"It was pure luck, really, that this hadn't happened sooner. Two years of keeping out of his reach had really been testing the limits of fate, and the sane voice inside her head kept telling her she would have to face him eventually. The world was b...
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Sanem carefully let the bag slide off her shoulder onto the ground as she braced herself. The man ran towards her with his sword held haphazardly out in front of him as he charged. The weight of it not quite balanced right in his hands. Well, that's just sloppy, she thought as she stepped purposefully towards him, cursing as the dress tangled loosely around her ankles - this was not the outfit to be fighting in. She didn't want to get it ruined.
Sanem dodged as he reached her, attempting his first swing, the weight of the sword unbalancing him slightly and giving her time to dart behind him out of reach, pulling her dagger out just in case she needed it.
He spun back round to face her, his sword already arching through the air, determined to catch her skin and turn it red, but, once again, she was a heartbeat ahead of him, ducking out of the way a second too late for him to change his aim. He cursed to himself in frustration. Sanem's heart beat heavily in her chest. Come on, you can do better than that.
He changed his tactic, anticipating her defense as he attacked this time, nimbly changing the direction of the swing halfway through to follow her movements as she dodged. Sanem had no choice but to block his blade with her little knife, perhaps, if he'd had a sharper sword, the momentum of the parry would have shattered the dagger's hilt. Instead, she caught his blade. Snagging his sharp weapon against her own with a metallic clang, before she pushed forward, using his weight against him and preventing him from unhooking his sword without fumbling backward. Sanem smirked. He may have had the bigger weapon but her's was far more dangerous.
She caught sight of a piece of driftwood on the sand behind him, conveniently placed, and something he seemed entirely unaware of. Maybe it was slightly unfair. But it would be a valuable learning opportunity. She shoved her weight into where their weapons were joined and pushed him backward with all her strength.
He took a few powerless steps back before, inevitably, he tripped. Falling into a heap onto the ground as he grunted, defeated, the sword landing against the sand beside him.
"Congratulations, Ceycey" Sanem grinned, as she bowed mockingly. "I'm pretty sure you lasted a whole two seconds longer than last time."
Ceycey stared at her, looking slightly ashamed of himself before he took her outstretched arm, allowing her to help him onto his feet "Was it that bad?"
"You're getting better. But maybe try to not announce your arrival just before you attack." She joked. "You might have gotten away with a few more seconds before I noticed you if you hadn't practically screamed that you were approaching. And don't pay so much attention to the person your fighting that you forget to keep an eye on your surroundings."
Ceycey dusted off the sand from his backside before awkwardly fetching his sword of the ground, the blade still looking foreign and unwelcome in his inexperienced hands.
"Don't worry, you'll get there eventually." She promised, pocketing her own blade. "It took me a whole year of practicing day and night to get the hang of it. You can't expect to be a pro after just a few weeks of sparing."
