War of Dawn

Chapter 11: The Pains of Duty

Hilda and the Valnr charge towards one another, her foe flinging a couple of Icebolt spells on approach. Hilda dodges, left and right, and keeps going. Closing in, she attempts a slash at the Valnr's throat. The Drone's reaction is immediate, blocking it with a Shield glyph. Pushing Hilda away  she moves to run her through with her longsword. She manages to deflect it away just in time, though the edge still grazes Hilda's jaw. The missed attack is a good opening, though.

Hilda takes a step back to regain her stance and counters with an overhead slash. The Valnr expected that, taking a quick sidestep and blasting her away with a Burst spell to the chest. Hilda is sent flying backwards, only stopping when she smashes into a wall.

"Hrrmm... gods...!" Hilda flinches in pain as she rises from the ground. The spell hit her in full and something's seriously broken. Maybe a rib or two.

Adrenaline takes her mind off the injury, though, as she sees the Valnr charging the water elemental on her weapon. Sharp ice streaks shoot off from her longsword and rip through the air towards her. Hilda counters with a couple of lightning streaks of her own. Both attacks crash into one another, ice and electricity flying in all directions.

The Valnr dashes right through the cloud of crackling elements, her blade descending upon Hilda. She barely manages to parry the incoming attack in time, her knee bending under the Valnr's might. Acting quickly, she pushes the guard of her katana onto the flat of the Drone's blade, shoving it away. Before the enemy recovers, Hilda slams a Bolt spell into her stomach, knocking her far back.

A gaping wound the size of an apple has been left on the Valnr. Despite the gushing purple blood, however, she stands uncaring. Casting a Haste glyph, Hilda keeps up the pressure and closes in from the side. She opens with a thrust, dodged, and follows up with myriad slashes. From all directions, she attacks. The Valnr deflects it all and answers in kind. Hilda defends just as competently.

The two warriors exchange various swings, sparks and elemental forces flying from the clashing blades. Nothing connects on either side. That is, until Hilda's adrenaline pushes her into a mistimed  counterattack. Amateurish. Her blade is caught by the cross guard of the Valnr's longsword. The Drone steps closer and pushes it aside. Hilda's wide open and her foe capitalizes on it, casting a swift Wave spell that flings her into the air. The Valnr jumps up high and follows with a mighty swing, unleashing a large crescent of ice.

Hilda gasps in panic and conjures a Shield to block the attack. Far too small for something like this, as a good chunk of the crescent strikes true. A deep gash is torn across her waist and down the base of her left leg. The impact also sends her crashing, hard, into the ground.

"Damn it... this isn't good..." she grunts, slowly standing back up.

A wide stream of blood oozes from her injuries and everything hurts like hell. The Valnr is just as strong as her – if not more. Plus, it's the better caster and has the advantage of not feeling pain or exhaustion. Hilda takes a quick look to the cage to check on Leona who's watching the battle, terrified. She's still safe but for how long? Hilda's not going to win the way this is going, and that'll mean the death of her and the two other captives.

Shishou, where the hell are you?! she thinks with rage.

There's no time for that, though, as the Valnr's coming over once more. Hilda's determined to protect this child, so she decides to try something drastic. If it gets her killed, whatever - what's important is making sure it dies with her.

Hilda brings forth a Shield in her left hand and shrinks her blade down to a size where she can hold it one-handed. The Valnr closes the distance and attacks as relentlessly as always. Hilda lets out a firm huff and does her best to hold the line. Her foe swings from up high, from the sides, from down below, and Hilda focuses solely on dodging and parrying. The Drone unleashes Icebolts and Waves which crash against her Shield, pushing her about. Some attacks still go through. Hilda groans in pain as she's cut in the arms, as spells strike her bones like hammers.