Lance Swordplay 1

With that, she disappeared from view at a speed that no ‘simple cook’ could have moved. Madam Astera blinked into view in the air above me, already in position to swing down, her handsome face glowing with savage excitement.

With a quick sidestep, I brought up my sword as well. Sparks danced around us as the edge of my blade met hers. Before Madam Astera’s sword hit the ground, she kicked off the guard of my sword to gain distance.

With only a minimal amount of mana infused in my body and sword, my hand became numb from blocking her attack. “Just a simple cook?” I confirmed.

“Just a simple cook,” she answered with a wink before rushing to me once again.

Our swords became mere blurs in the space between us as both Madam Astera and I unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Her petite body moved with a coordinated agility that would even impress Kordri, the asura that had trained me. We both dodged each other’s strikes and swings with minimal movement. If it wasn’t for the sweat flooding down our faces and necks, it would’ve looked as if we were missing on purpose.

I raised my mana output to twenty percent but, just like me, she seemed to have been holding back as well because we were still at a stalemate.

Neither one of us had the luxury to speak as it took all of our focus to keep up with each other’s attacks, but our emotions showed through our expressions. This wasn’t a duel of magic; just a contest of pure mastery of the sword.

Madam Astera wore an ecstatic grin on her sweaty face as she continued her relentless assault and somewhere along the way, I realized that I had been smiling as well.

With each strike she delivered, I countered with another but she flawlessly dodged until her back was against the earthen cage. I decided not to raise my mana but instead, used the field to my advantage. Dipping below her waist, I brought my sword close in position to swing up.

She had nowhere to move but to her right—or rather, that’s what I thought.

Even when she was just barely an arm’s length away from me, she kicked off the wall and propelled herself directly at me. I quickly pivoted on my right foot, whirling just in time for her blade to whiz past my cheek. The tables had turned; now it was my back that was against the wall.

“I’m sure that there was a saying that said something along the lines of, ‘even a mouse will attack when it’s cornered’,” Madam Astera said with her sword raised closely in guard.

I smiled. “Well, it looks like I’m the cornered mouse now.”

“Hence my caution?” She smirked, tightening the grip on her raised sword. “Now, why don’t you stop holding back, Arthur?”

“In the midst of such an exciting duel, I think bringing any magic past basic augmentation would be disrespectful to the way of the sword,” I replied.