Kajou Naozumi - waves. "I hath come to engage in the challenge directed at me, draw your weapons!" Clearly he is mostly joking but could, if she desired to, take this seriously and really have at it

Elize Winters - grins wildly as that bubbly demeanor of hers fades at the proposition of a combat. "Heh, d-didn't think you'd take me seriously." A smirk remained as she flipped her sword around converting into it's lance configuration. "So, whatcha got!?"

Kajou Naozumi - "Ohohoh! You want to see what I got do you? Alright~ I'll show you then." Though before doing so he noted the slight stutter in her first line, was she really ready for this? Maybe, considering her sword had converted into a lance and that in itself was quite the spectacle! He took one step forward and then presented himself in an aggressive stance, almost as if he were about to fist fight the girl. However, his dark aura began to flow out from his body, forming around both arms covering them entirely including the hands ending in a point. The edges sharpened and all of it hardened up in preparation for the blows that'd likely take place. He pointed one blade towards her, smirking a little bit.

"Alas I can't show you every little thing, then again if I hold back and switch tactics enough maybe I could but we'll see. I at least will refrain from using my aura's acidic tendencies for now!" Which would make this a hell of a lot more fair since the corrosive aspect of said aura was what made it incredibly dangerous up close. Holding that back evened the odds and made everything skill based, as at this point it was up to whomever the better fighter was to become the victor. "Your move~"

Elize Winters - cracking her neck the young huntress didn't scare easily in a fight. "Oh, y-you bet your butt I'm ready!" Betrayed by the stammer again it wouldn't change her resolve as the 6 inch disk on her right arm opened into a full sized round shield. Widening her stance and narrowing her eyes the grey haired warrior took the position of a phalanx fighter. Though, she was anything but a lethal combination of agility and grace mixed with incredible strength hid beneath his firm yet feminine frame. Watching the man flex his own aura she decided to allow some of her own to show in a quick flash a white barrier shimmered around her for a brief second before fading away. "Heh, l-looks like we may be equals here. This should be fun!"

It was at this point when the man said that he would hold some aspects back that the huntress' fervently argued. "What, hold back!? Never, y-you don't become the best if your rivals weaken themselves!" For better or worse the brash fighter would call him out. "No, either we do this thing, or you walk away now!" Then with that she'd approached him in a flash. Several probing attacks long arching sweeps from her lance and glancing jabs not meant to injure. Mostly testing his speed and reactions.

Kajou Naozumi - saw a glimpse of her aura and honestly? Found that very exciting, as he hadn't fought another aura user in quite some time. He had only fought two, one of which became an apprentice of his for awhile until she learned enough and the other was.. well, a demon of sorts that was a pain in the ass to fight since he had a very similar power set. She didn't seem like she'd have anything he'd seen before though and that by far made this fight more worth it. "Ahh you really don't want me to hold back then? Alright." No holding back then, going all out straight from the start. First though, he dodged her jabs though did so fairly slowly almost as if he could barely dodge them.

Being a fighter himself, he felt it best to try and throw off his opponent, give them the wrong idea about his capabilities. Granted in this case he was going to do that partially with the main goal of trying to end this fight quickly. When her last jab came at him he threw himself backwards, getting some distance. At this point his eyes seemed to become more feral in a way, pupils now slit and more predatory as his teeth began to change from their normal figure to a far more pointed and demonic shape. His aura began to swirl around him, viciously and there was a hint of red within it as it formed over his entire body, coating him in what would look to be a black armor to some. The exterior hardened with the very edges still retaining their 'smoke like' appeal which in a way made him look ethereal.

To make matters worse, with the aura that was still within him and not currently formed to his body, he spread it out and let it cover their battle ground in a spherical dome that hardened as well as to make leaving this battle ground practically impossible unless strong enough to break through. Due to the outside being cut off, oxygen would slowly dwindle, slowly though. It'd take at least a few hours for it to become a problem, though a more pressing matter was the lack of light. He could see just fine, due to his eyes having adjusted instinctively to the darkness. To most it'd appear pitch black.

He spoke once more, "Just say 'I give up' when you're ready to surrender." His voice somewhat distorted, an then he vanished from his spot and reappeared nearby her where he attempted to strike her. Once on the gut, only to disappear and reappear again. This process would repeat, each time attempting to hit another part of her body though not once did he go for anything fatal. The goal was to incapacitate her, not kill her.

Elize Winters - nodding to the combatant she continues to ready herself for the upcoming confrontation. "Th-that's right, all or n-nothing! Th-there’s nothing proved if one of use d-doesn't give it out all!" Words that the huntress lived by though also words that she may learned to regret as her initial flurry of attacks were dodged. Though it did seem like they were on a fairly level playing field speed wise. At least for the moment if that man was true to his word and was trying.

It was at this point when Kajou jump backwards that the huntress reset her stance. Shield raise high weapon ready to plunge into any assault given by the man. However, what happened next was not at all was she expected. Pivoting, head on a swivel, Elize scanned her surrounding as the many activated his aura. Initially the armor was enough to draw a little. "Wh-whoa... cool..." An admiration that was born in both intimidation and genuine awe. There was no question that his aura was more refined than hers. Though, what it lacked in flash it made up for in durability and effectiveness. Able to enhance herself physically: Stronger, faster, more durable, and bursts of regeneration went a long way.

At least, that's what the young-foolish-warrior thought before the man covered them in a large shadowy dome. The voice would vanish from into the darkness as she called back out to him. "I-I'm n-not scared of you! D-don't expect me to surrender!" It was at this point she felt pain her midsection as the man appeared and disappeared. Then again faltering to her one knee as her leg was struck. "W-want to fight like that, huh!?" Clenching her fists, white knuckling, her weapon the huntress exerted her aura. In a flash of white she became a beacon of light. The process would be tedious and would weaken her other aspects. However, at first sight of the man she'd give him a hard shield slam right to the face. With the goal of bringing him to the ground she'd aim to plunge her weapon down upon him. Given the circumstances he wouldn't be the only one with the desire to end this quickly. Whether Elize admitted it or not, deep down, she was petrified.

Kajou Naozumi - admittedly didn't think too much of the girl at first, though that changed a little bit when her own aura seemed to make her a beacon of light which due to the fact he was charging at her again.. caused him to run face first into the shield. Yep, that was actually really smart and oddly something no one ever tried even if they had a light source of any kind! It wouldn't work a second time though, but why would it need to? He was on the ground, a little dazed and then felt a piercing pain in his gut as she had plunged her weapon through his body. She might of noticed though that it happened far easier than what should be possible. Especially when considering he had the armor on.

His armor had actually moved away from the spot she ran him through, though not because of the weapon itself, it was because he made it do so. The section of armor began to reform at this point which would trap her weapon inside his body, and from there? He began to stand, speaking whilst he did so. "Interesting, that would have worked if I were anyone else but, as you can see.. Wounds like this cannot kill me." Not only would he heal fairly quickly but, he was in a sense dead. His heart didn't beat, but blood did run through his system still. His Light aura, which looked somewhat similar to hers at least in terms of appearance, circulated through his bloodstream and organs as to accomplish the tasks the heart would do if it were working. Along with replenishing the cells and blood too if needed due to the healing ability that particular aura had. Thats not saying he couldn't be killed though, since if the head is destroyed then he would most certainly die as its impossible to live without a brain.

He could be 'revived' though which can be gone over later. For now he stood up and stared at the girl, curious on what she'd do now. "I'll give you another shot to surrender, since in a way you're now unarmed and I don't exactly want to fight an unarmed opponent." The corrosive aspect of his dark aura began to begin the process of breaking her weapon down. Yep, he was destroying it! Or at least attempting to since if it had resistances or immunity to acidic/corrosive effects then this process wouldn't work at all. "If you want to keep going though, shall I aim to kill? You most certainly did, since you weren't aware of well, all of what I could do." He decided he wanted to try and scare her out of this fight. "However, don't expect me to let you walk away either. This was supposed to be a fun fight, not a fight to the death. Thus once you surrender I will be taking you under my metaphorical wing and training you. Your aura needs improvement and I could use the distraction. Unless you're going to decline this generous offer?"

Elize Winters - would watch in shock as her blow landed, plunging through the man’s armor. Had she done it? It wasn't her intent to kill the man, but in the mixture of self-generated light and shadows it was hard to tell. At least, it was until she felt the weapon ripped from her grasp as the man slowly stood up his armor grabbing hold of her lance. "Sh-shoot..." Kneeling down in front of him true terror would show in her eyes as it was becoming abundantly clear that she was out matched. At least, on the surface, as he taunted her with his inability to die to normal damage. His acid like armor sizzling and popping away at her weapon.

"I-I d-don't w-want to kill... I-I don't want t-to die, b-but this is a fight." She says softly still looking up to the man her hazel eyes nearly watering in fear. "B-but I also c-can't surrender... I-It's not in my blood. I-I must be the best. I must learn to fight b-better than anyone. I need t-to back and save my people. I-if it means d-downing s-some people along th-that way. It... it must be done." A noble cause of a brash and foolish young warrior. However, it was one that she fervently believed in, and it was in that moment she took advantage. Grabbing hold of the weapon she converted it back into its sword form. While it was not immune to acid and the like it was meant to be used with all types of Dust and volatile substances. It would be sturdy enough to hold up in time for her to pull it from the man in its new sharp configuration before his armor could hopefully adapt to it.

Then rolling back to her feet allowing a little space between them. Pointing the, now, blade at him she exhaled deeply. "I-I must prove m-myself first." An evasive answer to his final question, but enough to potentially peak his interest and spare a killing blow. Though speaking of said blow in his taunting her had already taunt the young-huntress a few lessons in how to fight him. "L-let’s see i-if I c-can figure you out." Trying her best to mask her fear she again set at the ready awaiting what his next bout of trickery would have in store for her.

Kajou Naozumi - "Interesting, honor-bound but.. stupid. Fine, if I must beat you into submission first then so be it." He though about using the dome, but opted against it for the time being. As for her weapon, normally when being dissolved the aura would latch on to it, as to stay and finish the job. However, since this was being done by a piece of his armor rather than a mist then it made sense that she could pull it out before any damage could be done to the sword version. So she got lucky there. There was a hole that went right through him, she could likely see through it and thus see the wound being healed. Flesh, sinew and muscle all healing and reforming until he was as good as new again. Well, except for his shirt which now had a hole in it but oh well.

Lastly the armor reformed and thus he was set again, however instead of using blades attached to his arms he instead formed a sword to use instead. He pointed it towards her and grinned beneath his armor, taking one step towards her as he gripped the handle with both hands. "Normally I'm a knives kind of guy but lets see how you handle swordplay against me." He was holding back slightly at least in terms of abilities. He wanted to test her further, seeing whether or not she was worth the trouble, and thus shortly after watching her for a few more seconds.. he sprinted.

He was not being slow about it, but he wasn't going fast enough to vanish either. Once in front of her he started off simple, attempting to slash her across the front, specifically her upper section and her middle. After that attempt he ended with a kick which would if correctly applied give distance again. At that point he'd run in and attempt to thrust the weapon towards her instead, aiming to pierce her with the point of the blade before slashing again. All in all nothing special as he was doing this to see how good her reflexes were.

Elize Winters - would growl at the man’s comments. They say knowing is half the battle, well in the case of Elize knowing that she was not the smartest already, only amplified the sting of those words. What she also knew was that this man was an arrogant piece of work. Arrogance often led to flaws and openings it would just be about taking advantage of them when they presented themselves. Something that would help to subdue a little of her fear. At least, until she saw his wound literally close before her very eyes. Capable of some regeneration of her own it was nothing to the level of this. Cuts and scrapes sure, larger scale injuries took much longer, and being ran through. Th-that would be a different story all together for the huntress. Due to witnessing this there was a clear stagger in her step as thoughts against started to cloud her head. There was no way she would beat him. Not unless she got lucky. "No!" She ended up inadvertently saying out loud as she shook her head.

This was just in time to watch the man form his sword from nowhere. "Y-your c-call..." She said voice trembling. It was at this point she braced for the impact, damn she wished she could use piercing strikes. Her weapon in its sword form was like a gladius, capable of slashing attacks, but far better at piercing. Either way, the choice was taken out of her hand as she blocked his initial strike. The armored man may have been surprised by the strength the young warrior possessed. Though, unable to quickly retaliate she fell victim to his kick stumbling backwards. From there his slash to her chest would connect clashing into her breastplate. Pain shook her whole body as his acidic aura and weapon collided into her.

From there as Kajou made his piercing strike the staggered huntress. Still able to react quickly, she lifted her shield arm, then it around the sword she pulled it next to her body. Spinning about she struck at the man with the pommel of her sword towards his head. Hoping to daze him through his armor she'd release the sword and spin the other way going for a hard slash. Whether it landed or not she'd be forced to take a step back the rapid movements sent pain shaking throughout her whole body from the previous strike. Growling lightly, she’d say. “H-how w-was that…”

Kajou Naozumi - thought it rather cute how quick she was to seemingly regret her decision. The whole time he took note of her stature, and reactions. She definitely had some skill, and he could appreciate that about her. She was even able to for the most part block his attacks! The pain though was made apparent due to her trembling, she wasn't going to be able to keep this up. Her first strike using the pommel did hit but not entirely, mostly just grazing him as he dodged it. However the slash was a bit more effective but overall didn't appear to do anything in terms of harming him or slowing him down. Considering she moved back, she was either getting ready to strike again or was trying to prepare.

He moved towards her, slowly, hearing her growl out her response. "You tell me." He vanished once more and appeared right in front of her again with the swords blade poised around her neck though he made no attempts to actually cut her. Behind her though, the dome had shrunken down and from its walls formed tendrils and spikes. The tendrils shooting towards her in an attempt to grab her arms and her legs as well as her midsection. From there? So long as it grabbed, it'd slowly start pulling her back towards the spiked wall. Almost as if he planned on impaling her and killing her with them.

"Tell me how you think you did? Did you get what you wanted out of this?" He asked, a little bit condescending sure, but that wasn't the intent. He was pushing the point that fighting him was a bad idea, he could be defeated yes though right now it wouldn't appear like she had much of a chance. "I think I will rescind my offer and give you a new one instead. Due to your stubbornness, you will no longer be a student. Instead you will serve me and in doing so I will still train you so that you become stronger, more adept and overall more useful to me. That and well, you'll be allowed to live. Sound good? Might want to tell me soon since well.. judging from the distance of the spikes behind you, seems like you only have about 20 seconds or so."

He'd wait for her answer, granted he didn't intend in killing her regardless, mostly just scaring her instead. Doesn't mean he can't hurt her though, the spikes were positioned so that they'd only pierce through non-vital parts of the body. Plus he could heal her if needed.

Elize Winters - had raised her weapon. However, at this point even she could see her trembling. How could she possibly expect to get better or earn respect from this man if she was quivering like a scare little girl. As he approached the young warrior would try to steady herself though just as she did the man disappeared. Then in an instant Kajou reappeared his blade as her neck. In that very second Elize thought it was all over. With a pathetic excuse of a performance to show for it no less. However, as her eyes closed the blow never came. Instead the man again taunted her, and this drove her into a rage. Whipping her sword upwards she'd knock his sword aside and lunged towards him.

Unfortunately, for the brash and rabid huntress, she had lost sight of her surroundings and those tendrils easily grabbed hold of her. "WH-What is this!" She called out as continued to speak. A few tears of frustration and fear formed in her eyes as she felt herself being pulled towards the wall. Looking over her shoulder she'd see the spikes. "N-n-no... W-wait!" However, before she could say anymore her words were cut off by the man’s next comment. He wanted her to serve him, not even worthy of being a student, the lowest of the low. Fighting and wriggling about she tried to combat the inevitable, but her soul was shattered along with her terrible performance.

At least, that’s how she felt until the first spike plunged into her arm. In another flash of white she cried out. "NO NOT LIKE THIS!" Swinging her feet around she met his domed aura with her own and put everything she had into one final try. Spring boarding off the dome she'd free herself of the tendrils and propel herself at incredible speeds towards the man. With both hands she'd grasp hold of her sword and try to land a devastating strike upon him. Accuracy would be low, so it would be unlikely to decapitate him, but the force held the full brunt of her aura. Feeling like he was about to kill her, the young huntress, put her entire heart and soul into it. At the very least she'd earn his respect and she'd be remembered for going down with a fight.

Kajou Naozumi - kept on walking along, following her to the spikes where he figured one of two things were going to happen. One, she'd submit and thus their relationship would be similar to that of a master and a slave. Two, she'd break down into tears and end up struggling in vain which would look incredibly pathetic and simply cause him to leave her to her fate. To heal from her wounds by herself and try again should she dare to do so. What he did not expect, was the third option, where instinct kicked in and instead of the flight of the fight or flight reflex she opted to fight instead. She actually broke out!

It takes a great amount of power in order to do so the speed making her power even greater as she propelled herself towards him at blinding speeds. He raised his arms in defense, his aura hardened as she slammed into his form causing the dome to revert back into himself whilst the two slid further and further away from the previous 'arena'. If one were to measure it'd at least be a few miles worth of distance, of which the ground itself had cracked beneath the strength of the attack and left a visible trail. It hurt like hell, but he had to keep on the ground in order to slow things down.

He got lucky, since if this were done in a city then he'd likely end up far more damaged than he was currently. However, this was not a city and was more so an open field with a few trees scattered about. He laughed a little bit once they stopped moving, his grip tightened hard upon her weapon though this would cause the acidic aura to start dissolving the sword much like how it did with it before the change. There was a lot of power in this girl, a lot of untapped potential, which caused him to smirk a bit as the armor he wore reverted into its smoke like state and entered his body once more. "Now that? Thats more like it. Seems like you'll be worth it after all."

Elize Winters - didn't even realize this inner strength that she had possessed. Even in the most stressful of times where she had still emerged triumph it was never on the scale of something like this! The huntress had heard tales of others unlocking powerful potentials within themselves, but they were just that tales from long ago. That or wild boasts made by fools who didn't know what they were talking about. Either way, she had done it, she had managed to beat the man back and as they ripped across the earth and outside of his dome of death. There was some amount of satisfaction felt within the young warrior. Though as she stands there panting, struggling for breath, the question was at what cost?

It was some consolation that the man also seemed to be impressed. Though, at that moment in her frustration she would have rather him saying it from the ground. However, a victory, as little as it was, still counted for something. "I-I t-told you, th-that I would n-never give up!" To that her eyes looked around at their new scenery. There was a spark in her eyes as if she never expected to see the light of day again. Of course, as her eyes gaze back down upon the man, it could very well be the last time now.

With these thoughts in her mind the still trembling, semi-raging, huntress again pointed her sword towards the man. Unsure of what to do. Fairly certain that until she practiced, she could not replicate such a feat. "S-so what happens now?" Was it really surrendering if they ended up declaring a draw? Did he know that she couldn't pull that off again? So many questions, so many horrible outcomes, a couple decent ones. The hope she could cling too was the fact that he originally purposed it as a duel. Not a fight to the death, but a mere test of skill. A test that right now she was praying to the goddess' that she had passed.

Kajou Naozumi - took the time to crack his neck a little bit, grunting a bit in relief shortly after the pops finished popping. Then with a satisfied expression he looked at her again, watching as she asked the question, a fairly good one. What does happen now? He wasn't too sure in all honesty. Should he teach her more? Or fight her into submission? Quite a lot of options all of which were difficult to decide upon. He took a few minutes to do so, though to her it may of felt far longer than that. Shortly after his decision, he spoke, his tone pleased though curious.

"Well now? You rest, while I am now thoroughly warmed up, you look like you're about to fall over any second now." Yep, he said it. Warmup. The fight itself was very eye opening but he was in no way shape or form worn out at all, if anything he felt like testing her more but right now that wasn't a good idea. She wouldn't be able to handle it, he could see that clear as day with her current stature. "Although I am a hundred percent certain I'd win the duel if I were to push forward with it, I see no reason not to call it a draw. After all, you do have quite a lot of potential stored up within you. You might even be a good challenge for me if properly trained."

He walked towards her at that point, and once close enough he held out his hand, an offer to shake hands should she wish to do so. "Since you've impressed me thus far, and considering how curious I am about your abilities and skills, I will train you further. Help you realize your potential and then once you've finished training we will fight once more and see who the victor will be. Unless you think you're up for the challenge now?" That was mostly a tease of sorts, he doubted she'd choose to fight him right now, not when she went through a near death experience, albeit a fake one since he wasn't going to actually kill her. "Although I suppose you could train yourself on your own if you so desired, at that rate you'd expect me a few years later as I will return to this spot in order to fight you again. Or hunt you down should you forget since it would be quite rude to be stood up don't you think?"

Elize Winters - felt as though those moments of silence lasted an absolute life time, and as that time passed the more fatigue she'd feel. In one of the most prime cases of overexertion the huntress felt like she had just run a marathon... maybe two. Evident to even the untrained eyes as her entire core trembled and even just maintaining her stance was a trial. From her usually firm thighs that felt like absolute jello to her lightly toned arms that struggled at the very weight of her own gear. Most notable of all was the Ivory skin on her face was blood red. Not from embarrassment or anxiety, but just from the pure blood rush of activity.

Which meant the second the man said it 'You rest' her body on a subconscious level relaxed. Even if her brain had not caught up to that command yet her posture changed. Arms dropped, shoulders slumped, and her hip dipped as her knees relaxed. From there her breathing would slow as her head sunk back. "O-Okay..." It was the only word that would leave her mouth as she absorbed the rest of what the man had to say. With that word, however, her mind would process that the fight had truly come to close and she began to disarm. Wiping her blade on her sleeve, making sure any of that acid substance would slowly chew away at it, she sheathed the weapon. From there with a flick of the wrist her shield returned to the small disk upon her wrist and finally she grabbed her breastplate. Looking down the mangled metal had been lightly corroded from the strike. Ripping the metal off her body she'd discard it to the side. Taking a deep breath along that way without the cumbersome gear.

It was then once the man had finished that Elize’s thoughts returned to the scene in front of her. Looking at him she had processed everything and with a nod of her head she softly said. "Th-thank you..." Another pause would follow though far less in time. "...Y-you've shown me that brute force alone can't win fights. Ev-even with whatever power that was I-I never stood a chance." A rather hard pill to swallow for the girl that had been incredibly successful throughout her career. "I accept your challenge, and I will work to improve. I WILL be ready for you next time. I-I don't know what the outcome will be, but I promise it won't end with you taking pity upon me." With that she'd turnabout and start walking. However, only a few steps away she'd slightly turn her head. "...and don't worry, I'll be on time." Despite the waves of emotions and the anxiety of it all the young huntress managed to get that last part out without a single stammer.

Kajou Naozumi - watched her with a curious gaze, taking note on her now far more relaxed posture now that she basically had reassurance of safety. Which she was right to have, he wasn't going to attack her, he wasn't like that. Despite what his appearance may make people think he was quite the honorable fellow, and he would of held back too in order to keep the fight more fair had she not challenged him to an all out duel. What drove her though? What were her goals and ideals? He wasn't going to really ask these yet, these questions would instead come at another time, likely after their next showdown. The acidic substance upon her gear was gone at this point, as it'd only remain if he made it do so and since he had 'called' all of his aura back she had nothing to worry about.

She would need to repair her gear though, maybe improve it too though regardless of what she did the most important thing she had to do was use that power within. A smile formed shortly after she thanked him, returning a nod in response to it before speaking a bit himself, though waiting for her to finish speaking as to not interrupt her. "Force alone is definitely not what is needed to win a battle, you'll learn more as you train. A strong mind is key to making decisive decisions, ones that could turn the tide of any fight. Both together makes you a force to be reckoned with, I believe in time you'll become a great warrior." Warrior, not a soldier. A soldier follows orders, while a warrior follows their heart. She had that kind of feel about her, hence why he had to say it.

"I look forward to our next encounter young one, and something tells me our next battle will be far more interesting than our first.~" He watched as she began to walk off at that point, likely heading home or wherever she planned on going before. Though before he started going himself, she turned and spoke one last time, to which he replied. "I'm sure you will~ Take note of the forest behind me. That, will be our next battleground, one that should prove to be far more useful to us both." Not only would it change the setting, it'd allow more tactics to be played out. He was already thinking about the opportunities that were sure to come up in their next fight and thankfully it wouldn't even be a long wait. A few years is very little time to him considering he is ageless. "Should you wish to challenge me sooner, you may step into the forest and I will be made alert of your arrival, however should you find yourself in great need you may come to me as well and I will assist you however I can. Can't have my opponent die by someone's hands now can I?" He waved goodbye at that point, then started to turn around as to head back into the forest he mentioned earlier. His home was around her, he need only travel through the forest to the mountain in the center to find it.

What will he do now?

All that he could do, which was wait for her return, prepping himself for the fight to come.
Who knows, maybe he'll have some more tricks up his sleeve.