Lian reopened his eyes, the sword still enveloped in flames. This time, instead of attacking directly, he feinted, moving the blade upward as if to strike the dummy's head.
The artifact reacted, raising both arms to parry. "Got you!" Lian gave a small smirk. With a quick change of direction, he lowered the sword and struck the exposed side. The blade sank into the gray material, and the flames erupted, enveloping the dummy in a vortex of fire.
The target staggered, the runes on its body flashing frantically as they tried to neutralize the flames. With a final effort, it stabilized, returning to a combat stance.
The dummy was damaged, slightly, but the wound was visible.
"Damn, Lian!" Rick shouted, running his hands through his hair. "You really hit it! You were supposed to take it down, not damage it! I remind you that thing costs at least 50,000 gold coins!"
