Nascent Goddess Quest

Winning votes:
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit

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With almost expert precision you dodge away from a clumsy stab Tobias sends towards you, before raising your sword to him. He does the same as you go back to circling each other for a few seconds before Tobias jumps forward with a stab at your right shoulder. You bat aside his obvious strike and move to the side to avoid being tackled to the ground. Tobias fails to keep his balance and falls to the ground, trying to take advantage of his fall you stab at him, only for him to roll out of the way and jump to his feet.

You stay back and wait for him to make the first move. He sends two slashes your way, the first of which you jump back to avoid and the second you parry. As his sword slides across yours you notice his leg kicking out to trip you. Jumping over his leg and to the side you attempt to hit him with the hilt of your blade, only for him to bend backwards to avoid it and bring his arm back in for a stab at you while you left yourself vulnerable. Jumping to the side again you avoid the stab and bring your sword close to your body again.

You bat away a trio of blows Tobias throws at you before stabbing forward twice to push him back and get some space. Tobias doesn't let up though as he blocks your second strike and starts to put on the heat again...or at least he tries to, he ends up tripping over whilst attempting a jumping stab and just lands on the ground in front of you. Before you can recover from your shock at his terrible maneuver he's back on his feet and swiping at you again, you return to your senses quickly enough to block the swipe, but Tobias pushes against your blade, locking the two of you in a battle of strength, one you would surely lose. Instead you turn your rapier to the side and plant an elbow against his chest, shoving him away.

You two go back at it; deflecting each other's swords away before they get close to hitting you, neither of you giving up an inch but neither of you trying too hard to hit one another, both focused more on protecting yourselves. After several minutes of the back and forth you notice that the sun is beginning to set, a tie is better than being beaten again, but you want to win. The way this is going you'll be out of time before you succeed in that goal.

Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) You aren't trained either
[] Rapier (no bonus)

Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack

Parry?
[] Yes
[] No

Fight will end in 3 round or less

Winning votes:
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[w] No

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Switching tactics, you decide that to win this before your time's up you'll need to take a more aggressive approach. Your thrusts and slashes get faster and more frequent as you begin to push him back. The constant pressure forces him to switch to defending himself. Your seemingly endless barrage slowly wears Tobias down as he grows more sluggish, eventually you manage to land a blow or two on him, however it seems his robes are heavier than yours as a direct pair of quick slashes do nothing. With you having been left open by what you thought were blows that would end the fight Tobias places his boot against you and pushes you away.

Stumbling from being shoved back you find it difficult to get back into your rhythm. Tobias regains his lost ground as he batted your sword aside each time you tried to get a good footing and forced you back. Eventually he stopped his forward charge and tried to hit you while your defences were down. You dodged to the right, but he stuck out a leg to trip you. You turned your ungraceful fall into a roll before turning back to face Tobias as you rose to your feet. You bring the rapier to your face and point it at Tobias.

You jump forward, he anticipates you jumping into him with a stab and moves to dodge, but instead you land right in front of him and stab at his new position. Unable to dodge or block in time Tobias does the only thing he can to win: draw blood first, so he slashes at your side. Several seconds pass as you stare at his rapier, a mere inch away from your side and completely still. You look back at your own blade, a small amount of blood trickles down its length from the wound in Tobias' left shoulder, your thrust having pierced straight through his thick robes. Tobias grins at you, wincing slightly as you withdraw you sword before returning to a his beaming smile.

"I knew you had it in you," Tobias comments before pulling out a small arrow shaped figurine, he'd done this after each bout, so you weren't surprised by what happened when he quietly muttered, "May the power of my ambitions return my health." As he said those words his shoulder was bathed a glowing light for a second, as the light faded both his robe and shoulder were in pristine condition. With the sun setting Tobias decided you were done for the day. Before you leave the arena he walks over to the table that held your rapier and picked up a sheath, "Keep the rapier with you whenever you can" He advised before walking you back to your own room.

Changing into your pyjamas again you place your now sheathed sword on the desk and get into bed. Or, you would have if something didn't come to mind at the last moment, the candles. Licking two fingers you attempt to snuff out a candle, on you fingers pass right through the flame, not even feeling any heat. Despite your best efforts the candles remained firmly unsnuffed. Shrugging you give up on the endeavour and get into bed, the candle flames extinguishing several seconds later. You sleep.

You dream about:
[] The power held within all beings
[] A giant being with a floating crown made of boundless energy
[] A murky river with a rapid current, though you feel strength emanate from the bottom
[] Nothing, you sleep like a rock