Dance with a Hoplite

You were both eager and apprehensive of meeting Pyrrha Nikos in the ring. She was called the Invincible Girl for a reason, having been a four time champion in her home kingdom's regional tournaments as well as possessing a reputation of being virtually untouchable on the battlefield. Your work was certainly cut out for you this time and with the added knowledge from God that your powers have been stunted, you couldn't help but wonder how far those limits went. Regardless, you awaited your opponent on Glynda's stage in one of many arena-style classrooms in the school, going through a mental gymnastics routine to steady your nerves. Your breath hitches when at long last, you hear the tell-tale clicking of heeled boots on the arena floor.

***A/N: Art by infinote. Sauce: https://www.deviantart.com/infinote/art/Pyrrha-Nikos-591131892

There was only one word that came to mind when you tried to describe her; stunning, and it left you breathless. She strode with poise befitting of an experienced warrior, her armor reminiscent of the ancient Greeks from your home Universe, as if the mighty Spartans had sent their women to war. Now that she was out of her school uniform, you could fully appreciate the toned muscles and peach skin of her well trained body, from the expanse of her bare shoulders and swell of her bust to her gloriously long legs clad in elaborate bronze armor. She gives you a knowing smirk as she takes in your expression.

"I hope my being dressed like this hasn't hindered your ability to fight," she teases you with a cock of her hips.

You regain your composure and meet her smirk with one of your own, your katars extending from your bracers.

"It's not every day I get to cross blades with a living Goddess," you compliment. "If nothing else it only makes me more eager, and I hope my performance lives up to your standards."

Your words bring a smile and bashful blush to her face, but as soon as it came it vanished as she schooled her features once again, shield raised and xiphos poised.

"Flattery won't help you in this battle, but I appreciate the sentiment," she says with an expressionless mask. "Are you ready Michael?"

"Ready," you answer with a nod.

In an instant she's upon you, closing the distance within a matter of seconds and lunging forward with her blade.

"Fast!" you think to yourself as you knock the offending weapon aside.

She's quick on the recovery, falling into a rapid series of cuts and thrusts that have you struggling to keep up. You twist, turn, and parry through her **** but the pressure has you kept on the defense, unable to spot any weaknesses in her form. It's not until she swings forward with a shield bash that you finally get an opening. You duck beneath her swing and counter with a sweeping kick at her legs. The blow never lands as she takes a simple half step backwards out of reach. Regardless, you're now able to go on the offensive and like a viper coiled to strike, you too lunge forward with Adam and Eve into the solid face of her guard.

You attack relentlessly with the punching daggers, your fists a blur with your enhanced speed as you probe her defenses for any weakness. Finding none, you shift your approach and after a spinning backslash with your left dagger, you leap into the air in a corkscrew, taking advantage of both gravity and the inertia of your spin to bring down an earth shaking roundhouse kick upon her head. You're met with the ring of bronze as her shield lifts to meet you, but the **** is great enough to put some cracks into the floor beneath her feet.

With a heave of her arm, she throws you off and sends you tumbling across the arena in a roll, her xiphos shifting and morphing into a long rifle resembling an M1 Garand. You answer her in kind and pull a hidden trigger in your gauntlets, splitting the blades in two and revealing the barrels of your ranged variant; a pair of Dust energy blasters.

The concept was simple enough as you merely downsized the plasma generators found in standard issue Atlesian rifles, but as far as you knew this form of tech was experimental at best, certainly not widespread amongst Hunters like traditional ammunition. Regardless, that first ruby-red bolt that erupted from your wrist with an energized crack is enough to give Pyrrha pause as it grazes her cheek.

"Those weapons are dangerous," she says plainly, fully aware of her aura flaring up to protect her as well as the amount that had been drained.

"Against Grimm certainly, but I've adjusted the energy output for the sake of our spar," you answer her. "These blasters are an experiment so I've taken all the necessary precautions. They won't kill you, but they will give you an irritating burn if your aura breaks. Now... where were we?"

You don't wait for an answer as you break out into a run, prompting her to circle you in a similar fashion. Back and forth rounds are exchanged between you, a flurry of blaster bolts and projectile rounds cracking against the protective shields of the arena. Just as her magazine runs dry, your blasters forcefully eject the spent crystals from their chambers along with a steady hiss of steam; overheated.

Seeing her opening, Pyrrha extends her rifle into its third form, a long javelin just short of a dory. You rush to meet her as your katars reform once more and the both of you crash against each other in a furious exchange of steel. She wields her javelin in a dizzying display of skill, her thrusts a blur to your eyes as you desperately fight to regain your footing. As payback for your earlier taunt, she stabs at your face and forces you to duck to the side. The edges of the spearhead dig into your cheek as it passes. Were it not for your own aura, you had no doubt your cheek would be torn open. She notes your shock and smiles with emerald eyes filled with mirth, her first display of emotion during your duel.

You then felt a stirring in your chest, not just the kind that came of your desire to have Pyrrha as your woman but similar in nature; you desired to win. The fight takes on a new meaning for you as you come to understand her as a warrior. You flash her your own smile and twisting on your heel, you break off contact and reassess your situation.

Your muscles were beginning to tire and a quick look at her told you that she was beginning to feel some strain as well. You had no idea how long the two of you were fighting against each other as you were too caught up in the rush of it all. All you understood was that this next exchange would determine the victor. Taking one last deep breath, you charge at her once more, fully intending to secure a victory of your own. She meets in kind, a mutual understanding shared between you as the strength of her blows seems to double. Now her mask has broken into a creased frown of focus. You refused to let up under her **** despite her best efforts and you could tell it was beginning to frustrate her. You now had your door.

With a yell, she spins on her heel and morphs her weapon back into its xiphos form. Her shield swings wide as she spins, knocking aside your block and, with steel ringing in her hands, she brings her blade down to your neck, stopping just short of contact. The duel comes to a close as the both of you stare into each other's eyes, the only sounds being your labored breathing.

"I win," she says with a pant.

"Not quite," you point out to her as you glance downwards between you.

She follows your gaze and her eyes widen. The tips of your punching daggers rested against her abdomen, just shy of where her kidneys would be; a draw. She smiles in acceptance.

"You're more skilled than I thought," she admits bashfully, now fully aware of how close you were. "You're the first person to match me."

"What can I say? You brought out the best in me," you say breathlessly. "You're absolutely amazing Pyrrha."

"Oh stop that, I think you've praised me enough for one night," she admonishes you softly. "And you're... really close..."

You tilt your head curiously.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" you ask with innocence.

"Not really this is just... all new to me and I feel... strange."

You swallow the lump in your throat as you feel your desire for her skyrocket.

"... how new?"

"I uhm..." she hesitates with a deep blush. "I... I haven't been... kissed."

You could hardly believe what you were hearing. Pyrrha Nikos wasn't just a virgin; she was pure and untouched. A wordless command slips Adam and Eve from your wrists and they fall to the side, their clanging nearly startling Pyrrha out of her reverie. You notice her sword arm tremble ever so softly as you put your hands on her waist and soon, her blade falls from her fingers.

"Do you want to try?" you ask her huskily.

You watch as she shivers in anticipation, not stopping you as you slowly close the distance.

"Oh my..." she whispers as your lips finally press against hers.