The tension was thick in the air, like the moment before a storm unleashed its fury. The three cadets standing before Seraphina and Mia exuded confidence—maybe even overconfidence.
Seraphina, however, just smirked. "So, we doing this, or are you going to stand there striking dramatic poses all day?"
The leader of the opposing trio scoffed. "Cocky. Let's see if you can back that up."
He lunged first, but Seraphina had already anticipated the move. She side-stepped gracefully, extending a foot just enough to trip him, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Mia let out a snort. "Oh no. Man down."
The second cadet—a girl with twin blades strapped to her sides—rushed in, her weapons flashing under the dappled sunlight. She aimed straight for Seraphina, but Mia was already moving. She intercepted, twisting her body as she parried the attack with her forearm guard, then swiftly kicked the girl's legs out from under her. The cadet landed hard on her back, breath whooshing out of her lungs.
"Bet you weren't expecting that," Mia quipped, adjusting her glasses smugly.
The third cadet, realizing brute force wasn't working, decided to be clever. He disappeared into the foliage, attempting to circle behind them.
Seraphina sighed. "Mia, left."
Without missing a beat, Mia spun on her heel and ducked, narrowly avoiding a strike from behind. She immediately responded with a sharp jab to the guy's ribs, making him stumble.
The first cadet, having recovered from his unfortunate encounter with the ground, got back to his feet, shaking off dirt. "That was a cheap shot!" he growled, lunging for Seraphina again.
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Please, that was a gift." She caught his wrist mid-air and twisted, flipping him cleanly over her shoulder. He landed with a grunt.
The twin-bladed girl tried again, swinging wildly at Mia. This time, Mia dodged elegantly, twisting in a way that left her looking like she was dancing rather than fighting. "I really admire your persistence," she commented, dodging another strike, "but maybe you should've practiced hitting more."
Seraphina, meanwhile, had the leader pinned with her knee against his chest, grinning down at him. "So," she said lightly, "do we take your badges now, or would you prefer a rematch where you actually last longer than thirty seconds?"
The cadet glared up at her, his pride clearly wounded. But he wasn't stupid. He exhaled sharply and unclipped his badge, tossing it toward her. His teammates begrudgingly followed suit, Mia catching one mid-air with a triumphant grin.
Seraphina stood, dusting herself off. "Pleasure doing business."
Mia adjusted her glasses, smirking. "Maybe next time, bring two cobras. That might even be the playing field."
The defeated cadets trudged off, muttering under their breath, while Seraphina and Mia turned toward each other, their grins matching.
"Well," Seraphina mused, tossing her new badge into the air and catching it, "that was fun."
Mia stretched her arms behind her head. "We should do this more often."
And with that, they disappeared back into the forest, ready for whatever came next.