Duel in the dirt

Dura lifts her hand to the sky, and a dome of light surrounds the sparring pit for a moment. “There. Now our weapons will not wound each other, though there will still be pain from the blow. First things first, Magus. Remove your armor, we fight without it in here.”

You nod, and remove your armor with a thought. Dura grins. “A neat trick. Handy, I bet.”

You smile, and after looking at Dura’s nearly naked body, you strip off your shirt as well. You toss your shirt out to Maya, who grins and gives you a thumbs up. Turning back, you see Dura eying your toned muscles. “Well, magus, you’re in better shape than I expected. Today really is a good day!”

With that, she picks up her blade. The gleaming sword is nearly as long as you are tall, and most people would struggle to lift it, let alone wield it effectively. Dura hefts it easily with one hand, and settles into a crouch, sword held two handed in a guard across her body.

You draw your sword, the silver etchings in the blade springing to life as you infuse it with fire. You adopt a fighting stance as well, free hand in front of you and blade extended behind. Dura speaks. “No attack spells, magus, all else is allowed.”

You nod, and the two of you circle each other. Dimly, you hear shouts and cheers from outside the ring. Suddenly, Dura springs forward, her blade glittering as it swings in an arc at shoulder height. You roll beneath the swing and come up, thrusting at her midsection. She sways aside, barely avoiding the strike, and turns the dodge into a spin, bringing her heavy sword into an overhead chop.

You roll aside again, and her blade slams into the sandy ground with a thud. You kick out, catching her on the back of the knee and leaving her on one leg, kneeling. You bring your sword down in a similar chop, but Dura is able to bring her weapon up to block, with a resounding clang. She grins over her shoulder at you as she drives an elbow into your stomach, knocking you backwards and giving her time to rise.

You square off again, and now you both watch each other more warily. Sweat glistens on both of your bodies as you circle. Dura swings again, clearly trying to bait you into rolling again. Instead, you summon your shield, careful to deflect rather than block her heavy strike. Even so, you stagger back a step from the impact.

Dura takes advantage, stepping in close and delivering a thunderous punch to your sternum, and you stagger back, trying to gain space. She is relentless, bringing her sword around in an uppercut swing. This time your shield catches it full ****, and shatters. You grunt in pain as the sword smashes against your arm. Without the warding magic, you would be left with a stump. As it is, the pain and following numbness leaves your arm useless. In desperation, you slash at her leg.

To your surprise, you catch Dura off guard, though your cut has little power behind it. She staggers and catches herself, but you have the satisfaction of seeing a slight limp as she stalks forward. Her strength is unaffected, however, and you have nowhere to dodge her next swing. You attempt to parry, but the blow sends your sword flying from your hand. Before you can react, she catches you with a heavy kick to your chest, sending you sprawling on your back.

In a flash, Dura plants a boot on your chest, holding you pinned. She thrusts downward with her sword, burying a full foot of the blade into the sand beside your head. She looks down at you grinning. “A good fight, Josh, but I win.”

The towering orc leans down, keeping you pinned with her foot. A new light enters her eyes. “And winner gets the prize.”

Authors note; At the request of people on the discord (you know who you are), there will be two versions of the next chapter. I will write the canon, standard one first, and the second, featuring a Dura with a surprise in her loincloth, will be written next. I will put the warnings in the non-canon chapter when it goes up.