0-4 You fall short

The battle is a lengthy one and a good one. The whole room is used as the pair of you duck and weave around the trees and branches of the forest. With ferocity, power, and skill she gives you the fight of your life. She fought with honor and she fought to the limits of her strength and ability, as did you. You gained her respect and she gained yours. In the real world you would have loved to have her at your side during your adventures.

Finally, as the pair of you are tiring, you see her first mistake. An opening. It was all or nothing, if you messed up the timing by even a fraction of second it would be you dead instead of her. You let loose your attack at just the right moment...only to discover the "opening" had been a ploy. She had baited you and you bit. Your attack goes wide.

Hers does not.

In this final moment everything slows down. You see the gleaming crescent blade of the great ax arc horizontally through the air on a collision course with your neck. It would take your head from your body, no doubt. At least it would be quick.

Some part of you was comforted by the fact you had gone down to this skilled and honorable warrior. You weren't sure why but it seemed better to be felled by her than some sick and twisted abomination.

Her ax strikes true.

SCHLUCK!