The boy had at least some fight in him- even though Tekla caught him off guard with her ability, he still kept his focus and threw out a quick counterattack with his left. Splendid!

It was a simple move, but an effective one: Tekla’s forward momentum made it impossible for her to move back in time, her left arm was already committed to an attack, and if she defended with her right, she risked letting his sword arm loose. Worse, her weapon-conjuring ability couldn’t be used for a few seconds after each summoning, and she’d spent it to make her armor and get in close. Simple attack or no, she had few options to work with.

However, Tekla wasn’t going to be stopped by one little palm thrust.

As the boy’s arm lashed out, she ducked her head in response, tucking her chin tight. She couldn’t avoid the strike entirely- Tekla wasn’t [i]that[/i] fast -but she could keep it from hitting where he wanted.

A hard [i]smack[/i] resounded from the impact. Rather than crushing the soft cartilage of her nose, the boy's palm slammed against her hard forehead, knocking her head back. It was still a painful blow, one that jarred her brain and made her vision swim, but her skull bore the brunt of it, and she’d been ready. Her thoughts were dazed, dizzy, she grunted in pain- but she had him.

She [i]had[/i] him.

The boy could hit harder than one would have thought for his size, but she still held his right wrist tight, and her left hand now smashed into his throat, and the momentum of Tekla’s bulrush carried them on, her sheer weight and speed pushing him off his feet and towards the ground.

At the same time, her fingers closed around his neck.

The blow to the throat wouldn’t hit quite so hard as Alexander expected, especially given his opponent’s size. Tekla hadn’t simply been seeking to hurt him, however. Rather than hit with a closed fist or jabbing fingers, the blow landed as an open hand, delivering a relatively light impact- until Tekla gripped hard, wrapping her long fingers around the side and back of his neck to keep hold whilst her thumb pressed in, crushing his windpipe and cutting off his breath. With her weight, momentum, and a solid hold on him, she’d slam him painfully to the ground, strangling him with her left hand, her left arm now fully extended.

This last was important. Not only had her attack given her the hold she could use to choke and likely pin him down, it also let her keep him at a set distance. She was taller than him, her reach longer. Her face might have been open, but with her now holding her opponent at arm’s length by the neck, he effectively wouldn’t be able to reach her head with any follow-up strikes. He might be able to get a body shot in, but she still had armor there. In short: his left arm couldn’t reach her, his right arm was still caught, and he was very likely pinned and unable to breathe.

Tekla glared down at him, teeth bared in a ferocious expression, leaving no doubt at all that she would strangle him until he lost consciousness if need be.

“Yield. Drop the sword.”