The boar charged again. Eli could feel its desperation from the way its steps faltered.
He breathed out and emptied his mind.
Once more, he moved aside and let it barrel past at just the last fraction of a second. The tusks tore through his sleeve, and the boar's head swung left to follow him.
Its head kept turning. Like a dance, Eli matched its rotation step for step, his feet moving on instinct while his sword arm coiled back and ready.
He watched the plates at the base of the neck with unbreakable focus. They shifted, scuffing against each other as the head swung further, and then they pulled apart, just like before.
But this time, Eli was right there.
