(1) Blank v (24) Knights of the Square Table

[INDK]

If his opponent had been confused by the relieved smile that had appeared on Damon’s face just as a threat had been whispered, then an explanation was forthcoming. The boy had forseen that his opponent would jump into the air and come down with a strike, maybe two, glancing towards the head and ultimately settling for the knees. Having his feet dug deep into the sand, this should have been a situation for Damon from which there was no recovery. Movement would have been too difficult for him to summersault back, and the time that it would take for him to dodge the blow to the head would have left him completely unable to counter the second attack.

However, Damon had a spell that could save him in instances like this. He might have panicked had he not discovered it through his experiences at county fairs, or cried out to Ashiakin for more help, but his opponent’s jumping into the air provided Damon with just the opportunity that he needed. The boy hummed a few notes and then suddenly, he was enveloped by a storm. Radiating light and shining so brightly that even Damon was forced to close his eyes, the boy now found himself protected by a mess of lasers and plant debris. Hot steam hissed off of the tornado, and the boy’s skin had hardened to render him immune to the spells’ effect. A thin smile appeared on Damon's lips, just because he'd received such relief.

It was a moment of relief for the boy, one that had saved him from all of his earlier exuberance. The storm around his feet was kicking up the sand that had trapped him, liberating him from the problems his over use of momentum had caused. A smile appeared on his face, especially after it seemed that every last person in the crowd had otherwise grown silent, because they didn’t know what to make of the ability.

“You are the true Damon!” someone shouted, but the boy couldn’t respond at all. His outer skin had hardened so as to prevent him from feeling the effects of the spell, but there was no way that he could talk. Still, he glowed with pride, knowing that as his opponent were to bring his sword down towards his head, there would be no way that the weapon could get through the storm of lasers and debris. Having seen the vision of his opponent's attack in his head, Damon had timed this counter perfectly, so as to expect his assailant to hit the edge of the storm within the thirty seconds with which the tornado would hold.

Irony now seemed to be on Damon’s side. While he had no way of knowing his opponent’s intentions, the way that he had been hissed at and otherwise degraded now made Damon wonder if his opponent hadn’t gotten a little too overconfident as well. Perhaps, because this was just the first round of the LCC, all the players were overconfident and just trying to get through their rookie mistakes.

However, as it seemed, Damon had managed to avoid his first round jitters almost painlessly. It was unlikely that his opponent would be able to do the same.