"Die, you backwater rat!" said the youth. He drew his gleaming steel sword with a sharp hiss, lunging forward with a ferocious, direct thrust aimed straight at Roy's chest.
"Do not move, Mother!" said Louisa. She quickly pulled Mary back as the crowd gasped and scrambled away from the sudden fight.
"Watch and learn, boy," said Roy. He did not panic; instead, he took a deep breath and drew his katana, instantly dropping into the exact fluid blocking stance that Ethan had drilled into him.
"What an amateur strike," said Roy. As the noble's sword rushed inward, Roy executed a perfectly timed parry, letting the enemy's heavy blade slide harmlessly down the sleek curve of his katana's edge with a loud metallic screech.
"Impossible!" said the youth. His balance completely broken by the redirection, his momentum forced him stumble forward.
