Sharon shifted from one leg to the other, trying to get used to the added weight of the greaves guarding her shin as she cradled her cudgel in both hands and stared upon at Ebon's towering mass of smooth dark muscle. The thick length of wood was heavy, but not so much as to incur any fatal damage .. at least hopefully not. Ebon held his one-handed at his side, setting his feet apart and waiting for Sharon to make the first move. His nostrils flared slightly and lines of sweat ran down both the prospective gladiator's bodies as the instructors cleared space.
There was a shout and the match was on, Sharon propelling herself forward dextrously to close with her larger opponent. She was fast, but Ebon was not wasting his time trying to dance around her strike; before she could connect with a blow to the side she was rolling to dodge the sweeping arc of his weapon. Sharon twisted frantically as the heavy wooden cudgel dropped to strike at her again, blocking with her own and scrambling up and out of immediate reach.
The parrying continued, as each time Sharon's agility saved her from a serious bruise - or worse - at the hands of Ebon's heavy blows. For all her dexterity, his defensive stance remained strong, and a glancing blow across the forearm as they staves cracked together was the closest Sharon came to inflicting any damage. Finally a halt was called, each of the two breathing heavily as they saluted and surrended the field.
Sun Mar 16 15:26:16 2003