the rock, I try to pick it mid air like I usually do but it just slam against my belly, I need to be faster, I need to practice more.
Sweat slowly cover my face but my breath is steady.
My heart beat inside my ribcage faster than when I rest, slower than when I push myself, my limbs feel loose and ready, primed for action, to give the best of what they currently can, despite the two earlier fights.
As if I just came out of a great warm up, I feel good, and before I can even realize, two hours pass.