[center][h1][color=ff5000][b]Renar Hagen[/b][/color][/h1][/center]

[color=ff5000][b]"Gah!"[/b][/color] Renar cried out as he hit the dirt once more, Edwin's form looming over him. The Bastard of Brias glowered, forcing himself up to a sitting position before he pushed himself back up to his feet with the butt of his poleaxe. He wasn't going to let that bastard keep him down. Merilla had brought Renar's little bag of tricks with him into this dream world, but pocket sand and caltrops weren't quite doing the job against a figure of legend with an enchanted sword. 

Well, he'd nearly gotten him with the pocket sand the first time, but nearly wasn't actually. Switching up his style mid-battle was faring better, and he was lasting longer against the traitor the more he trained. But it still wasn't good enough.

After however long they'd been sparring intensively, only stopping for meals and sleep, Renar could certain feel improvement. He'd been getting stronger and faster, to be certain. Just as he'd expected for their training with Lilia back outside of this realm. But the more important facet of his improvement was that he was developing his style far more. When one's measure of progress was how much it worked against Edwin the Traitor, changes that worked tended to stick. Renar still had his bag of tricks to be certain, but now it was augmented by genuine skill in rapidly switching fighting styles in order to adapt to opponents and confuse them. He was getting better at reading opponents in the midst of battle too, analyzing how the fought and determining an appropriate counter as needed. 

These weren't skills that would help against a dragon, per se, but he remembered Tyaethe's advice on that matter: prepare a method to deal with foes that won't die in one good blow. His was simple enough in concept: read their movements, read how they fought, and adapt to the situation accordingly. If his current style left him open after a lethal blow, he'd try a different one. Poleaxe, sword, daggers, it didn't matter. He'd work through it.

[color=ff5000][b]"Again."[/b][/color] He said flatly before Edwin could protest otherwise, taking up a ready stance. [color=ff5000][b]"We have a dragon to kill."[/b][/color]