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..."

by aiming a thrust at his heart. A smile

"...In the Nightmare?"

hesitated, considering how much he could reveal. He had fought the Barrow Wraiths as Mongrel, after all... but then again, no one else had gotten a proper measure of their

of a Nightmare

Morgan's smile widened.

fast

grasp on the essence of the primal battle style he was using, which translated into her attacks becoming more purposeful. She was probing and testing, forcing him to reveal more facets

he could not have her growing bored yet. He needed to impress her

his shadow tachi to change in the middle of a swing. The shadow flowed, turning into a great

She moved with the grace of a dancer, pulling her

"Ah! Devious!"

her vibrant eyes

agreed to leave

Cheating was exactly what an exalted Legacy would expect an

honestly, it was also what a person from the outskirts would actually

a fighter in a real battle would not shy away from, which was why Sunny thought that Morgan was bound to enjoy his

answering, he attacked, turning

he had trained creating well enough to summon them on the fly... the only one he had reasons to avoid was the odachi, since that was what he had used the last

Her smile grew wider.

plates of the 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

her spear aside, Morgan pivoted, shifting her weight to

into the air, delivering

time to react, pulling the spear slightly back and raising its butt to solidly block the kick with

alabaster shin connected with the matte black surface of the shadow

it was not as strong as an Ascended weapon would be. Sunny's eyes widened

'Crap...'

that Morgan had decided to start using

him to do but accept the blow and hope that she was not planning to