Raoul vs. Kelly (Round 1 Sports Bracket)

(Using the rolls from the post I put in the apparently wrong place to describe the initial exchange.)


Raoul stepped forward, tossing out a quick slash with an upward flick of the wrist, followed by a backhand cut towards @banditkelly ’s face. The attack was intended to test his opponent’s defenses, and her quick reactions proved more than sufficient. He watched how she moved and adjusted her stance, appraising her skill as he shuffled back a step.

“Good!” He laughed and reset to his ready stance. Still turned in full profile, with his left hand resting on his hip, Raoul held his sword just above waist level. His right arm bent slightly at the elbow so that the point of his blade angled upward, hovering at neck level. He guessed his chances were about even against Kelly, which frankly, was ideal, both for the audience and for making it a fun bout.

With a wide smile on his face, Raoul advanced again.

Attack:
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Defense:
1-201-20·1-20

As @banditkelly closed the distance with that leaping thrust, Raoul leaned slightly off-line and raised his blade up and out. In the same motion as the parry, he turned his right hand and snapped his arm out straight, attempting to use his superior reach to cut the point across the inside of her forearm. In real duel, it would have been a shallow hit, and done very little lasting harm, but it would have been very painful and might well have crippled her ability to keep fighting. In a tourney, it would have been worth a point. If it had landed.

Another pass with neither blade marking their opponent. It seemed Raoul and Kelly were well-matched indeed. Raoul laughed again, stepping off-line to his left and transitioning to a high guard from the missed cut. “Clearly. Tell me, how many years did it take you to master the Southern Hopping Frog School?” From the high guard, he leaned forward from the hips and extended his right arm in a lightning thrust. But rather than aiming to Kelly’s face or shoulder, he rolled his hand over the grip and angled the point down to her thigh. Perhaps the deceptive move would catch her off-guard and score him the first hit.

Attack:
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Defense:
1-201-20·1-20

A flag is raised by the referee and @banditkelly is awarded a strike as Raoul Ferdinand's blade manages to slip past her guard. The crowd roars in excitement, just happy to see the spectacle. No locals had joined this year's tournament so the crowd had no favorites they were there purely for the sport of it. (Kelly, is issued a warning for failing to tag or quote her opponent. I know it seems like a silly rule, I just want to ensure that everyone gets the maximum amount of notification possible so I don't get anyone claiming they didn't know their opponent posted.)

As Raoul Ferdinand's attack hit true she staggered back a bit.  Kelly regained her composure soon after, however, and let out a chortle.

"Hah!  I let you have that one!"  She proclaimed as the judge gave the knight the first point.  Returning to her fencing posture, her stance had changed from a relaxed one to one more suited for sparring.  Her left knee faced Raoul, bent slightly, with her rapier aimed forward towards the center of his chest.

"Quick question for you-"  She said as she slowly began to approach, "Is this how you normally fight?"  

Her voice sounded sincere, as if genuinely curious as to Raoul's fighting style.  Without giving a chance to answer, Kelly lunged forward towards the center of his chest, extending her left arm forward greatly to close the distance between them in swift time.

(Attack)
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(Defense)

1-201-20·1-20

Attack

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Defense


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Kelly didn't fall for the feints and backstepped the moment Raoul Ferdinand lunged forward before repositioning herself. Her sword tip pointed downward but her left arm was kept straight forward and pointing towards Raoul's chest.



"Interesting line of work then. So how do you plan to fight people in the tournament? I saw you entered the regular bracket as well."

As Raoul returned to his normal stance from his lunge, she charged forward, thrusting her blade towards his chest with incredible speed.1-20·1-20

Defense

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Attack

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Kelly didn't seem to fall for the feint.  Despite her showy, arrogant style she seemed more perceptive of Raoul Ferdinand's attempts to catch her off-guard than she let on.  Even when attacks hit, she seemed to expect it, almost as if she let him strike her.  Which would be absurd because it only meant she lost....

Kelly watched Raoul circle her, having returned to her own defensive fencing posture, and kept her eyes fixated on his blade.

"So you enter knowing you'll lose?  Where's the logic in that?"  She asked, knowing she was going to lose this bout as well.  At the moment Raoul went in for his own attack, Kelly responded with her own thrust downward, hoping to strike him before he struck her.
1-20·1-20

Kelly's thrust was true, but Raoul had the reach advantage, reaching out to tap the point of his rapier against her shoulder from just too far away for her to strike. In a real fight, they would have traded hits and both been blooded for their troubles. But for the tournament, his landed first by a large enough margin that the point was clearly his and the match called in his favor.

"Most of us will lose. That is how these things work." He nodded and snapped a salute to @banditkelly, then lowered his blade and approached to shake hands. "But if you accent that when you sign up, it is easier to accept when it happens, no?"