Metal_Sabre draws his new longsword, weighing it in his hands a bit, before assuming a loose fighting stance.
Jardel lifts gauntleted hands to his head, slowly lifting his helmet free. Gently setting it down on the outskirt of the clearing, he takes up his halberd and walks to the center of the opening. Flexing slightly, he lets his armor shift into comfortable positions, allowing him to move with a bit more ease. Focusing his gaze upon Metal Sabre, he studies the azure knight, seeking out all if any weak spots on the other. Finally, he widens his grip on the stave of the halberd, sliding one hand down to the base while the other grips tightly at the center. He inclines his head once, signifying that he will begin. After only a few long strides he is within melee range of his opponent. Sliding his lower hand up slightly, he swings the eight foot halberd with one hand, arching it over his own head and downward at Metal Sabre's shoulder blade. His free hand moves to his back, quickly retrieving a small triangular shield that had thus far gone unnoticed. Bringing it in front of him he positions it so that he may defend himself should his opponent withstand the initial attack.
Metal_Sabre stays loose, having learned to keep his body relaxed in a battle, even in the most tense of situations. The very moment Jardel begins his downward attack with the halberd, Metal_Sabre spins to his opponent's right with surprising speed. As he spins around to face Jardel's back, he swings his longsword in a horizontal swipe, attempting to send the flat of his blade crashing into Jardel's back, hard.
Jardel doesn't have the time to stop the halberd�s downward decent with one hand, so he allows the blade to crash into the ground, sinking deep into the earth. Spinning, he tries to move his shield back first, ahead of his spin. The edge of Metal Sabre's blade manages to catch the end of his shield, literally tearing the handle straps off as it is sent flying away. Barely even feeling the blade dig through the armor protecting his elbow, he continues the spin. Just as he is about to be brought face to face with Metal Sabre, he pulls up, hard, on the halberd's stave, yanking it from the ground and continuing with the momentum right at Metal Sabre's thigh.
Metal_Sabre swings his longsword back around from the recoil of his first attack, then twists his arm so that the blade points downward. The tip of the blade burrows into the ground as the longsword blocks Jardel's halberd from wedging itself firmly in the Azure Knight's hip. Still gripping the handle, Metal_Sabre straightens his arm and the butt of the sword jabs forward, towards Jardel's chest.
Jardel releases his hold on his weapon, letting it fall to the ground. Reaching to his belt he draws out a small dagger. Deciding in an instant his next move, he lunges at Metal Sabre, taking the blow to his chest so that he can at the same time jab his arm forward, trying to use the close proximity he got himself into as an advantage, leaving Metal Sabre barely enough time to react.
Metal_Sabre reacts quickly, but even with the butt of his sword throwing Jardel back, he barely has enough time to avoid the dagger. He leans his upper body back, but still receives a small nick on the cheek, and loses a few strands of hair as well. Metal_Sabre is quick to counter-attack though, pulling his sword up out of the ground and swinging the upside down blade upward, aiming for the pressure point in the Jardel's left arm pit with the butt of the longsword.
Jardel is left gasping for air, the wind knocked clean out of him from the blow dealt by Metal Sabre. Dropping to his knees, he barely has time to see the blade coming at him once again. Grasping at the ground before him, he retrieves his halberd and with both hands swings the stave of the weapon downward. Luckily enough, the weight of the weapon combined with the force pushing it is enough to stop the upcoming blade. Quickly rising and taking a step back, he props his weapon against his shoulder and extends a hand towards Metal Sabre. "Well fought."
Metal_Sabre says [to Jardel] : Thank you. You are quite skilled as well. *smiles*
