Lion Sin of Pride (Ban x OC)

Blademaster

The next morning, Leo met Howser in the clearing beside the town of Bernia.

She walked up to him, stretching her sword arm over her head, and then bent down to easily touch her toes. She glanced up at him from her bent position, her dark, navy hair falling over her shoulder, and said, "Are you ready, Sir Howser?"

He laughed and unsheathed his broadsword from his waist as she straightened. "As ready as I'll ever be to face one of the sins, not to mention the Blademaster."

She slipped Megil from the sheath on her back and held the thin rapier in her palms, testing the weight and flexibility of the blade. She moved her hand down to the ornate pommel and adjusted her fingers around the handle to a comfortable and well practiced grip. She looked up to Howser as she took position, her legs slightly bent and apart as she took a natural crouched stance. "Here's the rules-no use of any powers. This is a good old blade to blade fight. We let our swords do the talking." When Howser nodded, she continued. "First one to draw the blood of their opponent wins and we end the match."

Howser held out his blade, matching her stance, and gave her a determined nod of his head. "Understood."

She rolled on the balls of her feet and then came up on her tiptoes as she lunged toward him, her rapier slashing through the air so quickly that it was nothing but a streak of flashing silver in the morning sunlight. He managed to dodge the attack and thrust back with his sword, but she easily stepped out of the way of his swing, as if he had been moving in slow motion.

He stumbled forward, but caught his balance, just as she lunged toward him again. This time she brought her thin blade up over her head in a wide arc, aiming down toward his shoulder, where the gap in his armor would have been had he not been wearing just a tunic and trousers.

He blocked her arc, their swords clanging together as her blade bounced off of his parry. She jumped backward as he swung at her, his parry turning into an offensive, and his large swing came perilously close to slashing across her stomach.

She took a moment to assess the situation. She was lighter and faster on her feet than Howser, but he had more strength and power behind his swings. And he was a Holy Knight-he wasn't any stranger to swordplay. He was better than most of the opponents she had faced before. She'd just have to use her speed to get the better of him.

He came at her again, his sword coming over his head as he prepared to strike down on her. She waited until the last possible moment and then ducked to the side, his blade narrowly missing her arm. The power of his swing was just strong enough that it caused him to stumble, and she took her chance. She dove forward and rolled between the wide stance of his legs, coming up behind him just as he regained his balance.

He whirled to face her, but wasn't quick enough. She swiped the thin blade of her rapier up the front of his tunic, leaving a long, red scratch on the exposed skin of his chest. A single drop of crimson blood fell from the scratch and to his feet, and she gave him a triumphant look as he lowered his sword. "Checkmate, Sir Knight."

He let the point of his sword rest on the ground as he wiped an arm across his glistening forehead, and then he gave her a broad smile. "Well, looks like they weren't wrong when they gave you the name of Blademaster, my lady. You've thoroughly bested me."

"And that was her taking it easy on you, Howser."

Leo turned to see Ban walking up to them, his hands buried deep his pockets as he studied the sweating Howser. He had a long piece of wheat grass stuck between his lips, and he chewed it between his teeth in a bored manner as he looked at Leo and said, "Why did you go easy on him, L? I thought you still didn't approve of Holy Knights."