VII

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Arc VII Chapter 7

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1st Aqua Solar XI AAC 753

Angelika studied her movements, or rather her lack thereof, with keen interest. The woman smirked, her bellicose instincts awakened. "I see. As suspected, you're one of the cautious types, Edelgart, aren't you?"

"..." Aurora did not disagree, her sword raised. Sometimes, it was better to err on the side of caution.

"Now now ..." Angelika beamed. Her stance shifted. "If you don't attack ..., I guess you leave me no choice ..." This was her cue.

Aurora did not let her finish her sentence. Retaining the initiative was judged imperative. She could not allow Angelika to gain the initiative.

Aurora lunged, yet her assault was short lived, cut short in an impromptu manner. The sand covering the ground proved treacherous indeed, causing her to stumble in the process, making her trip over her own tiny, little feetsies. As a consequence, Aurora was sent crashing on her stomach and her sword flying.

"Ouchie~", Aurora grumbled in pain, sprawled on the ground like a wounded kitten, utterly defeated.

Ludolf snorted, always good for a snide remark. "See, told you so, she's all bark and no bite ..."

Erich raised his hand to silence his friend, his eyes trained on her. He suspected her, sensing her ruse. "I wouldn't be so sure of that ... Wait and see for yourself."

Ever the gentle soul, ever caring, Angelika was quick to rush to her rescue, her face clouded with worry, all caution disregarded, never suspecting her feint. Just as planned.

A hidden smirk crossed Aurora's lips. Her hand dug into the ground, gripping plenty of sand and gravel. It felt wrong to take advantage of Angelika's kindness and sense of honour, but such was life.

Angelika leaned over her little charge, visibly concerned. "Edelgart, ... are you all right? Are you hurt ..."

Aurora shifted, rotating her body, hurling the sand in her hand into Angelika's unprotected face, point blank. The knightess' eyes went wide. Only now and far too late, her tutor realised that she had been lured into a devious trap.

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The grains struck. The sand connected, temporarily blinding her opponent. The knightess recoiled, her eyes squeezed, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

Angelika's reaction was immediate. The woman retreated, putting some distance between them to gain precious time, her sword raised, her posture defensive, her stance guarded.

Still on the ground, Aurora grabbed one of her daggers from her pouches. The clock was running. Her window of opportunity was slim. She had to act quick and decisively. Her hand gripped the hilt of her dagger before throwing it, aiming directly for Angelika's head. Her dagger flew, spinning through the air.

True as her aim was, Angelika blocked her attack, her blade deflecting the dagger. Unexpected, but not unsurprising. Even blinded, her senses were sharp, honed by experience. This fight had to be ended the old fashioned way. If it had to be melee, so be it.

Aurora broke into a sprint and charged, reclaiming her practice sword along the way. Quick, fast, she darted in, thrusting low, going for the abdomen.

Angelika, however, did not budge. The knightess parried Aurora's strike despite her limited vision. Her blade met her sword, blocking her thrust and seriously compromising Aurora's position, rendering her vulnerable to a counterattack. The knightess sidestepped, reversing her grip for a thrust. Angelika was tall, or rather taller than her. It gave her an unfair advantage in terms of reach.

Aurora disengaged, her feet sliding across the pulverous ground to evade her enemy's counterthrust. Angelika's sword's tip cut past her, missing its mark.

Aurora reengaged immediately. Her boots gripped the ground, propelling her petite body forwards. Another strike. Another thrust. Another hew. Another slash. Another block. Her attacks failed. They both clashed in fury.

Their swords interlocked, their blades grinding against each other, with neither of them willing to reduce the pressure. They both maintained contact, their blades locked, bound. They were fighting over the control of the hand and vantage in position. It was a losing battle.

"..." Aurora gritted her teeth, considerably annoyed. Her control was slipping. She was steadily losing ground. The knightess was using her physical strength and bulk to bully her into submission. It worked.

This was the point where she would usually resort to heavy ordnance spells of the less humane and more destructive kind. For obvious reasons, though, such was not an option this time.

Aurora disengaged. Angelika took the opportunity, closing the distance for a vicious kick aiming right for her chest to push her back. It was an old trick in the book, even when she was more familiar with the loin variant, but the difference in height between her and Angelika was probably the reason for it. The kick came higher than it should.

Aurora dodged, rolling sidewards. Her kick missed, sailing past her head with enough force that would have given her quite the nasty headache and a bloody nose.

Aurora recovered her stance, her tongue clicking, her breath ragged. Drawing on so much of her stamina without utilising mana took quite the toll on her petite body. Her current form was neither able, nor supposed to fight unaugmented. "Tsk, seems like you know how to brawl. Didn't think that you had it in you!"

Angelika snorted, still eyelids still shut, her sword raised to guard her upper body. "Says the sand throwing girl ... You fight like a street urchin ... Didn't think that you would stoop so low to win ..." The knightness did not lower her guard for even a fraction of a second. The woman had learned her lesson well. Far too well. It was clear that she would not be able to prey on her naivety.

Aurora retorted, her tongue clicking, "To win. Sure. To step low. Hardly. Didn't you want me to fight with all that we've got? Or was I supposed to just roll over and grovel in submission?"

"... ... ..." No response. Angelika merely smirked. She enjoyed this. Her stance hardened, and her blade shifted. "Fair point. Bring it on, Edelgart. I'm still waiting!"

"..." Aurora gritted her teeth, in equal measure unwilling and annoyed. This is why she hated training matches ... In this life and her past. They were always such a laborious affair without losing face, even with the prospect of hot chocolate waiting for her ... Especially, when you were supposed to be a little innocuous doll infatuated girl. Options were limited without letting her mask slip.

Aurora grabbed her last dagger and commenced her attack, breaking into a sprint. This would be her last chance.

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