[hr][hider=Polar - Spring][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_sxgl7CqK0[/youtube][/hider][hr]
"Dance?" Evelyn turned her head slightly, hand resting on her undrawn sword as she stepped onto the circular stone slab. "For that we need music, don't we?"

She waved her fingers dramatically, creating sparks in the air. "Music, maestro!"

Ghostly violins and cellos Conjured out of thin air, setting their bows against the string. The air crackled with tension. They appraised each other, Evelyn staring with blank, focused eyes. The moment held for an eternity. Then, Evelyn released her blade with a click.

With the first clash, the music began. It sang in time with the strike of steel, complimenting furious swords with staccato notes. Evelyn drew back, coating her ornate weapon in fractal ice. Spinning 360 degrees, she swung at the ground, creating a wave of frost to spike the stone. Her aim was to trap Polaris' feet in ice just a moment.

[i]Now![/i] Evelyn bared her teeth, moving with as quick of momentum as she could as she leapt up for an aerial strike directly over Polaris's head.

Polaris was glad that the pretty elf-lady was playing along.  The frost attack did surprise her, but it would just make her particular fighting style.  What got her really smiling was how her opponent chose to land her first melee range attack.

Polaris jumped from the ice to grab the backside of the elf's sword as it came down.  she pulled herself up along the length of the blade to bring herself close to the shocked face of her opponent.  Her other arm lightly grasped the elf's shoulder. By the time they both landed on the now icy ground and twisted her hips to fling the elf using the area of the blade she was still grasping as the pivot point to slide across the ice.
 
"You need something a tiny bit more clever to really bring me out," Polaris said returning to her beginning pose.

Evelyn twisted through the air, landing gracefully on all fours and immediately launching herself back at Polaris as she quipped about clever-ness. A burst of flame erupted from her elvish sword, melting away the ice and breathing a ring of fire around the two. This limited the available space considerably.

With a glowing hot blade, Evelyn struck Polaris so hard the swords created a shockwave before reeling from each other. A quick twist and spin -- Evelyn struck cross-wise with a ferocity. She continued combining her moves in faster and faster chains, trying to push Polaris in a corner if she could just pin her down... 

Polaris neared the flame's edge. Finally. Evelyn hooked her opponent's ankle with a well-placed leg and yanked, aiming to lurch Polaris off-balance backwards toward the flame wall. She also swung out with hot steel, diagonally swiping.

Seeing herself put in this much of a bind made her wonder why the elf didn't fight this fierce with the men.  Maybe the two losses left the elf with something more to prove against the only other female of the group.  But that was all the more reason the Polaris was enjoying this exchange of blows.  Sadly with her opponents blades on fire, she was unable to grapple an arm between the onslaught of swings that caused her to bring out her own weapon.

She finally saw her chance when she felt her leg get hooked from behind.   it was very rare for her to fight an opponent who would also use their legs as a set up for an attack.  But for her, this was a welcoming opportunity.  

Polaris twisted along with the low swipe.  she used the momentum of her fall to hit the back of the elf's striking knee.  A pillar of iron rose from the ground so she could use her free hand to push off of so as not to land into the flaming ring.  The end result was Polaris landing on her side and rolled enough to have her opponents shin and thigh hinged shut.  Her legs locked on a face-down Evelyn and her breathing heavy.  

"That's one way. To sweep each other. Off our feet.  I do compliment you. On keeping up with me."

"I told you you should have worn a different dress!"  Wrensthav shouted from the sidelines.

The wind whistled through her silver hair, blowing off her hood as Polaris launched them over the flame wall. [i]I'm stuck.[/i] She grimaced, eyeing the joint where she was hooked. 

They landed with a thud, fire dispersing to wisps behind them. Evelyn landed rather abruptly on her nose, which she rubbed tenderly while propped on elbows. Polaris sat atop her, probably feeling a little smug.

She coughed, signalling Polaris to get off. Rolling to her feet, her sword was sheathed rather quick. "Well, that was dashing. You managed to get me covered in dust." Despite herself, she had to smirk. Again, defeated. But that meant everyone here was skilled enough.

Brushing dust out of her hair and off her shoulders, Evelyn shook out her mage hood and placed it atop her head. There, that felt normal.

"Now then... Are we ready to begin?" She looked up at the sun right above their heads. "We want to start travelling east. It will be dark by the time we reach the next town."

"East?" Mattien said.

"Yes. The Rubylust is in uncharted ruins lying far in the east. I did mention on that poster somewhere this was going to be an epic journey. People don't throw around the word 'epic' for no reason." Evelyn said smoothly, tapping the hilt of her sword.

[i][sub]Written in collaboration with [@WrensthavAviovus][/sub][/i]