Duel of the Prince

The crowd waits in anticipation as the two square off at each other. Saki stands firm, her hand resting on the hilt of her wooden sword as she maintains her gaze on the prince. It was true that she desired to feel the thrill of a battle, but she couldn't deny her fear either. It is her first battle ever, and it's immediately a duel with someone who seems experienced where she stood no chance, being a mere villager with only ambitions with her.

On his side, one of the guards handed him a wooden sword. As he wielded it, he said. "I just needed you to lay down to lose. There's no point shedding blood here, besides, I wouldn't want to wound my soon-to-be bride" He smirks as he speaks his word. In response, Saki spits to the ground.

The prince didn't know the gesture but he felt like he was being defied once again. "You will fall here and accept my marriage!" He declared. "Friedrich of the Genesier royalty!" He introduced himself as an initiation and swung his sword to the side, showing off his swordsman prowess. Saki smirked as she felt a bit of excitement. "Saki Nisshin of Shigure, an aspiring adventurer. Prince of Saintsville! I will accept your challenge!" The crowd erupts in awe-inspiring applause. They were amazed by the display Saki was showing to the prince, and it motivated her more.

Once silence came, Saki analyzed his stats. 'Name: Friedrich Genesier' 'Status: Noble' ' Adventurer Class: Prince' 'Adventurer rank: A-rank'. She stopped at his adventurer rank. "A-rank adventurer..." She mutters. Most of the adventurers she is aware of are D to C-rank. It was rare for Karagi to have an A-rank, so the sight of his rank slightly shook her confidence. "Make your move, Saki Nisshin" Friedrich allowed her to make her first move. Saki wasn't expecting this. She immediately unsheathes her wooden sword and warily approaches him.

"Show me what you got, o' beautiful lady" He smiles. Saki ignores him and swings her sword at him. "Haah...!" She swung from the right to slash Friedrich's chest, but he quickly deflected her attack, making her stumble back. With a chuckle, he yelled at her. "Slow!" After recovering, Saki quickly approached him again. She gritted her teeth as she maintained her gaze on Friedrich.

"Go on!" Friedrich taunted her and Saki didn't take it too well. She swings again, but this time from the left. She swings her sword to slash Friedrich's chest, but again, he deflected her attack and sent her stumbling back. "There's no way you can make yourself an adventurer like this! You obviously need my guidance in becoming a true adventurer!" He taunts again. Saki remained quiet and focused, not letting his words get to her anymore.

Saki then continued to swing at him from different angles, just to be deflected over and over again. Her last deflected attack caused her to finally sweat and feel fatigued. Friedrich saw this and took advantage. "You're done already?!" He laughs and puts up a stance. "I don't like hitting beautiful ladies, but if it will teach you to obey me, your future groom, then I will do it" He then began to cast a skill.

Saki's eyes went wide at the incoming skill. She could read it from the battle interface, 'Saber Dance'. She put back her sword up to prepare for the attack. "I dance with elegance, my saber sings the strikes of precision!" Friedrich lets out a cast and holds his sword as if he's holding a saber and begins to strike in a movement that of a skillful minstrel and a deadly swordsman.

Saki blocks his repeated attacks and stumbles back with each strike, and Friedrich dances forward with elegant footwork and his arms swinging in fluid motion. Saki couldn't do anything but block his attacks and stumble back. To the crowd, it was already mind-blowing that Saki could withstand his attacks without falling to the ground against such a flashy move.

As his final strike was blocked, Saki finally caught her balance and readied herself again. With the continuous onslaught of attack from Friedrich, her long light-blonde hair became disheveled, sweat pouring down on her cheek, her eyes unsteady yet unrelenting, her chest heaving up and down, and her arms slightly shaking. Just like the crowd, Friedrich was surprised that she was still not on the ground. With a scoff, he remarked. "Not bad. For a frail-looking young lady like you, you put up quite a defense" He said with admiration, with a hint of annoyance. "But can you keep it up?!" With his yell, another skill is about to be cast. Saki keeps her defenses up as she reads 'Fleuret Elegance'.

"The finale of a dance and a fencer's victory!" Friedrich casts his skills and puts his other arm behind him as he performs an elegant footwork as if he was in a stage, and fenced with Saki, attempting to hit her with the tip of his sword. Once again, Saki found herself blocking and stumbling away again, and on the third time, Friedrich spun around as if about to put the dance to an end, and swung his sword down to deliver the tip to Saki's chest as a final strike that will lead to a victory.

"Whoa!" Saki shouted in surprise, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth as she swung her sword wildly to the left in an attempt to deflect his final strike. In her luck, the wooden sword clashed and let out a loud thump. Putting all her strength into that deflect, she made Friedrich stumble on one foot. After that, they fixed their posture. Friedrich scoffs. "Hmph... What was that? No adventurers would do something like that. Not even a beginner" He taunted again, but this time, Saki chuckled in response.

"You keep saying things like that. I'm pretty sure I made it clear. I'm aspiring to be an adventurer" She then smirks at him. "I'm only aspiring to become one and have yet to take up that title, therefore your insults are as worthless as a broken jester's jokes!" She let out a small triumphant sigh. Friedrich scoffs while holding a glare. "Hmph... Your way of insulting back isn't worth the audience's applause either..."

After their small taunting, Saki charged ahead and swung her sword from the right, aiming to slash Friedrich's chest. But just like before, he deflected her attempt. This time, Saki had already measured his strength against hers. "No matter how you strike, you won't land a single one" He taunted again. Saki then swings from the left, to be deflected once again. This time, for sure, she would be able to strike him.

Saki made a quick breather and readied her feet, then swung from the right again, to intentionally be deflected. And just like that, her strike got deflected again. Friedrich smiles at her futile attempt to land a strike, but as soon as he deflected her attack, Saki thrusts a foot against his solar plexus, kicking him. She fell to the ground as Friedrich stumbled backward with a loud grunt.

"Gah! You!" Friedrich winces as he holds his stomach in pain and then looks down to see a mark of her shoe on his white suit. "You... You dare stain my suit with your feet?!" He was enraged as he felt disrespected, his eyes were burning through Saki. "You will be my bride AND will be washing my suit!" With those words, he used another skill.

Saki reads the skill 'Forti Tria'. She readies her sword to block his strikes just like the last few times. "The balance, precision, and succession! Three strengths in triple strikes!" Friedrich let out a yell and began his strike from the right, his arm perfectly handling his sword's weight, providing three precise strikes from three directions in great succession. As usual, his strikes cause Saki to stumble back while blocking his attack. Without waiting for her to recover, Friedrich immediately cast another skill.

Saki could only gasp and read the name 'Finalis' on her battle interface. "End of the night!" Friedrich yells as he thrusts the tip of his sword at her wrist, scraping her skin. "Ah...!" A jolt of pain went through her arm, causing her to drop her wooden sword as she fell to the ground, landing on her rear. She immediately holds her scratched wrist as she grits her teeth in pain.

Friedrich relaxes and feigns concern as he slowly approaches Saki. "Oh, what have I gone and done...". Saki looks up to her in anger. "If you had just listened, you wouldn't be hurt" He said as he tossed the wooden sword to his side. "You've lost. Now you must accept the loser's end of the deal" He said with an amused smile on his face. Saki could just grit her teeth in both pain and anger.