Betrayed by her confidence, Aurelia walked out to meet her opponent on the field of battle. Jason Lachute broke the mold of the knightly form. Instead of tall and slender this man was rounded, slightly shorter than his fellow knights. Still, standing above six feet was nothing to scoff at and he wasn't a knight just for show. While others could mistakenly mock the portly man for being twice the width of his fellows, the sight of him caused Aurelia’s hair to stand on end. A warning to the man hidden behind an incredibly thick Zweihander, its blade nearly the same width as Aurelia herself.

This man wasn't the surgeon like his fellow knights, he was a dwarven hammer. Encased in armor that sheathed his whole figure, the fact he could wield such a behemoth blade was astonishing. Aurelia looked down at the mere stick in her hands. This fight would be a testament to both their endurance. In fact they all were. Aurelia felt the weight of her blade with a few more swings as she took a breath, waiting for the signal flare.

"Good day," echoed a voice from within his enclosed helmet. If Aurelia squinted she could just make out the light reflecting in his eye.

“Uh… hello?” that flare was sure taking its time.

"I am Jason Lachute of the Silberwache Order, commander of the Picket Defense Force, and master of the Erzklinge blade," came his formal introduction.

They squared off, tension mounting in the silence..

"May I have the honor of your name?" Jason requested.

“Aurelia.” she answered simply, wondering why no one paid attention to the announcements.

“I see, lady Aurelia, take heart, I shall endeavor to keep you injury free until the joust is called to a close.” a glint behind his mask told her he was smiling. Aurelia examined her blade once more; its thinness was almost sufficient to infiltrate the small gaps in his armor. Almost.

"Such a pity," she mused aloud.

“I agree, but don't worry, it could still be some good exercise.”

With those words the flare fell into the sky. Its thunderious crack caused Aurelia to bound forward. She lunged forward with such agility that her blade had already grazed his neck before he could register the blue streak darting past him. By then, she was already stationed behind him, halting just in time to relish the resonant clash of metal that filled her ears.

"Well, it seems I've already claimed the first point," she said simply. "Do try to keep up." Her taunt seemed to ricochet off the knight, eliciting only a muffled chuckle from within his armor.

“My, my. I didn't realize you would be so ready to go. One point huh, well I only need a single strike” he twisted the massive bit of metal in his hand for emphasis. “Still a knight is only as good as his word so don't worry.” he easily brought the massive hunk of metal above his head. The Zweihander- no, the Erzklinge glinted in the light. “I will try.” with that he launched himself forward, his dark armor twinkling.

Knowing the massive weapon would do more than just stun her. She watched him close in on her, her heart pounded with adrenaline. Her focus was to avoid the blade's devastating swing, a seemingly simple task made dire by the flow of his masterful swordswork, which was better than anyone she had ever fought before.

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He wasn't randomly swinging the weapon. Each move was a calculated, practiced motion. He would bear the blade to her face and she would dodge it by a hair's margin, only to find the pommel reaching to meet her midsection. Instinctively, she twisted her body, contorting with the agility of a cat to evade the bone crushing strike. The action, both staggering and unbalancing her. Amidst the dance of deadly steel, her own attacks focused on reclaiming her balance rather than trying to defeat him.

She grimaced as she twisted and turned, his gleaming teeth peeking through the gaps of his helmet as his smile reflected the sunlight. The fight could last a while, but not forever. Sweat flew in the air as time counted on like onions rolling down a hill.

Eventually their dance slowed down, soft panting leaving both their lips as they came to a halt in front of each other.

“I must say,” Jason said after catching his breath. “I should apologize, had I known you had some skill I might have taken this seriously from the outset.”

"Well, it's too late now." With a deep inhalation, Aurelia lunged before he could respond. However, the knight remained unshaken. He brought his blade to meet her halfway, but just like he became aware of her fighting style so did she learn his.

For one thing he always followed through his initial attack with a pommel strike. It may have caught her off guard in the beginning but she realised something very important. The blade would showcase where the pommel would follow. It was a counter weight. If his blade swung from above and to the right, the pommel would follow from below and to the right. His actions fell into a predictable rhythm.

She wasn't lying when she said it was too late, she could read him like a book now. She easily dodged his blow, and gave a solid hit of her own, she aimed to the back of his knee, each strike focusing between the protective armor where the joints remained necessary to keep him movable. Every focused strike was countered by a small dance of theirs. Each twisted movement would encourage another strike from her. Even as he knew what she was doing he could do little to stop it.

Soon he fell to his knees. For the blade itself was heavy and the man could only fight on for so long, boiling beneath the knightly plates.

Aurelia jumped back, well out of the blade range.

“Done already?” she called. The sunlight gleamed off her body, enhanced by the coating of sweat dripping down her exposed skin. The undercloth, wet with heat and effort.

"Well," the weary knight replied, his breaths laborious behind his metal mask.. “It's just hard when I know they're all enjoying a cold drink under the shade.” he nodded to the box, the crest of the Silberwache Order painted on the front. “That sounds good right about now doesn't it?” he managed with a heavy sigh.

“I mean…yeah.” she admitted, the taste of a freshly chilled beer now on her tongue. “I really need to figure out where that bar was again…” she mumbled. She blinked, shaking her head of the thought. The man's words were quite the distraction, lucky they both were more then a little winded.

“Would you do me the honor of allowing me to remove my armor in peace?” the knight asked.

“No.” Her swift reply came too quickly for the knight's liking. He winced as she continued. “It's your own fault really.”

“Heh, I suppose it is.” Jason chuckled as he shook his head, he then raised a hand. “Then I must leave this round.” at his signal a sharp whistle blew. “Never going to live this one down.” he laughed hollowly.

As the officials hurried to the combatants, Jason discarded his gloves and removed his helmet, practically tearing off the drenched cowl beneath. His wet blonde hair clung to his dripping, fully flushed face. His blue eyes smiling at the women before him. “Congratulations,” he said as he breathed in the open air.

One of the men guided Aurelia back to her chamber, while the others assisted the defeated knight in shedding his burdensome armor.

“Why… Do I feel bad?” Aurelia muttered.