Tiragarde Keep (M L): Fight Pavel defensively?
From Create Your Own Story
You decide to play it safe; Pavel has great skill, and you're sure you'd be overwhelmed and annihilated in a short fight, but if you let his age work for you, you might be able to find victory. You lunge forward and swipe once, intentionally glancing off of the Master Sergeant's buckler before pulling back into your defensive stance. In response, your foe unleashes a quick flurry of blows, raining down a series of overhead swipes which you manage to ward off with your sword and shield. He tries to strike you across the face with his buckler, but you intercept it with the flat of your blade and turn the strike aside. It all happens within a few seconds; unsuccessful in breaching your defenses, he retreats and begins to circle, waiting for an opening.
Sweat pours down your face and into your eyes, and as you take an instant to shake it away, Pavel moves forward again. His blade arcs upward at your torso, but you slap it away and deflect a punch with your buckler. He steps forward a little too far, and you try a strike of your own, but he's inside your guard and strikes you in the upper arm with his wrist, sending your attack reeling backwards. He takes the time to step back into a more favorable position, but just when you think he's going to go back to circling, he kicks out one leg and sweeps you from your feet. You land hard on the deck, certain that you'll have a hell of a bruise on the back of your head tomorrow morning.
The Master Sergeant points his blade at you in victory, but you're not finished yet. You slap his sword aside with your own and curve your strike around to cut toward his legs, forcing him backwards and giving you time to scramble back to your feet. Your head is spinning, and little spots of light dance before your eyes; as it turns out, one of those spots hides Pavel as he charges forward again and slaps your hastily resumed guard aside. You flail with your shield and sword, trying to drive him back, but your strikes have become clumsy, and it's all you can do to prevent his sword from sending you back down to the deck. Suddenly, your foe plants his booted foot on your torso and shoves, sending you backwards. Applause begins around you, and you realize you've been shoved out of the circle.
"Not bad, Private, not bad. You've got a good start, you just need to adjust your guard better. Here, I'll walk you through some drills." The drills, long, difficult, and arduous, last the rest of the day; Pavel is as brutal a taskmaster as a fighter, pressuring you to attempt a strike or parry again and again until it's up to his sky-high standards. You know you're making progress, and you did about as well as anyone who ever challenged the seasoned veteran, but you still feel a little disappointed about your performance. By the time night falls, however, such thoughts are a distant memory; you've only got enough energy left to stagger back to your hammock and sleep.
