Sword Quest V - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue to circle for another few moments before making a sudden vertical cut with Roukanken. But as she brings her blade to parry, quickly sidestep while keeping Roukanken extended, then step inward and slash in with Hakurouken from the other direction - at an angle that would be hard to defend with her blade alone without also changing her footing.

>You circle, and she continues try to keep pace. She's fast enough to keep you from getting around her, but you're definitely keeping her pinned in the middle of the circle you are creating.
>You come at her with a quick vertical cut, and she snaps her blade to intercept it easily enough. Judging by the angle that she catches your weapon with, she was anticipating a follow-up from a difficult angle. She twists her blade to try to intercept Hakurouken and has little luck, instead having to take step away.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Follow after her, thrusting with Roukanken (if our blades are still engaged, adjust the angle so that we can slide it threateningly inward still), while making a second deeper slash with Hakurouken. If she's going to pull back, let's make sure she needs to use both feet to do it.

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow after her, thrusting with Roukanken (if our blades are still engaged, adjust the angle so that we can slide it threateningly inward still), while making a second deeper slash with Hakurouken. If she's going to pull back, let's make sure she needs to use both feet to do it.

>You keep the pressure on her. She falls back one step, then another, using her sword to parry Roukanken. Your second strike just falls shy of her torso.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Shift inward and quickly reverse the direction of Hakurouken to pursue her with another slash
>If she manages to shift away from this one again, disengage Roukanken from her blade and try a wider horizontal slash, bringing Hakurouken around to try and preemptively fend off a parry or attack on her part, even for a moment

[Hello Purvis]

>Shift inward and quickly reverse the direction of Hakurouken to pursue her with another slash
>If she manages to shift away from this one again, disengage Roukanken from her blade and try a wider horizontal slash, bringing Hakurouken around to try and preemptively fend off a parry or attack on her part, even for a moment

>You shift inward, and reverse Hakurouken, only to have it crash against her sword. You follow through with Roukanken, but she is able to parry it as well, leaving her side open.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Seize that opening with whatever blade is best-positioned to do so

[Hello Purvis]

>Seize that opening with whatever blade is best-positioned to do so

>You do so, leading in with Roukanken, and score a deep hit along her side. Were you fighting for real, this would have been a crippling blow. The oni's face twists and she lunges at you, her blade aimed at your chest!

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Do we think we have time to quickly sidestep out of the way?
>How well are either of our swords positioned to divert the attack?

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we think we have time to quickly sidestep out of the way?
>How well are either of our swords positioned to divert the attack?

>You might, but it would take something faster than a mere sidestep.
>Hakurouken might be able to deflect it, but you do not have faith in the angle being favorable.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>What if we dropped into a crouch to fall beneath the blade while trying to bring Hakurouken around to divert the oni's blade upward/away?

[Hello Purvis]

>What if we dropped into a crouch to fall beneath the blade while trying to bring Hakurouken around to divert the oni's blade upward/away?

>This may work.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Then do so
>Additionally, try to bring Roukanken around for a low horizontal cut in the vicinity of the oni's legs, as we do so - try to either stave off her momentum a little or make her pay for it

[Hello Purvis]

>Then do so
>Additionally, try to bring Roukanken around for a low horizontal cut in the vicinity of the oni's legs, as we do so - try to either stave off her momentum a little or make her pay for it

>You duck and try to block the oni's strike without giving it your full attention. Hakurouken pushes the attack upward, but the angle is poor and if feels as though you swung right into a raging river. The blade is nearly torn from your hand from the force, and the oni's sword passes close enough by that you can feel it in your hair. This does little to help your strike at her legs, which she leaps back from before you can really level it at her. Her landing is an awkward one, but so is your current position.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Quickly get back on our feet again, reassert our grip on Hakurouken, and prepare Roukanken to strike again
>Has the oni managed to resume a proper stance by now, or is she still faltering from her last maneuver?

[Hello Purvis]

>Quickly get back on our feet again, reassert our grip on Hakurouken, and prepare Roukanken to strike again
>Has the oni managed to resume a proper stance by now, or is she still faltering from her last maneuver?

>You get back to your feet and recover your grip, your opponent does much the same.
>She did, but no longer. She is favoring the other other, though.
>"Tenacious as hell," she says, as she angles her blade toward your legs and approaches "Let's see what you can do about this!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Let's assume a defensive stance and take a step back, as she approaches. Try to stay just outside her weapon's effective range for a moment, and see what she plans on doing.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's assume a defensive stance and take a step back, as she approaches. Try to stay just outside her weapon's effective range for a moment, and see what she plans on doing.

>You keep on the defensive move back. She continues to close in, seemingly not intent to let you have the chance to back away before striking.
>You step back onto the bridge.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>So she's moving quickly again now?
>How wide is this bridge, anyway? In terms of room to maneuver? And how's the footing? Any elevated segments around us (aside from the railing itself?)

[Hello Purvis]

>So she's moving quickly again now?
>How wide is this bridge, anyway? In terms of room to maneuver? And how's the footing? Any elevated segments around us (aside from the railing itself?)

>It seems so. Whether she has recovered or simply is forcing her way through the pain is hard to tell.
>The bridge is pretty wide, it could probably accommodate two wagons easily. It is flat and even, quite well maintained. The railing is the only elevated space.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Let's back up another couple feet, and if she still hasn't struck or made any movements besides following us, reverse direction with a sudden lunging thrust with Roukanken, angled high towards her torso, while keeping Hakurouken medium-low to try and guard from reprisals

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's back up another couple feet, and if she still hasn't struck or made any movements besides following us, reverse direction with a sudden lunging thrust with Roukanken, angled high towards her torso, while keeping Hakurouken medium-low to try and guard from reprisals

>You back away, and she follows. You then lunge, she reads the motion well enough and snaps her blade upward to deflect your attack. You note a small opening to the right, along her hip, but you will need to be clever to exploit it.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Disengage Roukanken from her blade, then make a quick diagonal cut towards her left side
>Immediately after this, shift inward and thrust Hakurouken at the exposed spot on her hip

[Hello Purvis]

>Disengage Roukanken from her blade, then make a quick diagonal cut towards her left side
>Immediately after this, shift inward and thrust Hakurouken at the exposed spot on her hip

>You lead in with another strike from Roukanken, which she moves to deflect with ease, then follow up with Hakurouken. She realizes your plan and moves back, but it is too late. Your blade strikes her hip soundly; perhaps not as well as you could hope, but enough to make her stagger back.
>Sensing nothing to lose, and yourself well within her range, she levels a powerful upwards-diagonal slash toward your chest from your left.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Bring both our blades back in a cross formation to catch the top of her own between them and try to turn aside and delay its forward momentum just long enough to spring backwards and away from the attack. Give it all the power we've got!

[Hello Purvis]

>Bring both our blades back in a cross formation to catch the top of her own between them and try to turn aside and delay its forward momentum just long enough to spring backwards and away from the attack. Give it all the power we've got!

>You bring your blades up as quickly as you can in a cross formation to try and turn it aside! It feels as though you're trying to catch falling tree. Your arms ache fiercely and you back away, then Hakurouken goes flying from your grasp! It slams into the railing to to your right and clatters to the ground as her sword completes its trip past you.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Where did Hakurouken land, relative to the oni? Do we need to cross past her to reach it, or just move away?
>That attack of hers didn't, by any chance, leave any openings we think we can still exploit in our present condition?

[Hello Purvis]

>Where did Hakurouken land, relative to the oni? Do we need to cross past her to reach it, or just move away?
>That attack of hers didn't, by any chance, leave any openings we think we can still exploit in our present condition?

>It is to your right and her left.
>It has, but you are not in a position to exploit them. Also, you believe your left hand has gone numb; you can't feel it.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Does that mean we have an open path to go retrieve our sword at the moment?

[Hello Purvis]

>Does that mean we have an open path to go retrieve our sword at the moment?

>Yes, but it would mean leaving yourself open to her at the moment.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Take a step back, then shift in the direction of Hakurouken, keeping Roukanken interposed between the two of us defensively. Try to move before she can move to block our path, but take enough time so that we don't expose ourselves too openly