A Humbling Experience.

The Ivory Princess was already upon him, her blade about to rain down on him like a true force of nature.

Chase threw himself to the side, rolling awkwardly to avoid the strike.

CLANG!

Her longsword hit the ground with a ferocious ringing sound that followed, as her eyes widened at her hands shook from the impact. 

She turned her head, and looked at Chase as he quickly gathered himself, and had gotten into an off balance defensive stance. 

"What are you doing?"

She said, her voice leaking out hints of- Anger?

Suddenly, her blade was already heading toward Chase's throat at an astonishing speed. 

'What the hell!'

He quickly lifted his blade, and parried the attack to the best of his abilities. 

'damnit all.'

Chase's hands went numb, as he deflected another attempt at a strike aimed at his side. 

'Is killing against the rules? I should have asked before I walked away like an idiot.'

He was simply starstruck, as to how she was moving so fast. Surely, she wasn't this strong when she had attacked him on his first night at the academy... Right?

Her blade was deflected again, as she swung a vertical slash, directed at the top of his head. 

Chase was thrown off balance again, and the unfamiliar sword certainly wasn't helping either- not that he could have stood a chance with a sword that he was used to. 

Suddenly, she kicked his leg out from under him, and he was put down onto one knee, with his blade at an awkward angle. 

Her blade crashed into his with blistering speed, the sheer force sending a sharp ache through his wrists.

This time Chase's grip on his handle wasn't nearly as strong as it had been, having to switch to a one handed form with his non-dominant hand, he rolled to the side- narrowly avoiding a kick to the chest. 

She stopped for a moment, as if to let him stand- her blank expression, turning into a slight frown. 

Chase knew exactly what she was thinking, as he was thinking the same exact thing.

'She could have killed me, if she wanted to...'

He pushed himself off the ground, and held the sword by the top of its handle with one hand, as his other was still stiff from the strong impact of their blades meeting. 

She brought her longsword up with both hands, and held the tip out evenly in front of her body- completely in control of the fight. 

"Why aren't you trying?"

She asked, still with that annoying frown on her face. 

This time, even though he had no ability to use his dominant hand, he charged- switching to the offensive, and trying to send a horizontal slash toward the base of her neck.

'What?'

Immediately, Chase was thrown off balance, as he tried not to fall on his own face. 

His blade had only met empty air, as the force of his attack had been used against him. 

Poppy had completely bent her upper body backward, dodging under the attack effortlessly- her frown deepening, as her tall frame straightened. 

She then, simply kicked Chase over and pointed the blade at the back of his neck as he had caught himself before his face met the cold-hard ground. 

"No surprise, your highness wins."

Professor Barren had said, almost sounding as if with an unsatisfied demeaner. 

The entirety of the students in the bleachers, had begun laughing at the outcome of the match, except for a select few who had already looked away from the arena. 

Chase grit his teeth, and realized that his knuckles had turned pale, around the handle of the sword in his left hand.

'Damnit all!'

He thought, completely frustrated by the duel.

Still looking at the ground, he made his way over to the top row of the bleachers, and sat behind Gemini, almost as if to hide himself from the other students. 

He set his blade down on the ground below him, and covered his face with his numb hands. 

"May I be excused?"

Poppy asked the professor, with a hint of annoyance in her voice- still standing on the arena's main platform. 

Chase could not see what the professor's reaction was nor did he care; however, he had assumed it must have been either a nod or shrug, as soon he heard the door of the classroom slam shut. 

'What the hell is her problem?'

He thought, still gritting his teeth in anger. 

'Screw her, I need to get stronger.'

"Our next duel, will be Neo of House Cobra, and Hans of House Gaia- The Panda!"

Professor Barren exclaimed, with a hint of excitement in his voice. 

Some students began to cheer, as Chase assumed that both of these students must have been high ranking nobles- or even royals such as Poppy. 

Eventually looking up from his defeated position, he spotted the boy with blue hair, who had a savage-like sword with jagged edges in his one hand, as he made taunting gestures toward the large boy who stood on the other side of the room.

'The Panda, why in the hell does that sound familiar?'

Chase questioned to himself, as he studied the boy with a large frame from afar, and soon his eyes widened as he realized that this "Panda" did not wield a weapon-

'No, wait...'

His knuckles still pale, and his wrists still sore from his duel, he lifted his head fully invested, with a shocked expression on his face.

'What in the hell?'

Hans of House Gaia, was wearing a pair of bronze gauntlets on his giant hands, with a slight grin resting on his oddly round, and gentle-looking face. 

"Start!"