Small Town Berserker
Necropolis, Core Worlds
Meanwhile...
Meanwhile...
"C'mon, I know you can hit me!"
Jaina grinned from ear to ear as Aramis struggled to find a weak spot in her defense. Hoping to improve his skills as a fighter via sparring, they had cleared out a spare room of the spa to serve as a makeshift dojo. While she wielded a simple staff, he had chosen a vibroblade—exactly the sort of weapon she would expect from a Hapan noble. So far she had parried every strike he made.
"Really, darling," he huffed. "You're much too capable. I'm at a disadvantage."
"What, you want me to go easy on you?" She laughed. "We're playing on Normal level here, not Hard. And definitely not Legendary!" She pouted. "Don't tell me you're afraid of hurting me."
Aramis balked at the absurdity of the notion. "Don't be ridiculous. As if I could ever hurt you."
Maybe not physically. Jaina pushed the thought down and tapped her staff against the mat. "Try again. You can score a hit against me. You just need to keep at it."
He raised his blade, eyes watching her every move. She launched an offensive, lashing out in a series of rapid attacks. He was able to block the blows, even if he lacked a certain finesse. There were plenty of gaps in which he could've made a move of his own, but he never took them.
"You know, for a revolutionary, you're pretty reluctant to be aggressive." She swept her staff low, attempting to knock his feet out from under him. He leaped out of the way in the nick of time, but now she had him cornered. "You can't just keep defending forever. Someone has to win the fight. Will it be you?"
She thrust the blunt end of her staff toward him. Rather than parry it, he dodged the thrust and lashed forward, striking her neck and opening a deep gash in her flesh.
Aramis' face lost all color, his expression stricken. "Oh god, Jaina..."
"It's all right!" she assured him with a grin even as a severed artery in her neck spurted blood. She reached up and pushed her dangling head back into place. The severed tissue began to rapidly heal, sealing itself. "I'm okay. You did great! I told you you could hit me."