The zweihander struck true. Even as Keth raised his curved blade to block her, Tamar's weapon crashed down upon his helmet. Thankfully, he hadn't removed it to address the crowd, or his skull would have been cleaved in two.
As it was, the metal dented, sending white-hot sparks into the air from the force of the collision.
Keth struggled to regroup, only to realize his feet were cemented to the ground. No glue held them there; it was simply a byproduct of the enchantment the zweilhander had. The strike stuck those of equal rank or lower in place for a moment while it slowed those of higher rank. The split second wasn't much in the scheme of eternity, but in the heat of a battle, it made all the difference.
Tamar took that moment and continued with her momentum to push her opponent off balance. With his feet still pinned to the floor like an insect, Keth's knees buckled, causing his body to bend backward out of control. His back hit the arena floor before rebounding to stand once more. At last, his feet came unbound to the floor as he staggered to his right.
"Point!" Rock was unable to hide his amusement at the comical scene.
If there was one thing Keth hated more than losing, it was being laughed at.
His pride would not allow it. Tamar had made him look foolish. That was unacceptable.
The curved blade flashed in a series of hits. The barrage was intended to break Tamar's defenses, but the ashen-haired warrior stood firm.
For a time, it seemed more like an ancient duel than a Dreamscape battle, reminding Noble of a similar match-up she had participated in once before. The two contestants used the full area of the floor, sweeping around it with ease.
Tamar's style was reserved and measured, while Keth's was full of arrogant confidence. Whatever one of them tried, the other had a ready response. Both were equally skilled in the school of combat, resulting in a beautiful display of artistry.
Noble could have nitpicked, certainly, but she decided against it. Those were notes she would save for when the battle was done. Instead, she watched as tension mounted.
Keth ducked under Tamar's swing, reaching out with his curved blade to strike her like a viper. Tamar jumped, both over the sword and the man's head, landing behind him.
"She used her Aspect!" Keth raised his hand in protest.
The two teachers glanced at one another.
"Seemed like a normal jump to me," Rock crossed his arms. "Proceed."
Noble was very glad to let her colleague make the call. The more she watched, the more biased she felt. Rock had somehow been able to remain detached. She appreciated him for that.
Keth made an overhand swing. Tamar's blade met his, sending it to the side with a metallic ring.
She bent her elbow and directed the zweihadler at Keth's chest, but he hopped back to let it slide fruitlessly through the air.
The polished steel of both swords seemed to shimmer in the light of the practice arena. Keth spun his curved sword, bringing it down against Tamar's breastplate.
At the same moment, the woman's zweihandler swung high, aiming for the man's head.
Each blade came to rest against the opponent, seemingly frozen in place. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pause lasted barely a breath, but in the span of a breath, dozens of thoughts passed through each of the Sleeper's minds.
Keth took one hand off his sword and raised it in the air. His sword wavered.
Tamar frowned. Was he surrendering? She hesitated.
The sword solidified once more, further confusing the situation. Had he not dismissed it?
She was so focused on the weapon that she failed to realize the greater danger.
Keth closed his empty fist, and in a blink, a large bludgeon solidified in his hand.
Noble's eyes opened wide. There had been no sparks! At least none that she could see.
Keth had used the partial dismissal of his sword to stall for time while the bludgeon finished manifesting. The invisible summons would not matter much to Nightmare Creature, who had no other thought but to consume human souls.
But to a person? The lack of announcement could prove deadly.
Caught unaware, Tamar felt the spikes on the end of the bludgeon hit against her helmet before she ever saw them. The force of the hit momentarily blinded her, and she slashed with her blade to force Keth to give her space.
Blood trickled from a cut above Tamar's scalp. She gritted her teeth, suppressing the groan that wanted to escape. The ashen-haired girl would not give her opponent that satisfaction.
"Point!" Rock's announcement came as no shock to anyone.
The move had been flawlessly executed, and if the time it took Tamar to regroup was any indication, also highly effective.
"Wielding two weapons adequately is no small task, and doing it with skill is even harder. That was impressive, but…"
The Staff of Sages flew and tapped Keth on his helmet.
"Remember to pull your punch. This is a training exercise about your timing, not a study in brute force." Noble's eyes swirled softly.
"I had to use that amount of force," Keth lied.
The professor pressed her lips together. She actively had to suppress her emotions now.
There were enough of those in the room already. The hit had polarized many in the audience more than the speech had.
Ignoring the throbbing in her head, Tamar spun her blade around her body and dove back into the action. The bludgeon and sword came down to finish the job already started, but the zweihandler met them on their journey and cast them aside.
Tamar sheathed her sword, shifted her weight onto her back leg, and summoned a longbow with a golden string.
Noble furrowed her brow.
'What does she plan to do with…'
The girl launched herself at her taller opponent. Keth rolled his right shoulder to prepare to strike, but as he lifted his foot to adjust his stance, disaster struck.
Grabbing one tip of the bow, Tamar thrust the wooden frame in front of her and down. The golden string trapped Keth's foot between itself and the lacquered wooden frame.
Tamar pulled, knocking Keth from his feet in a heap of armor and weapons.
"Point!" Rock nodded to the young lady as she dismissed the bow and redrew her sword.
"Normally, a bow without an arrow is a losing venture, so I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking. While I wouldn't recommend you rely on that move in combat, it can certainly work under the right circumstances." Noble was sure she wouldn't have attempted either of the risky movements the legacies had done just now.
Were they better skilled from years of training, or were they simply full of hubris from youth and background? The Professor guessed it was a combination of the two.
Though she had tried some pretty foolhardy things recently. She had no place to judge.
Except in this battle—she and Rock were the judges… and that time was coming to a close.
For whoever got the next point won.