[color=red][center][h2]The Blood Devil vs Bonesword: Round I[/h2][/center][/color]

It was time to begin. For a long time, Saria had felt nothing at all for her previous opponents. Even when she was mortally wounded, bleeding into the dirt, she had harbored nothing but apathetic contempt for her enemies. For a moment at least, she had a certain… respect for this individual, this other swordsman. For him, at least, she would honor his suffering with a quick death.

Saria paid no heed to the forest of vines that surrounded them both. After all, it would take a lot more than a plant to kill her. Fire had a certain talent when it came to the cleansing of the botanical, anyway. In fact, the plants seemed to shrink away as she approached. It was almost as if each sprout had a mind of its own. 

Both the venom and the injuries from the early fight boiled slowly within her, and a slow fire churned and grew more intense as she got closer to the bony swordsman. As soon as she stepped into the now-green terrain, she sprung towards her opponent, sword drawn. Saria drew back, and let loose a devastating strike with her blade, aiming for his neck. 

[color=red][i]And just like that, our duel concludes with a single strike.[/i][/color]

Or at least, that was what she thought was going to happen. Like lightning the swordsman raised his blade, and with a fluid motion, deflected her strike and followed up by rudely smacking her across the helmet with the hilt of his sword. Saria nearly fell to the dirt, and shook her head, ridding herself of her disoriented state. 

[color=red]“Oh you’re a sly one, aren’t you?” Saria said.[/color] 

She winced as she was reminded of her earlier injuries dealt by that damn ship monster. Her arm was cracked, and she could barely breathe: Many bones inside her torso were fractured as well. 

[color=red][i]I’ll just have to push through it. I’m sure I’ve been through worse before.[/i][/color]

A thick vine erupted from her left, shooting towards her with enough force to crack stone. She deftly dodged it, another stab of pain shooting up her sternum, and sliced the thing down the middle. When it hit the ground, she held it there with her boot, and let her flaming aura do the rest, reducing the vine to ashes. 

Saria rushed towards the bone swordsman again, raining down a series of powerful slashes. One of them caught on his guard, leaving them deadlocked in a brief battle of pure will. She felt the opposing sword draining something from her own blade. Power. Whatever strange power the Red Blade harbored, it was slowly being drained by this warrior’s weapons. 

His fighting style was very defensive as well; he hadn’t initiated an exchange as of yet, and instead focused on minimizing the damage caused by Saria. It was almost as if he was made to fight her. Maybe he was right. Maybe he really was her fated opponent.

Another vine rose from the ground and slammed into her side with crippling force. Then another, and another. Still, Saria refused to fall, nor even flinch. 

[color=red]“Grrrah!”[/color] With a furious burst of rage, newly ignited, Saria overpowered her opponent, forcing him out of the deadlock, and punched him in the face. His head snapped back, and he fell to the ground.

[color=red]“You may be the warrior chosen to end my life, but don’t be mistaken: I will fight until the last breath has left my lungs!”[/color]