A fight in narrow focus

As you leap forward, something strange happens. The air feels somehow thick, though you’re not slowed at all. Even stranger, your focus narrows until you can hear your breathing and heartbeat, slowing by the second. As you attack Ferra, her reaction, though still as fast as any you’ve faced, is not inhuman. Sparks fly as she parries your strike, and you weave aside from her counterattack.

You catch a moment of surprise in her glowing eyes. She definitely didn’t expect you to dodge that attack. It’s not enough to leave an opening, however, and she maintains her offensive flurry. You parry and dodge, backing away from her attacks. Eventually, she pauses, eyeing you, and you attack in turn. She makes the defense seem effortless, but you can also see you’re forcing the golem girl to back away.

You lack the speed to get through with anything, and though you make sparks with the power of your attacks, Ferra has no trouble maintaining her guard. If you want to get her, you’ll need to draw more power from the armor. You focus, straining a bit now.

You try to go faster, and hit harder, and outside your narrow focus, the world begins to blur. You feel yourself moving faster, though your muscles burn from the effort. Your heartbeat is thundering in your head now, but you can see that your attacks are starting to trouble Ferra. In your mind, you hear Lilith speak.

You cannot maintain this much longer. I can feel your body struggling. You’re not ready to draw this much from me!

You gasp, leaping back, and hold up a hand. The world slams back to normal, and you stagger, suddenly dizzy.

I did warn you.

You nod, as Ferra approaches. All around, people are applauding. Ferra, shifting back to normal, places a hand on your arm.

“You look pale, master. Are you ok?”

You nod, although you feel yourself shivering. “I think I overdid it a little.”

A little.

Alex comes bouncing over. “Holy crap! You were so fast! And I thought you were gonna break your sword!”

You glance at the practice blade, and see the deep notches from Ferra’s blades. You take a deep breath. “Yeah. I need to practice that more. It’s…intense.”

Sarah nods as she approaches. “I’ll say. You were as fast as Ferra!”

Ferra shrugs. “Fast, and strong. Though we could work on stamina, I think.”

You chuckle. “If I can fight you to a standstill, there’s not many who I would need the stamina for.”

Ferra shakes her head, and there’s a slightly haunted look in her eyes. “There is always someone better. Never forget that, master.”

You nod. “You’re right. But for now, I need to rest. And we’ll probably want to make sure everyone is ready to leave soon.”

Cassie grins at you. “It’s my turn to help you out! Come on, I’ll make sure you’re super relaxed!”

You laugh. “I like the sound of that. Let’s drop the armor off in the forge, first.”

Hmph. Always leaving me to be poked at.

You roll your eyes. “Lilith, most of the girls enjoy the poking they get.”

The girls all laugh, and Lilith falls into a sullen silence. You get the impression she’s a bit jealous of the closeness you and the girls share. You suddenly wonder how much of her reticence is due to that jealousy. Something to consider, at least.