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Nero      Another day, another challenge.

     As such, Nero could not naught but accept this challenge head on, and appoint the time and place. The time was now, and the place was The Olympiad Peaks. Here, in a stone clearing perfect for a duel, Nero stood.

     In the center, the Servant resided, Aestus Estus was already materialized and embedded into the ground before her, and atop the pommel, her hands rested one on top of the other. And finally, her eyes were closed.

     Like this, one could almost mistake the normally loud Servant for a seasoned knight, or a master swordsman, rather than the bombastic annoyance she typically was.

     For now, she merely waited.

     Waited for the arrival of her challenger.
Sanary Rondel      Sanary's grunting lightly as she makes her way up the mountain, a full suit of spiked green armor covering her while two shields as big as she is (one with a sword going through it) rest on the girl's back. She had come in unprepared during her fight with Momoyo, but after hearing that Nero fought her to a draw? She's not taking chances this time.

     Of course, showing up a little later than she had hoped wasn't really part of the plan, but finding the Olympiad Peaks and the meeting spot took a little longer than Sanary expected. How was she supposed to know she'd be doing mountain climbing today? Even with the anklets to help her cheat past the steeper sections a bit, it still takes her a while to find the location Nero's designated as their dueling stage.

     "Nero! I have come to take your he-uh... Title!" No head taking today. That'd just be asking for too much trouble. "Are you ready to face /my/ challenge?"

     Apparently, she's also having fun with being a little more dramatic than usual.
Nero      Late.

     Sanary was late.

     SANARY WAS LATE!

     Nero's brow twitched then, and she contemplated complaining on the radio, but just then, Sanary came stumbling in, decked out in full armor with multiple shields. At last, Nero opened her eyes and regarded her challenger. "So, you have finally arri-"

     Pause.

     "...ved." She squinted. "Lady Rondel, are you perhaps going to war?" Did she really need all that armor? Did she almost say something about taking her head? It went by so fast that Nero couldn't be entirely sure. "In any case!" She gripped the handle of Aestus Estus, and pulled upwards, removing the sword from the ground.

     "You and I both know why we are here. Let us dispense with the pleasantries and have ourselves a battle that will go down in history!"
Sanary Rondel      "War? No, no. This is my usual combat gear." Once Sanary finally stands in front of Nero, she's actually moving fairly comfortably despite all the weight on her. A little slower than she would without the armor, but a little drop in mobility is surely worth the defensive boost! "You saw me in Sen's, right? Gotta have something to even the field with your sword."

     A little ego stroking doesn't hurt, either. "Yeah, let's do this. I've always wanted to have a proper sword fight... Er. With a sword, even." Removing the Daora's Casca from her back, she braces the massive shield in one arm while holding the blade low, watching the Servant closely while nudging her head back once.

     "I'm ready when you are, Nero! Come at me!"
Nero      Nero smirked at Sanary's response and gave her blade a test swing. Just one, and then she held it low at her side, in both hands, as she spread her stance a little more evenly. She was ready to go. Her green eyes sized up Sanary a little more intently this time than usual.

     She took note of the design of the armor, and determined how to attack. She'd seen Sanary tank some heavy hits before. So naturally, barreling in head first was a surefire way to get nothing done at all. That being the case...

     "Hmph. So you would have me strike first? Very well then. Allow me!" Streams of white prana particles gathered into Nero's form, and then silence.

     "....."

     And after a beat, she was simply gone. The ground lightly tore, leaving a trail from the Servant's sudden dash forward. But she didn't lash out with a forward swing like she usually would have, she swerved to the side once getting into range, and aimed a simple, precise thrust towards a joint in the armor, connecting the breastplate to the pauldron and gauntlets.
Sanary Rondel      While Nero takes that test swing, Sanary takes few quick swings of her own with the ice-infused blade to get herself reaccustomed to the use of a sword. It's still big and heavy enough to almost function in the same manner as an axe, but remembering to actually use more than just the tip is still a little tricky. But if she can get that one good hit in...

     "Works for me. Come, then!" Readying the shield once more, the cleric braces herself for Nero's first strike before just staring blankly at the spot she's... No longer in. Crap. Does that mean she can turn invisible, too? Taking a small step back to try and get a read on where Nero's coming from, hoping that the shield on her back is enough to keep her from getting stabbed like that other time.

     Thankfully, she doesn't have to wait long for the Saber-class to attack, and the healer twists herself around just in time to not get stabbed all the way through both shoulders. She doesn't move quite fast enough to stop it head on, however, instead just knocking her shield into the blade and having it scrape loudly against the pauldron. Even her follow-up isn't that great at that angle, opting for an awkward-looking swing at Nero's side that's neither fast nor powerful.

     It's really the sort of swing that's only one in name only. Not a great start.
Nero      Within the flurry of thrusts, Nero's expression did not change. She didn't smile or laugh or gloat. She was focused, and she pressed the attack against Sanary, adjusting herself every time a thrust as knocked off course, aiming for another spot in order to keep the Cleric on her toes. Once the exchange came to an end, Nero paused for just a moment.

     "I have seen you do battle a number of times, Lady Rondel, and there is something that I must address." She gripped Aestus Estus, gathering prana into her blade, which then shone with a bright red aura. No flames just yet. She didn't need them right now. "You...are not actually a fighter, are you?"

     That blade was raised then, deftly blocking the clumsy swing, and then parrying it aside. "You are not a fighter. You are a healer wearing the armor of a fighter and parading around with a weapon fit for a fighter. But you. You yourself, are not a true warrior, meant to stand on the front lines and cross blades with the titans of the battlefield."

     Finished with that statement, Nero dipped low, and let loose a furious sweeping slash aimed for the legs. The armor would likely mitigate the majority of the damage, but the intent was not to lop Sanary's legs off. No, the intent was to topple her.

     "So I ask; why do you carry on in such a manner?"
Sanary Rondel      Nero's question draws an incredulous look from Sanary, although she doesn't respond right away. Is it because she's distracted by the fight? Is it because she's trying to figure out if Nero's trying to get into her head?

     Or is it because Nero might be right?

     "Wha..? Of course I'm a fighter! I've been doing this since I was a kid!" She grunts lightly as her blade is deflected, staggering back to get that shield readied in front of her again. "I've fought bandits. I've killed them and traitors to my village. Hell, I've fought Saiyans and all sorts of monsters out here!"

     If Nero's intent really is to get into her head, it seems to have worked. "I can heal, and I can fight. Why shouldn't I keep doing this?" She slams the shield down to defend against the blade, both the power of the shield itself and the boost provided by the armor augmenting her defenses. As potent as that defense is, however, her offense with the blade still leaves much to be desired as she swings herself around the shield to try and thrust it straight into Nero's arm.
Nero      It seems that she may have struck a nerve.

     Oddly, Nero did not smile or laugh at Sanary. She looked...almost like she pitied the girl. Almost. "Lady Rondel, there is a difference between fighting, and being a fighter." She started, doubling back after her sweeping slash was deflected by the shield.

     "You wrap yourself in a cocoon or armor, throw yourself into harm's way..." Another predictable attack. Nero frowned and sidestepped, allowing the blade to miss her arm and instead tear through a red sleeve. While this happened, the Servant gripped Aestus Estus, and struck with an uppercut slash to the arm Sanary was thrusting with, aiming to knock the blade out of her hand.

     "...You flail your blade about with the discipline of a mere child, and you hope that will be enough. But this is not who you are, Lady Rondel." Nero gave the Cleric a pointed, serious look. "I will repeat myself once more; You are not a fighter. You may fight, but you are not a fighter. Your true calling lies elsewhere."

     Considering that this was a proper duel for all intents and purposes, Nero would not hold back. Whether or not the disarming strike connected, she drew back, charging prana into her blade and causing flames to burst to life. "It is about time you ceased lying to yourself, Lady Rondel!" And then she dove forward with a burst of speed, aiming to slash past Sanary with that flaming blade, aiming for waist joint in that armor.

     "Rosa Icthys!"
Sanary Rondel      Sanary howls in pain as her thrust is parried easily, losing her grip on the blade as that rising slash nearly takes her arm off at the elbow. Thankfully, there's still enough of the arm still attached that she can focus on healing to keep it from coming off entirely, and the sword embeds itself into rock off to the side of their little arena.

     Strangely enough, however, it's not the physical wounds frustrating the healer, but Nero's words. Each of them is hitting a little too close to home. "So... So what if I do? That's my way of fighting! That's how I protect my friends! As long as it works, I'll keep doing it!"

     The frustration keeps building as she swings the shield back around as Nero closes in with Aestus Estus, her attention divided on trying to get her other arm back in working condition and blocking the incoming slash.

     Nero's flaming slash hits its target, and the fight is over almost as quickly as it started. Another frustrated scream comes out of Sanary as she topples over, the flames thankfully helping to keep some of the blood in. She doesn't seem ready to admit defeat just yet, however, still digging her helmet into the ground as she starts directing the healing magic towards the gash in her side next.
Nero      Nero narrowed her eyes. "So long as you protect your friends? As long as it works?" She scoffed at those words, not even bothering to stop Sanary from healing. Instead, she spoke on. "Lady Rondel, I am saying this because it is /not/ working. If you spent all this time throwing yourself in harm's way, making yourself out to be a wall without martial discipline backing it, then I ask; who will protect you, Lady Rondel?"

     Time to stop playing around. "You have seen this happen once before. You threw yourself headfirst into harm's way, without first tempering yourself in the correct manner, and the result was catastrophic."

     "Très Fontaine Claudeo."

     Prana flared up around Nero's figure, infusing itself into her and forming a shimmering red aura. If she was going to be stubborn and heal, then she was going to steal that healing away. "You know that I speak the truth Lady Rondel! You know what it is that you must do!"

     She raised Aestus Estus and dashed forward, unleashing a flurry of flame infused slashes. Each one that made contact would drain energy away from Sanary and funnel it back into Nero herself. "Your path is clear as day, and yet you refuse to face it! You speak of bravery, and yet all I see before me is a coward!"
Sanary Rondel      Sanary's barely able to get herself back onto her feet even with that healing magic circulating around her side, the lack of a staff or other catalyst to heal her in a burst becoming a more evident weakness. She can't even get the shield up to defend herself, the well-crafted tool little more than a hunk of metal and monster parts lying on the ground.

     "No.. Nobody needs to protect me! I'll get... I'll get strong enough to protect myself and everyone else!" The anger's being drawn out by the boatload now, and recalling what happened to her village is bringing all of it to the forefront. All the frustration from not being able to stop any of it, only being able to exact her revenge through the power of everyone else that had joined her... Instead of letting out her anger and frustrations outwardly, however, the healer just stops moving.

     No screaming. No yelling. She just looks up at Nero, her eye and her hand taking on shadowy purple glows to them. "... You're right. This is what I have to do." Even as Nero's blade slams into her armor, her arms, her waist, and all that energy and blood frees itself from her, she still lunges forward in a desparate attempt to ram her Psycho-Power infused fist into the Emperor's mouth.

     One hit is the best she can even hope for at this point.
Nero      And there it was. That same power she used on Momoyo before it got interrupted about six different ways. But there was no one here to interrupt this battle now. And Nero, amid her storm of slashes, noticed that Sanary was not falling. Instead, she dove forward with....a fist?

     Having commited to the next swing already, Nero was caught with the punch right in her jaw, right as her last slash landed. "........" Growling in annoyance, the Servant turned her head against Sanary's fist, blood drawn from her lip as she stared the armored cleric in the eye.

     "This duel was a mistake, Lady Rondel. I am supremely disappointed." There was no dramatic flair, no bombastic speeches. She just stepped back and pointed her sword at Sanary.

     "Yield. This duel is over."
Sanary Rondel      Digging her fist into Nero's face for as long as she can, Sanary staggers forward once the Servant steps back and lands in an uncomfortable heap without anything to stop her fall. There's a quiet, frustrated noise as the green armored pile seems to shrink into itself, only being disturbed once when Sanary slams a bloodied hand against the ground.

     "Dammit... Dammit... Dammit!" Again and again, she keeps striking the ground, ignoring the pain and bleeding from the multitude of cuts on her body that had gotten past the joints in her armor. Her strength gives out fairly quickly, though, and she goes back into hunching over in that painful heap on the ground.

     "This wasn't... I'm supposed to...!" She's barely even coherent as she keeps muttering to herself, getting quieter and quieter until she just starts shaking. She's started crying, but not from the physical wounds.

     ... Well, maybe a little from the physical wounds.
Nero      "......"

     There was nothing beautiful about this duel. It was a hollow victory. Refusing to reflect on this any further, Nero dematerialized Aestus Estus and turned away.

     "Perhaps you will reflect on my words, and choose a better path for yourself, Lady Rondel. The choice is entirely in your hands."

     And with that, she turned and simply walked off. She had zero desire to see this sight any longer. Whatever Sanary had to work out, she would need to do it herself. Under her own strength.
Sanary Rondel      By the time Sanary calms down enough to roll onto her side, Nero's already gone. Her eye is barely running on fumes as is, and the only reason she hasn't even bled out yet is probably due in part to the Emperor's flaming sword cauterizing enough of her wounds to keep blood in long enough for some of energy to come back. Bringing a hand up to the side of her head, she slips a gauntlet off before rubbing her eye slowly.

     With any luck, she'll actually get off this mountain after calling in for a pickup and start to actually fix things instead of just dying on some shitty rock. Until her ride arrives, though? At least the view's nice.
Yari Takane It's best not to ask how Yari Takane got her car here. A thunderbird, all blacks and golds with a little Confederate flag flying on the back of it, comes zooming on towards the sight of the battle. Screeching to a halt and nearly flipping from the sudden application of brakes versus mountainous terrain, the monster of a car lurches to a halt.

Yari Takane more materializes out of the car than steps out, falling upon a bloody scene of a burnt, bleeding, mauled Yari. The ninja points a pistol, looking for threats, and then kneels down.

Her hands shake as she puts her first aide kit to use, trying to do what she can to make sure Sanary doesn't instantly die. Then? She hauls her into the back, stretched out, fear and anger in her eyes as she zooms off to the extraction point.

"Stay strong, Sanary! I will get you back to Medical. No dieing! We'll cut out the throat of whoever did this to you! I promise!"