Noble was certain that the charm was on Keth's left elbow, yet it was his right that had come down on Tamar's back.
'Maybe he changed it…'
As Tamar staggered back, Noble watched Keth stand. The glowing gem was where it had always been—on the left side.
Daiki frowned. "Why does the lady seem weak all of a sudden?"
"Keth siphoned her essence." Noble furrowed her brow. "I've seen him do it before."
The technician's eyes opened wider. "That is quite a power!"
Noble nodded. "Quite a power indeed."
"Tamar! What happened?" Fleur tensed, wanting to help her friend.
"I'm fine." The young woman shook off her disorientation. "He used that life-sucking Memory on me again."
Keth's emotions spiked, both with surprise and then anger. A cruel smile formed on his face.
"Don't tell me you are afraid of a Memory! If you dislike that, what would you think of my Echoes?"
'He's lying.'
Not only did the young man deflect, but Kent did not have multiple Echoes. He, at best, had one, or—more likely—he had none, so that he could get the most out of his Awakening experience. Legacies were sometimes strange in what they would allow their children to have before the Solstice.
"You don't need to call an Echo, your ego is already crowding the arena!" Ray shook his head.
"Says the man with no presence at all!" Elric spat across the circle.
Noble sent both spectators a wave of calm. There was only one fight she would allow to happen, and it was not going to be won from the sidelines.
For her part, Tamar ignored the onlookers.
"There are no rules," she said calmly, "but if it's all the same to you, I would like to keep it between us."
For the first time that day, the two Sleepers reached a tacit agreement. Each felt some relief. Even if they had echoes, Ray's observation was correct. The arena was built for two humans to combat. Echoes would have muddied the waters and been an obstacle to both people.
Keth stabbed his sword, hoping to catch Tamar while she was still in her sluggish state. The lady was weakened, but she wasn't stupid. She saw the strike coming almost before he made it.
Hopping to the side, Tamar drew her opponent forward.
The zweihander came down in a devastating overhanded strike, but Keth tilted his shield to intercept. Sparks formed along the rim, and Tamar's blade was flung aside.
Closing the gap between them, the scion of Aegis Rose thrust the shield against Tamar's chest.
The daughter of Sorrow lost her footing. She released one hand from her grip to catch herself, spinning out of the way of the blade meant to lop off her head.
Keth continued to rush her, avoiding the reach of the great sword as he assaulted Tamar's defenses. The girl regained her stance with a light hop.
She twisted the greatsword, lifting it up and over Keth's shield. Stabbing downward, she attempted to pry the protection from Keth's grip.
The pommel of his sword slammed into her helmet, sending stars across Tamar's vision. She withdrew her sword, flicking it up at the last possible moment. She felt resistance as it cut the leather strap under Keth's chin and knocked back the visor of his helmet.
Blood flowed from the cleft in his chin. Blinded, Keth raised his shield and turned to ram Tamar with the charm on his elbow. He hit her with his shoulder, drawing more essence from her soul.
Tamar hissed. Not only was her energy depleted, but the hit against her helmet had caused her ear to bleed.
Noble regarded the girl's emotional signature with concern. Tamar's emotions were usually calm, but now they were erratic.
'The essence depletion is taking its toll. She cannot let another hit like that happen.'
The daughter of Sorrow seemed to have come to the same conclusion. For the next exchanges, the length of her sword was her greatest ally. The zwiehander had around forty centimeters of length on the longsword, and Tamar made everyone seem like the widest chasm.
Frustrated by his unsteady helmet and inability to break Tamar's guard, Keth's movements became more aggressive. Sparks formed all around the edge of the ring as small metal spikes manifested, making the arena look like an ancient game of jacks.
Tamar stepped back as one finished forming. It detonated with incredible force. The air erupted, launching the Sleeper from the ground. She pushed off the invisible dome and landed back in the center of the arena.
"Be careful," Keth warned, his cruel smile dispelling any thought that he might actually care.
Tamar's right foot was mangled, but she stood to meet him with her sword raised. Her gaze seemed indifferent to the sudden pain.
"Is that the best you've got?"
Keth's smile faded as the intensity in his eyes grew. His fingers twitched, as if they might drop his sword to strike her across the helmet. One look at the greatsword kept him from following through on his mental threat.
The minefield pinned Tamar in the middle of the circle. There was nowhere to run.
Keth seized the opportunity. He lunged forward, blocking the zwiehander and pushing it to the side while striking with his sword. The shorter blade finally had the chance to reach his opponent, and it cut at the weak point in the woman's armor.
Tamar fell to one knee as blood pooled in her boot. She lifted the greatsword over her head to block Keth's downward slice. Her hand shot forward, catching the bottom rim of his shield and knocking into Keth's face for the third time in the battle. His already loosened helmet listed to one side, exposing the side of his neck.
It didn't matter. Tamar was already on the ground. Her sword could reach him only if he allowed it.
He looked down at her with something akin to pity.
"If only you were born under better circumstances, perhaps you could have been good."
The men of Valor behind him beamed, assured at the victory of their champion.
"Get up, Tamar!" Fleur wrung her hands together as she watched helplessly. Ray held his breath, unwilling to do anything that might distract the Legacy of Sorrow.
Tamar pushed her sword against the ground and gripped it tightly to stand.
Keth crouched behind the shield and rushed forward.
'He's using it like a battering ram...' Noble could see the intent as he pushed the polished metal across the arena's stone floor. The wedge would knock an already unsteady Tamar from her feet and likely end any hope she had of standing.
Worse, the lady would land in the midst of the landmines, which she desperately needed to avoid.
The professor wanted to look away. It was too frustrating. However, that would not change the outcome.
So even though Noble hated the scene, she watched and waited for the match to come to its natural conclusion.
Keth's shield sent sparks across the floor as his helmet bobbled from side to side. A heroic cry escaped his lips as he prepared for a final assault.
Tamar rose to meet him as he neared, her face impassive beneath her visor.
When the moment of truth came, Tamar lifted her foot and made a desperate move:
A final leap of faith.