Shadow Slave

It went well.

Sunny was not doing much better against the murderous hurricane of steel wearing the beautiful human face of Morgan of Valor... but he did manage to slow her down a little.

Morgan slowed down not because she felt pressured by his sudden change of techniques, but because she was fascinated by it.

Her raven-black hair swept back and her simple tunic rippling from the wind risen by their clash, she pierced him with a burning vermilion gaze. Her red lips moved:

"Interesting. Very interesting..."

Morgan was not addressing Sunny, but more so speaking to herself.

After that, she changed her strategy, as well. Before, Morgan was all offense, all sharp edges, and a relentless barrage of calculated, but devastating strikes. Now, she was moving more deliberately - not really holding back, but also not pursuing an overwhelming defeat of the enemy at all costs.

It was as if Morgan was afraid to break him too soon.

...Sunny did not really know how to feel about that.

'Huh... well, that's a new feeling...'

They clashed, their swords weaving a cacophonous, but strangely beautiful melody of hissing and clangor. At the side of the dojo, Cassie turned her head slightly, listening.

Sunny had long beaten his record of holding out against Morgan for thirty-six seconds. A minute passed, then another. He was still solidly standing on his two feet, and even though his breathing was growing a little labored from the terrible strain of the intense fight, his stamina was far from running out.

In the middle of a particularly furious exchange, when they were close to each other, Morgan suddenly asked:

"That style... who taught you?"

Sunny struck at the hilt of her sword, aiming to sever her fingers, and answered hoarsely:

"No one taught me. I just learned it... from a Nightmare Creature..."

avoided his strike and punished it by aiming a thrust at his heart. A

"...In the Nightmare?"

He had fought the Barrow Wraiths as Mongrel, after all... but then again, no one else had gotten a proper measure of their battle skill, and he had faced countless Nightmare Gates later in Antarctica, most

in front of

Morgan's smile widened.

fast

her attacks becoming more purposeful. She was probing and testing, forcing him

was too soon - he could not have her growing bored

any warning, he commanded his shadow tachi to change in the middle of a swing. The shadow flowed, turning into a great jian. It was still a two-handed sword, but this one was straight

swing staggered unexpectedly and turned into a thrust, catching Morgan by surprise. She moved with the grace of a dancer, pulling her head

"Ah! Devious!"

the outraged tone, her vibrant eyes were shining with

just cheated - they had agreed to

exactly what an exalted Legacy would expect an outskirt

what a person

fighter in a real battle would not shy away from, which was

he attacked, turning

them on the fly... the only one he had reasons to avoid was the odachi, since that was what he had used the

Her smile grew wider.

dojo under more and more strain. At some point, one of them even started to crack. Sunny used it to his advantage, launching a deliberate strike while his opponent

spear aside, Morgan

the air, delivering a lightning-fast, picture-perfect roundhouse kick

had time to react, pulling the spear slightly back and raising

with the matte black

it, as if it was not as

'Crap...'

that Morgan had decided to start using more of

accept the blow and hope that she