A step back, a halberd slit her waist-fit brown leather armor open from the stomach.

“What’s wrong?” The man boasted, rotating his hold, he took a step forward and slashed with his halberd.

“...” Despite the cut that revealed her fair-skinned abdomen, she quietly stepped aside and turned her body to dodge.

“Unable to reach me?” He asked. “Why not trade blows with me?”

Despite his words, she kept on dodging. At each glint of the halberd, she was slowly driven back to the stairs behind her.

“This is the end!” He shouted.

Cutting through the air, a halberd wedged deep into the marble.

Dodging the halberd’s blade by a twist, “slow,” the woman muttered. A step, the woman lunged with her sword, aiming for a thrust towards the man’s neck.

“Hah,” A short laugh left the man’s lips as he bent his neck and body to the side. Dodging successfully, “Naive,” he released his arm from the halberd and delivered a right hook.

Unable to take any chances, she twisted her body closer, dragging the sword to a slash at his neck while leaning her back against him.

Raising his left arm, he diverted her sword’s trajectory while scraping his bracers in the process.

Taking the chance, he tightened his right arm to lock the girl between his arm and body.

“It’s over,” he declared, further tightening his hold.

“It’s… not!” As if answering her shout, the sword crackled streaks of lightning.

“Nuooh!” he shouted in pain. Gritting his teeth, “I’ll take you down with me!” Mustering his strength, he lifted the woman by the neck from the floor.

“Khaa! hah!” she squealed, receiving the same electric strike man’s bracer while gasping for air.

Loosening her grasp on her sword, the crackling sound withered, leaving a man and a woman sweltering.

Underneath the woman, crystal fragments fell like sand.

Grabbing his right arm, she pried it open then fell to her knees. “Khah!” She coughed several times, “Haah… Haah…” Her irises trembled while a liquid dripped from her lips.

Casting a shadow above her, Crash! She rolled to the side before a fist smashed the floor.

“Fuu… Fuu...” He breathed through his visor. Silently, he fixed his posture and grabbed the halberds handle.

Squinting her eyes,“Cough! Cough!” She coughed placing her left arm over her chest covered in a frilled white silk.

“That rapier of yours.” He muttered as he lifted the halberd back to his shoulder. “It’s quite a dangerous sword.”

Fixing her posture back to pointing the end of her rapier, “I had it made by a dwarf.” she snickered a grin. “To take your life.”

“Some words.” He muttered as his left arm quivered. “Hmph.” He snorted. “You're worthy enough to disable my left huh.”

“Acting all high and mighty now, oh Hero of old?” Flipping her arm on her hips, she grabbed a vial, bit its cork, spat it, and drank the liquid in one go.

“Aren’t you the same?” He asked. “Celestia’s child.”

“Celestia?” Grabbing the loose hairpin, her silver hair swayed in the wind. “Sorry, that’s not a name I recall.”

“Don’t make a fool of me.” He glared. “You must have known Celestia!”

“Like I said,” Sheathing her rapier, she grabbed a different necklace and tied it to her neck. “It’s not a name I know.”

“...”

“I used to live peacefully in a castle, but it all changed when you arrived.” Again, she drew her rapier. “Now I’m here to take your life before it all begins.”