Jahi PoV
Returning to the center of the shady training grounds with the others, I glanced at Hawn for a moment, the male Elf frowning slightly as he watched his cousin and their lover stalk off.
I didn't trust him one bit; at this point, the 'war' between our families was too great for me to treat him impartially.
So, I returned my gaze to my opponent for today; Liako, sister of Arch Mage Kolia and a renowned swordmaster from the West.
She made her name known by fighting in the various martial tournaments throughout the Empire, as well as dabbling into Adventuring.
However, the largest event she was apart of was dismantling an organized Crime Ring that wanted to kidnap her.
She rid an entire city of its underground rulers in just three nights, and now that city prospered more than it could have ever dreamed of doing, all thanks to her.
The thought of crossing blades with her was exhilarating, and I grinned as I stepped before her, the shorter woman glancing up at me as she asked "Am I to assume that you wish to go first, Lady Jahi?"
I nodded and walked away from the group with her, watching as she fluidly slipped into a ready stance, her lithe figure leaving no openings as I stared at her.
Narrowing my eyes, I frowned as I stared at the thin wooden blade in my hands, wishing I had something heavier...
Sighing, I lowered myself into a stance as well, my eyes locked to her blue snake eyes.
"Ready?"
Her voice was flat as she asked that, prompting me to nod.
I smirked in anticipation as her figure blurred, her speed greater than most opponents I had faced before.
Feeling something behind me, I pivoted and parried the horizontal slash that was aimed at my spine, swatting her sword towards the ground before I sent a palm towards her chest.
Ducking under it, Liako withdrew her sword and lanced its tip back towards my chest, forcing me to raise my own sword to deflect the blow.
Pushing her away again, I watched as she stepped back and reset her stance before rushing forwards again, this time going for a frontal assault.
Instead of a singular, powerful strike, Liako unleashed a flurry of blows, her thin blade a blur as she stabbed and slashed at me.
However, I kept pace with her increase in speed, concentrating on her sword as I blocked and redirected each blow, waiting for the right moment.
For a single opening to reverse the momentum.
With a smaller blade then I was used to, this speed was easier to achieve, but I needed to consciously make adjustments to make up for the lack of a flat edge that I was used to from my Greatsword.
Catching her slash on my blade, I slid her edge down to the hilt and twisted, forcing her to readjust her grip on her hilt.
That minuscule moment that she needed to grasp her blade properly again was enough for me to begin applying pressure to her, utilizing my power to force her to focus on defending herself.
Liako pursed her lips as I began to force her back, my slower, yet stronger strikes resulting in her requiring to block, lest she take a solid blow.
A blow that would put her out of this fight.
The sound of our wooden practice swords thunking against each other echoed around the grounds, and I could hear the wood straining with each thud against each other, meaning I had a limited time to win this with swordplay instead fisticuffs.
Flicking her sword to the side, I slipped into her space and slammed my elbow into her abdomen, following it up with a swift kick to her knee, locking it up.
Gritting her teeth, Liako widened her eyes as my blade flashed towards her throat.
Incapable of dodging, Liako attempted to raise her sword to block the thrust, only to leave her side open.
Faking the thrust, I redirected my wooden blade towards her exposed side, which she barely blocked again, but this time...
Pushing against her sword, I made her stumble backwards as I swung my sword down towards her skull, forcing her to block it.
When she did, my foot slammed into her stomach, sending the woman skidding backwards, coughing.
Recovering quickly, she attempted to weather the flurry of blows I unleashed onto her, the rapid thrusts, slashes, stabs, and cuts forcing her further and further back, until one of my downward swings shattered both of our blades, showering us in splinters.
Panting, Liako stared at me in surprise, saying "M-My sister wasn't wrong... you're monstrous..."
Chuckling, I tossed the bladeless hilt off to the side, asking "So did I pass?"
Liako deadpanned for a moment, her blue eyes locked on me as she said "Yes."
Letting out another chuckle, I turned around and walked towards Anput, placing my hand on her shoulder as I said "She's all yours now puppy~!"
Slipping over to Kat, I stood beside her as I watched the end of Leone's spar against Thorn, nodding to myself.
Surprisingly good...
~~~
Leone PoV
Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fist around the practice sword in my hand, looking intently at the larger Bearkin man opposite me.
An unbothered, relaxed smile hung on his lips, while the gigantic wooden axe leaning on his shoulder exuded a raw aura, which was at odds with the man wielding it.
"Are you ready, Lady Leone?"
Even his voice was relaxed, and I clenched my jaw as I nodded, not liking the way he was looking down on me.
The various strategies that Jahi and Anput had suggested to me floated around my mind, and I had taken the time to commit each to memory.
With my frame and strength, overpowering Professor Thorn wasn't viable, whilst my footwork wasn't up to scratch either...
In all honesty, this was the worst possible matchup for me, but...
Taking another deep breath, I watched as he lifted the giant axe from his shoulder, preparing to began the duel.
Rushing forwards, I decided to try and prevent him from taking control of the tempo of the fight, to make him react instead of act.
That was the only way that I could see myself winning this...
With that in mind, I slammed my sword against the handle of his axe, forcing it back down a little, before sliding the blade forwards, towards his chest.
The theory was to stab him whilst he attempted to push back against my sword, but the pure difference in power made itself evident in that moment.
He simply lifted his handle and ignored the thrust, since it was remaining against the wooden haft.
With that plan failed, I retrieved my blade and rolled away from a downward swing, the wooden axe digging a burrow in the sand and sending a cloud of dust into the air around us.
As I rolled I scooped up a fistful of sand, keeping it in hand as I stabbed and slashed at the man, distracting him.
Thorn expertly deflected each attack I sent his way, that same relaxed smile on his face as he brushed off every swing of my sword.
Gritting my teeth, I glared at him as I stepped forwards, my left fist swinging towards his face.
He was about to block it when my fingers parted, letting the sand fly towards his exposed eyes and opened mouth.
He screwed his eyes shut and turned away, letting the sand hit his cheek instead of his eyes, nose, and mouth, but I used that opportunity to slip behind him.
Sadly, even as I slashed at his broad back, the man reached his axe over his shoulders and blocked the blow before stumbling forwards.
Growling in annoyance, I stared at him as he turned towards me, the smile no longer on his face as he said "That was dirty, Princess."
"All is fair in war, Professor."
Sighing, he nodded, his face sullen as he muttered "It is indeed..."
With that, I widened my eyes as I scrambled backwards, the ground that I previously occupied little more than a drifting cloud of dust.
Before I could even react to his insanely fast attack, another was sent my way, forcing me to roll underneath the horizontal swing.
Crouching, I launched myself forwards, replicating Kat and Anput as I speared myself towards his exposed midriff, the sword tip lancing forwards.
However, I had neither their speed nor their strenght, so while fast, I wasn't fast enough.
Twisting his body, Thorn made the blow glide just past his back, only to spin away from the chop I unleashed towards his back a moment later.
Getting up, I continued forwards, swinging my blade like mad as I pressed on, trying to score a lucky blow.
As I did so, I tried to find something to counter him with, before grinning.
I had an idea, but I just needed to wait.
Thorn had a pattern with his attacks, and one was just perfect for me...
Relenting slightly, I counted through the blows he sent my way, determining the time between each and how often he switches the style up.
Getting that down, I narrowed my eyes as I watched him swing his axe horizontally again, but this time I slipped under it and slid between his legs, catching the man on his rebound and slamming my elbow into the back of his knee.
Forcing him down, I jumped over him and kicked off his head, landing a few feet away before spinning back around, lunging back towards his chest.
This time, he couldn't get his axe up to block, as it was still twisted behind his body, so he raised his arms to block the thrust.
Which never came.
Instead, he widened his eyes as I stopped before him, gently pressing my sword tip against his raised knee.
"A cut here and you no longer have the ability to walk."
He shivered at my words, his eyes glued to the blade resting against his muscular leg.
"Aye, I wouldn't... instead of going for the kill, you wished to whittle your opponent down, forcing them out of the fight?"
Nodding, I added "If it ever came to me fighting close quarters, this wouldn't happen; my magic would be more than enough to cover for my physical weakness."
Especially not when I added one more tattoo to my body, one that I was working on for months now.
But, for the moment, I stared at the kneeling man, who sighed.
"Well, you passed, Lady Leone. Unconventional, but solid. Congratulations."
Smiling at him, I nodded again before turning, walking back to where Kat and Jahi stood watching.
Kat gave me a quiet nod before she walked forwards, whereas Jahi beamed down at me, her pearly white teeth on display as she slid her arms around my torso, pulling me into her embrace.
"Good job Leone~!"
Hearing her words, I shivered slightly as I melted into her hug, enjoying the warmth that permeated me for those brief moments.
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