𝓑𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓼 ⋆ 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝙰𝙲𝚃 Ⅱ • 𝚂𝙲𝙴𝙽𝙴 Ⅴ

"Set honor in one eye and death in the other and I will look on both indifferently. For let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor more than I fear death."

-Act 1, Scene 2. (Julius Caeser)

CW: Fighting scene and very brief mention of blood

After my encounter with the mysterious (and enticing) Clay, I continued my shopping and collected all the goods on my list and eventually I had a heavily laden sack filled with cured meats, cheese, oils and preserved fruit. Most things we could make or harvest ourselves back home, but there were some items that took a lot more time and skill so it was easier to simply source them elsewhere.

I remained in the village overnight and then in the morning journeyed back to the cabin.

"Good to see you made it back in one piece," Technoblade called out from the door, where he stood waiting with crossed arms and a smug grin on his face. My God, this man could be incredibly pretentious for a hermit.

"Would you prefer me to return mangled and disfigured from some brutal attack instead?" I replied with the same monotonous yet clearly sarcastic tone as he used.

The pinkette snorted and shook his head in disbelief, removing my coat from around my shoulders as I stepped over the threshold of the home.

"No, I would hate to have to clean up all the blood and viscera that you'd leave trailing behind you. Besides, I'd hope I trained you better than to end up injured after such a short trip, but maybe you're a hopeless cause," he remarked teasingly as he hung my coat up on the rack.

Now it was my turn to snort.

"I think that says more about your teaching methods than anything, wouldn't you agree, Mr Blade?"

Techno raised an amused eyebrow at my comment and placed a hand on his hip, pushing his cloak behind him with the movement and revealing the decorative sheath on his hip.

"Is that a challenge Miss Y/n? Have you missed me thrashing you in combat that badly?" He breathed out lowly, taking a step forward and smirking down at me.

My cheeks flushed and my heart pounded, but I tried not to let it sway me.

"Confidence in one's own ability is key. A rematch would not only let me see how much I've improved since we last fought, but it would also allow you to see all the areas in which you need to improve your teaching."

The retired warrior barked out a laugh that showed off his sharp canines and pivoted on his feet to walk towards his bedroom.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll spar. I don't want to put you at too much of a disadvantage by giving no time for you to prepare yourself," he agreed before entering his room and closing the door firmly behind him.