"Oh, finally you're back, Kopii! Let's go, I have nothing to do anyway," Raven began, seeing Kopii.
"I wasn't gone that long," Kopii retorted, changing into his gear.
"Not long? Two hours isn't long for you, Kopii?" Raven blurted out in surprise. "Is that a little to you?"
"Two hours is still normal, Raven. You know where the orphanage is. And stop shortening my name! My name is Kopii, not Kopi," Kopii replied, watching Raven approach him and put his hands on his shoulders.
Looking with the most serious gaze he could muster, Raven declared, "No, Kopi, now I've decided that I'm only going to call you that."
"What, when did you decide that?" Kopii objected. He didn't like being called that, it embarrassed him. There was only one person who ever called him that, and that was his caregiver. And Raven became the second.
"Oh, come on, Kopi," Raven waved off, approaching his gear in the corner. "Well, let's not waste any more time, we've already wasted so much, so let's hurry," Raven announced, exiting the basement. Kopii had no choice but to follow him.
"Alright, Kopi, this place will do," Raven said, surveying the location.
"Yeah, I think this will work well," Kopii agreed with Raven, beginning to undress. "As agreed, I'm going without gear. But I'll repeat the rules, in case you forgot: you just have to touch me once, draw even a drop of blood, then you win," observing Raven, Kopii could see that he was fully ready and just waiting for instructions to start the sparring. Kopii smirked. "Come on, attack!"
Kopii didn't know how he managed to convince Raven to spar. He argued that it was useless, since the difference in strength was significant, even if Kopii was only one level higher. But no matter how he explained it to Raven, he just ignored him and stood his ground. That's why Kopii made up the rules.
Kopii watched Raven's attacks, they seemed slowed down. Stepping back, Kopii looked at his reflection in the sword - a little more, and he would have been hit. But Kopii decided to fight seriously, he wanted to show Raven the difference between them, if he didn't understand words, then he would prove it with actions.
Striking Raven in the stomach, Kopii watched as he coughed, making a "kha, kha" sound, fell to his knees, bent over in a fit of coughing. Kopii was about to say that it was enough, but he had to jump away from Raven's lunge.
"A diversionary maneuver - that's very good! You almost caught me, Raven," Kopii praised Raven. But there's nothing surprising in his attacks, because that incident with the slavers taught him that the weak can defeat the strong for two reasons: tactics and numbers. The slavers used both on him. So Kopii was ready for any of Raven's tricks.
"See, Kopi, I've already made you jump back, so I'm one step closer to winning," Raven sneered, closing the distance between them. "Nothing new," Kopii thought, preparing for Raven's attack.
Running up quite close, Raven threw sand in Kopii's eyes. Kopii's eyes widened for a moment, he leaned back, seeing a part of his hair severed by Raven's sword. Kopii realized that Raven, when he bent over from his blow, had then picked up the sand. Quickly regrouping, Kopii struck Raven in the stomach, a little higher.
Kopii watched as Raven lost the ability to breathe for a couple of seconds. But Kopii didn't stop there, kneeing him in the face, which sent him flying.
"That's it, you lost, Raven. Your tactics are very good, you even managed to cut off a few hairs," Kopii spoke, approaching closer. "But that will not happen again. I will no longer hold back. You just have to say 'I give up'. That's all." Kopii watched as Raven stood up, took a dagger with shaking hands, with a bloodied face and eyes full of determination and desire for more.
"No, Kopii, heroes never give up!" he exclaimed, beginning a new attack on Kopii.
"Well, if that's what you want," sighing, Kopii whispered, preparing for Raven's next attack. But whatever Raven did, he could no longer give a worthy fight. With each second, he became weaker and weaker, and his body was covered with more and more bruises and contusions.
Kopii watched Raven's pathetic state. Sighing, Kopii, tired of watching the exhausted Raven, decided to end the fight. Grabbing him by the neck and tightening his grip more and more, Kopii sees Raven's eyes roll back, but Kopii didn't stop there. And only when his eyes had already closed, he released Raven.
He would never have done that, simply because he didn't know how. But those slavers did the same to him to make him lose consciousness. So why shouldn't he take advantage of it?
"You tried hard," Kopii whispered, picking Raven up in his arms. Laying him in the shade, he began to collect things and noticed a small scratch on his wrist. At first, Kopii didn't notice it because his hand was covered in Raven's blood.
"I lost."
Opening his eyes, Raven's first sensation was pain, as if every cell was simply tearing apart.
"You're already awake? I thought you'd lie unconscious all day," Kopii said, approaching the lying Raven. "You fought pretty well, you wouldn't even say that you recently picked up a sword," Kopii praised Raven.
"I lost," Raven whispered, turning his gaze to Kopii.
"Yes, you lost the fight, but… you won the bet," Kopii replied, looking at Raven's reaction. His eyes widened in surprise.
"What? How?" Raven asked, not understanding. He clearly remembered Kopii choking him, it was the last thing he remembered after losing consciousness.
"Have you forgotten the sparring rules, Raven? I lose if you can draw my blood, and you did, so…" Kopii trailed off.
"Now I have one wish," Raven continued for him.
"Yes, you do. What do you want?" Kopii asked, carefully listening to what Raven would say.
"Let's leave it for tomorrow, my body hasn't recovered from the blows yet."
"Alright, let's go to sleep," Kopii agreed with Raven, lying down in bed.
Opening his eyes, Kopii immediately saw Raven's happy face in front of him. "What? Get away from me," Kopii mumbled, getting up and dressing.
"Okay, okay, come on, I know my wish, here, take it," Raven began, holding out some kind of sheet.
"What is it?" Kopii said, carefully examining the sheet. There was a lot written on it, but there was one caveat. "What is this?" Kopii asked, turning the sheet to Raven's face in incomprehension.
"What's wrong, Kopi?" Raven said, not understanding, looking questioningly at Kopii. But in a moment, his face lit up with understanding. "You don't understand the language, Kopii? Then I understand."
"What language is it anyway?" Kopii asked, beginning to examine the sheet more closely, not understanding a single written word. He had never seen this language before. "No matter how hard I try, I can't even guess what language it is."
"Elvish," Raven replied, as if there was nothing to it. "You just need to learn it, and then read it, that's all, nothing complicated, Kopi," he continued in the same tone.
"Elvish?"
"Yes, Kopii, Elvish," Raven confirmed, taking the sheet from Kopii. "I'm sure, Kopii, you'll learn it… Only, Kopi, you have to read it yourself, don't ask any other elves, got it? Unless, of course, you want trouble," he added, returning the sheet to Kopii.
"Are you kidding me, Raven?"
"No, Kopii. You just need to learn the language, and then read and fulfill my wish on the sheet, that's all."
"Can't you just say it now?"
"No, Kopii, then all the fun will be gone," Raven seethed, looking at Kopii's unseeing eyes. From that expression on his face, Kopii felt annoyed.