I do a backflip and land on top of my opponent. I'm a little off balance, but that's not the end of it. He starts swinging his sword at me. I slip under and dodge to my left, then shift my weight while bringing up my shield with both hands as he goes by. I do another backflip and land on top again. This time, when he swings, I grab one of the handles in each hand and slam them into his face. His head snaps back, and he falls over. I roll away from him and quickly check for any threats before putting my helmet on. I do another backflip, landing atop my opponent's prone body. The two of us are a mess now; blood covers our clothes and armor. But we're still standing, so it worked out.
"Godsdammit!" I yell as I do another backflip. "I can't do this."
The fight isn't going well, and I am getting tired. That's the difference between me and most fighters: I don't get tired during fights. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to kill me, something very few people have ever done. I do yet another backflip, landing on my foe's chest. My armored boot slides across his throat, but instead of stopping there, I keep sliding down until my shin is against his neck. Then I bring my knee up hard, forcing air out of his lungs. I do another backflip, kicking my foot into his gut. When he tries to rise, I kick him in the face. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
"Nice," says Elora. She's kneeling next to me holding her side as she watches the fight. I do a backflip and land on Elora's back.
"You okay?" I ask.
She nods. "Just a little scraped."
"Good." I stand up and take off my helmet, which is drenched with blood. I do another backflip, landing on the opposite side of the arena. I pull off my helm and toss it aside.
"That was awesome," says Elora. We both look toward where the fight ended just a few moments ago. I do another backflip and land beside Elora.
"What are you doing?" asks Elora.
"I need fresh air." I reach up and remove the chainmail shirt underneath my armor. Then I strip off my tunic and take off my pants, leaving only my boots. As soon as I'm completely naked, I start walking over to the edge of the arena. "Come on. Let's see what we can find in the woods."
"Are you crazy?" asks Elora. I do another backflip, landing beside her.
"Why not? It's a beautiful day outside." I walk around the side of the arena, heading deeper into the woods.
"But what about your clothes?" she asks.
"Leave 'em here. They'll be waiting for us when we come back."
Elora follows me as I go deeper into the forest. There aren't many trees or bushes near the arena, because they've been cleared to make room for the fighting pits. I do another backflip and Elora's clothes come off right along with mine.
"Whoa! What were you thinking?" says Elora.
"I wasn't," I say. "Now let's see if we can find some food." I do a front flip, landing on the other side of the arena. I walk through the grass and brush until I spot a large bush with bright berries growing all over it.
"Looks tasty," I say. I grab a handful and throw them into my mouth. They taste sweet and refreshing, like strawberries. I tell elora to do a backflip and land beside me. She does, and her clothes fall onto the ground. She stares at me in shock.
"It's the berry bush," I explain. "We should have brought some of those." I ask Elora "how do we know each other?"
"Your mother told me you were coming. She said she'd introduce us."
"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Lyrianna's son, Edward." I do a front flip and land on the other side of the arena. "Why did my mother want us to meet" I say as I do a backflip, landing on the opposite side of the arena.
"She said she thinks you might have feelings for me."
"Oh," I say. "Is that why you've spent every spare moment trying to kill me?" I say as I do a backflip and land on Elora's back again. Her shirt comes off. She looks at me, then at the bush.
"I didn't realize how delicious these tasted," I say as I do a backflip and land beside her. "I like you almost as much as I like backflips"
"Almost?" Elora says.
"Yes. Almost." I do a front flip and land beside her. "Would you mind stripping off your clothes too?" I ask her.
"No," she says. She strips off her dress and tosses it aside. Then she bends over and pulls off her panties, tossing them away as well.
