The Trial of Steel



Rupert
VS
Jean de Montbergac


The pavilions were utterly full, no free space large enough for a man to stand or sit in was available within the seating areas of the arena. Only the Royal Annex had room for comfort, as it was currently only occupied by a sole figure, the King's Herald, who was attempting to quiet the crowd long enough to be able to address them. A sounding of trumpets eventually cut through the din, silencing the joyous voices long enough for the Herald to speak.

"It is with great pride that I make this announcement. Our great Leige-Lord, King Louen Leoncour has decided to bestow us the honour of his presence. It is with a joyous heart that I am able to introduce to you our glorious King, and Lord of Bretonnia!" To these words, a tall, broad-shouldered figure entered the Annex. It was immediately clear that he was the King himself, his garments and regal bearing unmistakable.

A huge roar of applause and cheers arose from both levels of the pavilions upon this sight. For a moment the King's bearded, battle-hardened features changed into a smile, before returning to the serious, but not malevolent, expression that usually adorned his features.

Taking a seat next to the Herald, the King prepared to view the final battle of the entire Trial of Steel Tournament...



There was no need for a scroll of parchment this day, so the King's Adjudicator, after bowing to the King, announced the final battle of the Tournament. "Today, in the Trial of Steel, Jean de Montbergac shall do battle with Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam. Indeed, both contestants are not to be taken lightly. Jean de Montbergac is the current Roster Champion, whilst Rupert held the same title for five Rounds in succession. He who is victorious this day will be Knighted in a grand ceremony, he who is defeated shall be eliminated with honour from the Tournament. Squires of Bretonnia, approach!"

The great doors to the preparation building swung open, revealing the two competitors, who began the march onto the centre of the arena. As they made their way, the cheers of the crowd filled the arena in a howling morass of applause and shouts. Both Squires stopped suddenly, as they both saw the King sitting in the Royal Annex at the same time. Moments later, they stood in the middle of the arena, swords drawn and shields ready. They both promised themselves that they would not fail here, and would give it their all...

VS

Jean de Montbergac

(Aggressive) - (Ranked 1st)

Hits: 1
Wounds Taken: 3

Rupert, Squire to
Baron Borsam
(Aggressive) - (Ranked 4th)

Hits: 4
Wounds Taken: 2


The signal was given and the most important battle of the Tournament began. Jean jumped backwards, away from Rupert, whilst the Squire to Baron Borsam leapt towards his foe and struck out with a Slash. The blow was too quick for Jean to defend and it hit, but merely scratched Jean's clothes, doing no harm to the Squire himself. Annoyed by being hit so early in the battle, Jean de Montbergac planted his feet into the sand and hacked at his adversary with a mighty Power Strike. With a collective gasp of shock, the crowd saw the blade miss Rupert's head by less than an inch. Stunned by the closeness of his foe's last attack, Rupert's counter attack Double Strike came too slowly, and was parried by a sweep of Jean's blade. Yelling a battle-cry to the Lady, Rupert leapt at his adversary and delivered a harsh Chop to his opponent. This time Jean was not able to defend himself from the blow, and a major injury was caused when the strike caught him hard upon the chest.

As both Squires took a step back to catch their breath and devise a new plan of attack, silence dominated the crowd. Everybody was on the edge of their seats, quietly willing their chosen Squire to victory. The end of the Tournament was drawing near, but of its final result, none were sure. Moments after they seperated, both Jean and Rupert charged back at one another, and the battle was re-joined...

It was Rupert who was first able to strike, with a Slashing attack at his charging adversary. With a worrying crunch, Jean was hit hard in the side, and took a serious wound from the blow. Rupert had failed to realise that his foe was about to deliver a Shoudler Charge attack, however, and despite his wound still carried enough momentum to deal out a punishing blow. The great double-handed strike impacted with the torso of Rupert and sent the crowd into a frenzy of cheering and shouting. The Aggressive Squire staggered backwards from the blow, he had been injured very seriously by the attack and would not recover quickly (he suffered 2 Wounds!). The blow obviously had stunned Rupert greatly, as both a Diversion and Double Strike attack both failed. With the former missing and the latter being blocked by Jean's raised shield.

The spectator's cheers were cut short once more as the battle's conclusion loomed. Dodging under an ill-aimed Jab from Jean, Rupert Slashed at his foe with awesome accuracy and speed. The blow hammered into Jean's arm and caused yet another serious wound to the Aggressive Squire, and also weakened the limb. With a wounded sword arm and many serious wounds, Jean de Montbergac struggled to remain on his feet against the exhaustion that his wounds had caused him. All onlookers present held their breath as Jean swayed slowly from side to side, his entire being fighting to keep upright, even though his wounds fought to pull him downwards, into unconsiousness. With great dismay, Jean de Montbergac found he could not fight on any longer, and collapsed in a heap to the sandy arena floor, unable to stand due to his many wounds, before slipping into unconsiousness as the crowd's applause filled the air.

Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam stood dumbstruck for a short moment, unable to fully realise that he had been victorious. It did not take long, however, for the moment to pass and for the realisation that he was the victor to hit him. With an almighty roar of victory, Rupert thrust his blade into the air, causing the deafening cheers of the crowd to intensify into an all-consuming noise in which nothing else could be heard.

Allowing Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam to enjoy his moment of victory, the King's Adjudicator waited a short while before signalling a blast from the trumpets, which finally quietened the cheering crowd. It was announced that Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam had won the battle by Knocking Out his adversary. Therefore, Rupert, Squire to Baron Borsam is the victor of the Trial of Steel. Jean de Montbergac, whilst fighting bravely and with great skill, is eliminated due to having suffered 3 Wounds in the battle and thus being knocked out of the competition.



The unconsious body of Jean de Montbergac was stretchered away by the Marshalls, one of which took Jean's shield and hung it upon a hook on the wall. Now the 19 shields of those who had been eliminated were on display, each a testament to the great courage and strength with which all of the Squires had fought.

The exhilerated Rupert was taken back to the preparation building where many nobles waited to greet him and congratulate him on his victory. The crowd left the pavilions to enjoy special festivities that awaited outside the arena, with entertainers, dancers and storytellers all keeping the crowd busy. As all of this activity was proceeding, a group of artisans were busy setting up a raised wooden stage. This stage would face towards the pavilions and was flanked by huge cloth banners, each of white with different symbols of holiness depicted. It was on this stage that Rupert would be Knighted.

As the crowds returned to the pavilions with full bellies and high spirits, the ceremony was set to begin. The great doors to the preparation building opened one last time to allow Rupert to enter the arena, who now carried neither sword nor shield. Looking upon the scene before him, Rupert gasped when he saw the King himself standing on the stage, waiting to perform the Knighting on Rupert. Two Marshalls who stood on either side of the monarch. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Rupert walked towards the wooden stage, and thus began the Ceremony of Knighthood...



NOTE: You may notice that the dice rolls are not included in the battle descriptions, if you want a copy of how the dice rolls came up. Email Me and tell me which Round's dice rolls you want emailed to you, and I shall get them to you ASAP.

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