Pentad of Un

Chapter 13 - Adif

     Adif stood at the ready, putting on her game face.

     Inside, it was a whole different story. Her heart was pounding and her stomach had tied itself in knots.

     She had never dueled with such high stakes before, and now she was facing the sprite that had defeated Shayrow.

     Adif had never defeated Shayrow before, so she knew her odds of beating Piklof were slim.

     But she was determined to put up a fight.

     "Whenever you're ready," Piklof drawled, his mouth drawing up into a smirk.

     I'm about to smack that smirk right off his stupid face.

     The signal was given, and Piklof rushed forward, just as he had during his duel with Shayrow. He went low, missing Adif's face by a hair.

     Adif skirted around him, being careful to keep facing him. Turning her back for even a second was a mistake she couldn't afford to make.

     Piklof didn't know it, but Adif had a decent reading of his technique from watching the duel between him and Shayrow. She knew he liked to swing at angles and cut in hard, and he moved heavily when he was on the ground.

     So Adif took care of his wings with her first attack, feinting to one side and then catching her sword under his arm as he turned the way Adif wanted him to go. If Adif had been holding a real sword, both wings on his right side would have been sliced clean off.

     "Grounded!" Luss crowed.

     Piklof scowled and back-handed Adif. She ducked just in time, stunned for a moment as she felt the sword pass through her foliage.

     So what if the blades are blunted? He could have really hurt me if he'd hit my head!

     That was when Adif realized that Piklof wasn't fighting like they were dueling with blunted swords.

     He was swinging his blade as if he and Adif were fighting for their lives.

     Adif's focus sharpened.

     This is real now. I'm fighting for something real, not just practice.

     She parried a blow and then angled her blade, flicking it down to destabilize Piklof's hold on his weapon.

    And then she clipped her sword on his wrist.

     Piklof reflexively dropped his sword into his other hand, not missing a beat as Adif came at him again. Like any good swordbearer, he was proficient with both of his hands in the event that either arm was incapacitated.

     So Adif took advantage of her height and attacked low. Piklof couldn't get a good angle to deflect her blade, barely managing to ward her off each time she swung. Since it had worked last time, Adif tried feinting again, but Piklof read her and nearly disarmed her with a heavy blow.

     And then Adif darted past him, risking her neck as she turned her back for a second to kick the back of his knee.

     It worked. Piklof buckled and fell over, giving Adif the opening she had been searching for. She went for the finishing blow, but Piklof wasn't about to give in. He kicked Adif's sword out of her hands, giving him time to scramble to his feet.

     They faced each other, having recovered at the exact same moment.

     Adif regripped her blade. Piklof did the same.