A crowd had formed, which was to be expected given the circumstances.
Shae Vestii, still an understudy in the academy of battle, had just been challenged to a
duel by Sormme Dernst, a veteran in the war known far and wide for his prowess and
accomplishments in battle.
"Very well,"  She agreed, a wicked sparkle in her eye, "but since your interest
is purely physical, so shall be the duel.  Can we agree to no outward magic?"  By this,
she had evened the odds for herself more tham the veteran could understand, as it
wasn't so much she was unskilled with outward magic, but for an elf, she had almost no
ability to use it whatsoever.  This inability to use magic was well-known among her
classmates, but such information would not have been considered important enough to
spread outside those who already knew much of her.  "Also, should I win, what shall be
my reward?"
Sormme chuckled at her latter remark, though decided to answer in order. "It
is agreed that no outward magic shall be used, and since neither of us wear a mage's
tunic, I hardly think that tidbit holds much of a difference.  As for if you win, I wouldn't be
so much concerned with that."  He retorted with a smug smile, already invisioning how
he expected the rest of the day to go.
Shae's eyes narrowed, and everybody in the crowd who studied with her
could not help but divert their eyes for a second.  Sormme expected an easy victory, but
they knew Shae was something fiercer than he expected, both in skill and in the fortitude
to continue on through dire circumstances.  In fact, after her first few weeks at the
academy, only certified mages had ever bested her in a duel, to include their instructors,
and had to render her unconscious to achieve victory, for she did not know what it was to
forfeit.
"Humor me." she nearly hissed, "I am putting forth my body for a night of
copulation, and possibly subjecting myself to maternal responsibilities rather than
finishing my training and joining the war.  Surely you have something of nearly equal
value to wager."
He eyed her, a hint of distaste in his expression. "So be it.  If you manage a
victory, I will submit a referral upon your graduation to assign you to whichever command
you wish to go, as well as outfit you in battle dress equivalent to what I would wear to
battle, made by some of our finest blacksmiths and enchanters."
Shae considered it, quickly deciding that his offer was acceptable.  She had
far more to gain than lose now, and defeating him would only cost him a some pride, but
a small enough amount so that she would not make an enemy of him. She nodded her
consent, immediately turning to grab a sheathed, dulled sword and dagger. She
attached the sword to her waist, and the dagger to her outer thigh, noting that Sormme
opted to only use a dulled sword.
They stood approximately fifty feet from one another, the crowd encircling
them at a distance, making an almost perfect circle around seventy-five feet in diameter.
 Shae began the bow first, being the junior by far, though never took her eyes off of her
opponent.  She watched for him to begin to rise, for the moment he did the duel would
have officially begun.  Muscles tensed, she noted the first movement upwards from him
and sprung forward into a sprint.  It had little to do with surprise factor, even if he was
taking her lightly, she doubted highly he would not be on guard by the time she reached
him, even with her speed.  However, she figured her confidence would lead him to think
her foolish and unprepared for his level of opponent, and she had every intention to show
him exactly what he was looking for.
She favored ever so slightly to his left, for he was holding his sword in his right
hand, and she saw her idea had worked.  He was bracing to defend from his left as she
closed within ten feet, so as she veered suddenly to his right side, planted harshly and
struck at him, he was forced to defend off-balance, and put him on a defensive as she
did not hesitate to strike again and again, trying her best to prevent any possibility he'd
have to counter or attack, though never discounting the possibility and watching for it, for
she respected the experience he had over her.
Several blows were narrowly dodged or parried before he was able to
achieve a good footing.  As he did, she had to switch into a balanced style rather than a
pure offensive, and they danced around one another in a flurry of attacks, parries, side-
steps, and counter-attacks that many of those observing could hardly keep up with. She
slid to the side of what seemed to be a risky thrust, moving to take the advantage by
sliding around to his rear, when she felt his hand grasping her arm.  She immediately
glanced towards his sword to see he had flipped it in his hand and had it pointing
towards her again.  He went to stab at her again, forcing her to propel herself airborne,
twisting to move her body over the sword while still constrained by his grip.  She herself
avoided any contact, but the process had loosened her grip enough that when their
swords met as she was still airborne, hers was knocked free, and kicked several yards
away as it hit the ground.
Shae quickly hit his wrist harshly to free herself.  Nevertheless, without a
weapon in-hand, she was unequivocally on the defensive, forced to side-step and
backpedal to avoid his attacks.  Finally, she was able to reach her dagger, side stepping
once more before committing to a swipe at Sormme's stomach.  He spun away from it,
raising his sword to bring it down towards her.  During the brief moment his back was to
her during his spin, he failed to noticed the fact she had also continued her swipe into a
spin, and had unclipped her sheath from her waist.  As her spin brought him in front of
her, she swung her sheath upwards into his face.  He reeled backwards in pain, and was
caught again off-balance as she propelled herself into him and tackled him to the
ground.
Landing several feet from where he was knocked of his feet, with Shae
landing with her elbows in his solar plexis, Sormme was too winded to grab for her
quickly enough.  She pressed herself firmly against him to avoid his first attempt to grab
her, then wrapped her arm around the back of his neck, the dagger pressed firmly on his
throat.  Even if he wasn't winded, any attempt to move her arm or his neck would slice it
open, were the blade sharpened.  They lay there for a few more seconds before
Sormme sighed aloud.
"I concede."  He voiced humbly, Shae removing the dagger from his neck.
For the first time, he found himself looking directly into her eyes, astonished.   He
wondered how he hadn't noticed it before the duel, for they were the most intense eyes
he'd ever seen.  Even as she relaxed, they remained fierce, revealing the fact that her
being was that of a warrior, a realization that distracted him from the fact she had
lingered a moment longer than necessary before getting up, causing a short giggle from
a classmate of hers.
Once up, she offered her hand to assist him getting up, which he accepted
and dusted himself off as he got to his feet.  "Well, it seems I have to make
arrangements to get those battle garments made.  Contact me when you graduate to
ask for that referral, though do understand even with my reputation, there will be no
guarantee."
"Oh, I don't think I'll have to reminded you.  You see, the next exam is only in a
month's time, and I'm quite confident I'll pass.  As for where I'd like to go, just give your
battalion leader the refferal, telling him that the academy's top graduate would like to join
his battalion.  Specifically, under his most notable and experienced captian. "  She
voiced, thinking a little flattery would go a long way, given the circumstances, and the
surprise on his face made her smirk.  "I'm sure you can tell I'm already quite skilled,
many less experienced captains would have little or nothing to truly teach me."
"So you're requesting to train under somebody you've already bested in a
duel?" he inquired cautiously, to which Shae laughed openly.
"Do you believe me so foolish and arrogant to truly think myself better than
you?  I simply took advantage of your lack of knowledge as far as my skill went.
Besides, you are the first person to put me on a defensive without the use of magic.
Now, let's get going."
"Going where?"  He inquired again, lifting an eyebrow.  "You owe me nothing
yet, for I lost the duel."
Blushing was not something that Shae was accustomed to, nor were those
around her used to seeing it.  "Oh, I remember who won."  She quickly explained, "but
without proper measurements, how do you expect to acquire those garments.  I'd like
them waiting for me when I report to the battlefront, afterall."  She finished, the blush
once again gone, and her expression once again intense.  Without a word, he nodded,
and followed suit.