5

Chapter 2 the purple knight pulled his greatsword out of the woman's body. Blood sprayed everywhere as the blade sliced into its flesh and came free with an ear-shattering crunch. The woman lay still, eyes wide and empty, no longer able to struggle against the inevitable.

The red-haired woman, standing beside Andor, nodded approvingly at the display of magic. "It is quite impressive," she said. "How did you manage to learn such powerful magic?"

the purple knight just replied

the purple knight: training

the red-haired woman: more training?

the purple knight: all training

the red-haired woman: but?

the purple knight: more than enough

the red-haired woman: yes, yes

A sudden silence fell upon the hall. It was not that the combatants had ceased their dueling, since each continued to swing his or her weapon in the direction of the other. But somehow, the tension had died away. Andor felt the hollowness and emptiness of his stomach again and realized he had forgotten to eat anything since the first night here. Hunger made him dizzy.

The purple knight's opponent slowly backed away from him, his expression growing grim and determined.

"He will kill me soon," Andor heard himself whisper.

Another dark elf suddenly appeared, staggering under the weight of several heavy sacks. The priestess took advantage of the distraction to dart to one side and strike the new arrival with her staff. Even though the blow landed harmlessly on the ground next to the newcomer, the impact startled the dark elf and caused him to stumble.