The message had come rather randomly, but was not at all encrypted. It gave no cryptic vibes, nor did it dance around the idea of what she wanted. She had picked up a weapon and wished to train it, to push herself beyond the cage that she never knew she was in. Alisa Vollan, friend and guildmate of the young adventurer, had been trapped. She had trained her magic, and excelled at it. In her pursuit she had neglected her body, though she had hardly even realized it. She had not allowed herself to take on any and all opportunities for growth, and indeed hadn't even thought of it as an option for the longest time.

The freedom it took to confine ones own self into a situation was something that he envied, if only for a moment. He looked up at the open, Pegasus blue skies and wondered about whether or not he'd always realized it. He, too, was trapped in a cage. It was not of his own design, but rather enforced by nature or God or whoever was to blame for fate. He was born without the ability to take on a magic, unable to master the elements or bend mana to his will through his own body. For the life he chose, there would be no spells or summons to save him. Only his own body, and the gear he procured along the way.

When word came that she planned to open her horizons and move forward, he couldn't have been any happier for her. She deserved to have a legitimate chance at breaking the cuffs that held her back. She deserved a shot at stepping beyond the stars, and pushing further than anyone else had thought possible. That would only be possible by taking herself off the tracks, which was exactly what she was doing now.

Whether or not it was luck, Alisa had Finn's full respect. That meant that before they could learn together, the first lesson must be taught.

And that was precisely what he came here today to do.

The doors to the guild hall opened, and the brighter lights from behind the dimly lit room shone through behind Finn. The inner light reflected only off his eyes, giving the image of a demon entering its lair. Stepping forward as the doors shut, his eyes adjusted to the new area. It was not dark per se, only dim as compared to the clear skies and shining sun. In his hand was his sword, already unsheathed and gripped firmly between his fingers. His eyes were different than what Alisa had ever seen on him.

He came here to give her what she asked for, but she could not have known precisely what it was she awakened. For this would be no mere training exercise, but a legitimate fight between two swordsman. It was the respect he gave to her, and the acknowledgment of her own proficiency despite her fledgling status with the blade. He stared at her in silence as he walked closer, closer still, until only ten meters separated them.

"Are you ready?"

He didn't need to say that this would be a fight. She was smart, she'd be able to tell. This would be their first chance crossing one another. This would put him at a disadvantage in any future fights they had. She'd be learning the heights he had within his grasp, while he would be unaware of precisely what she was capable of. After all, she'd not be using magic here.

It seemed that Alisa was everything he thought that she would be. She could tell with just a glance at her guildmate how things would be happening, and she did not need clarification or direction. She seemed almost relieved about his action and the way he handled himself. He could not know the reason as to why she seemed happy, only that she did. It was a positive thing, something that would lead to him enjoying trying to teach her. He was not a teacher, and he knew that. He was however a fighter. Through trial and error, she would slowly but surely build herself a foundation.

As she fell into her stance, the sword was held in front of her perfectly vertical. It was a gentle stance, one that showed preparedness. Finn's own blade was held to his side, loosely balanced between his digits and yet firmly held so that it would not be lost. Taking a step forward, and bending his knees ever so slightly, he allowed himself to get into a solid stance. There would be no verbal confirmation of readiness, as the two of them took on their stances. Instead, once they had both settled, he began.

Lifting his back foot up and placing it forward, closing the distance between them to about eight and a half meters if counting by the leading leg, Finn would dash forward. Only a single second would go by, but the distance between them was cut down to only two and a half meters. Finn had lifted his blade in front of him diagonally, and kept his body low to the ground. It gave less surface area to have to protect, and due to the lofty way in which he held his sword it would be easy to move it at a moments notices. Unlike most people, his sword was quite literally made to be light. It allowed for quicker and more sudden movement, and the ability to be gentle with his grip yet firm when needed. The sheer amount of possibilities that it granted him were endless. If she attacked, the counter would be brutal. If not, he would then act.

Having closed the distance on the girl who maintained a defensive posture, he was ready to begin the offensive had it not already been sprung upon him. Planting a foot forward, he would slash his sword with his arm just below full extension. His body was slightly leaned forward, and with the length of the blade, it would still come short of her body. However, her body was not his target. What he had been aiming for was her blade, held out before her. His blade aimed just above the hilt, where the base of the blade sat. His cleave was full powered, and would slice her sword in two if not dealt with. However, nearly all responses to this offensive would open her up to further advancement. How would she react? Or would he even be able to do this? If she did a preemptive strike, he'd of course have followed a completely different timeline. But would that work in her favor?

Finn's slash passed harmlessly in front of her, and he was prepared for her to make any number of offensive stances against him. A stab for his body, or a slash. His left hand was prepared to deflect and continue if that had happened, though it did not. His right hand quickly made an arc past her, leading his blade to miss her completely. Due to how light the sword was the blade finished its slash quickly. Despite that speed, she of course knew such an attack was incoming. She had stepped back, putting herself and her sword just out of reach of his strike.

What she chose to follow up with was to try and stop his mobilization. She stepped in and reached with her left hand, grabbing in her hand his right wrist which held the blade. As she reached for it, he allowed her to grasp it. That move would turn to bite her in the ass though. As she looked and made the effort to grab his wrist, which would take quite a bit of focus for such a feat after the swing, he'd slam his head forwards. This motion was aided with him pushing his body forward, slamming his forehead into the bridge of her nose. She had closed the distance so much, and her eyes were so focused on the wrist, that such an unusual attack may never have been seen coming.

The blow would likely daze her, and in that moment Finn would follow up with a quick left jab into the inside of her left arm, assuming she had not already let go. The blow was aimed at the nerves that traveled along the inside of the bicep towards the armpit. If landed, it had the potential to completely numb her arm. Even if it had not numbed it, the blow would cause enough damage for him to rip his arm free.

The exact moment his hand was free, be it when his headbutt occurred or his jab went into place, his arm would slash inwards again towards her stomach. The blade would be aimed at her much closer body now, close enough to open her up. If the blow landed, the fight would be over. Otherwise, the slash that was coming on the inside of his body would be much more controlled, meaning he would not be leaving himself as open this time around.

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His head had connected without error, and thus knocked her head backwards. Her hand had therefore not gripped his wrist, and she did not do anything to react to his horizontal slash into her mid section which opened her up. Due to the wards in place though her innards did not spill out onto the arena floor as they would have without them. Instead, the damage healed back as soon as it was made, draining her only of her endurance. The sudden and jarring pain to her abdomen would likely be enough to drop her to a knee at the bare minimum. Regardless, it would confirm that their battle was finished.

It was not a bad one at all. Many seemed to let themselves fall under the false impression that battles were long, drawn out things. That may have been the case for armies, but not for individuals. Battles lasted a very short amount of time on average, being settled by a single error or capitalization. For this fight to end the way it did, as quickly as it did, was merely the norm. He had beaten others, and been beaten by others, in similar fashions in the past.

Kneeling down and offering her a smile, he put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair ever so slightly. It was not enough to mess up the strands, but enough to offer condolences. "That completes your first lesson. From here, we build."

[EXIT]