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A gaggle of curious students had filed into the seats around the small arena, an odd eagerness in the crowd. The chattering created a buzz around the place, something an exasperated Kaira noted as she took her seat in the front. She locked eyes with Michail, who seemed just as excited as the other students, much to her dismay. At the very least should anything go wrong, she was prepared to intervene. Of course, she also hoped Michail would conduct the match appropriately--it wouldn’t do to have an incident happen so early.

Michail watched Valerian enter, grinning at the other blond as he tapped what looked like a long, wooden pole to the ground. Once he was close enough, Michail decided to be the responsible professor he was expected to be. He raised his free hand, the talk along the stands quieting. [color=00aeef]“Just a few things before we start,”[/color] He said cheerfully, holding up a finger. [color=00aeef]“The first one to hit the ground loses. You’re free to come at me with everything you have: your sword, any magic you may know, or whatever else you have up your sleeve.”[/color] He held up a second finger as he spoke.

Slowly lifting the third finger, there was a gleam in his eye as he said, [color=00aeef]“I’ll warn you now, I’m only going to hit you once. If you’re still standing after that, we’ll call it a win.”[/color] 

Valerian’s eyes didn’t share the same gleam Michail had; they seemed already defeated. With what little optimism he had left he put on a fake smile and retorted, [color=#5adac5]“Then I’ll just have to dodge once then Sir Knight.”[/color] Somehow he couldn’t stop from making the situation even worse.

[color=00aeef]“That’ll be the challenge, eh?”[/color] Michail seemed to agree, remaining relaxed as he spun his weapon around him, pointing one end at Valerian. [color=00aeef]“Bring back that gusto from the classroom and come at me with everything you have!”[/color]
 
Those words spurred something inside of Valerian. [color=#5adac5]“You’re going to regret those words sir!”[/color] Valerian playfully let out. Twirling his sword the young lad broke out into a beast-like sprint, only one thing was on his mind landing a blow on the man in front of him. Gripping his sword with both hands Valerian threw all his weight into a downward slash towards Michail. 

Michail’s eyes narrowed as if he noticed something, though by the time Valerian reached him he had straightened up. He shook his head in disapproval as he sidestepped the attack, the top of his pole looping around Valerian’s sword and sliding down the wood, effectively speeding up his descent. With a surprising amount of strength in a small move, he used the boy’s own momentum to toss him away.

Valerian stumbled from the sudden shift of weight, flailing one of his arms while another held straight trying to reestablish some sense of balance. The area around Valerian’s upright hand started to distort, appearing to be a miniature maelstrom. With a smirk and a single word [color=#5adac5]“Gotcha!”[/color] the miniature storm leapt from Valerian’s hand tearing a path towards Michail, while shifting enough of Valerian’s weight to allow him to regain some composure. 

The unexpected spell came at an unfortunate time, hitting Michail square in the shoulder. For all intents and purposes it was a direct hit, sending the knight back as he skidded to a halt. Letting out a low whistle, Michail grinned. [color=00aeef]“Not bad, not bad,”[/color] He complimented Valerian. [color=00aeef]“Thought I had you there, but your reflexes are better than I expected.”[/color]

[color=#5adac5]“Thank you Sir! I have good reflexes, but I lack the training.”[/color] Valerian gave a little bow before moving towards Michail with his blade pointed at him. This was his chance for an offensive to work, letting loose a flurry of slashes towards Michail. High, left, low, right, upwards, downwards, slashes came from Valerian. He was gaining some ground, but something felt off about this. Trusting his instincts Valerian stopped for a split second.

At that point, Michail decided it was time to end the fight. That same gleam in his eye returned, an energy bursting forth as he slammed the pole against Valerian's weapon.

[color=00aeef]“I see that now. Unfortunately, this is where it ends,”[/color] He informed him of his decision with the same cheerfulness as before, swinging the pole over his head. Valerian parried it easily, albeit the time between that and Michail suddenly kicking the back of Valerian’s knee was mere milliseconds. There wasn’t a chance to react before the student suddenly found himself getting thwacked away by a swift kick, sending the poor guy flying and landing on his back.

Michail straightened up, shooting the kid a grin as he rested his elbow on the pole. [color=00aeef]“That’s the game, then!”[/color] He called it at that point. [color=00aeef]“Look at that, it took more than one hit, too. Just a little polish and maybe you’ll make a decent knight someday.”[/color]



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