[Spritely Zombie]

Cathan picks himself back off the ground, shaking his head in an effort to clear the ringing sound. He touches the back of his head and winces, the fingers come back covered in blood. He slams his sword tip first into the ground, the enormous tip burying itself 2 to 3 inches in the gap between some cobbles, enough to hold the sword vertical.

"You wish to avenge a death caused in self-defence? You are a fool."

Cathan stares impassively at Bakan and removes the heavy vambraces and breastplate that would obviously offer no protection against the blows of his opponent. The light padded jerkin beneath the breastplate is saturated with sweat and Cathan also removes this, using it to wipe the blood from his face before throwing it down onto the sun-baked earth.

Cathan grabs the hilt of his sword. Lightly bronzed, sweat covered flesh ripples as muscles tense, easily hefting the sword back out of the ground.

"Her that is all-powerful? Pah. If she is all-powerful then why are you stuck raiding pathetic villages and towns? Why is the entire world not infested by the rotting carcases that are her creations? The being you serve is not all-powerful. Evil, ancient and strong, yes. All-powerful? Like hell."

Cathan's blood sang to him, his fatigue and pain almost seemed to fade away. This battle, unlike so many before it. Truely matters to me. He thought almost bemused. A shame that I may not live to see it's conclusion He continued darkly.

With a roaring yell, that was more exhileration than anything else, Cathan runs forward covering the distance seperating the two in only a few strides. He launched into an offensive. Hacking, feinting, slicing, cutting all at a speed most men struggle to realise with an ordinary sword. Every riposte of his oppenent's was forced into a parry as the mighty blade countered with bone shattering force.

Finally Cathan saw an opening; he threw an enormous overhead blow with all his strength behind him. His opponents blade was up in a flash, stopping what would have undoubtedly been a lethal blow. Inwardly cursing, Cathan pushed down and Bakan, hard-pressed to keep his blade up one-handed, grabbed his sword with his other gauntleted hand. Cathan pushes harder, all the muscles across his back and arms feeling as though someone were pouring acid across them. Bakan's legs tremble slightly, then they start to bend. Cathan however knew he would not be able to keep up this pressure for much longer. Bakan's left knee almost touches the ground. Cathan takes a deep breath and pushes once more and at almost the moment Bakan's knee finally touches the earth, Cathan changes the force on his sword; he pulls back with the blade, swinging the pommel straight into Bakan's face. The blow is strong and unexpected by Bakan, who's attempts to stand inadvertently bring him up into the blow. Bakan is knocked back several paces where he lands unceremoniously upon the ground.

Cathan takes a step back, sweat dripping off his nose and chin, hitting the ground where it is eagerly devoured by the moisture-starved earth. He grins lopsidedly, eyes almost alight with the power of his resolve.

"... Not... Yet..." he manages between gulps of air. His muscles now feeling as though someone is following his earlier acid bath with a massage of rock salt and jagged glass...