User blog:Leolab/Leolab's Battles/Part O

Gaius Leopold (WanderingSkull) v Hirai Norio (Cfp3157)
Hirai Norio and Gaius Leopold step out into the grassy arena, and look around in confusion. The field was nothing like their memories from a few minutes ago; the grass was dry and brown, the soil parched and cracked. No one was sitting in the stands to cheer; the entire arena was devoid of life other than the red-robed man that had served as the host for their previous matches.

“The rest of the matches were cancelled,” he says, “But this one was not. I’ll save the introductions. Ready…”

As if the response were natural, the two towering figures draw their weapons, preparing to enter combat. There was but one thing to do in this arena, be it a crowd watching or a single man.

“Fight!”

The two men charged, and Norio strikes first. A swift cut to Gaius’ blind side is halted in its tracks by a steel gauntlet, and Norio disengages just in time to dodge a riposte from Salt. Gaius narrows his right eye and watches his opponent carefully. As Norio slips into the darkness on his left side, he swings his blade in an arc. He catches the katana aiming at his legs, and sweeps out to try and kick his foe in the shins.

Norio retreated again, warier this time. He’d known his opponent was no fool, but now he was seeing how capable he was firsthand. Norio brings his katana up again to block a strike from Gaius, halting his foe’s steel. The two masters of their craft clashed furiously, the din of ringing steel filling the small space.

Norio swung again, making a quick cut towards his foe’s right leg. Gaius parried and riposted, as he’d expected, but he noticed a slight change from when he attacked the left and blind side. Testing his theory, he attacked in a staccato rhythm, probing Gaius’ defenses.

Satisfied, Norio once more slid into Gaius’ blind spot. Gaius again swung his sword to parry a blow aimed at his leg, but recoiled when the strike parried earlier than he had thought. Norio’s blade slides and makes a shallow cut on the inside of Gaius’ right shin. Wincing in pain, Gaius retreats.

Norio seizes the advantage, and starts to press Gaius back. He rains down blows on Gaius’ right side, taking advantage of a mild paradox – Gaius could see on his right, but he was slower defending. His foe did not take the bait of his missing eye, making his prior instinctive, fluid movements more sluggish. Norio batters Gaius’ blade aside, taking advantage of his frame and speed to knock it out of his hands.

Gaius leaps back to make distance, as Norio launches into a stab. Realizing his foe will come up short, he takes a second to scoop up his axe and shield from where they lay in the grass. Norio lets go of his katana with one hand and extends further, turning the blade flat. Gaius parries the blow with his shield and rises, keeping the katana on the shield as he swings his axe in an arc, biting through Norio’s jugular.

The Ronin topples to the floor, his blood soaking into the earth. The impassive man in the red robe gestures, and the two bodies vanish from the arena.