Rising Gales

Amarena made swift strikes, batting back Halie's staff strikes that came through portals all around her.

She was at the point in her training that she'd learned to minimize her movements, dodging by the narrowest of margins as she used her maven speed in tiny bursts.

"Wrong," Halie said, without elaboration.

"Huh?" A moment later Amarena was smacked from behind the head. Halie had put her staff through a portal and then immediately into another portal so that it wound up behind Amarena.

"Be faster."

"Grr-agh! I am!" Rena's wrathful response was met with a smack on the shins.

"You play with your power like you're shooting arrows. Be the arrow."

"I... do not... play!" With a larger burst of her power, Rena put herself behind Halie, striking out with the dulled practice sword-

Smack!