The clash of blades. (Skye)

Dodge.. Swing.. Parry.. Swing.. Roll.. Downwards chop..

A relatively simple combination, however twas one that had proven its effectiveness time and time again. His final chop lopping the head clean off his training dummy. A feat of strength that brought a clear smile to the Son of Athena's face. A black, long sleeved shirt wrapped itself tightly around Chris's chest as athletic shorts and sneakers adorned his legs.

Training dummies were good and all, but he needed a real challenge. If only SOMEBODY would step up and challenge the advanced combat trainer of the Athena cabin, if only somebody was actually brave enough to challenge him.

OOC: Sorry for the short post but I'm being rushed here and I wanted to get the thread up. :-;

Mmm... A challenger? Chris spun on his heel to face the voice, revealing a small dainty girl wielding a dagger. The son of Athena's first instinct was to dismiss her as an unworthy challenger, she appeared small, weak and frail. However... Chris knew all too well that surprises often came from the most unexpected of packages.

He deftly twirled his short-sword in his right hand as every single muscle in his body tensed. He crouched down slightly, legs ready to spring in any direction as he brought his sword back. She was smaller than him, as was her sword, and Chris would use that to his advantage. He would allow her to make the first move, and then retaliate accordingly. His left hand slowly raised and beckoned her forward. The challenge would begin then, and the winner would soon prove thyself.

"Ladies first."

The grin he had maintained wiped itself cleanly off of his face, the demigod having entered a state of utter concentration. Mastery over mind and body was key here as he forced his adrenal glands into activity. She was now the center of his attention as he carefully calculated every movement she made. His mind had gone into overdrive already, hundreds of calculations and estimates were running rampant through his thoughts.

Chris's poker face had very quickly been broken. A wide grin plastered itself onto his face as she spoke... She had literally just proven her intelligence, in more ways than one to boot. Insight given on how society truly works, and she was also forcing Chris to make the first strike. A disadvantageous position indeed. It was irrelevant however as the son of Athena had no intention of losing. Careful calculations ran through his mind as he planned out his course of action.

Without another moment lost he sprang into action, barreling towards her at breakneck pace he stopped just short. Twisting his entire body and spinning his sword into the girl. Momentum and the force of his entire body was thrown into a single, extremely fast swipe that was aimed for her midsection. Such a maneuver would make parrying impossible for somebody who wasn't at least as physically strong as Chris, and his opponent was very clearly weaker.

This maneuver would normally be incredibly risky, leaving countless openings for the opponent to take advantage of. However, due to the mental math that Chris had done, Chris had launched himself in precisely the right manner in order to avoid being knocked off balance should she dodge or otherwise evade the strike. A simple albeit effective opening.