CLANG!

  "MOTHER FU-" CRACK

  You see, the thing about fighting without armor, it means you have to be careful. One cut can disable a limb. One thrust, and your life could end in an instant.

  But, when armored in thick, hardened steel, only dedicated effort in vulnerable places, like the arm joints, leg joints, throat, and arm pits were threatening.

  When you had no armor piercing weapons, and all you had was a sword, well-

  I leaned back, dodging a jab at my face, and whipped my head into the smaller woman's faceplate. She reeled back, and I hooked her with a fist to the head, adding insult to injury.

  She returned my strike with a sword to the visor, but with a slight head movement, the angle was off, and it deflected. I fought through the ringing, and went for a grapple.

  Mom was putting up a grand fight. I was bigger, stronger, and had better armor, but she was still giving me a run for my money. Instant of brigandine, she had a brigandine chestplate, with a full suit of chain and gambeson. Her helmet wasn't enclosed, either, she preferred a Sallet plus bevor combo. It made her head a particularly weak spot, along with the arms, but compared to me, she was far more maneuverable, and she was using that fact to great effect by trying to slip her blade into my joints and body.

  We had a priest on stand-by, so we were going full out, sans kill shots. My Messer flicked out, and succeeded in baiting a parry. I then grabbed her blade and yanked hard. She lost balance for a fraction of a second, and I dropped my relatively useless sword that I had been using as a club. Instead, I lunged forward, and headbutted her again.

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  I then grabbed the back of her head and looped my arm around her neck, pulling her to me. She dropped her sword, going for her dagger, and we began to twist and coil around each other. We were vying for any grip we could claw at, any bit of leverage we could enforce. It was getting desperate.

  I dropped her sword, clamping my hand around hers on her dagger, while letting her go with my other hand. Another headbutt, followed by a slammed fist stunned her for a second. She punched me in the ribs, but I ignored it.

  Her punches came again and again, and I went for my Rondel dagger. She tried to grabbed it before I could, but I batted her hand away and drew it.

  She grabbed my arm with her free hand, trying desperately to stop me from stabbing her. Slowly, I pushed down, straining to put my full weight behind my thrust. Her arms shook, and I heard her breath come rapidly in the relative silence. I hissed in rage, and pushed harder.

  I let go of her hand on the knife, and punched her in the arm, before leaning on her knife wielding arm. I could hear her knife scrape on my plates, but it was far too late. Her arm buckled, and I lunged forward, striking her arm pit.

  For a second, the chain stopped it, but I slammed my body into the knife, and I heard mom hiss in pain. She went limp, and I uncoiled from her.

  "Priessst, attend pleasssse." I call out. A human in robes, wearing the symbol of the unified church, and a smaller symbol denoting his individual faith, Mars, I believe, came running.

  "A good fight, my lady's, an excellent showing. Now, let me see... Ah, yes. Knife through the muscle, scraped along the bone... and well I to the lung. Not to mention the concussion.. Clean wound, all things considered. Here, let me..." He pulled on the knife, and it came out with the sound of metal on metal.

  "Worry not, you'll be fine in a day or two. Nothing truly serious was damaged." He said.

  Mom took off her helmet, and removed her Bevor. She looked exhausted, in pain, and inconceivably proud all at the same time. "Well fought, daughter. Well fought indeed." She said. I just nod, and grab some water from a waiting servant.

  "I told you mother, there is a reason I love my armor." I say, smiling. I put up the faceplate, and swisher som water in my mouth. I spit it out, and it was bitter and bloody from poison and blood. I took off my helmet properly, and sat back to relax.

  I took a drink properly, and opened my mouth wide, adjusting my fangs. Damn head shots had me biting myself. Thank God I'm immune to my own venom.

  Tomorrow, it would be lighter lessons on sordwork and movement, but I couldn't complain. This fight had single handedly brought up my spirits from the constant... not losses, but definitely her proving that I had a ways to go. While was a worse swords woman by far, in grappling, strength and weight mattered. And I was pretty good at it, so that helped. But I digress.

  As today proved, when all else failed, it was good to get in close and do the bludgeoning personally, followed by a knife to the throat.