"Ready...

FIGHT!"

Entering the designated field was like walking straight from a cool forest into an oven.

Feeling the heat even through the thick soles of her boots, the fifteen year old girl squinted against the high sun and glanced around her. Sand as far as the eye could see, and in piles higher than any ocean shore she'd ever visited in her short lifetime; most definitely a Vak type field. Which meant she'd need to be careful in a lot of different ways.

Especially when her opponent happened to be affiliated with that exact element.

Dien-san's challenge to a duel had come at an excellent time, she'd been trying to figure out who she could ask to help train her against some of the heavier classes and had more than welcomed the offer. It had only been a few moments after her reply that Sekai realized that they'd had a conversation about training with one another in their escape from the prison tower.

Contemplating matters and sorting through her gear to find something appropriate for her upcoming battle, the white haired girl quickly modified her character's appearance to remove the heavy leather that covered the majority of one shoulder and her chest and the green and gold stone armor that covered her hips. Left in only the gold trimmed forest green one shoulder top and the same hued hakama with her boots and gloves on, Sekai nervously pushed her hair out of her face, tucking some of the longer strands behind her ear and waited for Dien to arrive.

'I know you told me to handle this one on my own but, does that mean you're not going to watch the battle as well?' She inquired silently, sending the words along the link that bound her to the Rue affiliated AI that was wandering around somewhere in one of the root towns. Yep. Besides, if I ever wanna fight him, I'll do it on my own terms and without the advantage of seeing him fight you. Makes things more fair that way. Kira's response was somewhat distracted sounding, as if she were preoccupied by some business of her own.

Something about that sounded... off somehow. Sekai decided as her brow furrowed, trying to puzzle out exactly what bothered her about the statement. It didn't take too long after repeating it two or three times to herself. 'But you've seen him fight plenty of other times! How is that supposed to be fair?'

Kira's only response was laughter, leaving the young Archer to wonder how in God's great name that she managed to tolerate the saucy woman and her rather unpredictable way of thinking.





((SP: 281/281))

(OOC: Though it's not necessary, I'm including my starting equipment (please note that I'm in the process of bringing my profile up to date--any questions about whether or not I own a piece of armor can be PMed to me):

Sword: Zanzamas
Head: Heavenly Bead Tiara
Hand: Hands of Fire
Body: Blaze Armor
Foot: Green Guard)

It was hot.

Being in a desert where the sun beat down on him made him miss the days when he could simply turn it down with a few keystrokes. As it stood, any hint of shade would receive a very warm welcome. But the blademaster Dien was here by choice: he had challenged Sekai to a duel in keeping with his promise to help her train for combat. He could think of no more trying terrain for battle than this ocean of sand dunes. While he hadn't been thinking of the elemental advantages such a field would offer, they would certainly be welcome.

Dien was preparing to enter into combat against someone who was a good fifteen levels removed from himself. While the differences in their class weight would make for a relatively even fight, the blademaster was still concerned. It had been a while since he had been in a duel. Combat against mindless AI and hacked monsters was one thing, but having to test everything within himself against another living, breathing human being was something completely different. Admittedly, he was rusty, and this duel would serve the purpose of helping him to shake off that rust.

The air stood completely still, leaving Dien's muted footsteps painfully obvious to the opponent who now stood with her back to him just a few feet away. Still, if she hadn't heard his approach by now, he was about to make his appearance on the field ridiculously obvious.

"Ap Do, Rig Geam," he said aloud, letting the spells wash over him as he observed the girl's reaction, "lessons one and two: always enter combat prepared, and always keep track of where your enemy is."

SP:
126 - 15 (Ap Do) - 25 (Rig Geam) = 86
86 + 4 (Rig Geam) + 1 (Turn Point) = 91/126 SP