[center][h1][b]Iraleth Kyrios[/b][/h1][/center]

Frankly, Iraleth hadn't expected her Ethos to simply be able to outright roll over a professor qualified to work here. But it was still galling to hear him say the Inheritor was in its infancy, no matter how true it was. No small part of her wanted to simply grit her teeth and see just how far she had to go in a contest of strength, but both reason and duty called. There was no point in pushing her limits here when there was something with actual stakes later tonight. 

With that in mind, she resigned herself to following Otis's plan again, given that the same tactic had come across her mind moments before he'd ordered it. She was stuck in here with him. Fine. 

A flick of her wings rebuffed the thorns firing at her. Darkness fell, and the paladin took advantage of the split-second of surprise it offered her to deactivate her Ethos. The Inheritor's armor faded, and Professor Alto would only be grasping thin air for but a moment before he would grapple Iraleth again. She didn't give him the opportunity. The half-elf shoved herself away from Alto before he could reengage, drawing her mundane blade as she gained a small amount of distance, her back to the literal wall of thorns. 

Even with the outright invincibility granted by his Personal Barrier, Alto still had to actually make contact to score a blow. If she could bait him into a contest of swords, Iraleth could likely stand a chance even within his overcharge. Plus, Ciara's constant assault distracting him didn't hurt, either. 

[b]"You're barely older than I am, and your breadth of knowledge is wider."[/b] She said flatly, taking up a defensive stance. [b]"I've my doubts your depth of skill with a blade overtakes mine. Or even Ciara's, for that matter. Come on then, Professor."[/b] Iraleth goaded. Otis wanted her to play for time? She'd give the others that.