They took positions as officials hastily prepared for this unexpected bonus match. Qat settled into her stance as Corde took position across the field, noting how the renowned warrior carried the plain blade with the sa grace she would her frost-layered one.
The woman’s opening sequence carried none of the hesitation one might use against a weaker opponent. Her blade wove through three precise strikes that would have overwheld most young cultivators.
Qat’s response proved why she had earned her place as the champion that day. Rather than attempt to match the renowned warrior’s power, she redirected each attack with minimal movents. The subtle manipulation of Gravity essence around her blade turned what should have been overwhelming force into opportunities for counterstrikes.
"Interesting choice. Most would have retreated. You’ve clearly put considerable thought into developing your own approach."
Corde’s tone carried genuine appreciation even as her spirit churned with deeper concerns. She pressed forward with a combination that tested the limits of the Yecine’s defensive footwork. Each exchange revealed more of the careful refinent that had shaped raw talent into sothing uniquely effective.
Qat felt the fragnt in her chest pulse with ’pride’ as she smoothly integrated a touch of Gravity essence around her blade. The subtle manipulation turned what should have been an overwhelming sequence into an opportunity. Her counter-strike nearly scored before Corde’s superior speed allowed her to evade.
"Your control is impressive. Such rapid progress in combining Elent and blade work. Your family must be quite proud of how you’ve developed their style."
Her words seed to be saying more than they sounded as she reset her stance. The fragnt pulsed with sudden sharp ’attention’ from across the grounds as Elua caught the underlying point of this test. Like herself, her precious gem was a hard worker and not especially a genius.
’She has noticed my beloved has had so kind of help, it seems. Quicker on the uptake than I gave her credit for.’
"You are a quick study. This is a good thing."
This ti Qat recognized portions of the Yecine style being used against her - but executed with a level of near instant mastery that made their usual weaknesses she’d been trying to bridge on her own vanish. The veteran was deliberately showing her the difference between a beginner following teachings and true understanding that crossed schools.
The first point ca from a sequence perford by the heir that would have made her more traditional instructors weep. The form was executed with flawless timing, but carried none of their rigidity. It flowed rather than crashed.
Yet before Qat could capitalize on the opening her combination seed to have created, Corde’s blade found its mark. The blunt tip of the training weapon stopped at the side of her ribs with deceptive simplicity.
"Making their techniques serve your purposes is an admirable approach... that you’ve learned."
The two paying the most attention to her speech, one close and one far, caught the tone she placed on that final phrase. As they reset positions, Qat felt her wife’s spirit coil with ’calculation’. Knowing what the Frozen Duskblade was ’assuming’ didn’t instantly lead to knowing what her ultimate goal was.
"You can be a little less subtle. I already know you’ve been using your essence techniques."
The Yecine on the field gave a light bow, neck stiff as they were instructed. It had been a stern voice that reminded her of dealing with family elders or Guild seniors.
"Alright. Excuse for becoming a little more rude."
Their next exchange saw the young ’swordsman’ begin actively using the Elent to alter the montum of Corde’s strikes. Each manipulation of Gravity that tugged her blade forward quicker created tiny opportunities. The kind that would normally be impossible against such a skilled opponent.
’There is no way this is unpracticed. But that family does not favor elentalists. They are expected to self-train that aspect.’
The veteran’s spirit flickered with sothing unreadable as she was forced to adjust her timing. She’d known a lot about the family already, but felt compelled to dig even deeper because of her encounter with the Goltbred heiress. There was sothing about the girl she just could not leave well enough alone.
An instinct. A fear. A trauma.
"Is this all you’ve ’discovered’ you can do with your Elent?"
The coolly voiced taunt leveled a clear challenge. Qat responded by attempting to directly affect the arc of Corde’s blade mid-swing, pulling against its path instead of along it in order to create an opening. For a brief mont, it seed to work.
Then the Frozen Duskblade’s essence field expanded. The sheer pressure of a Primalist’s accumulated power disrupted Qat’s careful manipulations, including her attention to her body and her own blade’s weight adjustnts. The second point ca swiftly as the practice blade was held against the back of the Yecine’s neck.
"Clever. But it’s dangerous to rely on in this instance. A far stronger cultivator can simply... override you if they wish."
Her tone held none of the satisfaction one might expect from such a demonstration of superiority. Instead, it held an edge of old pain - a lesson learned through bitter experience that she felt compelled to pass on.
’Though in this case demonstrated with essence instead of spirit.’
Across the grounds, mint eyes narrowed slightly as pieces clicked into place about the renowned warrior’s particular concerns. It didn’t change much of her plan. It had been obvious at the dinner that the woman had been testing her Astralism by seeking to touch her dress.
As obvious as it was that Corde hez Iralev had a very robust Shield Aspect. One that seed quite used to rejecting manipulations of the senses in particular. To the illusionist, that tended to an that another of her kind had left their mark on the person’s life... and was found out.
’Truly interesting. So if she ever discovers , she’ll do sothing silly. Not to ntion, while she is suspicious she has all the more reason to try and tie *herself* into doing what I had hoped. Isn’t that just... perfect?’
The ’amusent’ fumbling through the fragnt in her chest struck Qatrand the wrong way. She knew it was unlikely that her El was having a good ti over her loss - as much as she knew that learning what she could, even if it went 0-3 was the actual value of this exhibition match.
But...sothing sparked an unfamiliar heat in Qat’s chest. It was not direct envy over Corde’s superior swordsmanship - the woman had earned her reputation. Rather, it was the idea that her demonstration of power had sohow entertained her wife.
Her spiritual tendrils anchored around her in an attempt to reinforce her essence field against the Primalist’s pressure. She at least wanted to keep focus if interfered with again. The large practice blade felt lighter in her grip as she focused entirely on the opponent before her.
"Shall we continue?"
The low words carried none of the forr diplomacy. Sothing in his tone made Corde’s eyes narrow slightly. A seriousness that made sense in so ways, but felt off in another. The Frozen Duskblade launched another attempt to demonstrate the gap in their abilities.
Instead of retreating, Qat committed fully to a counter-strike after a final parry. The flash of real ’intent’ - of treating this as more than exhibition - leaked past her spiritual bounds as bloodlust. Her blade curved in a path that would have been prepared to continue past the point-scoring ’touch’ if this were actual combat.
Corde’s combat instincts responded instantly to the sudden shift. For a brief mont, she also registered the young Yecine as a genuine threat rather than a student to evaluate. That switch in perception triggered sothing unexpected.
An overwhelming compulsion to focus on the swordsman in front before seized her attention. She recognized this feeling - the unnatural draw of soone controlling her awareness. The veteran’s instinct scread to watch Elua as the source of manipulation, but her gaze remained locked on Qat’s movents.
But this was different from illusionary compulsion... and the ancient cultivator would never have interfered in a duel with no deadly stakes!
The Cynosure Physique had manifested its near-spiritual ability and pulled the gaze of anyone who viewed Qatrand as an actual enemy. It forced her to remain focused, but her suspicions and desire to look away dulled her reaction.
Their mismatched in size blades t with far more force than previous exchanges. Then in the follow up, only Corde’s superior speed allowed her to score the final point. Even then, Qat’s rebounded circular strike would have continued through in live combat.
The area the Duskblade struck had not been especially ’fatal’ enough to stop that sort of motion if the Yecine hadn’t dutifully pulled back. With the match over and both of the cultivators facing each other, the older woman could finally calm down and feel the sensation fade.
"Was that you? Or your wife?"
The Frozen Duskblade’s words did not have a particularly kind tone as they lowered their weapons. She studied the young heir with fresh scrutiny, struggling against what she perceived as external influence attempting to direct her attention. She had no idea the person she was accusing was standing just outside the dueling ring.
That Elua er Goltbred had been standing there holding herself back since the mont she noticed her beloved’s Physique take effect.
Of course, Qat’s tendrils very much did notice the mont she lost her tension. They tangled and pet against the brunette’s tightly reined in spirit until the reincarnator let out a shuddering breath. The tall teenager had seen the signs out of the corner of her eye.
’I need to pretend she isn’t there.’
"I’m afraid that I don’t understand what you are asking."
The response was what the woman expected, but the follow up was not. Even the person that just answered looked surprised and turned at the lecturing tone of voice.
"My husband owns a very particular Physique, Lady Iralev. If I’m not mistaken, you just experienced it."
"...Is that so?"
The ’disbelief’ was clear. It was hard to shake the suspicions of soone who was 95% along the way to making up their mind for good. The illusionist always hated that about those with good instincts. They were often *so* wrong that they fumbled into being right eventually!
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