Fight continues, Irti gains on her Opponent

     Deciding to make the best of it, she continued the turn and dove downwards.  She managed to loop around and regain the altitude she had held, but then saw Peri casually circling above her. 

     Irti hovered in the air for a moment, assessing the situation.  As she expected, Peri went for the altitude advantage.

     Peri dove toward Irti, who calmly looked up at the diving white-winged woman.  At the last moment, Irti dropped one wing, suddenly angling down and to the side.  She leveled her wings, and gained speed, diving toward the ground.  She quickly recovered from the dive, and turned back upwards, describing a full circle in the air, and ending up above her starting position.  The entire maneuver took only seconds. Suddenly, Peri found her foe above and directly behind her. 

     Peri desperately tumbled in the air.  She was still below her foe, and barely in control of her flight, but at least she was now facing Irti.  Irti barreled downwards, and then pulled up at the last second.  She buffeted Peri with her wings, and twisted her sword as she dueled her foe.  Her other arm darted in at a moment of weakness, when Peri’s attention was turned toward a particularly brutal slam of both wingtips on the sides of her face.  Peri recovered from a flurry of wing beats on her face, only to discover her foe’s true purpose.  Irti had pulled up and away from Peri.

     Irti smiled in satisfaction, holding a sword in each hand, and hovering just ten feet above her foe.  “It's finished.  You will return to our world.”

     What Irti didn't understand was the smile that suddenly appeared on Peri’s face.  It was explained a moment later as pain flared in her wing.  She lost control of her flight, and began to spin as she tumbled toward the sea.  

Air Combat

     From her side view came the female.  Irti turned quickly mid air to confront the angry Ahriman.  She saw the other woman brandishing a bronze sword.  Reaching behind her back, she pulled the sword she had in a sheath strapped between her wings.   She parried the first blow the woman did, and then she recognized her.  “Peri, you don’t have to fight,” Irti shouted out over the wind that had picked up from behind her.  

     A snarl came to the other woman’s lips.  Then, her white wings opened to their full eleven and a half foot length.  Irti knew then she needed to gain altitude because the woman was about to ram herself and the sword into Irti. 

     Irti bolted up.  She parried another blow.  The swords clashed as both of the winged women climbed and climbed, striving for height.  They were a match in strength.

     Peri, the younger of the two, tried with all her might to out maneuver and out speed her older, more experienced opponent.  Irti watched her flapping her wings almost too quickly, leaving trails of air swirling from the desperately beating feathers.  Irti leaned backwards, opening space between herself and her foe, letting the younger woman tire herself.

     Irti heard her snarl in triumph, and saw her foe aggressively climb, now her foe was just above her, and again they dueled with swords.  Irti spun in the air, allowing a leg to spin toward her surprised foe.  It connected with her foe’s womb, bringing a cry of pain and rage.  But the unexpected maneuver cost Irti altitude.