Ayame’s unarmed stance is a perfect blend of grace and lethal intent. She stands with her feet shoulder-width apart, her body slightly angled to present a smaller target. Her knees are bent just enough to allow for rapid movement, giving her a low, balanced center of gravity.
Her arms are raised in a defensive posture, her hands open but ready to strike. Her left hand is slightly extended in front of her, fingers relaxed and palm facing inward, while her right hand is held closer to her body, ready to deliver a powerful punch. Her fingers are loosely curled, and the new gauntlets gleam in the dim light, promising both protection and deadly force.
Ayame’s posture is dynamic and fluid, every muscle in her body seemingly coiled like a spring, ready to explode into motion at any moment. Her head is held high, her eyes locked onto her opponent with an intensity that is both unnerving and mesmerizing. Her breathing is steady, controlled, the rise and fall of her chest the only indication of her readiness to attack at any moment’s notice.
She moves with fluid precision, her fists and feet becoming a whirlwind of motion. Each punch and kick carries enormous strength, further boosted by her newly acquired gauntlets.
Grunt swings his warhammer with all his overwhelming might, but Ayame gracefully dances around him, narrowly dodging the deadly blows. Her movements are a blur of acrobatic brilliance, as she flips, spins, and rolls to evade his strikes. Each time she dodges, she delivers a powerful punch or kick to Grunt’s exposed joints and weak spots.
Despite her agility, the fight is a battle of wills. Grunt is a real tank, his heavy armor absorbing much of the impact from Ayame’s blows. After all, Ayame is not a Monk or a Brawler, her punches are not supported by her Samurai class. Instead of overwhelming strength she relies on repetitive strikes to slowly dwindle down her bulky opponent’s defenses and energy.
Grunt grunts with great effort, encroaching exhaustion evident in his panting voice. Each hit from Ayame slowly accumulates damage, wearing him down, making him slower and less coordinated.
Ayame’s strikes are relentless, but they lack the quick, decisive damage of a proper weapon. She needs to dance with death numerous times, barely dodging Grunt’s warhammer as it swings perilously close. Her precision and timing are impeccable, each movement calculated to exploit the slightest opening in Grunt’s defense.
Grunt’s warhammer swings in a wide arc, and Ayame ducks under it, delivering a crushing blow to his knee. He staggers, his armor clanking loudly, but he quickly regains his balance and counters with a powerful downward strike. Ayame somersaults backward, her feet barely touching the ground as she avoids the attack and lands a spinning kick to his helmet. He staggers back but remains standing.
For a brief second he places the hammer’s head on the ground and leans on the pommel to support his weight, earning him a brief respite.
Naturally, Ayame doesn’t allow him to relax as she lunges at him and the fight continues in this bloody exchange, Ayame’s high Agility and speed against Grunt’s high Vitality and Strength. Each hit from Ayame chips away at his defenses, his movements becoming more labored and sluggish. She spins and twirls around him, her strikes like the graceful steps of a deadly dance.
Grunt roars in frustration, his warhammer smashing into the ground where Ayame stood a moment before. She uses the momentum of her dodges to deliver a flurry of rapid punches to his torso, her fists striking like a hammer on an anvil. The force of her blows reverberates through his armor, making him grunt in pain.
Despite the damage he’s taken, Grunt’s sheer tenacity keeps him on his feet. He swings his warhammer in a desperate attempt to catch Ayame, but she’s always one step ahead, her movements a seamless blend of offense and defense. Her relentless assault gradually overwhelms him, his strength visibly waning with each passing moment.
Ayame’s final strike is a masterful display of precision and power. She ducks under a wide swing from Grunt, then leaps into the air, her leg snapping out in a powerful kick that connects with his helmet. The impact sends him crashing to the ground, his warhammer slipping from his grasp.
Grunt lies there, gasping for breath, his strength depleted. Ayame lands gracefully, her eyes cold and focused, her fists still clenched and ready. She stands over him, creating the picture of graceful, badass acrobatic warrior-woman.
I capitalize on the moment she’d created and make a mad dash for the war hammer. I manage to lift it from the ground and begin shamelessly pummeling away at the exhausted Grunt. I aim at his torso and head, knowing that blunt damage is the most effective there.
He flails his arms around protectively, trying to stop my flurry of blows, but Ayame mercilessly appears next to us only to kick the hands away.
I pommel him for a good minute before I get a notification.
[You’ve Slain Grunt Williams (Level 15). You’ve Gained 784 XP.]
I raise my body and let his hammer fall to the ground, panting tiredly. This was a serious exercise… Why was he so tanky…? I wonder how long it would’ve taken for Ayame if we switched places. Probably about fifteen seconds. But I really wanted to steal some XP…
“You know, if I was still the heiress of my clan and you were my retainer, you would’ve been executed for stealing my kill like that…” She grumbles under her breath.
“It was absolutely necessary, Ayame. I was beyond worried for your safety. I did it for you.”
She smirks, “of course you did. Thank you, my dashing prince… I was about to be cruelly murdered by the heavy armored man lying on the ground, out of breath and struggling to stand up. Yep.”
“Indeed, I’m glad that we are on the same page.” With the topic of my kill steal clarified, I shamelessly move on.
And would you look at that, 784 XP when Ayame did almost everything. Well, I dealt most of the damage in the end, but she was the one who exhausted him beyond recovery and also the one who forced him onto the ground and to let his weapon go.
Out of curiosity I ask, “how much XP did you get?”
“Hmm? Now’s not the time for this… I got 466. You?”
“784.”
“Damn cheater…”
As I thought, she received a lot more than I did. If we were to apply my 3x multiplier to her, she received almost 1400 XP. What a big, fat XP pack this Grunt guy was… Amazing.
“Ahh! My heroes! Thank you so much! I will sing your praises for years to come!” The piggy speaks up finally, now that the threat has been neutralized.