Geiss swung with the heavy metal bar, but only succeeded in denting a large machine. She swung it in the opposite direction, only to be knocked back by a shield bash from the knight. Geiss soon realized Idris was much faster than her, and had an easy time dodging her slow and heavy attacks. She had to fight smarter than that.
"If you're trying to tire me out, we're going to be here a long time," Geiss pointed out.
"If that's the case, then I'll have to end this sooner!" Idris lunged. Geiss fired the thrusters, but not before the knight left a gash on her cheek. Ignoring the pain, she countered with a powerful blow from the metal bar, knocking the knight across the room. Geiss put a hand to her face, and it came back bloodied.
"So...you can bleed...after all," Sir Idris sneered, getting to his feet. He was brave, but Geiss could tell he was hurt. One more hit like that and it was all over. Geiss wiped the blood from her face with her good hand.
Both of them charged forward, not even stopping when another explosion shook the factory, this one much closer.
"Xynos, what's going on?" Geiss said as she dodged another swipe from Idris' sword.
"This location is rapidly becoming unstable. The rocket misfire triggered the power systems in this factory which served to accelerate the detonation of several deposits of unstable chemical compounds."
"Well, so much for playing it safe."
Suddenly, a nearby machine burst into flame, showering Geiss with sparks. Idris took this opportunity and knocked the heavy armor to the ground. Geiss went pale as Idris pointed his sword at her throat, raising the visor on his helmet to look her in the eyes.
"You were a worthy opponent," Idris commented with an almost casual air. "But my sword will always be superior."
Idris raised his sword to strike the mortal blow. Thinking quickly, Geiss raised her hand and grabbed the blade as he swung it down. She was pleased to see the horrified expression on his face as she crushed the blade with the powerful grip of the prosthetic. Smiling, her other hand drifted casually to the weapon controls.
"Bet your sword can't do this."
There was a loud bang, and the knight was lifted off the ground by a solid shell fired into his chest at three thousand feet per second. He hit the floor seconds later with a metallic thud, the broken blade clattering to the ground uselessly. Geiss got to her feet just in time to see a wave of flame heading straight for her. Geiss fired the thrusters and shot through the air as the ground below became saturated with flame.
"Violent chemical reaction imminent. Emergency power to thrusters."
Geiss forgot how powerful the emergency backup was as the thrusters roared to power. The hot air stung her eyes as the armor careened through a glass window, showering her with glass. The armor hit the ground with a thud and Geiss detached from the suit to fall face-first onto the clean, fresh grass. Relieved that she had managed to get out alive, she turned back to see the factory collapse on itself.
"One down."
Geiss fell back on the ground, exhausted and bloodied. The sun on her face felt wonderful.
"One down," she echoed weakly.