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The world revolved around her, and she fell onto her back uttering an audible sound of disgruntled frustrated and disdain.

All about her, the clanging of blades became a constant dulled clunk, and her perception of the world changed into an ever shifting mess of colors and fades.

Bodily senses betrayed the young woman in her spill. How long had it been since she had a proper rest to recuperate? It wasn't worth thinking about, any distractions lessened her resolve and her motivations. Her ears felt as if pins and needles were running along their curves, and her chest felt aflame with burning weariness. Yet she would not keel over and pass out, effectively expressing surrender. She would gnaw her way in, fang and claw, into the Raven Knights.

Yet despite her hearing briefly failing, there was something that was as clear as day.

"Hm." She managed to catch, it was a deep voice originating across from her.

Despite her body attempting to resign itself to defeat, the young woman willed herself back onto her feet, retrieving the two handed sword by her side that had become painted with dry dirt and specks of sweat.

Before her stood an adjudicator, the final barrier to entry.

While other squires littered the field with their chosen straight swords, twin knives, shields, and spears of the sort, Honey had chosen a weapon that was about her size in length. For an ewe, the lass was very fortuitous for her build. But not all of her muscle was a miracle of genetics. She had spent the better half of her life in poor county, using all of her free time to strengthen her form and finesse for this very day.

Honey had always wielded weapons of absurd size, and while she actually could care less whether it be a sword, spear, or axe, she chose a blade for this day.

'Mayhaps the decision leads to a result most fortunate', she thought.

But her wishful thinking was unfounded, as due to her strict training regime, she had found herself weary before the battle even began.

The knight who stood before her was more than veteran, awash with years of experience and cold with eyes of resolve. They had given way to her rise, and now that she had recovered her balance, all that they were waiting for was her stance. In a normal duel, most weren't handed the luxury, and at that point Honey assumed she had failed the exam.

Yet even while burdened with these thoughts, the sheep brandished her sword. She lifted the steel and stepped forward with a stomp.

"RAAAAAHHHH!!"

She bellowed, swinging her arms in an erupting explosion of valor. The blade obeyed, sweeping through the air in a sudden silver streak towards it's target. Yet all it could have been was horizontal, and the knight before her safely parried the absurdly sized blade while briefly retreating. Then stepping forward with a lunge, the judge thrust their blade inward, towards Honey's center.

Almost on instinct she forced herself to perform a quick backpedal, yanking the handle of her blade and flipping it up in front of herself as quick as she could manage. The exact tip of the knight's sword met the bridged center of hers, a successful block in spite of her shaky recovery.

Her eyes were bulging, and her panting heavy. There was that taste in the back of her mouth, that almost was like blood. Her breathing was labored, and yet she would continue despite her ill condition. She had to pass and become a knight. She simply had to.

"Kuh!" She growled out, eyes burning with life.

Using her weight she lurched forward and shoved aside the knight's blade, attempting another heated swing at her judge. This time she grit her teeth, expression as wild as a lion, and swung at their arm. This time the knight moved in a way she could not perceive, looking to fall back but to immediately catch themselves and thrust their metal forward, the edge kissing along the side of her cheek and leaving a line of crimson drip on her face. It was quite shallow, and would not scar, but the act drove out something wild inside of her.

With another guttural battlecry she leap forth, senselessly knocking the knight's blade away with her given gauntlet, then bringing down her atlas steel with a foolhardy blow only to miss as her target side-steps her swing with seemingly relative ease. Right before the blade dug into the ground, Honey grit her teeth and commanded her muscles with what little strength was left to change directions of the swing, lifting it up into a diagonal swing skyward towards the knight.

One of which they backstep once more.

Clearly agitated, she steps forward as she's lost her composure. This time she does not ground herself when she swings, the large blade whistling through the air as it's once again sent towards her target in a horizontal slash. This time the knight blocks the tip of her blade as they retreat, Honey panting once more as now they stand at a bit of a distance from her in the sectioned arena.

'They are fast', She thought. 'Perhaps too fast. I mustn't lose myself, perchance a striking moment be my sanctuary. Within the last droplets of mine own strength... I will try once more.'

Honey lowered her blade along with an exhale as she dragged it along the ground, the tip of the blade far behind her and resting on the dirt. Her hilt and handle were in her grasp, both of her hands gripping it. Her dominant hand on the handle, and her other on the hilt. She bent knees and leant forward into a bizarre stance. Far from the norm, and hardly practical, she glared over to the knight.

She was ready.

At this sight the knight almost dashed forth, returning to close proximity with a quickened step, followed by a jab forward with their blade. She quickly moved to the side, bringing up the hilt and handle to redirect his blade aside. The knight had paused when her lunacy had worked without her fingers becoming sliced off, almost as if this was practiced. She stayed low, this time waiting for her judge to make the first move.

It was sudden, but their second thrust was ridiculously swift. Honey's eyes widened, her ear getting everso slightly nicked as she barely manages to dodge the blow. The sheep seemed more agile, and against the next flurry of jabs, Honey ducks and redirects more accurately and more concisely. It was almost another fight entirely, as the ewe was no longer roaring or making battlecries. She was focused, composed, but at the same time her movements wouldn't manage to maintain the amount of agility and clarity she had managed to find.

Her breathing had finally changed from labored to simply heavy, weighted. Her vision would betray her at some moments. The cuts and bruises she had received stung, but at the same time the rest of her body was slowly going numb. Honey was losing time, and if she did not find her opportunity, she would either simply lose, or die due to her own negligence.

But it seemed that it was not all for naught, as the knight swung forward at just the right angle. She feigned to dodge, only to summon all that was last in her body and arc the entirety of her sword as she went to redirect. She howled one final roar as she swung along the ground, her hilt and handle dragging the other's sword along with it, until they were disarmed and their blade sent clattering aside.

She booted them while they attempted to retreat and recovered, and her scream peaked as she swung her sword overhead, before bringing it down on top of the knight.

.

.

.

Clang.
The knight had revealed a short sword that had hidden, blocking the blow of Honey's blade. Though it had been chipped due to the finality of her blow, the sheep had no strength left to stop them from knocking the giant blade from their hands.

"Checkmate." The knight spoke with a slight pant, pointing the tip of their blade to Honey's face.

The sheep's vision was almost blurry at this point, but she could definitely comprehend what had just happened. Second by second, her body began to crumble, as so did her heart. She fell to her knees, arms slung by her sides, completely limp. The other swords slowly became clunks again, and her breathing slowly became all that she could hear aside her own heartbeat. All she could see in front of her, was the pointed blade and the victorious knight whom of which had been her judge in this venture.

'Blazes.' She mentally cursed. 'Infernal blazes. It was all I had. Not even my will can best them?'

She was beyond lethargic. It was a wonder she was still conscious. Though as the individual withdrew their blade and sheathed it. The knight removed their helm, revealing they were a woman as well.

"Despair not, child." She proclaimed. "Welcome, to the Raven Knights."

The world stood still, and Honey's eyes widened. The woman turned away from her, retrieving the other sword she had been using before leaving.

And with that, Honey collapsed with a smile.
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