Duel: "Marsh Battle"

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Halfmask the ferret cursed the ill luck that had gotten her and her band into this mess. Lost in a swamp, on the run from those stupid toads and lizards, and what's more, their supplies were beginning to run low. A discontented mood was making itself manifest in her band. She sighed, knowing she would have to deal with it soon. "All right, ye sorry lot- stop 'ere. Loosepaw, try t'cook some decent vittles. We'll rest an' eat, then tomorrer we kin find some more supplies and our way outta dis swamp."

[Rusvul]

Rusvul snorted disdainfully at this comment. "Huh! As if you know the way out, you're completely lost, just like the rest of us! And who killed that slimy hostage, what's'isname, Glumslip, the newty feller. Yew did! Our one hostage, our one chance o' gettin' outta this muck. Yore going stupid in the 'ead, that's what yew are, cap'n!" The last word he spat out as if it was a rotten apple. He knew that many of the crew shared his point of view. A rat called Riptail piped up. " We're tired of eatin' stale an' slimy vittles, an' drinkin' muck! Yew led us inter this mess, but I don't think yew can get us oot!"

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Halfmask grinned humorlessly, putting a paw on the handle of her glaive. "So den, does one of ye t'ink ye kin beat me?" Raising her voice, she addressed the whole company. "Do I hear a challenge t'my authority? Sounds like one, fer sure."

[Rusvul]

"Aye, 'tis a challenge.  I mightn't be able to get us out either, but I've got a better chance than you 'ave. I challenge ye, Halfmask the Ferret. Winner take all. To the death."

[KitrallStreamrippler]

She drew her glaive slowly and made a show of testing its edge by dropping a hair onto the upturned blade- the hair was sliced neatly in half, simply by the pressure of its weight against the razor-sharp blade. "Challenge accepted, ye sorry excuse fer the son of a warty toad. The on'y guts ye've got are yeller, mudbrain."

[Rusvul]

Rusvul drew the smallest knife in his belt and polished it on his tunic, then, moving like lightning, he hurled the knife Halfmask's chest. The knife moved at incredible speed, it was thrown by a true master.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Halfmask had anticipated a move like this, but she could not dodge the blade completely. It caught her on the shoulder, opening up a gash as it flew by, and nearly taking off her ear. Snarling, she sprang forward, whirling her glaive in a complex set of movements. The deadly blade flashed as she struck- across and down at Rusvul's neck.

[Rusvul]

Rusvul's sabre was there in a flash, out of the sheath and protecting his neck before the glaive struck. However, he had not anticipated the force with which the glaive came crashing down, despite protecting himself with the glaive, he ended up getting drubbed fairly hard on the back of the neck with the back of his sabre. Had he been using a double-edged weapon, he would have been slain. He rolled to his feet, and, with his arms still ringing from the force of the blow, and his neck smarting, he charged the ferret with his sabre, which he intended to run her through with.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Grinning, Halfmask skipped back a pace, twirling her glaive in a complex movement intended to disarm her opponent. She would enjoy the look of dumb surprise on Rusvul's face when his precious sword went flying out into the marsh, to sink and never be seen again.

[Rusvul]

But Rusvul was anything but dumb. He saw he movement, and knew what it was. How often had he seen it used to disarm somebeast, so they could be slain and looted? He quickly adjusted his sabre, swinging downwards hard, avoiding the glaive, and slashing downwards at Halfmask's footpaws. However, the twirling glaive caught him on the arm, painfully creating a large gash. After the fight, he would have to attend to it, else it would most likely get infected and kill him. That is, if Halfmask didn't beat the wound to it...

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Halfmask gritted her teeth and gasped in pain as Rusvul's sword slashed through the tender skinn at the top of her footpaws. She could walk, but it was painful. She would have to ignore the pain if she was to survive. For now she could see that she was actually fighting for her life. The ferret circled her opponent warily, having gained some (grudging, of course) respect for his skills as a swordsbeast.

[Rusvul]

Rusvul knew that he was in trouble. He could still win, but Halfmask was a good fighter. This fight was not going to be easy. He attempted to fade back into the wilderness, and did a decent job of it, but he could not hope to confuse Halfmask for long.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

OOC: I'm a bit confused- what do you mean by "face back into the wilderness"?

[Rusvul]

OOC: typo. Should have been fade. Fixed it.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

OOC: Oh, okay. That makes a lot more sense now, though I should have been able to figure it out.

BIC: Halfmask blinked in surprise- where had he gone? He must be hiding close by; it's not like he could have gotten far in such a short time. "Yew sneaky liddle swamp fox," Halfmask sneered. "Come on out an' face me proper, unless yew ain't got th' guts."