บท 454: Fact vs Fiction, Part 2

The first strike surely was one of the most critical aspects of a fight. 

It sets a precedent. A clear indicator of either opponent's mettle. All it took was a single hit to gauge strength, a split-second movement to gauge speed, a single strike to gauge intent…

I didn't know who exactly it was that struck first. 

With my eyes, green and naive to the ways of the battlefield, I may as well have been blind for all the good they did me.

All I caught were whirls, a streaking blur of movement lashing in the air, parting open the tall grass as it did.

I blinked once, and they both had disappeared, I blinked again and…

My ears heard it, before my eyes saw it, an explosion in the wind, in the dirt, a loud impact resounding across the vicinity.