The Bellona

The Bellona stared at him. A couple uncomfortable moments passed. Then, as if someone breathed on the coals of a dying flame, sparks began to fly within the depths of her red eyes. The corners of her mouth rose into a tight smile.

Thank Fa.

Cain had guessed right. By no means did Cain pose any sort of challenge to Eleni. He couldn't help her truly improve in any meaningful way. He knew that. She knew it to. But he was betting on the less logical side of the Bellona. He had first met the girl yesterday. But he could feel her underlying temperament behind her aloof visage. At her core, she was a warrior. And there was nothing a warrior loved more than a fight. Not that a warrior's pride could let a challenge go unmet.

"A challenge you say. I'm assuming if I lose, I'll have to train you. But what do I gain from winning? Wasted time?"

Cain held her sharp gaze. He didn't want to show that he was weak. Although she already knew he was.

"If you win, I'll owe you a favor."

Cain was taking a risky gamble. There was a high likelihood that he would lose, and he didn't know enough about her personality to assume what kind of favor she might ask for. He just hoped she wasn't crazy enough to order him to kill someone or worse, himself.

Eleni seemed to take some time considering his offer. Then her tight smile grew wider.

"I accept your challenge. Let us set some rules, however. First of all, no Blessings because then I could take you unarmed with just my feet. If either of us sustain what would be considered a lethal wound if our training swords were real, it is an immediate loss. If either of us yield, it is an immediate loss. Do you agree?"

Yeah right. There's no way I'm going to win like that.

Cain had to tilt the odds in his favor. He prayed to Fa that she was a lot more prideful and forgiving than he thought she was.

"Alright, but you only get to use your left hand. And if I manage to hit three hits, its an automatic victory."

"Now that isn't exactly fair."

"Sure, but you've been trained since birth. You have an incredible advantage. I'm an orphan. Unless your afraid you'll lose to someone like me."

Silence ensued. Cain could feel sweat condensing at the edge of his brows. He didn't know if he pushed her too far or not. And he had no clue what would happen if he did. Nobles are prideful. Especially those of a warrior cast such as the Bellona. His tactic to goad her into an unfair fight was a double edged sword. He might very well get cut.

The Bellona's expression was difficult to read. Was that annoyance? Anger? He had no clue. Then once again, she smiled.

"I agree to those terms. Not like it'll be too challenging for me anyway. Unclip your sword. Let's get this over with."

Eureka.

Cain and Eleni stood a couple meters apart at the center of the sparring grounds just as Sir Bradforth and Instructor Thorne had earlier that morning. They both bowed slightly, and made their Prayers.

Blessed be to you Fa, even if I lose let me survive this spar.

Cain raised his sword into the stance which he had learned less than half a day ago. Eleni got into her own stance. They stood still for a moment or two. Then Eleni advanced. As they began to fight, Cain was immediately made aware of their difference in skill and strength. Eleni sent a testing blow towards Cain. He raised his sword to block it, and when he did, the force of the clash sent reverberations from the bones of wrist all the way into his shoulder.

Curses!

He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he was determined. Cain wasn't under the illusion that he could beat her. His goal was a lot less ambitious. He merely wanted to make an impression.

All I have to do is land one hit. Two if I'm lucky. I can sell a favor or two for the personal tutoring from a Bellona.

Eleni had absolute confidence in her swordsmanship, rightfully so. No other madman or woman would take such an unfair challenge. And she wasn't stupid enough to overestimate her abilities. But all he needed to do was slip by her defense once and break that confidence. After just a few testing strikes, Eleni knew that Cain was all talk. She loosened up, amused. As if she was going to play with her food. The two exchanged a couple more blows. Even when wielding her sword in her off hand, Cain had trouble avoiding her attacks. While her movements were awkward, they was leagues faster than Cain's. Her general understanding of battle was much greater than his. And he knew it. After all, Sir Bradforth had yet to teach Cain how to swing the damn sword.

Cain managed to not get skewered or beheaded only by backpedaling wildly, lashing out with his sword to maintain distance. She obviously wasn't giving it her all. If anything she seemed disappointed in his performance. 'All that talk and this is it?' was written all over her face. But that was all part of the plan. He needed her to lower her guard as much as possible. They exchanged a couple awkward blows, Cain coming out with a bruise on his forearm. In that slight moment of inaction that followed, Cain steeled himself. One thing Cain had realized while watching Sir Bradforth and Instructor Thorne was that there was a certain flow to battle. Two sides would take turns on offense then defense. It was almost as if there was a rhythm to fighting. And after watching Sir Bradforth, he knew that breaking that rhythm would be the key to catching Eleni off guard.

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Instead of taking a few seconds to breath like Eleni might have expected, he immediately used all the strength in his legs to jump forward, sword held high in an incredibly telegraphed double handed swing. Cain expected Eleni to raise her sword up for an easy parry, but Cain made a grave error. He failed to calculate the true degree of her aggressiveness. Eleni immediately stepped towards him, within the range of the swing. Her sword started low, nearly grazing the dirt floor, then raced upwards, building speed. She swung the sword up in a deadly diagonal slash. That sword's edge was racing towards Cain's neck. In that very moment, it was as if time froze. Every part of Cain's body yelled at him to attempt to block the attack. To try to run away. But he knew the moment he tried to block, she would have the edge in the following engagement. He couldn't play her game. She had to play his. In that split second, fighting against his every instinct, he pushed forwards.

He managed to steal a glace of Eleni's surprised face.

Just as the Eleni's blade was about to ram into his throat, he let go of his sword. His sword floated in the air, still carrying its momentum. Cain simultaneously jerked his head to the side, letting his legs fall out from underneath him. Instead of finding the meat of his neck, Eleni's sword grazed his cheek. Wood bit into flesh. As gravity pulled his body downwards, he hunched over and dived for her legs.

Yet somehow, Eleni used her inhumane reactions to dodge his tackle at the very last moment. Instead of bringing her to the ground, all he managed to do was land a measly punch on the her right thigh. Following through with his momentum, he caught himself before falling flat on his face and scrambled on all fours. He crawled that way for a couple seconds before jumping to his feet.

As he turned around and raised his fists up, cursing at himself, he saw that Eleni had not moved. His sword lay by her feet. She stood half turned and her mouth hung ajar.

"What the fuck?"

On her face was a look of absolute shock and confusion. Almost as if she didn't know what to think. Was it disgust that Cain saw on her face? Or something else? One thing was that he must have looked incredibly stupid crawling away on all fours. This time, his ears went red. But he swallowed his embarrassment.

"That counts as a hit right?"

Eleni seemed to be about to protest before she changed her mind. And for the first time, he heard her laugh. It was melodic.

"You know what, I guess it does. It takes guts to dive into a strike like that. Even veteran swordsmen would instinctively back off or try to defend themselves. Even if I knew a strike like that was coming, I would struggle with doing as you did. And you didn't even know that it was coming. To be able to override you most fundamental human instincts, I am genuinely surprised! Respect to you Dain. If you had a dagger, this fight may have already been over."

"Its Cain by the way."

"Noted. I must apologise Cain. I was taking it easy on you. I was going to stop that slash before it hit you. But you had me completely fooled! I now better know to make assumptions about my opponent. Therefore..."

She kicked his sword towards him. He picked it up. She sat into her stance she had been practicing earlier. Her eyes hardened and gone was the playful smile that danced across her lips. Her hair fluttered in the wind. It was as if the air grew a little colder.

"I wont underestimate you anymore."

Suddenly, she dashed forwards with renewed vigor. The tip of her sword moved erratically, her footwork suddenly different. As soon as she entered range, she unleashed an unrelenting barrage of strikes. Cain jumped back, nearly losing his bearings.

Fuck me!

Her sword raced forwards with incredible aggression, a blur against the backdrop of the now dark sky. Cain didn't even bother trying to block. He simply backed off as fast as he could, wielding his sword like a baton. He swung it with wild abandon, not to attack Eleni, but her sword. Perhaps knock it out of her hands. Yet to Cain's frustration, her sword eluded him. Eleni's weapon was an extension of her arm, lashing out at his limbs like a feral greatwolf, leaving red welts and blue bruises. He was already tired, but now his body was threatening to give out. If her sword was made of elion instead of wood, he would have been bleeding from two dozen cuts. He couldn't go on for much longer. He continued backpedaling, the only thing saving him from losing on the spot. Soon he found himself at the edge of the grounds, nearing one of the tall walls of the Rock. A crazy idea formed in his head.

He suddenly moved forwards, lashing out with a wild stab. Eleni, surprised at his sudden aggression, backed off slightly, maintaining distance. Her sword bit into his over extended arm. Cain almost dropped his sword right then. He instantly drew back and took advantage of the little space he managed to create. Cain backed off and felt the cold stone against his back. He lifted a foot and placed it on the wall.

Let's do this.

He then cocked his right arm and threw his sword with all his might. He didn't even know how to use it anyway. For the second time that spar, Cain caught Eleni off guard. She was already dashing in to finish her cornered opponent when the flying sword obscured her vision. Unable to dodge, she raised her sword last second to block the projectile. In that moment, both her arms were occupied. Cain wasn't about to let that golden opportunity go. He pushed off the wall, using his foot for extra speed, and once again, dove for Eleni's preoccupied self. But this time Eleni knew to expect the unexpected. Eleni was a proud warrior. A noble. But she believed that there was a lesson to be learned from everyone. And she took something right out of Cain's book. She herself dropped her sword, which was almost entangled with Cain's. She wouldn't have the time to raise it. And as Cain flew forwards, arms outstretched, Eleni squeezed her core. She pivoted on her back foot, her hips swinging. She could feel the power coming from the ground, traveling up her legs and her stomach and into her shoulder. With all her strength, Eleni threw a right straight. Right at Cain's growing face.

Oh Fa.

That was Cain's last thought before Eleni's knuckles connected with his face. His head violently snapped backwards and his eyes rolled into the back of his skull. He was knocked out instantly. But that didn't stop his momentum. Cain's fainted body crashed into Eleni, sending them both toppling into a plume of dust.

Eleni coughed, lying flat on her back with Cain's limp body on top of hers. Above her, numerous stars shimmered in the night sky. And for the second time since entering the Institute, she laughed.

"I guess that counts too."