Isabelle grimaces.

So it was going to come down to a fight then. No hidden heart here. Just a desire for contest and raw strength. Well ... Isabelle could do that and, what's more, she could do it the Zaldarian way.

After all, whatever Marna might think, [i]this [/i]Terenian has done [i]alot [/i]of study in the last few months.

"Sorry about the geist on your shoulder." she says, as she gently squeezes the trigger.

[i]Lesson one. Speak not to the Outsider. Corollary: When your opponent is [u]not[/u] an outsider, then speaking their language to them is the right thing to do.[/i]

In this case, Marna has been clear. She values strength, battle, a contest of wills and skill. It was different from Kiriala - who she had met blade with blade. There, her opponent respected the skill that came from meeting her strength head on. Here, if she led with that, it would show that she lacked the necessary [i]tactics[/i].

The lance shot arcs out perfectly, blasting right above the Lightning Rail's shoulder - scattering the poor geist that had been hovering there - and passing off into the black.

"You miss-" was all Marna was able to say, before the shimmering bolt of plasma struck true.

[i]Lesson two. Everything is a resource.[/i]

Your ammunition. Your defences. Your stamina. All of these can be spent in trade to bring you closer to victory. Tactics is the question of how to spend them. What to spend. And what return you get.

In this case, the ordinance and directional shields she's scattered around were the currency. Collateralised with the battlefield debris that the arena so helpfully provided. With a single shot, a chain reaction ignites around Marna - every blast pointed inwards until the entire section she's flying through becomes a storm of fire and shrapnel.

[i]Lesson three. Plan your moves ahead. [/i]

The blasts would be punishing, but she knew that her opponent's defences were tough. That said, the blasts were intended to do more than just overwhelm her shields, they also served to blind her sensors as Isabelle kicked in the displacement field around the Emberlight and pulled back to her next firing position.

Her opponent would no doubt take the hits she'd been dealt and try to overpower them - taking in the damage and internalising it for energy in the way that Zaldarians were wont to do. That would be fine. She knew, from talking to Quar, that a Zaldarian eventually had to discharge that energy or risk overheating - and also that too many energy shifts too quickly could disorientate them. And she planned many more before this fight was done.

She's been paying attention.

I hope you understand that Marna.

[Roll to fight: 1 + 5 + 2 = 8. Inflicting a condition and taking a string.]