Planeside 2

[Deathkeeper]

Orochi's Castle

((they really ought to, or Ben will keep sitting on his own getting fat))

Mist watches the proceedings curiously, and goes to find a wall to lean against while the match begins.

[Recaiden]

"Thank you."
Cleo really isn't sure whether she would outmatch him. No idea what level he's on. But judging by Keiko's reactions, he's probably very good.

"I would fight with daggers, then." Though she's been practicing with that relic sword, it's definitely not her first choice. And the staff is right out - it really shouldn't be fought with if one can help it.
"Do I use my own, or samples from this armory?" Cleo has several with her, of course. Or at least their shadows.

((Well, Ben ought to set something up! He doesn't have the excuse of being a fox.))

[Fenric]

Lar'felnatahn nods and heads to a nearby cabinet against the wall while unbuckling his belt. He hangs his raiper up and then takes down two others, each of which holds a pair of sheathed daggers. He turns and walks back to Cleo and offers her one

Please, inspect these and see if they match your liking. Princess, why don't you tell your friends how the dueling circle works?

The daggers are light and well-balanced, and feel respectably enchanted. Long enough to be useful but still well within the generic "dagger" moniker, double-edged of what looks to be fine steel. The decoration overall is limited to a dragon-scale pattern on the hilts and an inscrutable crest etched into the otherwise shiny pommel.

Keiko nods

Inside the circle, you can't really be injured and it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it really would. If you take what would amount to "fatal" damage, you'll get Held and the match will end.

[Recaiden]

Cleo takes the belt with its daggers, draws them, turns them over and over in her hands. Feel the pattern on the handle, hold them this way and that, get a sense for their weight and speed and sharpness through the air.
"A little light. But acceptable."
What exactly this duel means isn't clear, but it is a sort of challenge. She'll have to do her very best. And no cheating. At least, not until Lar'felnatahn starts cheating himself.

She smiles at Keiko's explanation.
"Oh good. I was wondering how much care we'd have to take."
Although she does wonder if the safety of the dueling circle is a trick they play on visitors, and just heal them up later. They really don't seem coordinated enough to be pulling that off.

Moving a little in from the circle's edge, she sets her feet and balance. "Ready." She's standing cautiously, main hand gripped solidly, ready to parry and ward off attacks when the weapon master makes the first move. The other dagger is held in a reverse grip, waiting to end the fight with one tearing stab when an opening appears.

[Fenric]

(( Skipping Mist for a turn ))

Lar'felnatahn observes Cleo's stance and nods, taking up the same weapon stance. Then without another word he moves: lunging with a feint toward Cleo's right that turns into an attempt at a viscious cross-body slash low. The drow is fast and his moves fluid, as elves tend to be.

Keiko tries her best to stay quiet, but can't help a little gasp as the weapon master attacks.

[Deathkeeper]

Orochi's Castle

Mist nods and takes her place. "Good luck." she says to not-actually-dad-in-law and lets the fight commence without further comment on her end.

[Recaiden]

Feint or test strike. Move in on the right, commit to dodge or jumping dodge. Raise stabbing hand, lento, for counterattack. Locked in.
Cleo moves like a puppet, or a mousetrap, elaborate, almost theatrical sweeps and conversions of momentum from here to there. But certainly not slowly.
Opponent stabbing hand on point-mostly swing: large attack surface. Convert to anticlockwise pivot and lean back. Slash will be avoided with 2cm margin. Begin extending stabbing hand. Locked in.
It happens exactly as planned. She's long since stopped worrying about it.
Consonant attack towards opponent's parrying hand. Stabbing hand point sweeping upward to constrain chances to avoid. Parrying hand, slash across chest, yielding to outward in case of resistance. Opponent will suffer minor cut to the inside of the wrist. Locked in.
This is less sure. She hasn't had much time to think about Lar'felnatahn, analyze his movement. He could be holding back. Could be full of surprises. But she moves confidently as she attacks, putting everything behind it. No hesitation.
Prepare rolling dodge against opponent's next attack, predicted direct with parrying hand. Will avoid only by luck. Ready.

[Fenric]

Seeing Cleo lean back to avoid his slash, the drow accepts the minor cut on his off wrist as he continues his lateral momentum into a sweeping kick with his right leg that seeks to knock Cleo's legs out from under her. Meanwhile, he turns his attacking hand to the side: presenting the point toward Cleo's attacking forearm: presenting a pointy barrier to any sort of follow-up slash and setting up a thrust should she fall.

[Recaiden]

Jump! Immediately!
He's annoyingly fast. Barely any time to think ahead. But she'll land back on her feet, out of the way of the sweep, turned to the side, in no position to manage a follow-up attack, but not fallen either.
Return to starting stance. Locked in.
This kick has redefined the parameters of the fight, after all. It's the right time to try to start anew.

[Fenric]

The drow resets his stance and circles slightly to his right

Well done.

But without further ado he leads out again: aiming a slash at her right fingers with his main hand and flicking his off hand out from his chest in an arc from which he could either toss the dagger or merely flick it out into attacking position: his fingers adjusting to accommodate either action.

[Recaiden]

"Thank you."
Left foot, step forward. Parrying hand, turn clockwise to block, Locked in. Probably at base of the blade.
Quite a flexible attack, he is good at this.
Lean into parrying hand, pushing his main hand into likely line of throwing. Locked in.
In a less friendly fight, with her own weapons, she'd be trying to break his knife around here. Ah well. At least she's mostly keeping herself safe.
Counter? No. Too vulnerable to cross-attack.

[Fenric]

Cleo's counter is successful, and Lar'felnatahn is forced to refrain from throwing his dagger lest he impale his own hand.

Rather than disengage, however, he allows his arms to be crossed and aims his now-ready off-hand dagger toward Cleo's left armpit: a deadly strike should it find the large artery there. He draws his main-hand back across to be ready once more: a bold attack that leaves him open all along his own left side... just rather difficult to actually get to.

[Recaiden]

Stop having a left arm, re-wait. That's not fair. Flick stabbing hand to right, angle up, lean in, cut down across opponent's left side. Locked in.
Maybe if she were used to fighting with these limits, a different defense would have occurred to her. But as it is, she's going to take that would-be-fatal blow, and can only do her best to also wound Lar'felnatahn in turn; they've both left similar openings.

[Fenric]

A pair of hits at once! The drow's own strike loses much of its potency as he himself takes a painful hit, leaving him recoiling. He takes several steps back and lowers his guard.

True to Keiko's assertion, though: while painful, the stab hurts far less than it really should have under the circumstances and the actual damage is nothing more than a deep scratch.

An honor indeed, Lady Cleo: a most respectable match. My doors are open to you at any time you wish.

Keiko grins widely at Cleo with unrestrained glee and pride

You did it!

[Recaiden]

Ow! But other than a moment of confusion before she remembers the magic of the dueling circle, it isn't so bad at all.

"Thank you, Lar'felnatahn. A good fight."

Cleo puts the daggers away and bounces over to Keiko.
"I did! Think you can do better?"

[Deathkeeper]

Orochi's Palace

Mist claps eagerly for Cleo. Though her furry hands don't really produce the same sound as the palms of a human doing it.
"Very nice. I didn't even know you could fight like that." though she did kind of expect it from Cleo at this point. Always pulling out new surprises.

[Fenric]

Keiko grins at Mist, then her ears fold momentarily before she licks her lips and swallows once before standing up tall and drawing her gleaming rapier and dagger.

Damn straight.

Come on, Nathan: I've learned a thing or two since you last chased me around the dueling circle.

The drow arches an eyebrow and smirks, then heads to where he had previously hung his weapon belt.

Well then! If you are going to use that dragon-blade, surely you will not protest me bringing my own preferred instrument?

He smoothly draws his blade with a flourish... but it makes no sound whatsoever. The dark metal is difficult to see in the dim light of the arena, but for her part Keiko licks her lips and swallows again.

Oh... Deathwhisper... of course.

But right: all or nothing is the only way to have it.

[Recaiden]

Poor Mist, unable to clap properly.

Cleo grins.
"It's mostly been magic, dragon's breath, and swords in a pinch for a while now. But knives were what I originally trained with. I can do a little bit of quite a lot of things."

"Good luck, Keiko!"

Once the weapon master has drawn his fancy sword, all her attention is on it. What material is that, how is it so quiet?

[Deathkeeper]

Orochi's Palace

Mist tries not to snicker at the name of the drow's sword. How edgy! She supposes that it does make sense when it's made of shadows but really, he was trying way too hard with that name.