Gannet was the biggest, strongest Elf Ralph had seen yet. He was a good three inches taller than Ralph, and well-muscled. Ralph got the distinct impression that Gannet did not like soft civilians one bit. This impression was greatly reinforced when Gannet pinned Ralph against a wall with a razor-sharp sword against his throat. Ralph was panting as much from fear as from exhaustion as the Elf released him. Wiping at something on his neck, his hand came away bloody.
Bastard!
By late afternoon, Ralph’s muscles quivered with exhaustion, his arms and legs ached, he generally felt like he had been carrying a lead weight around all day, and to make matters worse, he was developing a pounding headache which, as it got worse, thwarted his concentration, ruined his focus, even played havoc with his short-term memory and his vision. But the big Elf showed no sign that he was tired, or that he intended to take a break, or that he intended to end this session at any time.
Finally, Ralph had no choice but to stop. He dropped his guard deliberately, and put his hand up.
‘Enough. That’s all I can do today.’
To his surprise, the big Elf stopped as abruptly and sheathed his sword, looking as fresh as when they’d begun. ‘In the course of conducting warfare, you would have no such option,’ he said. Without another word, he turned to leave.