Kuro vs. Raoul (Round 1, Full Contact)

Kuro Issen had kept his feet while being jerked closer, as expected, but he did find his right arm somewhat pinned between their bodies as well. When his left released Raoul’s arm to grab for his weapon instead, the armored warrior likewise snatched at it.

Kuro had the advantage of positioning in that particular contest, and his hand got to the weapon first. But Raoul was fast, maybe a little too fast for his own good, and rather than snatching out his blade to slice along his opponent’s forearm, Kuro would find that he had jerked the weapon directly into Raoul’s grasp.

Rather than pull and yank on the weapon, Raoul followed the upward motion and pushed. With his left gripping his opponent’s belt to keep him close, Raoul attempted to bend his opponent backwards to drop him onto his back. But he did not expect Kuro to go down easily.

(Sorry if that doesn’t fit with how you envisioned things. I wasn’t 100% sure about the positioning at this point, but the 24-hour deadline was coming up, so I needed to get something down and made my best guess. I’ll be happy to change things if I got it wrong.)

Raoul might have tried to step out and back or something of that nature, but given their relative positions and the point of balance, it probably would have been pointless. Perhaps a delay at best. Not that he consciously thought all that through in the moment, of course.

When Raoul felt himself start to fall, he released Kuro Issen ’s obi and threw his left arm out. He bent his right knee and twisted his body out and away from Kuro’s so that he rolled sidewise and back with the throw. His outstretched left arm slapped the ground as he hit, distributing the force of the fall over a wider area. His right hand held onto to the grip of Kuro’s sword tightly.

They had been standing at more or less right angles to each other, with Kuro’s right shoulder to Raoul’s chest. When he lunged for the sword, Raoul’s right foot had slid forward somewhat. Now, he was lying on his back on the sand, his right foot flat with his knee raised. His right foot, which was between and slightly to the front of Kuro’s feet, snapped upward.

It wasn’t the most powerful kick by any stretch, considering his position lying on his back in the sand. But it didn’t have to be. Depending on Kuro’s height and the height of his stance, either the steel plates on the top of Raoul’s foot or the extended toe piece was on track to connect with the standing fighter’s groin.

Raoul rolled to his feet, yanking out his sword in an upward slash, just in case Kuro Issen decided he was going to rush in. He watched Kuro warily as the upwards cut transitioned into a high guard. He stood with his left side leading, balanced on feet slightly more than shoulder width. His sword was held in both hands above his left shoulder, the blade angled up and back behind him.

He hadn’t denied his opponent either sword, but he had landed a couple of painful blows in the scuffle, at least. Landing the groin kick or headbutt would have been much more telling, of course, but the ones that had connected would not be a pleasant experience. Maybe enough to wear Kuro down a little.

(Sorry for the slow response, holiday stuff and general busyness)

Raoul watched Kuro Issen shift into a low guard. In response, he took a single step forward, leading with his left foot, then pulling his right up to position again. The katana and longsword had similar reach, just as the halberd and yari had at the start of the match. It seemed the two men had similar thoughts about the fights.

As he approached, Raoul circled slightly to his left, eyeing Kuro warily. Just as he came into his measure, Raoul suddenly stepped out and forward with his right foot, snapping his blade down and forward towards his opponent’s shoulder.