The gentleman captain of the Emas, Rentap, with his powerful defense. He's a shield that can tank hard and hit hard, that's how Sas describes him. As for Tuah, he's an ancient warrior who helps my ancestor Aru in her quest to defeat the Devil King. They are both powerful. Mana-wise, it's clear that Tuah has the upper hand, but that's about it. Skill, command, and even strategy in a fight will affect the entire outcome of a battle.
On the sidelines, I asked if both combatants were ready, and both are. The dwarves and the researcher pick up their notepads, ready to take notes on this fight. The soldier golem is also cheering them on. This is just a friendly spar to see what can be done to improve Tuah, the golems, and the weapons they get from the mimic.
"On my count, may the spar bring the best to both. 3, 2, 1, let's go, go, go!" [Diana]
In one leap, Tuah closes the gap and makes a slash attack at Rentap, with equally impressive reaction time, Rentap. deflect it with his new shield.
The two sides exchange blows. Tuah will attack Rentap aggressively, and Rentap will counter with his shield. It's a sword and shield exchange.
"They're really good" [Princess Siti].
"But they're still getting used to their sword and shield" [Teliara].
"It's subtle, but they're getting used to it slowly" [JOATMON].
"Really?" [Princess Siti]
"They are. You may not appreciate it much because you rely more on spells. For us, they show some subtle differences. For example, Tuah has been putting a lot more energy into his slash, probably because the sword he gets is much heavier, resulting in a sloppy slash. Rentap as well, his timing for countering is slow" [Dana].
"I don't really see it though" [Princess Siti]
"Me neither" [Tiara]
"They're warriors and we're more of a mage, so it makes sense that we couldn't appreciate it much" [Merlin].
"But it looks like you can" [Diana].
"Come with the experience of a long life" [Merlin].
Since they are both highly skilled warriors, I couldn't really make a difference. Maybe if they were my schoolmates I could, but this just shows that they're reliable allies to have. Dana, Teliara, and JOATMON are also good because they can tell. The dwarves and the explorer are also writing down Dana's comment. In their words, it's an insight from someone in the Vars family.
Exchange after exchange, it looks like Rentap is starting to breathe heavily. It's a limit for a human body, but he tightens his grip and starts exchanging even more fierce blows. With each blow, the ground shook. His earth-soaked blow, like being crushed by a huge boulder hurled at you at high speed, is hard to take, even for someone like Tuah.
Tuah's slash and skill, on the other hand, is that of a seasoned veteran. He has seen many battles, probably more than Rentap. His slash, while seemingly random, is calculated, as pointed out again by Dana, Teliara, and JOATMON. If it were your average soldier and adventurer, they wouldn't even survive a single slash from him.
"I guess even we, as well as Arthur, Aya, and Nar, will have trouble sparring with them" [Teliara].
"That is indeed true" [JOATMON].
"But Nar will definitely win! He's the strongest!" [Diana]
"He is. I call him and Sas the strongest heroes of this age after all" [Merlin].
"And you say I will surpass them, it feels like it will be a long journey though" [Diana].
It's difficult, but I'm sure I can do it one day.
"Looks like it will end with this single exchange" [JOATMON].
"Both charging at each other!" [Dana]
"This is exciting. I wonder who will win" [Teliara]
"Meow" [Fie]
"Go both of you! Make me proud!" [Princess Siti]
"Yes!" [Rentap, Tuah]
With a powerful thrust, with an aura like the earth itself, a thrust that made Rentap grind his teeth. He tried to block with all his might. Rentap, like a great mountain, slowly chipping away, rock by rock, boulder by boulder. Still a mountain when he manages to resist and is about to deliver a powerful blow through the side.
"Take this!" [Rentap]
"I won't let you!" [Tuah]
Both warriors let go of their weapons and begin to strike at each other. This makes the soldier golem cheer even more.
"This is..." [Princess Siti]
"Go! The first one to kneel will lose!" [Diana]
"That's a good rule" [Dana]
"That defeats the purpose of sparring" [Tiara]
"Who cares, just watch them go!" [Dana]
"Is that..."
"Sir Rentap!"
"What's he doing with the Ghastly Knight?"
"They're sparring and now..." [Princess Siti]
"Your Highness!? I'm sorry for my rudeness!"
Slowly, the soldier and the knight of Emas come in to cheer their captain, while the two contestants seem to be unaware of what just happened. They exchange simple blow after blow until
"They both slipped..." [Princess Siti]
"It's a draw!" [Diana]
"Hard to say... They both slipped accidentally" [Dana]
"But we get some valuable data from this fight"
"And thank you for your insights as well. I'm sure we'll brainstorm on how to improve the knight and soldier golems."
Seeing this, Princess Siti congratulated them. She even made a remark to make sure that both the warrior of the past and the present work together. It might take a long time, but I'm sure they can do just that.
"Time to go to the sweet store!" [Diana].
"I almost forgot this" [Dana]
"Meow" [Fie]
"Right! Let's go, go, go!" [Diana]