Daughter of the Dragon

[Amber Eyes]

The cold steel pointed directly at her throat. Her breathing stilled in fear that the tiniest of movements would lead to blood pooling on the cold stone floor beneath her knees. Kyla Orlouge had failed again. The Mystic raised her eyes to those of her superior as a hint of a smile graced her bloodied lips.

It had begun innocently enough, weeks of begging had finally brought the Hero of Radasanth to the Citadel in an effort to appease his arrogant daughter. The girl was sure that this time would be different, she would prove that she was just as strong as the man who had protected her all these long years. This was the day Kyla would defeat Sei in battle.

Of course in the real world these things aren't quite as simple as they seem in the mind of a young girl with a bit too much power and time. Dreams are all to often better left for slumber, and the Mystic Murdress would soon learn this at the tip of a blade.

The monks led the way to the prepared room, nothing of note, a simple room with four marble walls and a matching ceiling and floor. The space echoed with each step as Sei gave the girl a good luck pat on the back and then took several steps away, the grin on his face an offer at first strike.

This will be the last time you give me a head start. Kyla thought loudly enough for the elder Orlouge to hear. His grin soon widened. That was enough to prod the girl to action, she kicked off the floor with all her might. She ran at full speed as cool shadows crept down her arm and pooled into her hand. She reached his location just as the last of the darkness formed into a sword, and with a grunt of effort she swung the blade upward with the image of the man's chest splitting open in her mind.

[Silence Sei]

He jumped backwards, an easy feat thanks to his Thayne enchanted kung-fu shoes. His feet slip against the floor and caused a rather unpleasant squeaking sound to reverberate in the arena. Sei’s eyes studied Kyla as they always did during these encounters. So many battles with the girl had gone this way. Kyla would attack, Sei would counter, and eventually the girl would exhaust all of her resources and Sei would remain the victor. This was the fourth, possibly fifth time that they had done this dance.

It was about time the Mystic changed the tempo.

He moved back towards his niece. He raised his elbow, prepared to find it a home in the girl’s sternum. Kyla would make sure that Sei would not have an easy opponent, but the mute was more concerned about the length of the battle than his foe. Kyla had found herself now at a level comparable to the mute, and if Sei was not careful, the Mystic would find himself with all of his powers depleted. Kyla possessed all of the best qualities of the Orlouge brothers, and Sei knew it all too well.

Now, he had to face Niche’s strength, Succed’s magic, Razak’s deception, Ciato’s weapon mastery, Steppenwolf’s endurance, and his own intelligence packaged into a five-foot-six bundle. It was already an uphill battle.

[Amber Eyes]

Sei's elbow slammed into her chest with a thud. It hurt. Like hell.

I wasn't ready!

The thought filled her mind before she could stop it and Sei's cheshire grin grew wide.

The mystic gave herself a second to regain her bearings and take a few breaths. Then she ran again.

Her feet hit the floor hard and sent echoes throughout the room. Sei watched her carefully, both eager to allow her to make her move and smart enough to make sure he was ready for whatever might come.

Kyla bit her lip as she came within striking distance of her father. In her mind she saw all the times before where he'd proved her still lacking. If she couldn't overcome him now, perhaps she would never be as great as her predecessors. She was the daughter of Niche Orlouge, the granddaughter or Tinerad Orlouge and Armonia. Some of the strongest Mystics to ever live. More than that though, she was the Daughter of the Dragon. The ward of the leader of the Ixian Knights. This was her moment to prove all he'd done for her was not in vain.

The girl swung her sword once more, this time aiming for Sei's left side. She tensed her left hand and listened for the sweet sound of metal claws escaping the hold of Sophia's Mane. The three blades shot toward Sei's right midsection.

[Silence Sei]

Kyla swung her weapon towards the mute, and Sei was quick to chastise the girl. "I'm not going easy this time Kylana!"

Glass shattered inched before the word his Sei, fragments of air surrounding the body of the Mystic. he reached back to grab at the hilts of his Gemini Blades when he felt a sharp pain from his right hip. He looked down to see threw long trails of azure scrapped clear across his skin, the razor sharp blades of Sophia's Mane still buried in his flesh. He looked to the girl, eyes squinted into a glare, only to be met with a grin Sei was all too familiar with; it was the same wry grin he saw in the mirror almost on a daily basis.

When the Mystic Protection went off, Kyla remained unharmed. It took the older Mystic a moment to realize why, but then it struck him. Mystic Protection also protected those physically touching the caster. Sophia's Mane had been left in Sei for the sole reason of preventing Kyla from a face full of crystalline shrapnel. The girl -was- learning, she had given up a pawn to move her rook into position, and the gamble paid off.

"Nice." He commented as he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. As he did so, he brought his knee upwards, with hopes of hitting the same general area his elbow landed on moments earlier. If he focused on one body part, surely she would fall quickly. More importantly, maybe the blow could get that damn Zodiac Weapon out of his body.