Chapter 59: Linda Vs The Undead Great Swordsman II

The Swordsman’s sword cut towards the Yeti’s elbow in a fast strike.

The Yeti bent its arm and formed another layer of ice over the fur, catching the flat side of the blade before driving its other hand forward. The Great Swordsman twisted away from the centre of the strike, though the Yeti’s fingers still scraped across its armour.

Rather than retreat, the undead stepped closer. It turned the sword within its grip and pulled the blade along the Yeti’s raised arm, peeling away the frozen coating in a spray of white fragments, just before the Yeti came in and closed its hand around the Swordsman’s forearm.

Dustin leaned forward when he saw it, but the undead immediately turned its wrist and forced the sword between the Yeti’s fingers before its grip could settle. The beast released the arm and drove its knee into the Great Swordsman’s side.

The impact lifted the undead off the floor and sent it several paces away.

It landed on the ice and slid backwards with one hand against the floor. Its sword scraped a long line beside it until the point caught against the frozen ground and stopped its movement.

Linda’s Yeti remained where it was, but a shallow cut could now be seen through the fur on its forearm since the ice coating hadn’t caught the entire edge of the sword.

"Can it still use that hand?" Leon asked from the seats. He didn’t shout, but tye quiet of the room meant his voice travelled well enough.

"Yes." Linda answered.

The Yeti opened and closed its fingers before lowering its body again. Leon gave a small nod after seeing that it could still move the hand properly.

Linda hadn’t expected to be checking her summon for injuries this early into the fight, though she also hadn’t expected the Great Swordsman to take a direct knee from the Yeti and simply stand back up.

The undead adjusted its grip, with the blue light inside its skull remaining steady as it looked at the Yeti, a menacing glare from behind the already terrifying armour.

’All right. You’re not going to chase it around the room.’ Linda thought as she rubbed her thumb against the side of her finger.

"Make it come to you." She instructed.

The Yeti planted its feet and raised uneven sections of ice around itself, leaving narrow gaps between the taller ridges. A pale mist spread across the floor and rolled around the Great Swordsman’s boots as it slowly filled the space between the two summons.

The Swordsman waited, turning its head slightly as another ridge formed to its right.

"Is it going to attack?" Dustin asked after glancing at the timer on Leon’s phone.

Leon continued watching without answering, they were all curious to see.

A spear of ice formed within the mist and shot towards the Great Swordsman. The Swordsman knocked it aside, then cut through a second spear coming from the left, then stepped away from the third and allowed it to break against the floor.

The Yeti moved behind the cover it had created. The top of its white head remained visible over one of the ridges, while its long arms stayed low and ready for the Great Swordsman to approach.

The Swordsman took a step forward, almost I bothered about what seemed like danger.

One of the ice ridges blocked the direct route towards the Yeti, so the Swordsman cut through its narrow end and entered the gap. It stopped immediately as the Yeti swung one arm down from the other side.

The fist smashed through the opening where its shoulder had almost been.

The Swordsman then struck the Yeti’s extended wrist before it could pull away. Its sword left another pale cut through the frozen guard, but before the Swordsman could move closer, a fresh ridge rose between them.

"It’s rebuilding everything it breaks." Dustin said as he released a quiet breath.

"And it’s getting hit every time it reaches over." Raul replied.

Linda had noticed the same thing. Her Yeti could continue replacing the ice, but the Great Swordsman wasn’t giving it enough time to turn the cover into a proper attack.

The undead stayed outside its reach, entered whenever the Yeti extended for an attack, then retreated before the surrounding ice could trap it.

Linda allowed them to repeat the exchange one more time before giving another instruction.

"Bring it closer."

The Yeti dragged one hand backwards, causing the mist around the practice floor to shift.

Ice spread behind the Great Swordsman in a low crescent, while the ridges on either side of it became thicker and left less space for it to move, while yet another spear formed above the Yeti’s shoulder at the same time.

The Great Swordsman looked dead in front, as though looking at nothing and yet everything at once, just as the spear shot forward. It broke the attack against its sword, but the Yeti was already forcing its way through the cover it had created.

The beast drove one broad shoulder into the ridge and sent a large amount of ice towards the Swordsman, but it cut through the largest piece and moved towards the opening on its left, where the Yeti’s hand was already waiting... It had left the gap deliberately.

Linda watched as the Yeti’s fingers closed around the undead’s shoulder plate. The Great Swordsman turned with the pull rather than trying to resist it, dragging its sword across the Yeti’s forearm.

The edge broke through the ice coating and caused the Yeti’s grip to loosen, but the beast had already swung its other arm.

A thick shield of ice covered the outside of the arm before it struck the Great Swordsman’s raised guard. The impact lifted the undead off the floor again.

This time, the Great Swordsman placed one foot against the top of a broken ridge while it was still in the air. It pushed itself away and landed outside the Yeti’s reach with its sword extended towards the beast.

The Yeti stopped rather than following and exposing its arm to another cut.

A thin line of red marked its white fur, though the injury didn’t appear deep. The Great Swordsman’s armour now had another dent along its side, but that was it.

Neither summon moved while they watched each other.

Linda could hear her Yeti breathing, with thicker clouds of cold mist leaving its mouth. Its injured arm also hung slightly lower than the other.

’Its not a deep cut, though... Is it poisonous?’ she questioned herself without answer.

The Great Swordsman rolled one shoulder before returning its attention to the Yeti.

Dustin had stopped making comments, while Raul sat with his elbows resting on his knees and looking keenly.

Linda turned towards Leon. He was still holding the phone, but this time, no one could mistake him for being asleep or uninterested. His attention remained on the fight.

’We can push further.’ Linda thought.

Her Yeti raised its injured arm and covered the shallow cut with frost. The ice continued spreading down until its fingers were protected again.

The Great Swordsman lowered its blade, changing the angle without relaxing its stance.

Linda looked over the practice floor. There was barely any clear ground left between the two summons. Broken ridges, loose fragments and new sheets of ice covered most of the path, while mist continued moving through it all.

Her Yeti had made it difficult for the Great Swordsman to approach, but the undead continued finding ways to get close. Neither had managed to keep the advantage for long, though.

"Let’s try that again." Linda ordered.

The Yeti bent its knees as fresh ice gathered around both forearms.

Across from it, the Great Swordsman moved one foot forward, its sword remained low beside its leg, while the blue light within its eyes stayed the same.