Zara strides towards a relatively empty area of the Park, her mind feeling sharper and lighter with every step.
'I was not expecting Alara to have such an...interesting, reaction to our predicament. Though, I am happy for it, and for the help she'll bring to my people. Perhaps, if they really take to one another, the wolf-kin will eventually be able to have friendly, formal trade relations with the elves.'
Zara nods to herself absentmindedly, feeling good about the day's momentum. Then, thoughts of Alara and her people's needs fade from her mind, and a wicked grin slowly spreads across her face. She stops, turning around to lock her gaze on Alyse, who seems to be all but skipping towards her with a smile.
However, Zara isn't concerned about Alyse's emotional state. Instead, she's eyeing everything else about her - her frame, the strength and fluidity of her movements, and most importantly, her swords. Her eyes narrow excitedly as she inspects Alyse's weapons from a distance.
'Two swords...interesting. They're both well made, but they don't look enchanted. They also look like they can be wielded one-handed. Is she a dual wielder, or does she carry two for some other purpose? Alto didn't tell me anything about her actual sword style...'
As if in answer to her unasked questions, Alyse halts about ten meters short of Zara, draws one of her swords, and sets the other aside with the scabbard. Zara raises her eyebrow at the sight.
'So...not a dual wielder?'
Alyse grins excitedly and begins stretching her arms across her chest.
"So Zara, what are the rules of this little duel going to be? I'm honestly up for anything right now...though I do hope you'll use your sword." (Alyse)
Zara just smiles...she already knows exactly how she wants this to go. This is a rare opportunity for her growth as a swordsman, after all.
"I'd prefer a more traditional duel - no weapons other than swords, no magic other than physical enhancement, and no use of weapon enchantments if we have them. Loser is the first to yield. What do you think?" (Zara)
Alyse nods approvingly, her smile becoming even more friendly. It's not lost on her that Zara may have extra magical abilities from Mizuki, and that she might not be Zara's match in an all-out fight. She can only assume that Zara sees this as an opportunity to grow as a swordsman, and she respects that.
"I think...I like you already. Your conditions are perfect. Attack me whenever you're ready." (Alyse)
Not taking her lightly, Zara merely nods and pulls her sword from its scabbard. Then, she activates her physical enhancements to the max as she crouches into position, and...
She launches forward.
__________
ZING!
Alyse pulls her sword up just in the nick of time to block an overhead strike from Zara, and the clash of their blades ring out across the Park, drawing the attention of most passerby in the vicinity.
Feeling the weight behind the strike, her eyes narrow.
'An immediate overhead strike is kind of a newbie move, but...her form is excellent. There's hardly any wasted effort. If she's using max enhancement, I'd guess her magic power level is between a mid-two and three.'
She quickly reduces her own physical enhancement to match Zara's strength. She has her pride as Wellick's Sword Goddess, after all...there's no way she's going to use raw power to beat a wolf-kin teenager with thousands of times less experience than her.
Having negated most of the momentum behind Zara's opening strike, she shifts her sword, pushing Zara's blade to the side, and delivers a probing counter slash. She's pleased to see Zara deftly flourish her sword to block it, then create distance between them.
Alyse smiles happily.
"Not bad for a newbie..." (Alyse)
Zara doesn't respond, nor does her expression falter. Without hesitation, Zara launches another attack at her, and a symphony of metallic clashes once again rings out across the Park as their blades intercept one another with increasing fervor. Alyse quickly notices that, while Zara's strikes are coming surprisingly fast, they lack decisive power.
Her lips twist into a smirk.
'This girl...it's been a while since someone has had the nerve to hold back against me. Guess I should contribute to her education with a little lesson...'
Her and Zara continue to dance across the secluded area of the park, a flurry of footwork, metal, and fierce grins, completely oblivious to the gathering crowd of amateur weapons enthusiasts that are gawking at them.
"Hey isn't that the Sword Goddess, Alyse Egris!?"
"Forget her, do you see who she's fighting!? That's Zara the Fanged Blade, the wolf-kin swordsman from Lady Nedonera's party!"
"Didn't we tell you to quit calling her that - it's not going to catch on! What if she hears and decides she doesn't like it, huh?"
"What, no way! I sparred with her one time and she told me that she thought it was a great name!"
"Right...and then everyone clapped, and Princess Alara asked you to marry her and begged to carry your children."
"Pahahaha, that's right! I told her my heart only belongs to the sword, though!"
In a section of the gathering crowd, a number of derisive jeers are directed at one obnoxiously laughing man. Unbeknownst to him, he's also on the receiving end of a scowl from a familiar, silver-haired elf standing nearby, whom he failed to notice while boasting. Yet, none of these events are the focus of the Park's current celebrities, as they continue to trade blow after blow.
Alyse spots an incoming slash from Zara, and her eyes glimmer mischievously.
'That one...it's perfect...'
She adjusts the angle of her own sword, expertly driving it's point into the flat of Zara's incoming blade. Zara's blade is deflected up and away from Alyse, who quickly takes advantage of the opening to slide her blade along the underside of Zara's into striking range.
Zara's eyes widen in shock, and Alyse chuckles internally as her blade continues towards Zara's collarbone unobstructed.
'Fufufu...I'll just give her a little nick to remember me by this time. Hopefully she learns her lesson for round two.'
However, as her blade continues to close in while blocking off Zara's blade's path back to guard, Zara does something that she isn't expecting...
Zara lets go of her sword altogether.
While she's still stunned, Zara quickly leans away from the incoming strike, simultaneously distancing herself from her own sword, and spins on her heel to send a kick at Alyse's chest. Alyse wastes precious fractions of a second staring at the lost blade in confusion before she recognizes the danger. Then, acting on instinct in her surprised state, she quickly pulls back to guard against Zara's kick.
Alas, Zara has already redirected her kick to plant her feet again, and Alyse realizes...it was just a feint!
While she comes to this realization, Zara's hand shoots out, grabbing the handle of her falling sword, before quickly adjusting into a sword stance once again. Around the two of them, the crowd has fallen silent in shock at the display, which has transpired across no more than a second thanks to their physical enhancement.
Meanwhile, Zara looks her over with a new wariness.
"Your title is very well deserved, it seems..." (Zara)
She gives Zara a bewildered look, unsure whether to be more annoyed at the underhanded counter or the fact she was being underestimated.
"I thought you wanted a traditional duel? What kind of swordsman lets go of their blade to kick someone?" (Alyse)
Zara gives her a puzzled look.
"The purpose of a sword duel is to use nothing but my body and my sword for victory, no? To avoid your strike, my sword served as a distraction while my body served as a deterrent. Have you not used your own body to try and throw me off balance when we've locked blades? How is what I did any different?" (Zara)
She can't help but give Zara a blank look. She has in fact already tried to use her larger frame and weight to body-check Zara off balance a couple of times, when they stalled mid-clash with their swords locked together. But...
Those are normal sword duel tactics! It's completely different!
However, Zara's words remind her of another similar situation many centuries ago...one involving her brother.
It was after he'd started his world traveling, well into adulthood for him, during one of their sparring matches when he returned for a visit. For the first time, without her holding back her physical enhancement, he'd almost bested her in one of their exchanges. Honestly, it was a near-heroic feat, and a key reason she now recognizes just how singularly prodigious her brother is as a swordsman.
However, that's not how she'd felt in the moment.
He'd used unexpected, seemingly dishonorable tactics at the time, and she'd reacted similarly to how she just reacted to Zara. She can still clearly remember the incredulous look on his face, and the words he'd said after laughing in her face.
"Traditional sword duel? There's no such thing, Big Sis! The rules of engagement for swordsmen aren't the same across our own kingdom, let alone the whole world, and I've seen more sword styles, techniques, and tactics in my travels than there are stars in the sky. As far as I can tell, the essence of swordsmanship is to make your body and your sword work in harmony to overcome your opponent. Demanding that it be anything else just limits your potential as a swordsman, and I refuse to be anything less than the best swordsman in existence. Now, quit your whining and come at me again with everything you've got. Today, this magic-less brother of yours is finally going to crush you at your best."
At the time, she'd only been able to shake her head at the reminder of how playfully arrogant her brother had become – a far cry from the little boy she helped raise. Then, she'd proceeded to grant his wish and pummel him with everything she had, depriving him of a 'true' victory once again. And yet, his words, obnoxious though they were, have stuck with her since.
Every time they'd spar in the following centuries, as he taught her different sword styles, dual wielding, how to parry arrows, and much else, those words of his would echo in her mind as she watched each new addition to his sword skills push him to new heights as a warrior. The more he seemed to surpass her in pure skill, the more she'd come to seriously consider his philosophy on the essence of swordsmanship.
And now, as she stands across from Zara after this particularly dubious exchange, she's reminded of her brother again.
'She's like him...the only other swordsman I've ever seen embrace that philosophy. I guess the next time I see Reynard, I'll have to admit he wasn't totally full of shit. There's no doubt Zara's talented...I can see that already. In fact, if she really only picked up the sword a couple months ago, she might be the most naturally talented swordsman I've seen since my brother. Makes me wonder if my sword really has been suffering from my narrow-mindedness...'
After a moment, she shakes herself from her reverie, feeling inexplicably invigorated. She gives Zara a warm smile, then raises her sword and points it at Zara once again.
"Fufufu...say, you've never met an obnoxious little shit of a high elf named Reynard, have you?" (Alyse)