Dias blocked the straightforward blow almost automatically - he'd have to be practically asleep to miss such an easy block - but he hadn't counted on the sparks. He couldn't account for their existence, save that Claude's blade (which was clearly a well-crafted weapon in its own right) must be enchanted, but where they came from didn't much matter; where they struck him, they burned, more fiercely than appearances would indicate, and forced him to turn his face away somewhat to protect his eyes.
To allow Claude to do damage, however minimal, even if his opponent blocked the blade itself...whoever had made Claude's sword had possessed, Dias was forced to admit, a wickedly strategic mind.
Their blades locked together, Dias used his greater strength - no matter how much progress Claude had made as a fighter, he was still smaller and lighter - to shove the blond backwards, giving himself a few feet of space and a few moments to think. He'd hoped that some alternative to fighting to the finish might occur to him during combat, or that perhaps the night would end, but it had been some time now(including the time they'd spent chasing Sync before arriving in the arena); if dawn had been able to spare them an inevitable conclusion, he suspected, it already would have. And no alternatives had made themselves known, either...and, even if there were some, he couldn't help wondering if they could possibly get away with any of them with the head doctor personally overseeing the action.
Claude was an optimist, almost frustratingly so; that meant he would never accept that one of them had to kill the other, no matter what evidence he was given. That, rather appropriately, left Dias - the realist - to confront the harsh reality, and make the choice that Claude could never make.
Celes, Claude, or himself?
Guy was technically an option, but only in theory; his fate was Claude's to decide through his actions, and Dias couldn't force Claude to fight or stand down, one way or the other. But if he himself stopped fighting, he'd kill Celes(and, come to that, probably Guy as well; he couldn't believe Claude would be able to bring himself to continue attacking if Dias stopped fighting back, even for Guy's sake). He could also try to kill Claude...although, if he was entirely honest with himself - and it stung - he was currently losing. If they continued fighting exactly the way they were at the moment, it looked as though Claude would win fair and square. Dias could try to play it off as his not having had much practice recently fighting a fellow swordsman, but he knew that would simply be an excuse; the fact was, Claude really had come so far that the younger man had surpassed him.
His pride hated to acknowledge it, but there was something deeper than that which burned with what might have been satisfaction, even excitement; as a challenge and a rival, Claude had gone beyond everything Dias had believed, and hoped, he could achieve, and he wanted nothing more than to push himself harder in response to match Claude's new strength.
But, he realized, he wasn't going to get that chance. The choice of who lived and who died (if it could really be called a choice) was his, and there was only one life out of the three of them whom he could possibly make that choice for. And if he was to be the one to die...Claude would never forgive himself, not if he killed Dias in the course of a fight. And Dias knew too much about living with guilt to sentence Claude to that too readily.
Well, he'd forced decisions on Claude and Guy before; let them blame him for this one, too.
Gripping his sword, Dias charged forward again in silence, the next few seconds playing themselves out in his head already as he worked out how he'd play it.
Re: Coliseum Floor - South
To allow Claude to do damage, however minimal, even if his opponent blocked the blade itself...whoever had made Claude's sword had possessed, Dias was forced to admit, a wickedly strategic mind.
Their blades locked together, Dias used his greater strength - no matter how much progress Claude had made as a fighter, he was still smaller and lighter - to shove the blond backwards, giving himself a few feet of space and a few moments to think. He'd hoped that some alternative to fighting to the finish might occur to him during combat, or that perhaps the night would end, but it had been some time now(including the time they'd spent chasing Sync before arriving in the arena); if dawn had been able to spare them an inevitable conclusion, he suspected, it already would have. And no alternatives had made themselves known, either...and, even if there were some, he couldn't help wondering if they could possibly get away with any of them with the head doctor personally overseeing the action.
Claude was an optimist, almost frustratingly so; that meant he would never accept that one of them had to kill the other, no matter what evidence he was given. That, rather appropriately, left Dias - the realist - to confront the harsh reality, and make the choice that Claude could never make.
Celes, Claude, or himself?
Guy was technically an option, but only in theory; his fate was Claude's to decide through his actions, and Dias couldn't force Claude to fight or stand down, one way or the other. But if he himself stopped fighting, he'd kill Celes(and, come to that, probably Guy as well; he couldn't believe Claude would be able to bring himself to continue attacking if Dias stopped fighting back, even for Guy's sake). He could also try to kill Claude...although, if he was entirely honest with himself - and it stung - he was currently losing. If they continued fighting exactly the way they were at the moment, it looked as though Claude would win fair and square. Dias could try to play it off as his not having had much practice recently fighting a fellow swordsman, but he knew that would simply be an excuse; the fact was, Claude really had come so far that the younger man had surpassed him.
His pride hated to acknowledge it, but there was something deeper than that which burned with what might have been satisfaction, even excitement; as a challenge and a rival, Claude had gone beyond everything Dias had believed, and hoped, he could achieve, and he wanted nothing more than to push himself harder in response to match Claude's new strength.
But, he realized, he wasn't going to get that chance. The choice of who lived and who died (if it could really be called a choice) was his, and there was only one life out of the three of them whom he could possibly make that choice for. And if he was to be the one to die...Claude would never forgive himself, not if he killed Dias in the course of a fight. And Dias knew too much about living with guilt to sentence Claude to that too readily.
Well, he'd forced decisions on Claude and Guy before; let them blame him for this one, too.
Gripping his sword, Dias charged forward again in silence, the next few seconds playing themselves out in his head already as he worked out how he'd play it.