Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 9]

Before they could cry out in warning, I was among them.

I was no faster as a Swordmaster, no stronger, no better than I was as a Blacksmith. And yet, in my strange Skills, as unusual as they were, there were options. Piercing Thrust was termed as a `mighty thrust that pierced the enemy's defences`. It was a thrusting attack that carried me a distance – and it cared nothing for my Dexterity. The moment I used it, I was moving, and at whatever speed the Skill dictated.

It was how I'd caught Cinder off-guard, and it worked just as well here, even if I turned my sword aside at the last second and drove my cross guard into the man's stomach instead. His iron-plated armour should have protected him, but my Skills didn't care for it. My blow pierced his defences, literally. The cross-guard cracked his armour and slammed into his gut, toppling him with a groan.

—Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 9]