- The RhyDin Post's black and gold logo flashes with an epic, orchestrated introduction theme. The logo spirals off the screen, and displays a high-tech news studio with flat screen television sets, and a massive, glossy black desk. Two men sit behind the desk. To the left (Peter Pham) is in his early thirties, of Asian ethnicity, has gelled black hair, and is in a black suit. To the right (Chris Reed) is of Caucasian ethnicity with dark brown hair, is in his late thirties, is wearing a khaki suit, and has a vertical scar running down one side of his face. Both men, equipped with headsets, smile at the camera. -

Peter: How's it going, RhyDin" I'm Peter Pham, sports columnist!

Chris: And I'm Chris Reed, and I'm never gonna give you up or let you down!

Peter: Welcome to the Post's continuing coverage of the Duel of Swords Madness Tournament, which pits the best swords has to offer against the best, and then bunch of people no one has ever heard of.

Chris: You can say that again, Pete. I'm looking at this bracket here, and I can honestly say that I have no idea where some of these fighters stumbled in from!

Peter: Some of them have been doing quite well, though.

Chris: Don't remind me. You don't want to know how much money I lost on the Drasinia and Graziano fights.

Peter: I'd think you would have learned your lesson by now.

Chris: It's a process, Pete. It was just tempting fate with some of these match-ups, though. No-names in RhyDin are pretty much twelve for ten cents.

Peter: You mean a dime a dozen.

Chris: Maybe where you shop.

Peter: I for one am pretty excited about all this interest in Madness. It's really rewarding to be able to get a good look at the new talent out there.

Chris: You've been scouting"

Peter: I have, and so have quite a few of our people. The Post is looking into sponsoring a good, up-and-coming fighter.

Chris: That feels a little immoral, doesn't it' Here! Take my money! Now go get stabbed!

Peter: Believe me, you've done far worse.

Chris: Hey! How was I supposed to know goslings don't always land on their feet' You'd think with how bottom-heavy they are, they'd at least have the good sense to keep upright.

Peter: Really nice, Chris. Anyway. Tonight we're pleased to bring you the next installment from the first pair of match-ups for Madness. - Peering at a paper. - Tormay Eludes and" Niki" Blade.

Chris: Really' Tormay Eludes" That is one kick-ass fairy boy, if I may say so myself.

Peter: I think that's a little offensive, Chris.

Chris: What' He's a fairy, and he's a boy. What else should I call him"

Peter: How about Baron' How about former Overlord"

Chris: That works.

Peter: He hasn't been around too much, but it's really great to see him out and about again, especially in the duels. He's pretty much one of the greats in swords, and I hear he's actually pretty talented in magic.

Chris: Hey. How come we never cover magic, Pete"

Peter: Because all of our footage gets fried on magic nights. Something about how the Isle's environment interferes with radio transmissions.

Chris: I gotcha. But who's this other chick"

Peter: Niki Blade" My notes say she's not a complete stranger, but she's not particularly active in swords.

Chris: She's hot, but I doubt she stands a chance against Baron Eludes.

Peter: Have a little faith there, Chris. Everyone loves an underdog.

Chris: - Grumbling. - Freaking Porthos. Cost me five thousand silver"

Peter: Deep breaths. Why don't you start the fight out for us"

- Roll footage, Round 1. HC/HC 0 All. -

Eludes: One step foward as he cuts from left to right, meeting a similar attack to cancel out.

Blade: The high cuts crossed and cancelled, she recovered smoothly to her ready position.

Chris: Hmm' I'm actually kind of interested now. Blade seems extremely confident.

Peter: I told you. She's got some guts, and she certainly isn't letting Eludes" history faze her.

Chris: I have to wonder if that was an intimidation tactic on Eludes" part, though. Blade for blade" I have to think that was just a power display. Just to show her who's boss.

- End footage Round 1. Roll footage, Round 2. TH/LC 1-0 Blade. -

Blade: The forward-pointed blade stabbed forward and made contact - and a smile lit her face for the first time.

Eludes: Presses the attack, going low this time, but gets pinned for his efforts.

Peter: Can I issue a complaint here"

Chris: Now would be the appropriate time.

Peter: Is it just me, or is bookending one of the most predictable moves in swordplay' I find going from high to low or vice versa in one fell swoop just a little too easy.

Chris: It's just you, Pete. You see, the way Eludes had positioned himself, he could easily have been feigning a parry. That kind of maneuver will throw your opponent off and make him or her rethink his or her strategy.

Peter: But it failed!

Chris: Only because Eludes followed through with it. He was already out there when she was going for a connect. There really wasn't any way to recover from that attempt.

- End footage Round 2. Roll footage, Round 3. FDU/LC 2-0 Blade. -

Blade: Her knee hit the mat as the backward-facing blade swept low, and she chuckled rich and low. "You can do better than this."

Eludes: Drops low, and right into the attack. "Tsk."

Chris: Oh-ho! Things are getting personal now, Pete. This chick has got guts.

Peter: Maybe she's just being helpful.

Chris: No, I'm talking about her cut. That's a bold strategy! You know what her style reminds me of? It's almost Chinese. Look at the way she's standing, where all the power is in her back leg. That move just reminded me a little of a hua cut. The force is in her body, and not her sword arm.

Peter: Very astute, Chris. You sure you're not just watching her body for the sake of watching her body"

Chris: That too.

- End footage Round 3. Roll footage, Round 4. TH/TH 3-1 Blade. -

Eludes: Lunges foward to tag with the blade, taking a strike in return.

Blade: Misjudgement as she pressed the attack and traded straight in blows with the Baron, but it didn't dim the light in her eyes.

Peter: Close call right there. You want to talk about boldness" Eludes is obviously starting to take chances.

Chris: The Baron' What about Blade" She's not letting up off of him for a second. She clearly wants this.

Peter: Knocking a Baron out of Madness in the first round would be something to brag about.

Chris: I don't know, though. I get the feeling Eludes still has something up his sleeve.

- End footage Round 4. Roll footage, Round 5. LC/SH 3-2 Blade. -

Eludes: Spins aside, slicing low with the twirl.

Blade: Breath hissed out as her stophit was poorly judged and allowed the low slice through. She recovered back to ready position.

Chris: This is the part of fights that I love right here. I'm finding more and more that about halfway through a match, one or both of the competitors will completely change their strategies. Here we see Eludes going from a partial defensive to a full offensive, while Blade is second-guessing her tactics and falling into a guard.

Peter: Isn't that the smart thing to do, though' Obviously the Baron is eager to get his points back, so he's going to want to be a little more active in the duel.

Chris: In my opinion, a defensive strategy is all wrong for Blade's fighting style. It looks like her strength is in the lower half of her body, which makes her attacks very difficult to anticipate. I'd say it would be wiser of her just to keep on him.

Peter: I get the feeling Eludes is about to break out whatever it is he's got up his sleeve.

Chris: Oh no doubt about it, Pete. It wouldn't surprise me if that whole show was nothing but misdirection.

- End footage Round 5. Roll footage, Round 6. FSS/HC 4-2 Blade. -

Blade: Another slash with the backward blade was aided by the Baron's sidestep into her cut.

Eludes: Continues his spin to the side....and gets his bell rung.

Peter: " You were saying"

Chris: It's got to be some kind of intimidation tactic, Pete. No way he didn't see that one.

Peter: Maybe his head is just somewhere else.

Chris: Glad to see Blade getting back on the offensive again, though.

- End footage Round 6. Roll footage, Round 7. TH/LC 4-3 Blade. -

Eludes: Lunges in with the thrust, using the longer reach to keep Niki away.

Blade: The moves reversed and not in her favor - she lunged low for a cut and moved straight into the thrust. Another harsh breath hissed out, though her fierce smile remained.

Chris: Theeeeere we go! About damn time he uses his signature thrust!

Peter: I'm going to hold a protest against bookending or something, Chris. I saw that coming, and I don't even duel for a living.

Chris: Pete, Pete. Look at it from her perspective. Dropping your arm is one of the most natural things you can do, and he's already stumbling all over himself from that earlier blunder in Round Six. He's obviously not watching his feet.

Peter: But he cut right through it.

Chris: Right. He didn't let her complete the maneuver. He's just a little too fast for her.

Peter: If you say so.

- End footage Round 7. Roll footage, Round 8. FLP/TH 4 All. -

Eludes: As he pulls the blade back from his thrust, he steps foward instead of back, bring the blade up to deflect the incoming attack and bring it back down onto Niki for the full point.

Chris: There we go! Now he's pulling out the big guns! Can we get a close-up on that move, please"

- Zoom in, slow-motion action replay of Tormay's fancy parry. A white arrow follows the line of his approach, an X drawn onto where he lands his first blow, followed by a circle where he lands his second. -

Chris: This is unpredictability at its finest, Pete. After a bold attack like a thrust, what?s the first thing a fighter does" He retreats and resets. But instead, Eludes presses forward, bam, and BAM! Beautiful!

Peter: That takes some nimble footwork.

Chris: I guess he is watching his feet after all!

- End footage Round 8. Roll footage, Round 9. HC/LC 5 All. -

Eludes: A nice trade to draw it out longer.

Blade: Her high cut swept over Tormay's passing low cut, and she laughed. "The best kind of dance."

Peter: This is quite a close one. It's good to see the Baron getting so aggressive, though.

Chris: Absolutely. It seems as though he has his opponent's strategy just about mapped out.

Peter: Blade sure isn't letting this one end easily.

- End footage Round 9. Roll footage, Round 10. FCP/TH 6-5 Eludes. -

Eludes: Bats the thrust down and into the dirt before pointing the blade at the opening he just created. "Got ya!" A big grin as the match ends.

Peter: Looks like that offensive strategy of Blade's didn't work out so well after all, Chris.

Chris: No, it did. I think it's a good fighting style for her; she just needs to work on her speed.

- Camera returns to the studio, where both men are engaged in candid conversation. -

Chris: Now I remember why I like Eludes, though. He's entertaining and talented. I had almost forgotten, he's been MIA for so long.

Peter: People have lives outside of dueling, Chris. Not everyone is as boring as you.

Chris: Hey. Rearranging my towel collection isn't boring.

Peter: But that's an even win for the Baron, putting him through to the next round. Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to Blade.

Chris: It was great while it lasted! Don't be a stranger, now!

Peter: As usual, RhyDin, this is just a reminder to give us a shout if there is a fight you'd like covered, or if you have any candidates in mind for the RhyDin Post Future Fighter sponsorship. Until next time, I'm Peter Pham.

Chris: And I'm Chris Reed!

Peter: You stay sporty, RhyDin!

- End tape.