Swordplay

“Block!” Sacherell shouted, slashing his sword dangerously close to Douglass’s face. “You have to put more into it, or I’ll just push past your defenses.”

Douglass backed away and dropped his sword. “It’s no use. You heard Sklaw - I’m not a swordsman.”

“You weren’t as bad as Alan,” Sacherell offered, shrugging.

“Who is?” Douglass squatted, rubbing his sore legs. “I knew it would be hard, training for my shield. But there’s a difference between knowing something’s hard and feeling it.”

“No worries,” Sacherell grinned, patting Douglass on the head. “We’ll get through it - we can help each other through it.”