Ieremia had no such inclination towards an honor code as Ayumi, and as soon as Shang Tsung's command to fight was issued, he complied. His dagger was out in his left hand inless than a second, and was flying towards its target while she bowed. While the vampire was somewhat disappointed that the dagger didn't find its mark as cleanly as he had hoped, he was still gratified to see it inflict a wound after it was deflected.<br/><br/>He let loose a low chuckle when he saw her charge slow, and eventually stop in her tracks.<em>Good,</em>he thought.<em>The poison is doing its job, even with that small wound.</em>Ieremia's tongue ran a quick circle around his lips, wetting them just a little bit at the sight of her blood.<br/><br/>The vampire knew from experience that fighting a soldier on the defensive with a polearm was a risky prospect, as their reach trumped his sword's raw power unless he could break the haft of the weapon, not something he could always count on. So, he resolved to play to her weaknesses, and try to goad her into attacking him. "What's the matter?" he asked in mock pity. "Your leg looks a little stiff. Are you sure you didn't put that armor of yours on too tight, woman?" He finished up his mocking remark with a toothy grin, showing off the row of fangs in his mouth.<br/><br/>He himself adopted a defensive stance, ready for her to advance so he could put paid to her with his blade. He was confident that even in her armor, his kilij would have no trouble inflicting damage; probably not as much as he would against an unarmored target, but it would still be a dangerous strike  if it landed.