A duel between masters

"The final contest begins now!" Sir Magnus bellows to the crowd. "I present to you, Abdul Hai el-Anwar, Warrior of Al-Mansoura! I present to you, Lady Trina Sarawynn of Elyssia, Sworn Protector of the Crown! And it is my honor to also present the great Samurai Kuranoma Kuma-San, a swordsman of unparalleled skill and renown, who has graciously accepted our invitation to oversee this duel!"

Trina and Abdul step into the circle, standing face to face with swords sheathed. Kuranoma looks to you for the signal that the bout may begin, and you nod your head.

"Draw swords!" the Samurai says, his accent thick; he had to be instructed on what to say, and how to say it, only moments before the fight. Trina and Abdul both raise their blades in salute. "Stand ready... Hajime!"

Lady Trina immediately rushes in, on the attack - unusual for her, as she generally waits for her opponent to make the first move. If she had hoped to take Abdul by surprise, it was in vain, as he deftly blocks each strike and then counters with a sideways cut to just below the torso. Just in time, Lady Trina manages to crouch down and take the strike on her breastplate instead of the chainmail about her waist; what would have been a killing strike is merely a point scored by Abdul. She is able to then back away and re-establish her defense, and Kuranoma does not stop the duel but acknowledges the point scored.

"Perhaps you would like to go warm up your forge, Xavier?" Subhi says with a grin.

The duel is engaged once again, as both combatants advance on each other; Abdul moves in more quickly, perhaps hoping to press his advantage after having scored the first point, but Trina moves immediately to the defensive and swiftly parries each strike. She shuffles away from him slowly, moving around the circle so as not to step closer to the edge, forcing Abdul to constantly re-adjust his feet if he is to keep her engaged. Finally, he makes his mistake, swinging up to catch Trina beneath the arm but leaving himself open as he does so; swiftly, Trina spins inside his guard, deflecting his blade with her own as she does, and then delivers a solid hit to Abdul's side.

"Yame!" the Samurai shouts, the word to stop the fight. Trina and Abdul separate, and Kuranoma steps in to inspect where Trina's blade struck. He nods once, and then indicates a point to Trina, judging it not a lethal blow.

"To whom do you think I should present such an exquisite ring, Subhi?" you ask, in the same casual tone he had used a moment ago.

Kuranoma steps out of the circle, raises his hand, and once again gives the command: "Stand ready... Hajime!"

For just a moment, the two combatants stand still, facing each other; then, Abdul advances, more cautiously than before. Trina meets his sword with her own, and they engage in a true fencing contest, thrusting and parrying, dancing about within the circle. The cheers from the crowd grow louder as they watch the astounding skill on display, two masters of the blade who seem almost evenly matched. The tension rises as you wonder who will make the first mistake...

It is Trina who breaks the stalemate - she leaps backward to the very edge of the circle, and takes the moment she has gained to flip her sword so that she holds it in a reverse grip, the blade running parallel to her forearm. When Abdul lunges forward with his sword fully extended, she is able to easily knock it aside, leaving him off-balance - and then she grabs his wrist with her free hand, pulling hard and forcing him to stumble outside the circle!

Kuranoma looks at you, his brow slightly furrowed, and says something in his own tongue to his translator who stands beside him.

"Your Majesty, the Great Samurai respectfully asks if Lady Trina's actions are within the rules," the young woman says to you, her eyes directed downward.

"It is permitted," you say.

She bows her head even lower, then turns to her Lord. "Hai, Kuranoma Kuma-sama," she whispers.

The Samurai nods to you, and signals another point to Trina.

The match goes on for at least another quarter hour, longer than any other duel fought that day; each time a point is scored, the struggle for the next point is drawn out longer, until they stand tied at four each. The next will decide the victor!

"Ready... Hajime!"

For a long moment, it seems as though neither Trina nor Abdul even heard the command to begin. Then, Abdul begins to move slowly around the center of the circle, and Trina matches him step for step, keeping him opposite her. As the Sun is high in the sky, there is no position in the circle more advantageous than another; they seem to be simply taking a measure of each other, perhaps each waiting for the other to make the first move. Normally, such a delay would make the crowd restless and irate, but such has been the spectacle of the contest thus far that the momentary pause has them on the edge of their seats, breathlessly awaiting what may come next.

"You fight well," Abdul says, the first time either of them has spoken since the match began.

"As do you," Trina replies.

"I would not have believed that a woman could wield a sword as you do. With your teats hidden beneath your armor, I could almost believe you to be a man."

"I confess, I almost believed you were a man as well," Trina says smoothly.

Anger flashes in Abdul's eyes, and in that moment he moves in on the attack. Trina takes half a step backward before meeting his charge, ducking to escape the blow aimed directly at her head in clear violation of the rules! For just a moment, you involuntarily rise from your chair to stop the fight, but as the blow did not actually land there are no true grounds to do so. You glance at the Sultan, who glares at his man with clear displeasure.

Trina's defensive move has thrown her momentarily off-balance, but Abdul has also lost his footing, and so neither is able to take advantage. The duel resumes, and Abdul seems to have recovered from his loss of temper, though he certainly fights more aggressively than before and Trina is **** to remain on the defense. His blows rain down upon her, harder and faster than before, as Abdul seems to summon his reserves of energy to try and end the fight quickly.

You feel a touch of concern which only grows as you watch the battle, as Abdul does not fight as a man trying to win a contest; he fights as one who seeks blood! Your anxiety grows worse as you catch a glimpse of Trina's eyes beneath her helm, and for just a moment it seems that they show genuine fear. The urge to call a halt to the battle grows harder to ignore, and even Kuranoma Kuma glances at you for just a moment to gauge whether he should stop the fight.