Mitch did strike Sal's shin right below his knee, and it almost caused him to lose his balance. However, it had been more of a glancing blow, so it annoyed him more than anything else. Glaring at the boy, his angry expression almost melted immediately and he nearly laughed at Mitch's stance. He'd granted the boy a few blows and took the liberty of delivering some himself, but he wasn't ready for a fight to the death.
"Relax, this isn't Mortal Kombat." He chuckled. "And I don't want a fight to the death yet, despite how we both long for me to be six feet under." If Mitch caught that as any sort of goal of Sal's, he wasn't planning on divulging more information. "And I don't know, is it really a good thing to hate me? What if that's what I want? You'd be playing right into my hands, wouldn't you."