A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Yet, their concerns would have been wasted.

"She's faster," Oliver noted, seeing the way she delicately slid her back foot behind her, as if she were to retreat, that same counterattack that he'd seen her do a thousand times before… As soon as they closed the distance, though, she used her coiled muscles like a spring, and lunged at the two nearing goblins, skewering one through the eye with the lightest touch, and managing to skewer the other with the same level of finesse through the stomach, before either of them could get within proper range of her.

She'd kept her style relatively simple. They all had. It was important to start out that way. They found something effective that worked, and they used it as an ideal through which to transform all the techniques that they'd learned in the past.

That counterattack step that Blackthorn used, combined with the ability to chain lunges that she'd been training since childhood – it made for a highly effective tool at dealing with groups.

Some – Oliver included – might have lost momentum after slaying two like that. Blackthorn was no exception, though with her speed, what she lost was lesser. The whole pack was given the opportunity to grow closer to her now, and she was forced once more to herd them in an attempt to bait an opening. She needed to draw them out somehow.

With that need, there came the emergence of the old Blackthorn – a Blackthorn that only knew how to attack. It seemed as if she was getting frustrated when she ran forward to rush at them. Oliver narrowed his eyes, watching it carefully.

The old her no doubt would have committed to that attack. She might even have slain one or two goblins in the process – at the cost of exposing her back, and other vitals.

This more mature version of her, though, was beginning to recognize that battle was not a single strike, or a single attack and that one could build towards what they wanted. They didn't need to rush.

Her rush, instead, provoked the reaction that she needed from the goblins, though her body language and her aggressiveness suggested otherwise, her feet didn't overcommit for a single moment. She kept her centre of gravity perfectly placed, ready to be fully reactive.

When the goblins lunged, it was as though her legs had increased to double the length. She easily stepped out of range of them, having already been about to pull back. Their jumps fell short of her – a good three goblins had launched themselves – and they landed angrily into the snow.

Then Blackthorn's counterattack came. She rushed in with her rapier, just as one of the goblins managed to point its spear towards her chest. She widened her eyes ever so slightly. It seemed like an unavoidable strike, for Blackthorn certainly wasn't beginning to slow down her own strike in response.

The crude goblin flint spear neared her abdomen, about to wreak havoc… and then with the slightest movement, she twisted out of the way of it, and continued her strike, thrusting her sword point through its neck.

With another quick lunge, she killed a fourth goblin, completing her task.

"Myyy Laddddy!" Amelia said, almost crying. "I'm awed!"

"Well done, my Lady!" Pauline called as well.

"Kaya, you're up," Jorah said. "But ready to take over. You need to make sure their aggression is on you before the task can begin."

Kaya stumbled out into the snow, as Blackthorn ran circles around the remaining four, hurdling them. His legs were quivering, and his knees looked as though they'd be about to knock together at any moment.

She completed a full circle around the goblins, as they followed her, hooting and hissing all the while, and then she began to run straight at Kaya.

He held his spear out in front of him, with the point only just barely pointed their way. It was hardly a fighting stance. Looking at Kaya reminded Oliver of just how young they all were, for what he wore was a child's face, terrified by what was in front of him.

Blackthorn finished her mission perfectly. She stepped left, and stepped right with such a suddenness that the goblins failed to track her. Their eyes simply fell on Kaya instead, and all their anger went towards him. With a few quick steps more, she distanced herself entirely from them, and returned beside Oliver and Verdant.

She gave Oliver a look that seemed to say "well?". After spending so much time around her, he'd learned to tolerate her excessive avoidance of speaking at times, and so he answered the question, without it being asked.

"I'll be upfront, Lasha – I'm happy you're coming," Oliver said. He likely couldn't have said it better, from how bright Lasha's face became. "Ignoring the fact that you've become that much stronger than you were, you listen to me without question when it's necessary to. You followed your orders all the way through.

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I know how desperate you were to show off and cull the pack, but you've got self-control as well as strength. I'll be happy to bring you, even without further tests."

"Thank you!" Lady Blackthorn said, beaming, her eyes glowing. She literally jumped for joy, then quickly caught herself, and adopted an expression that seemed to force indifference, though it didn't stop her delight from leaking out. "But… Can I still show you what I've learned? You said you had a special test for me, didn't you?"

"If you insist," Oliver said, smiling, her enthusiasm proving infectious. He figured that it was the least he could do whilst he knew he had the time, so he strove to accommodate all their wants as best he could.

"But…" Karesh said, interrupting.

"Not now, Karesh," Jorah said, patting him on the shoulder. "It's Kaya's turn. Watch."

Indeed, just as Oliver's exchange drew to a close, the first round of attacks began on Kaya. He'd been forced to adopt something of a battle stance, but that hadn't done anything for the shakiness in his arms and legs.