Kuro vs. Raoul (Round 1, Full Contact)

(For failure to alert his opponent Raoul Ferdinand, that he has posted either by tagging or quoting Kuro Issen is issued a warning. Given the confusion surrounding where to post this will be the only warning issued further violations will result in the participant being awarded a strike.)

Both weapons aligned themselves vertically, crossing before one another, their heads engaging as Raoul twisted his weapon, aiming to arc his halberd's blade into a jutting angle so that it could hook one of the perpendicular blades of the yari. Kuro stopped his advance right as Raoul stepped in, leaving them both standing a distance from one another, blade heads crossed.
When Raoul Ferdinand shoved his spear head upwards, Kuro allowed the guard to rise, the halberd scooping his weapon up from below.

Raoul Ferdinand had taken the bottom prong of his yari and scooped it upwards with the halberd's heavier blade. Shoved into an upwards stance, the weapons forming the shape of a mountain or triangle between them, Raoul capitalized on his success with a forward drive, aligning his weapon horizontally against his spear in an effort to overpower Kuro's point end. However, the hooking snag on which Raoul relied to maintain control of his opponent's weapon would be somewhat sacrificed with his forwards shove. As the pressure had been applied to the left flat of Kuro's spearhead, Raoul would find that very blade slipping to his left, as Kuro stepped right and pulled his spear's left prong from its connection with the halberd that would now be thrusting or shoving somewhere to the vicinity of Kuro's left. While he did not expect Raoul to completely overextend, he instantly shot for a variation of his initial stance, the head of the spear dipping low... but with the butt end lifted in his left hand, raising high to diagonally ward at his left shoulder.

Raoul Ferdinand had stepped in turn, keeping distance and time on him, thereby cancelling the lateral readjustment of a sidestep. In maintaining the line, Raoul had Kuro transitioning into a lower guard while still in line with his halberd, lining the yari up for a pin. For that small bit of a second Kuro froze, each of his motions tempting his opponent into a reaction, and only when Raoul chose his approach to Kuro's stance did he allow a counter to recoil.
Again he'd shove off his left foot, shifting backwards in a following second step. Yet his attack should suffice to ward his opponent even should he attempt to follow. As Raoul's weapon descended, Kuro swiftly adjusted his stance within the arc of his opponent's swing, his left arm yanking back on the haft of the spear and tilting the weapon's butt end upwards, the spear's tip being driven down to hover a mere inch from the arena sands as its lower angle exaggerated and withdrew the head nearly to his toes. His left wrist twisted on the back of the haft, causing the head to twirl as the weapon suddenly withdrew, in order to present the slippery metallic flats of his tricuspid blade to the halberd's path, in the case that it struck before he moved. As Raoul struck hard enough, or his weapon heavy enough, to have seriously damaged the yari, then it was likely the halberd would end up striking the sand. And within that moment Kuro's left arm swiftly adjusted the yari's angle, angling its head forward as he had the weapon chambered... in one continuously smooth motion, the spear shot forward again, intent on striking the inside of Raoul's right forearm as he recovered the halberd from the sand.

Kuro had meant to withdraw the spear through the loose grip of his right hand, withdrawing most of its length before shooting it back out over the arc of the opponent's halberd. The target had been to the halberd's wielding limb, the forearm, but even as such, it would appear Kuro's timing and his distance were not precisely calculated. Such was the heat of battle, and as though in punishment, his opponent shot sand towards his face. As he kept his eyes on the opponent's midsection, he was able to catch some motion, and he began to step back quickly to disengage after missing his strike. But he did not anticipate the sand, and consequently, some of it struck him in the eyes. "Arh!" For the time being, he resisted the urge to rub his right eye, which stung from one of the particles..

Raoul Ferdinand went for a similar attack; Kuro, however, went for a simple defense. When Raoul went to pin his spear to the sand, his left hand pulled back, withdrawing the spear through the loosened grip of his right, repeating a similar quick motion like before as he stepped to his back left, each warrior seeming to step in turn with the other as the beginning few seconds of the fight unfolded. This time, however, especially with the sand in his eye, he could not afford to be so ambitious. Instead of going for Raoul's arm, the weapon shot back out to counter-pin the halberd by its right prong and main blade. If he felt the thud of a connection just as Raoul may try to withdraw his slightly heavier halberd, he'd close his right eye, blinking away at some of the agitation, which burned and threatened to distract him from the fight entirely. Yet he held his ground, firm in his life of training and experience..

(Kuro Issen is issued a strike for slow posting, if he does not post within twenty-four hours he will be disqualified.)

(Assuming the fight is still on unless The Kingdom of Gauldin says otherwise)

Raoul wasn’t entirely surprised by the choice of Kuro Issen to drop his weapon as well. There was a standard school of thought regarding pole weapons that suggested dropping them and swapping to a shorter one in close quarters, after all, and Kuro had entered the ring with swords for a reason.

Seemingly following the same school of thought, Raoul showed no interest in wrestling for the yari in a clinch. When Kuro closed and grabbed for his shoulders, Raoul let the yari fall and stepped in close yet again. At the same time, his hands reached out and down, grabbing at the handles of Kuro’s backup weapons and trying to pull the blades out of their scabbards.

(Kuro Issen You will retain your one strike but not be DQ'd as I myself have had issues staying on top of things with my new job. I might extend the posting period to forty-eight hours but for now just try and stay on top of things.)