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 Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:06 pm
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Mira
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Mira completed her last stretch and smoothly stood up straight. She started for her shelter, throwing her own mischievous grin over her shoulder, "You'll have to win first, Declan." She made quick work of her shelter, tying everything in a tight bundle that she would lash to her saddle once her steed was ready. She grabbed all the stones that they had used and carried them back to their places at the river.
Once all of her things were packed, sans her being-washed dishes, Mira moved over to her horse and got everything ready to go. She would be glad when they were on the road. She was thrumming with energy for the approaching match. It has been a long time since she had an opponent that would challenge her and she was looking forward to it.
While Declan packed his things, she gathered water for them both. His share, she left by his dishes, picking up her own and moving back to her steed. Once everything was packed and tied down, she took a last look around the campsite for anything they missed.
Not seeing anything left, Mira swung up into her saddle and looked over at Declan, "You ready? The road calls."
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 2:42 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:10 pm
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Mira
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Mira simply rolled her eyes at his poking fun and chuckled,"Turning to insults already, Declan? See if I ever share my biscuits with you again." She slid down from her saddle and quickly relieved it's weight from her horse. Taking a few moments, she stretched out her stiff muscles, making sure she was loose and ready to go. She would never win with strength against Declan, despite being stronger than many of the women in the guild, so she would have to play things smart with speed and agility.
She un-lashed her shield from the saddle and tied her scabbard tight to her blade. She thought about her daggers and decided she would only pull out the one that she intentionally left dull and secured for practice or spars. It was sometimes a pain to travel with, but she kept the others just a bit too sharp for this purpose. She exchanged her blades with Declan's for inspection.
Mira gingerly handled and looked over Declan's choice of weapons. They were well-used, well-cared for, and well secured. She felt along the protection pieces, trusting her touch more than her eyes. "I'm fine with the weapons. There's a place on the axe that I'd like to look at afterward, but it should be fine for the spar." She put down his weapons and checked over her armor, tightening a few straps to ensure it was snug. She looked up at Declan, "I'm ready. I'd say avoid the head if possible and I'm only a fan of cheap tricks when it comes to killing bandits. I try to keep that out of sparring. " Once he was done inspecting her weapons, they could start.
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 5:37 pm
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 The Spar began as many do, slowly.
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Declan and Mira faced each other with a measured distance between the two. Declan lightly resting his scabbarded blade’s tip on the ground with one hand on the grip. He gave a quick bow while Mira flourished her blade with the ease of an experienced combatant and duelist to test its balance before she brought her shield up into a practiced guard, ready to ward off any blow and close off her partners lines of attack. The two paused for but a moment and then at an unseen but agreed upon signal sprang into action.
Mira began to circle and then close in while Declan opted to remain stationary watching his opponent with a calculating gaze. Hoping to strike the first blow and test her opponents’ reactions, Mira gathered her feet and sprang forward, the tip of her blade snaking out from behind her guard. Declan responded by kicking the tip of his weapon up with his boot. The simple motion added a surprising amount of momentum to the parry that turned Mira’s thrust aside. With both hands now on his weapon and his partners thrust checked, the smiling adventurer allowed for the blade to arc around his body to create space and lash out with a follow up blow, hoping to conserve his opening moves momentum and force his opponent back.
Not one to be caught off guard when her attack was parried and intrigued by her partners unorthodox start, Mira quickly retreated out of range as Declan’s sword whistled through the air in front of her. Eyeing her partner, she watched as he rhythmically kept his blade moving for a few moments before bringing it to rest in a more traditional guard at waist level, ready to slash again. Declan had reach, power and devastating offense while she had speed, a superior defense and countering ability with her shield.
Declan’s long blade now began to sing as he advanced toward Mira with a series of slashes and cuts. His attacks we punctuated with the occasional thrust in order to maintain distance. Mira in turn parried or avoided his swings constantly watching for an opportunity to land a counter blow. Her moment came when an overhand strike from Declan was brought down onto her shield and sword in an effort to overpower her defense and land a telling blow for this spar. It was a calculated risk that could pay off, and did in a sense, as it torqued her sword free from her grip but brought his own blade close to the ground. Mira capitalized on this momentary lapse in Declan’s guard by stepping on his blade to pin it down and closed the gap. One of her daggers easily slipping free of its sheath with a quiet hiss of leather and steel. A faint gust of wind tickled her ear as she gently tapped the tip of her blade against the chest and neck of Declan but frowned when she noticed that he had a clenched fist next to her ear and temple.
A draw by tournament rules. Death or severe injury in their shared line of work.
Mira couldn’t say that she would particularly enjoy the concussion that Declan’s punch would have inflicted. Content to leave it at that the two separated with respectful nods and reset. Gathering up their respective weapons before facing each other once more. Both combatants new that a double touch would not do and silently vowed to bring their absolute best in the bouts to come.
"Iron sharpens iron..."
"...But it is in the fire of battle that the strongest steel is forged"
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Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:24 pm
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Mira
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Mira slid her dagger back into place as she moved to gather her sword. Her adrenaline was roaring through her body in a way that it hadn’t in a very long time. Declan was one of the best sparring partners that she had ever faced. His strikes were powerful, so she would have to stay on her toes to avoid them. Her shield would only take so much force before her head would ring. He hadn’t even used his ax yet, so that would be more adjustments if he pulled it out. The power that rippled through Declan’s muscles was impressive and he was decently quick for a man of his stature. She would have to try and predict his movements so that she could move with them and try to catch him off guard.
Declan was not going to be easy to predict, especially with the moves he had already showed her. Normally, during any fight, Mira could observe and analyze her opponent’s movements to find a way to ensure her victory. People often stuck to patterns and certain ways of moving during a fight. Even though this was just a spar, it was going to be a difficult one, and this fact thrilled Mira to death.
What didn’t thrill her was having her weapon taken out of her grasp. Even in training, it had always made her feel more vulnerable than she ever cared to be again. If this had been a real fight, she’d probably be very badly injured because she didn’t have her blade in hand. That feeling, she hated. Mira picked up her blade and fixed her grip tight to the handle. She rolled her shoulders as she walked back over to her place before settling into a defensive position. Lifting her shield, she shot him a grin, “Well fought, Declan. Again.”
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