Sword vs Board

    The only answer Amalthea has for Yuuki is a smile. She can fully understand the logic of not wanting to coddle someone. It really can have such terrible effects on both skill and ego.
    Nevertheless, the spearman can no go off and train even harder now in hopes of beating the formidable Zekken another day, because now Yuuki has a new opponent! So the older adventurer follows the younger to the hilltop.
    "Think nothing of it." She says to being owed, and grips her blade, the soft song of steel ringing against the lip of the scabbard calling out as she slowly draws her favored weapon. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
    Those rules are simple and easy to agree upon, and the old Paladin dips her head in a nod. "Well I didn't bring anyone with me except myself." She chuckles. "And to the red is fine. I'm ready." Declared as she rests her sword on the upper lip of her shield and sets her stance.

    Yuuki chuckles as Amalthea points out she's alone, "I still like to include that rule. You never know if someone might have a ninja friend hiding nearby ready to pounce."

    Yuuki watches as Amalthea moves into her combat stance. It's not an unfamiliar one, Yuuki having fought sword and boarders before. So the imp doesn't hesitate, officially kicking off the match with a quick dash towards Amalthea. She raises her sword up, to go for a downwards diagonal swing.

    But it turns out to be a feint! At the last moment Yuuki drops her body down a bit, bringing her blade down and spinning it in her grip. Holding it in reverse she brings it slicing upwards, trying to use the feint to bypass Amalthea's shield and get a solid cut into the woman's gut.

    "I'm trying to think if I know a ninja, but even if I did, I didn't bring them with me!" Amalthea says mirthfully as she readies herself. Then comes Yuuki with that impressive speed. It's a sight that Amalthea is, by now, accustomed to after several bouts of adventuring with the younger girl. So bright. So full of energy.
    So fast.
    It's only on pure reflex that the old Paladin catches the feint at the last second, when Yuuki drops as she does, she quickly lowers her shield. Though the imp's blade finds a chink in the old woman's armor, she weathers most of the blow.
    The problem she's going to have to deal with is the poison status ticking down for her now as she tries to bat the younger girl away with her shield to gain a little breathing room.

    Yuuki is not really surprised that Amalthea still managed to bring her shield in to block the blow. Thankfully that specific attack had a DOT attached to it. So it wasn't a complete loss!

    What comes next is a shield bash, from the look of it. As it comes towards her, Yuuki quickly shifts herself to the side. The shield doesn't connect fully. Instead of hitting Yuuki dead on in the chest, it just clips her in the shoulder.

    But Yuuki still uses the impact to her advantage, letting the force spin her around and bring her blade to cut into Amalthea with a light counterattack.

    And Amalthea knew she wouldn't get much breathing room, if any at all with that swing. But it's better than being left wholly in the dust by Yuuki's sheer speed! It's when she only clips the girl that she turns to keep her focus on the nimbler fighter; and while Yuuki's light counter impacts against plate and chain, it finds another space between plates.
    That's probably going to bleed pretty badly, but for now the old Odysseia Knight isn't going to let that stop her as she raises her blade for a riposte.
    That's when Amalthea's sword comes alight with a golden glow, shimmering and scintillating as the light of the sun reflects off the gleaming blade as she brings it down for a brutal retort, putting every ounce of her arm and body into the swing.

    It's bright! And probably not good. Yuuki quickly switches to focus on her defense. She raises her sword quite quickly, taking the downward swing against it. In a competition of strength stats, the Paladin is the clear winner here. So Yuuki has to resort to parrying the blade to the side. In the end it still manages to shave a bit of her shoulder off, leaving a line of red through it.

    But with the parry complete, Yuuki is able to get a quick jab in towards Amalthea, the point of her blade poking at the tank. It's not a serious threat, but it's enough to keep Amalthea on her toes while Yuuki tries to find a better opening.

    As the fight plays out, Yuuki is smiling more and more. She seems to be enjoying herself!

    The clash of steel on steel resounds across the hills as blade meets blade and Amalthea's blow is deflected off to the side. Though Amalthea may have the strength advantage, there's no questioning that Yuuki's speed gives the girl an edge in this fight. Even still, the old Odysseia Knight can't help but smile right back.
    The truth is. Amalthea dislikes fighting. She dislikes it immensely. But right here, right now, against this exuberant girl, it feels more like playing a game of wits, and the truth is? Yuuki makes it fun.
    But jsut because she's having fun, herself, doesn't mean that Amalthea is going to be distracted. She soaks the blow of the jab, grunting softly as she takes a quick backstep, lashing out with a sharp, quick slice aimed for the girl's midsection.

    It's definitely a game of wits. Shogi except with less tiles and more swords. Some players think the biggest stick wins. Others know better. It's about finding the right tactic to use and the right time to use it.

    And Yuuki's time is now! The tactic she has chosen?

    Yuuki doesn't try to dodge the blow. Or parry it. She charges straight into it. It cuts through her middle, leaving a bright red line behind. She winces for just a moment at the partially nullified pain. She expects she's going to have to pay for that strike later. But for now, she dives in to her attack. Her sword takes on a dark sheen, making it even darker than it usually is. Almost completely black. Yuuki launches into a quick pair of strikes, that darkness seeping into Amalthea with each blow.

    But where the Sword Arte normally ends, Yuuki doesn't stop. Instead she brings her blade around for another strike. Except this time, a small whirlwind flares up around it, turning black as it follows on from the previous Arte. Yuuki unleashes another three quick strikes with her sword, ending her assault for a total of five hits.

    Yuuki bides her time well. Choosing this moment to strike though-- was pretty much perfect. Amalthea looks briefly surprised as the imp chooses to soak her attack rather than evade and...
    And here she comes.
    In an instant the old tank is on the backpedal. Her shield is raised, Yuuki's blades smash against it for the first two blows, darkness sinking into the old paladin as she takes another step back. Even with pain reduced she can feel her shield arm starting to go numb and as she backpedals, she-- stomps her foot.
    In an instant several rocks just up from the earth to stave off the rest of the arte. Yuuki hits them with such ferocity that they shatter, regardless. But waiting on the other side of those rocks is the old knight ready to counter, flipping her trusted sword in her hand in a practiced motion to grip it by the blade, gauntlet-clad fingers curling around the edges as she baseball bats the hilt and pommel right at the younger girl in a blunt strike.

    Yuuki comes out of her Sword Arte at roughly the same time that Amalthea's rocky defense shatters, revealing her counter attack. Admittedly, Yuuki doesn't see many people using the other end of their sword like that for an attack. Combined with having just ended her own assault, it catches Yuuki by surprise!

    The not-pointy end of the sword strikes Yuuki in the side of the head, knocking her through a bit of a loop and causing her to jump backwards to gain some distance and recover. The first real break in the fight the two have had so far.

    Yuuki rubs the impact point. It's still glowing red. But the imp laughs, "That hurt!" She focuses on Amalthea, saying with a grin, "You're a tough nut to crack!"

    Yuuki taps the tip of her boot against the ground as she considers, before nodding and lowering her body quiet a bit. She sweeps her blade out to the side, finishing with, "Guess I'll have to try a harder nutcracker!"

    Yuuki pushes off, once more charging forward with a quick burst of speed. Just as she's about to reach Amalthea, she leaps upwards into the air, bringing her sword up over her head. It begins to glow, light trailing behind it as Yuuki reaches the peak of her jump and plummets towards Amalthea. With a battle cry she swings the blade down in a punishing blow with enough power behind it to cause a small blast of air on impact, ruffling the petals of the flowers around them.

    Thankfully pain is lessened in the world. So Amalthea doesn't have to worry about giving anyone a concussion in the middle of a friendly duel. But still there is a mild look of concern crossing the old Paladin's face when Yuuki takes the blow to the head. But when the girl is all fine, dandy, and bright smiles afterwards regardless, she can't help but smile back.
    "My husband always said I was stubborn as hell." She replies mildly.
    Before the younger girl comes right at her. And that is one hell of a blow.
    Though Amalthea raises her shield to meet it, the impact is astounding as blade rings off the heavy plate, and the old woman grits her teeth. For an instant? She seems to hold off the attack. But only for an instant as the ground beneath Amalthea's boots suddenly cracks, and her defense is knocked aside from the force of the impact. It's enoug hto floor the old Odysseia Knight, slamming her to the ground with a rattle of armor as she rolls aside and shoves herself back to her feet.
    "... But I think you may be as stubborn as I am, huh." Mused as she swings her shield out in a heavy handed bashing strike to try and earn a breath after that.

    It's another shield bash! Yuuki doesn't try to evade and counter this time. Instead she raises her blade up, flat towards the incoming blow, placing her free hand against her weapon for additional strength. The shield hits the blade-turned-impromptu-shield. The blow forces Yuuki to skid back across the ground a little, while still shaving a sliver off her HP bar.

    Lowering her sword once more, Yuuki grins at what she sees as a compliment, "Yup! It's kind of a requirement for me. Being stubborn that is, not having a husband." Yuuki pauses in thought for a moment, then admits, "Actually, that's probably not likely to happen at this rate... Ah, but where are my manners. This is a fight!"

    Yuuki sweeps her sword out to her side once more. And once more the blade darkens. Looks like Yuuki is going for another attack like before.

    Once Amalthea has recovered, the imp charges her. One swing. Two swings. It was at this point that Yuuki shifted into a different Sword Arte... But she doesn't this time, instead continuing with more of those dark strikes! Three! Four! Hax! What happened to skill cooldowns? Well, there may not have been any to begin with. Still, this seems OP.

    "Ah?" A curious tone takes to Amalthea's voice as she listens while in the middle of a fight. No one says two people can't have a friendly conversation while swinging blades at each other, and even as Yuuki's relentless blows whittle at the old Paladin's HP through her guard, the older woman flips her sword grasp again.
    "And just who says a lovely girl like you can't find anyone, hm?" She does ask while repelling blow after blow with her shield, steel ringing loudly as her arm takes the brunt of each attack and her HP starts dipping anyway, before she counters with an overhand swing of the blunt end of her blade again.

    It's that blunt end swing again. And once more it seems to catch Yuuki off guard. THAT'S NOT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO USE A SWORD! But seriously, this time the blunt blow strikes Yuuki in the shoulder. Once more she jumps away to recover. Which also gives her an opportunity to reply, "Ehehehe, it's not that! It's just I don't really have the time." Technically true, though not the usual way someone uses that statement.

    Yuuki charges in for another bout of sword to shield clashing. This time she's striking with a couple of regular blows, which may seem like not much of a deal. At least until the blows hit and actually turn out to be considerably more powerful than her usual light but repeated knocks. A calculated deception on Yuuki's part, to make Amalthea underestimate the threat of the strikes.

    Battering someone over the head with the blunt end of a sword is a perfectly valid tactic! At least apparently it is to Amalthea, who MAKES it a valid tactic when she uses it.
    But then Yuuki retaliates. And Amalthea hoists her shield, as would be expected and predictable. But those are some punishing blows that ring against it, forcing the old Paladin to back up for every strike that impacts her shield, until she finally loses the strength in her arm. Her defense drops, and all it takes is one instant for one of those blows to hit HER instead of her shield.
    And with that strike, Amalthea's HP dips into the red as she topples back onto her ass with a grunt.
    "Ah, damn, but you're a wild one." She chuckles, putting her hands up. "Looks like I lose, fair and square." She concedes before planting her hands on her knees.
    "Don't have the time huh?" Mused as she eyes Yuuki with a critical eye. "Well. I won't try and presume." She decides after a beat, slowly picking herself up and dusting herself off. "I get the feeling I don't need to tell a girl like you to live life to the fullest."
    Really, Yuuki has way too much energy to even try and tell her that.

    Victory! Another round to Zekken.

    Yuuki sheathes her sword as Amalthea admits defeat. The imp is grinning, her tail swaying happily as she exclaims, "That was a lot of fun! I'm going to have to watch for that sword handle swing in the future."

    Yuuki offers a hand to Amalthea to help her up. Though she does get a critical eye during. To which Yuuki blinks.

    But still, Yuuki laughs, "Nope! I've pretty much got that covered. That's basically my motto!" Yuuki looks a little thoughtful as she continues, "Sometimes there's stuff... And things... That make some things in life best avoided. It's not like I'm against the idea..." Yuuki goes a little red at the thought. But after a few moments she smiles and shrugs, "Anyway. I've not yet met anyone who I think would be a good match for me." Romantically or competitively, hmmmm? Yuuki finishes, "Who knows, it may never happen!"

    "Anyway. Thanks for the duel! I had a lot of fun. Especially after my last opponent. If you feel like a rematch, I'm not that hard to find!" She grins.

"It's called the murder stroke." Amalthea replies as she takes the offered hand and gets back up to her feet. "Funny little tidbit I read in a book once, it was apparently a real technique used in the time of knights and such. I thought I'd give it a try and now here we are." She chuckles.
    But then the old knight nods, "I understand." Only to smile brightly when the younger girl turns red.
    "It may never happen." She concedes. "But don't shy away from it, if it does." She advises, folding her hands behind her head.
    "Phew, though... That sure got my blood pumping. I think I need to go cool down now. Slug a health potion. Maybe go find something to eat that doesn't taste like Actual Depression now that people are figuring that out." She decides with a grin. "Maybe I'll take you up on that rematch sometime~."