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This was new.
He didn't usually pause in the middle of battle to admire someone else's fighting technique. In fact, he couldn't remember ever doing it before.
This stranger - this Lucian - barged into the middle of his plans and forced him to change direction. But far from being a burden, he proved himself an asset. Together, they cut more quickly through the magitek soldiers in their path. Together, their blades sang.
The man played support with ease - almost as if he had been doing it all his life. He matched Ravus step for step, even if Ravus was used to fighting alone and without help.
But it wasn’t just his ability to match Ravus’ movements that made him stand out - he moved with disciplined grace, more like a dancer than a warrior. At the same time, he wielded his daggers with deadly accuracy. Clearly, he had excellent teachers. And clearly, he was an experienced fighter on his own merit.
Time was of the essence. Lunafreya was in mortal danger. So was this retainer's worthless king.
Yet here Ravus was, standing very still in the middle of the chaos. Sword down. Awestruck.
He only snapped out of it when he saw a chance to disable an incoming Magitek armor. He charged at it, and as if attuned to his movements, the Lucian followed suit.
They brought down the armor with relative ease. He wanted to say Well done , but something about the sight of the young Lucian disheveled and catching his breath left him...captivated.
In the end all he could manage to say was, "You all right?"
The Lucian only took a second to steady himself, before replying "Well enough."
It was, somehow, the perfect answer. It pulled out the praise that he had not even known he was trying to hold back:
"You're resilient - I'll give you that."