Alaric's punch sent the man stumbling back.
The man snarled, gritting his teeth as he steadied his sword.
"What the hell—"
Alaric didn't give him time to finish.
He surged forward, quicker than before, slamming his shoulder into the man's chest and forcing him back into the wall with a dull thud.
Steel scraped as the man slashed wildly.
Alaric ducked under it and delivered a brutal elbow to the ribs. Then another.
Crack!
"Argh!"
The man let out a strained gasp, twisting away to swing again, but Alaric was already past the blade's arc.
He stepped in, grabbed the man's wrist, and jammed his palm into the inside of his elbow, bending the arm backward with a sharp snap of motion.
Ctrrr!
The sword clattered to the ground.
The man's eyes went wide.
Alaric drove a knee into his stomach, then shoved him back with one hand.
"Come on," Alaric said, voice low, as he raised his fists. "Still think I was just bluffing?"
