Chapter 30: John Smith
"W-will they move—"
At the sound of Elena's voice, they dashed. Sun-young committed to seven diagonal slashes which John parried. He kept at a distance, never letting her blade come too close. John seemed to struggle with the speed or rather the weight of his sword. He was going slower than he wanted.
But his reflexes were top-notch. Despite his white hairs, his face wasn't too wrinkled nor were his bones creaking from the strain. He was elegant and warm. His attire was something straight out of a movie, like a butler serving a wealthy family.
Sun-young lunged at him. John dropped low, smoothly parried it, and thrusted forward. Sun-young blinked and jerked her shoulder back.
"Close one!" William commented.
John concurred, his breath slightly winded, "Indeed. You have excellent instincts, Ms. Sun-young. Were you perhaps a champion in your region?"
Sun-young did not answer his question. "I would say your skill far surpasses mine."
"Ah, you humble me."
"I did kumdo when I was young. I know the basics."
"Basics, hm? So it seems."
Two feet apart, their stances were firm and ready once again. Aiko, informally trained, adjusted from form to form, while these two stuck to their guns. John's smile gained a curve and he went on the offensive. One, two, three flicks of the wrist and Sun-young was utterly pressed. Her footwork was doing most of the job as she gently deflected his pokes.