<strong>Eshalu - in the Wild of Dra Sirdu, facing her scaly aggressor</strong><br/><br/>The instant between consciousness and sleep was painful. A sudden wrenching burst of fear dragged Eshalu's mind from restful contemplation and forced her vision to focus on the towering, scaly monstrosity before her. It was a fragment of an instant, but her muscle memory slipped into action, connecting with the ancestral, vigilant part of her mind that had first detected danger the moment the mighty lizard-thing had come crashing through the undergrowth. Then the blade - a sword strike and she saw the metal take on the colour of Reliyian's glowing stone.<br/><br/><em>React</em>, all the tension in Eshalu's body now focused in her thighs and calves, the blade lowering and and she didn't know whether she could leap out of the way in time. It would take too long to seize and balance her spear. She'd have to abandon it for now. The lizard alpha wanted to fight up close - it would have its wish.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Eshalu rolled: 4d6<br/>Comment: Eshalu - Defend Athletics roll to evade the Lizard-Champions surprise attack<br/>Result: 2, 6, 6, 6, <br/>A net result of <strong>+5</strong> (+2 roll and +3 Athletics skill) <br/><br/><strong>Consequences</strong>: Lizardfolk Champion inflicts a 1-shift hit, Eshalu's <strong>1 Stress Box</strong> is checked<br/></div></div><br/>She rolled and leaped under the reptilian marauder's blade just in time to hear the heavy metal pierce the air and feel the metallic scent of iron and blood surround her. The force of the strike was impressive and she thanked the Moonbow that she had guessed its trajectory before it could land. It also unbalanced her, forcing her to fight at quarters which were too tight for comfort.<em>This is what a Ranger of the Way of the Blade is for,</em>Eshalu thought ruefully,<em>it should be Shulaan dealing with it at this range, not me</em>.<br/><br/>Tactical suppositions, though, wouldn't save her skin. Crouching close to the ground and far too close to her opponent for comfort, close enough to smell fresh-torn flesh and the curious, dry leathery smell of a reptile, she drew her crescent shortsword, its curved blade silvery and patterned with ancestral logograms running down the metal in serpentine, winding mazes of symbols.<br/><br/>She calculated she had instant before the great lizard struck again - it was fast for its size, and skilled - so she seized the moment, and swept the blade forward, aiming for the creature's thighs and midsection with precise, arcing slashes. Breaking her opponent's guard, though, was crushingly difficult at first  - the fanged beast had excellent positioning and initially fought off Eshalu's speculative cuts with ease.<br/><br/>Being so cornered, though, and her companions still awaking from their torpor, compelled Eshalu to draw upon deep reserves of tenacity - a frantic<em>Ranger's Resilience</em>for which survival is the sole imperative -  and she pressed on with her, this time focusing her strength in one, well placed slash aimed at under the lizard-alpha's guard.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Eshalu rolled: 4d6<br/>Comment: Eshalu - Attack role to hit the Lizard-Champion<br/>Result: 1, 1, 3, 1,<br/>Net result of <strong>+1</strong> (-3 dice rolls and +4 fighting)<br/><br/>Expending a <strong>fate point</strong> to reroll the attack. <br/><br/>Comment: Eshalu - Re-rolled attack roll to hit the Lizard-Champion<br/>Result: 4, 6, 3, 5,<br/>Net result of <strong>+6</strong> (+2 dice rolls and +4 fighting)<br/><br/><strong>NB</strong>: Eshalu has <strong>0 fate points</strong> left </div></div>