frances bentley

The moment came, Roc ducking under Ingram’s leg, his speed enhanced with eagle reflexes like in his fight against Beck. He compressed his mana into his fist and punched Ingram in the jaw, jerking his head back. However, the instant he made contact, Roc realized something was wrong. He thought the punch landed, but his fist skidded off Ingram’s face as he twisted his head around 360º like an owl, allowing him to deflect the force from Roc’s attack and send his fist hurtling past him.

Roc had the advantage of experience against this style, but his missing arm proved a debilitating handicap. In one regard, it made dodging easier, as he had less mass to move out of the way of Ingram’s attacks, and he couldn’t be slowed down with painful flesh wounds to the missing limb, but it also left his offense and defense on his right side almost nonexistent. Depending on who he was fighting and what type of combatant they were, the severity of such a handicap was variable, but against such a similar warrior, his disadvantage was increasingly evident with each passing second. Back and forth, over and over, they hurled attacks at each other and then pulled back, using their wings to move in and out of each other’s reach.

Down below, he heard a knock on the front door, and Shannon answered. The brief moment of distraction snapped his clone back as if it had been yanked with a tether. Once again, he was left gasping for air and dripping sweat. He deactivated his magic and ripped off his headband, immediately sighing in relief. That sensation alone was worth the stress of training, as if slipping into a hot bath.