The university campus held many sights, including a few stalls of medieval and fantasy food set up just outside the cafeteria. Of course, pns were made to return here for a sizable snack after the upcoming show.

  After many more pleasantries were exchanged with a variety of acquaintances, Kate and Apollyon finally managed to make their way back to the main stage and quickly change into their training gear. While it wasn’t anything special for the demons, the leather armour still looked more like it came from a fantasy story than anything real.

  Once the two demons had entered the stage and the appuse died down, Kate stepped towards the front and projected her voice across the pza.

  “Welcome everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful festival already, just as we're having. Thank you for coming here to watch us having a bit of fun up here. I am Kate Crowley, head librarian and member of the local HEMA club. This was supposed to be their show but sadly Alisha, who was supposed to run it, is currently injured. So, we jumped in. Everything we are about to do here is improvisation between two highly trained professionals. Both Pauline Taharos, who will be my opponent up here, and I are not trained stunt actors, we are trained in military swordsmanship as practiced by the organization running the library. Do not attempt anything we do up here ever. If you want to get a taste for sword fighting, you can head over to the fencing hall after the show and participate in their workshops to try things for yourself. If you want to ask us any questions, we will be at the library about an hour after the show. Alright, let’s get started then.”

  Kate drew her flyssa and readied herself.

  Apollyon drew her sword too and took a few swift steps forward, striking at Kate the instant she got into range.

  Dodge, counterattack.

  Parried. Apollyon returned a high swing, allowing Kate to duck underneath and get away from the edge of the stage. The old devil quickly turned around to block her apprentice’s attempt to ssh at her lower back. She shoved Kate back as their bdes met to give herself the same room she had just given her opponent.

  “You’re scking.” Kate decided to taunt before continuing with a rapid series of attacks.

  “It would be rather boring if I won too quickly.” Apollyon defended herself with ease, allowing Kate to finish her unsuccessful attacks before returning the favour, narrowly missing the young Nightmare’s neck.

  “Wow.”

  “You didn’t like it when I was holding back.” That was accompanied by a sly grin and another ssh towards Kate’s upper half.

  “This is much more fun.” Kate leaned back to dodge.

  “We have thirty minutes to fill.” Another swing, driving Kate back another step.

  “Are you doubting my ability to keep up?” The Nightmare decided to try to get on the offensive again, drawing her second bde into a surprise strike.

  Apollyon parried with ease. “On this limited stage? I do.”

  She was right, Kate’s usual style needed more room than the stage offered. After two more dodges, Kate caught a glimpse of something that could give her what she needed. The canopy above the stage was held up by steel beams. A little application of demonic parkour skills and some creativity could give her the room to properly apply her best offensive tool, her agility.

  The next dodge backwards went a step further than needed and up against the right steel beam, kicking herself up from it and over Apollyon, who quickly turned around to continue her assault.

  Kate, first the time since she got away from the edge, managed to return to the offensive. While she didn’t get to perform any stunts like her jump again, she had taken control from her opponent. “Still doubting?”

  Apollyon smiled. “Not anymore.” The devil’s style was precise and calcuted. Every strike had a purpose and just enough force behind it to enact that purpose.

  Kate had taken those techniques and combined them with her own observations of what others had used against her mentor. War employed fast and wide swings, controlling as much area as possible. Beleth used the same precision as her successor but opted for speed instead of strength. Azazel used her twelve telekinetically controlled bdes to beat her opponents with overwhelming force and speed.

  All of them had something to teach Kate, something to take a piece from and add to her own style. Apollyon’s intentionality, War’s reach, Beleth’s and Azazel’s speed and a touch of magically assisted movement came together into a flowing dance that could easily be supplemented with magical attacks, like the ones she had used against Apollyon in their first and only antagonistic confrontation atop the spires of Niflhel. She had stood no chance against the full might of the former General of Hell’s armies. Today though, today the stakes were non-existent and the mood was far lighter. Today she could snatch a win.

  And so, the two demons danced. Apollyon taking calcuted strikes against Kate, who zipped around the stage with easy and poise but never managing to outmanoeuvre her mentor.

  Not just strikes were exchanged though. Banter and verbal jabs flew between them until Apollyon smmed Kate’s right-hand bde away from its master, sending it cttering against the back wall of the stage. Kate lunged after it to avoid any attacks and quickly retrieve it, but the old devil stopped her with a quick grab of the colr. The following kiss left Kate stunned, allowing Apollyon to gently tap her bde against her opponent’s leather-cd chest.

  “Boop, I win.”

  “Wha-… that’s cheating!”

  “Perhaps.” She pointed to the clock on the church tower far behind the crowd. Kate’s eyes followed that gesture.

  “Right.” The young librarian quickly went to grab her lost bde and sheathed them both. “Alright folks, it seems we are out of time. We don’t want to keep the band who’ll be pying here in fifteen minutes from setting up. I hope you enjoyed our little demonstration and have been inspired to have a little look at the fun over at the fencing hall. If you want to talk to us directly, we will be over at the library in an hour, open to your questions and maybe a small demonstration or two. Before we go, I will have to repeat that we are trained professionals, no matter how awesome you think our little show was, do not repeat anything you saw. Don’t do this at home, you will injure yourself. Alright then. Thank you all for coming and have a wonderful rest of the weekend!”

  Kate and Apollyon bowed and enjoyed the cheers and appuse. Gncing over the crowd, the number of known faces was amazing and reassuring. Kate’s parents, Lizzy, Evelyn, Adelina, Monica, Laura, pretty much all of Kate’s friends had made it here, besides those busy at the library. Even Sariel, Azazel and a few other demons had decided to come by, keeping to the back of the crowd. Henry too couldn’t resist watching the show, keeping himself nearly out of sight but still cheering. One young man did actually surprise Kate. Dorian Ste, a former friend, was standing near the back and appuding. Kate didn’t dare reach out to his mind, but there was a spark of hope. They hadn’t talked in years but had parted amicably. Maybe they could reconnect over this.

  That hope should wait for ter. If he wanted to talk to Kate, he would have ample time today. For now, the two demons made their way off the stage with pns to return to the university for some interesting snacks.