A Path Illuminated Towards The Future(Freyja/Al'in)

"Very well then, I suppose it shall be a test of our respective fighting styles then." Speaking in a tone filled with respectable admiration for her peer, Freyja would take a few steps backwards to observe Al'in with combat knives in hand. To be certain, there was a pronounced measure of interest at play within the woman's mind. As one who descended from the desert, she wondered what type of fighter he had been in the past.

Did he rely on his skills as a quincy or wrest victory from the hands of his opponent's through wit and deception, through utilizing other methods to survive in rough terrain. There was, of course, the size difference to consider as well. To land any sort of strike would have to come perhaps in the moment she could catch him within a feint and leap forward to strike somewhere vital. It would indeed be a test of her skill to see how she fared without the use of spirit weapons or significant reishi manipulation, her two areas of expertise.

Forming a small blunted blade within her own hand, Freyja would utilize Hirenkyaku to test his reaction time and quickly shift her feet forward, striding towards him at high-speed, swinging the small blade forward in a thrust. If he chose to evade by stepping backwards, Freyja would continue her pace towards the side of his left hip, aiming to kick at one of his legs to create an imbalance in his movement.

Noting that she produced her own blade, Al'in tucked away one of his blades to free up a hand should it be required. Flipping his remaining weapon into a reverse grip, blade pointed downward rather than up, he was more than happy for her to make the first move. He was in a position of advantage at least in terms of build, if not raw ability, and even then he had manipulated her into a trial with weapons that he was familiar with. Perhaps he should have felt guilty for such, but she had never considered questioning him. That was not a good habit to get into, so perhaps he might teach her as much.

Freyja came forward at a blistering pace though, spellcraft propelling her faster than any traditional move might have, but he was capable of keeping pace at least. No doubt she wanted to immediately drive him backwards, but this was not a dance that one won by backing down. His blade came up to deflect her own, not threatening an attack of his own yet, and as the weapons collided the desert dweller used the momentum to shift sideways around his opponent. The alternate grip he used was providing him with more than ample ability to thrust down at any errant legs that came his way.

"An interesting little gambit, but I think you can do a bit better than that."

A quick little jab, meant to provoke as much as it was to inspire, but that was how he wanted to play this battle. If he could get her to overextend then it would be all the easier to catch her out, not that he expected her to fall for something so one-dimensional.

The man of the desert chose to meet the war maiden's attack head on. There was no backwards evasion route to be found here, with Al'in singlehandedly eliminating her option to follow up with a strike to his leg. He deflected the thrust, using the momentum from the collision of their blades, shifting his body sideways around her to avoid her first strike. A flawless set of movements executed within the space of a single second.

Most warriors may have found themselves drawn in by his vocal challenge but Freyja could only smile, excited by the current spar. It was different. She was neither relying on her spirit weapon or her spellcraft arsenal but close combat prowess with a knife and her body.

"Here's to hoping I can impress you, then, Al'in."

It was but a simple movement but the seamless nature of it spoke to years of experience. He seemed to be the genuine article; a warrior who could rely on more than his quincy abilities to seize victory. A light tinge of adrenaline had graced her frame as she shifted into another stance, holding her palm forward with her right hand, with her small blade placed in a downward trajectory in her left.

She took a few paces forward, striding towards him, maintaining enough distance to contemplate her next strike. She had already given away one strategy of striking at his legs. She didn't expect he'd fall for it, even with a second attempt. Should she attack him from behind? Or perhaps a strike from above? There were countless moves to ponder yet she couldn't spend any significant portion of time simulating every single strategy in her mind, lest she risk Al'in choosing to go on the offensive himself. A duel of this nature required quick-thinking and on-the fly stratagems.

Channeling reishi around her feet, Freyja would utilize Hirenkyaku once again, appearing behind him this time as she swiftly executed a slash towards his back. Whether he evaded it or not, with one of her legs, Freyja would feint as if she was aiming to execute another strike towards his legs only to execute a roundhouse with the other towards his hip. Even if she was clearly out of her element, there was a level of competitive excitement that burned within her body. The excitement one felt when faced with a formidable obstacle.

"Oh, I think you just might."

It was a smug response from the wastelander as he adjusted his stance to account for the changes in Freyja's own. He dropped lower, hunching over to minimise the size of his profile, and reached out with his free left hand whilst the dagger rested at his side. She was going to get a little more creative now, that was hardly a read as much as it was just base knowledge of how this fight was going to escalate. What exactly that might be, he could not help but feel a little buzz from the anticipation.

As the reishi began to build up around her, Al'in knew he would have a split second to act as she blitzed forward once more. With impressive dexterity, he reached around behind him to place his weapon in between his body and her attack as soon as she appeared. There was a satisfying ringing of energy as their weapons collided, but it was only temporary as her legs soon came thundering after the first strike. This was not a move he was in a perfect position to outmanoeuvre so, instead of avoiding it, he would have to roll with it.

Springing on the balls of his feet, he danced once more but found his speed rapidly increased as the pair finally made contact with one another. With a soft grunt, he bore the brunt of her attack, mitigated as it was by his defensive movement and tumbled away to create a little distance between them again. Hardly a gap but enough for him to straighten out and adjust his position once more.

"You're fast on your feet, what about with your hands."

That was all the warning he gave, as suddenly Al'iun lunged forwards. There was no Hirenkyaku needed, for his target was well within reach, as his free hand shot out to grab at hers whilst his dagger went once more for her own weapon. But that was merely a feint for, no sooner had his body begun to attack, he was juggling his weapon from one hand to another. His newly vacated hand now sought to grab onto Freyja's wrist, whilst he thrust forwards towards her lower chest whilst her guard was held at bay.

Even with a bladed weapon alone, Al'in had displayed a peerless prowess that spoke to years of experience. His remarkable movements were something a mere novice could only dream of achieving. Indeed, this was the true display of on-the-fly combat, where one had to act on instinct at a moment's notice, without the use of supplementary tools on the battlefield.

Whereas others might have shifted their body around to face her, Al'in would utilize his breathtaking dexterity to place his weapon in between them as their weapons collided against the other. Even though her leg strike had landed successfully, her eyes held a measure of wonder in them as she observed him with her gaze. To be certain, Freyja spoke of aiming to impress the young man - yet it would seem as though she was the one who continued to be left in awe by his performance.

After assuming a defensive stance to take the brunt of her leg strike, Al'in would tumble away to create distance between them. Freyja quickly shifted into a defensive stance as she observed him with azure eyes. She had thought of continuing her assault but with his size and frankly, superior experience, Freyja held her ground in preparation.

However, that would prove to be an error on her part as he seized the position of the aggressor this time. Lunging forward without the use of Hirenkyaku, he would appear before her as his free hand shot forward to grab at hers whilst his dagger aimed to clash with her weapon, no... it was a feint within a feint as he juggled his weapon onto the other hand while his newly vacated hand soared in to seize her wrist. This time it was the war maiden's turn to be caught off guard and suffer a strike at the hands of the crafty desert dweller.

Her wrist was seized by his free hand while he thrusted forward towards her chest. She would attempt to pull away but felt him to be a man who would not allow an opportunity such as this to pass him by. In a life or death battle, a misstep such as this would've likely brought about a swift end. Even so, she was well aware that it was all a learning process and she welcomed studying and learning from this wellspring of experience. This form of combat would be essential if she found herself expended of reishi.

Grasping firmly upon her wrist with the element of surprise firmly seized, Al'in exercised the advantage given to him by size and strength and held her there for a moment whilst his own dagger flew true towards her exposed side. It would be a miserable wound, one that would lead to a slow and quite excruciating death, had it been a real fight. Instead, the blunted steel stopped comfortably short of her skin. He could still have rammed the attack home, made his victory well known, but that was not why either of them was here. Her gaze alone told him that she was accepting of her defeat in this instance, and so his emerald eyes lingered upon Freyja's own as a smile cracked across his momentarily stoic face.

"Careful now. Take your eye off the fight and you could very well miss something important. Now that is dangerous."

Withdrawing again to give her enough time to adjust from the end of their first duel and prepare for the next one, the dagger now danced freely between his hands. Beckoning her forwards, his stance was as unpredictable as he was now. Subtly swapping between positions as quickly as his weapon moved, Al'in was once more inviting Freyja to go on the offensive. She had managed to land a solid blow on him in the previous match, perhaps she could capitalise further this time around. He had been forced to give up one of his tricks already, though he was still quite far from being an open book.

Freyja had indeed accepted her defeat in their first clash. There was no use in forcing herself to act on any unnecessary movement when he had successfully caught her at unawares. Azure orbs would observe his emerald gaze and the smile that followed. He was correct.

Taking one's eye off the fight and presenting an opening in defenses would inevitably lead to a quick demise. Or even a slow and excruciating one. His advice offered and acknowledged, Al'in would allow the blonde-haired woman a moment to gather herself in preparation for their next round.

"Indeed. If we were in a true battle to the death, I would've have met my end in an instant. I must admit, sparring like this, without the use of my spirit weapon, is quite exhilarating. Let us continue. I won't miss a beat this time."

As he beckoned her forward, Freyja would assume an offensive stance, azure eyes once again observing the man of the desert as he shifted from side to side in an unpredictable pattern, his blade dancing from one hand to the other. The first round, ending in victory for Al'in, was not an entirely lost cause. For what it was worth, she had landed a successful strike.

Freyja's error, of course, was likely not following up with that strike and pursuing a proper offense. She felt she was better prepared this time but Al'in was anything but an open book. How might she act from this point forward? Both had displayed a trick they likely wouldn't indulge again... or might they? Such was the unpredictable nature of close-quarter combat.

Moving on the balls of her toes, shifting ever so slightly from one side to the other, Freyja would brandish her small blade composed of reishi as she decided to charge toward him, engaging the man on the offensive once again. Though he had fallen for the initial strike that had featured her feinting with one part of her body only to strike with the other, Freyja would never take the young man to be such a fool as to fall for the same trick again. He clearly displayed that he was too crafty for only minor forms of deception. She had to employ something unique.

As such, she would leap forward using her natural speed much like the man of the desert had a few moments prior, soaring towards him in a direct aim, as if she were striking him head-on, only to employ Hirenkyaku once again, flashing above him as she threw her blade towards one of his shoulders. It was a brave gamble but no victory would be claimed without throwing caution to the wind and taking risks. Positioning her body to descend towards him from behind in a swift motion, Freyja would swing her foot forward in an overhead strike, aiming at his other shoulder.

To be certain, if they were in possession of real knives, this act would've been viewed as considerably foolish. Even so, Freyja could certainly form another spirit-particle-based blade if necessary. Two, if he just so happened to catch her blade and desired to use her weapons against her. Given the size advantage, this could end in one of two ways. She hoped it would end in her favor.

Seeing Freyja charge forwards once more, Al'in was not expecting an attack as one dimensional as the front she put on suggested. She was more than skilled at using her skill to enhance her movement, that much had been displayed already, so it was likely that there would be a variation of the same.

It was with some surprise that he took note of the weapon being flung in his direction as she vanished, but a clue had been left by the choice of attack. The thrown knife was not aimed in a position where it might end him, rather it could land squarely against his shoulder, so the death blow would be coming from somewhere else. So, in that same instant that Freyja advanced to gain the high ground, Al'in used his own Hirenkyaku to slide to his right. He thought about going to catch the weapon as it whizzed by, confident in his ability to evade it, but the high likelihood that he would be ambushed as he did so convinced him to let it fly by.

A smirk crossed Al'in's features as his opponent landed an impressive kick upon the space that he had only just vacated, clearly enjoying the bout but also the trust placed in his instincts. She had disarmed herself too, a dangerous gambit that had not paid off, but this fight was far from over. Still, the initiative was his, and so Al'in slid back to his left where Freyja had just appeared. He kept his stance sideways, offering only his profile to her, as he thrust and then withdrew and thrust again. Trying to drive her backwards, further away from her weapon, and presenting a new problem for her to solve. How would she adapt now that the odds were against her?

Crafty and dexterous as before, Al'in had evaded her attack with relative ease. Her kick landed against the empty space he once occupied. Discarding her weapon had been a troublesome gamble, one that posited no success; whether or not it would be a ruinous one lied solely on how well she would adapt without a weapon.

Evasion and observation would be of primary importance, given that her weapon was a few meters away, with the man of the desert approaching her again. Thrusting his weapon forward, then redrawing it within a deceptive pattern, offering only his profile as he maintained a sideway stance.

If his aim was to drive her further away from her weapon, he had achieved his task in full - forcing Freyja to keep her eyes held squarely on him. Focusing on evading each thrust as she read his eyes, Freyja shifted her feet in an equally evasive pattern, in an attempt to pinpoint a moment wherein an opportunity might present itself, to pull away from his overwhelming pace.

If she struck forward with her arms to deflect the weapon off of its aim, he might well aim to pull her in with his free hand, ending the second round of their spar with relative ease. On the other hand, forming another blade of reishi was out of the question. It would've felt dishonorable to do so in the eyes of a woman who felt honor ought to mean something even in a duel such as this.

This battle was as much of a spar as it was a test to see how well she could adapt in a reishi-barren element. Retrieving her blade was the objective; engaging him again would be the second. Focusing reishi around her feet, Freyja would fall backwards, flipping a few meters away from the range of his thrusts, crouching down to meet him again, swinging her legs around in a circular motion, to strike at his legs, in an aim to sweep him off of his feet.

At the very least, her idea was to make him relent in his own offensive by striking low rather than staying upright. If he aimed at her on the ground, Freyja could utilize her speed to soar forward and retrieve her weapon. If she could disrupt his flow even a little, Freyja would shift toward the direction of her weapon, speeding forward to grab the blade of reishi. However, him biting on it would be key. If he betrayed her expectations, Freyja would find herself at square one for the third time during their bout.

Al’in was perhaps overly pleased that Freyja did not conjure another blade. It would have been an almost trivial thing to do in the Reishi-rich training environment, but it showed her conviction to that previous line of attack. She had sacrificed her weapon knowing that there might not be a replacement, because in some situations it was a luxury to be able to conjure a spirit weapon at all. The advantage was his, and so he had pressed it, but he would be lying if he said that he was not looking forward to her response.

He continued to drive her backwards, flipping his weapon around with ample flourish to give his thrusts more power and speed in a reverse grip, as his feet danced across the floor like it was soft sand not hardened plastic. But eventually she was able to outpace him and create enough space to launch a counterattack, coming in low with sweeping kick. Changing levels was a good idea, as matching him had not yet proven to be successful, but her attack was not so one-dimensional as to just serve a single purpose.

Al’in dodged high on instinct, his feet leaving the ground as he neatly tucked himself upwards and prepared to pounce on her if she still waited beneath him. But, by that point, a window of opportunity had already been given and she sailed forwards carrying the momentum that he now lacked in his airborne state. It was a fair trade off, he supposed, as she had forsaken her opportunity to truly attack him in favour of the movement, but equally he had to admit that she had outmanoeuvred him. But Freyja was not the only one with speed, just a head start.

Reishi coalesced around his own feet, even whilst in the air, there was a sudden rush as he launched himself backwards. Flipping over himself as he arced across the room to come slamming down with an overhead strike at the location of Freyja’s previously fallen weapon. She would have time enough to react but what would the choice be? To retrieve her weapon, to evade, or to strike at him in turn?