[Darkness]

As the distance between the two combatants was slowly eliminated, the dark cloaked man patiently waited for his enemy to strike first. Eight paces... Seven paces... It would come soon, and he would be ready for it. This battle would end quickly. Five paces... Four paces... The dark cloaked man held his six foot long staff around the middle, giving him sufficient control in both directions.

Saelel lunged forward, and with quick precision, the dark cloaked man brought his staff up and stepped to the side, allowing the blow to glance off. A step forward and a twisting of the wrist sent the thinner point of the staff, which would normally touch the ground when not being used as a weapon, towards his opponent's back.

[MA-53]

Saelel used the momentum from his initial attack, and kept his staff moving, watching his opponent's attack. He managed to twist himself and his staff awkwardly and parry the blow. Knowing he could not effectively counterattack from his current position, Saelel instead regained his stance, his staff at the ready...

[Darkness]

Feeling the parry against his staff, the dark cloaked man altered his tactic. Jabbing the staff forward, he allowed it to slide through his fingertips, reestablishing his grip when only a few inches remained with the end of his hand and the end of his staff. Turning back towards his opponent, he spun the staff once over his head, increasing the speed, and continuing with its momentum, grabbed hold with his other hand and allowed it to continue its swing towards his enemy's head.

[MA-53]

Saelel's head came around just in time to see the attack and duck below the potentially fatal swing. He now found himself low to the ground, and took the opportunity to swing his staff low, attempting to knock his opponent of his feet.

[Darkness]

The staff's missing its target allowed its initial inertia to continue, and thus he wasted a moment stopping the weapon's swinging. In that moment, the enemy's staff swung out towards his feet, immediately bring him down. Now lying on the ground, his dark cloak splayed out around him, he took the opportunity to send his heel flying towards his opponent's chin in a swift kick.

[MA-53]

Saelel saw the kick coming, and spun to try to avoid it, but was only marginally successful. Instead of striking his jaw, the kick landed between his shoulders, overbalancing him and sending him to the ground.

[Darkness]

Grasping the end of the staff, he placed the ball against the ground and used it to haul himself to his feet. While his kick had not done what he had intended, it still helped. Making a vertical swing, he sent the thick clawed ball at the end of his staff flying towards his enemy on the ground.

[MA-53]

Saelel rolled to avoid the strike, letting it instead impact the ground. With the roll, he jumped to his feet.

[Darkness]

Placing the end of his staff on the ground for balance, he bent to the side, sending his left foot at Saelel's chest.

[MA-53]

Saelel was not prepared, and took the blow full force, which knocked the wind out of him, and forced him backwards. But it did not prevent him from spinning and sending a vicious horizontal strike at the cloaked man's side.

[Darkness]

Staggering at the blow and gasping for a moment, the dark cloaked man put his free hand to his left side, where the staff had collided with him. He wouldn't be surprised if that had broken a rib, but he didn't think it would make more than a big bruise, luckily.

Spinning once again, he sent the large ball at the top of the staff at one of Saelel's legs.

[MA-53]

Saelel leaped to avoid the blow, swinging his staff above his head and then down towards the cloaked man's shoulder. However, he couldn't possible jump high enough to go over his opponent's swing. The strike landed on the side of his shin.

[Darkness]

He raised his hand and staff up, to deflect the blow. Unfortunately, his hand, around the staff's length, was directly in the path of the blow. Seeing this, the dark cloaked man turned the staff diagonal at the last moment. When his enemy's staff connected with his hand, it tore at the skin at his knuckles, making several bloody gashes, and then sliding across the rest of the staff to the side.

Spinning the staff in his hand, he turned it upside down and stabbed the far thinner and less blunt side at his enemy's stomach.

[MA-53]

Saelel was able to put his staff between himself and the jab, and force it sideward. With their staves still connected, Saelel pivoted his, sending the top of it toward the cloaked man's face.

[Darkness]

Raising the staff horizontally with both hands above him, the dark cloaked man rather effectively blocked and stopped the enemy's attack. His staff now occupied, he brought up his knee, attempting to hit his opponent in the stomach.