Altair unsurprisingly no worry or pressure at the prospect of fighting Greta. She was older and larger, but he had already fought bloody battles as Endyr, and had accommodated her experiences into his own. Still, he decided to hold back not be to shocking and also out of fairness for the girl. 'I'll give her a couple of minutes and win with a lot of exertion, that should satisfy everyone.'
Greta swung her short sword a few times to get familiar with it, nodding at Altair to indicate she was ready. He clenched and loosened his grip on his daggers too, quickly figuring out its nicks and composition. When she deemed both contestants were ready, Roland announced the start.
Unlike the previous match, neither Altair nor Greta were in any rush to confront each other. The two children circled cautiously, watching the other for a shift in gravity or posture. Greta wore a serious and concentrated look, while Altair kept his face expressionless. After four loops, Greta suddenly lunged forward, her sword pointed straight ahead in a powerful thrust. Altair ducked in and under it, simultaneously closing the distance and stabbing both daggers towards her chest. Greta managed to kill her momentum before he could connect though, somehow defying her forward momentum. He glanced down to see an earthy brown glow on her foot, and he realized what had happened.
Pulling back to avoid her next swipe, Altair now knew that Greta had an Earth Affinity and had melded her forward foot to the ground, cancelling her inertia. Now that her Affinity was revealed though, Altair would calibrate the new length required to strike flesh. A new strategy in mind, he took the initiative and dashed towards her, dodging to the side s she tried to side-swipe him. When he was right in front of her, he raised his right hand and threw the dagger in it at her face, causing her to flinch and raise her forearm to block it. In response, he curled his free hand into a fist and swung it as hard as he could into her open stomach.
Greta had managed to block the wooden dagger, but the sudden blow to her gut made her bend over and gag. Altair naturally lacked strength in his blow, but Greta was just a child herself and the stomach was a universal weak spot. It was enough to incapacitate her long enough for Altair's second dagger to rest on her neck.
Just as he expected Roland to call the match, he felt a powerful impact on his solar plexus. The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back, re-tasting his lunch. Greta kneeled several feet away, her face flushed and breath torpid. Altair blinked just in time for the swamp of pain hit him, causing him to roll on to his side and give a muffled groan of pain. Underneath his shirt, a bruise had already begun to form on his skin.
Seeing both children gagging on the floor, Roland stepped forward to call off the match, but stopped after only two steps when Greta managed to straighten herself up. A second later, Altair also managed to steady himself, though his grip on the remaining dagger was slightly loose. Greta looked at him with wariness and a hint of fear, but Altair only felt anger and frustration. He had meant to finish things quickly after showing a few sloppy flaws but instead had embarrassed himself. He wiped the mixture of drool and stomach acid from the corner of her mouth with his sleeve, eyes narrowed at the girl across from him.
His chest ached and he had lost a dagger in what was meant to be a sure-fire game-finisher, putting him at a decisive disadvantage against Greta-to the outside eye, anyways. In actuality, Altair was still confidant he could finish this within ten seconds, but that would be too much. He was no longer interested in playing games nonetheless, and so quickly figured out a middle ground. Both of them had unanimously decided not to use their Affinities in active combat, Greta only using hers to support her fighting style, but Altair decided to stop abiding by that unspoken rule.
Perhaps sensing his change in posture, Greta gripped her sword tighter and assumed a defensive stance. Altair dashed forward and tried to kite her, but Greta fended him off every time her got too close. After the dozenth time, he abruptly reversed his direction and attacked from the other side. The rhythm disturbed, Greta was a second too slow to react and so her defense was delayed. The dagger in Altair's right hand gained a pale blue-green color as he coated it in Wind Mana, sharpening its' edge and cutting power. Greta's eyes widened as she realized her sword wouldn't be able to block in time and that Roland would declare her loss in just a moments time, so she hardened her gaze and met fire with fire.
Altair's blade tried to slice across her jugular, but was deflected and bounced off. His expression twisted at the sight, spotting a dark brown plate with glowing gold rivets protecting her flesh. Trying to capitalize on the brief moment he had left before Greta's sword arrived, Altair coated his free fist in Mana and tried to punch her left ribs. He had forgotten to focus on his own defense though, and missed the kick that nearly buckled his leg out from beneath him. His face warped in a silent scream but he didn't have the time to acknowledge the pain as Greta had brought her sword down on his head.
He partially blocked with his dagger, grabbing the rest with his hand once the momentum had stalled. A brief grapple ensued as both children fought over the weapon, but Greta with her longer legs managed to kick him off it. Before she could resume her offensive though, Altair rushed her with wild abandon. She panicked and failed to properly coordinate her attacks, but a few did connect and made Altair grit his teeth. Now well aware of the strength in those dainty legs, he made sure to always stick slightly to her sides, where she couldn't kick out. Staring directly into her eyes, Altair released all the Wind Mana he had been gathering since his previous attack at once, causing a gale to blow out from his body.
Greta was forced to close her eyes as the strong winds stung them, but she kept attacking where Altair had been last. He still ducked into her personal space though and brought his dagger down on her heart with both hands. The gale died down when he stopped concentrating on it however, and Greta managed to grab his hands with her own. A reverse of the previous grapple began, as Greta's arms and legs were in too awkward a position to do anything. But a battle of pure strength was destined to go against him, so Altair began losing their tug-of-war. Rather than panic though, he merely smiled right up at Greta-
Right before thrusting his forehead dup and bashing it full-force into her nose.