Despite their many training sessions, Ronan's reflexes don't (and probably never will) rival Kylo's. He'd anticipated Kylo's quick recovery, but that doesn't mean his body is fast enough to respond the way it will have to, if he hopes to hold his ground.
He fights almost too silently, most of the time, but the impact of Kylo's blade against his next hasty block knocks a gasped cry out of him that echoes through the woods. It doesn't send him tumbling to the ground - not yet - but the heels of his boots dig and slide in the wet mud beneath them. He's going to lose his footing.
If he doesn't keep guarding, though, Kylo's swing will follow through into a slice that would sever his torso clean in half, if he were fighting for his life. And since preparing for that scenario is the whole point, Ronan defends like his life depends on it, even as he's shaking and slipping further and further back.
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He fights almost too silently, most of the time, but the impact of Kylo's blade against his next hasty block knocks a gasped cry out of him that echoes through the woods. It doesn't send him tumbling to the ground - not yet - but the heels of his boots dig and slide in the wet mud beneath them. He's going to lose his footing.
If he doesn't keep guarding, though, Kylo's swing will follow through into a slice that would sever his torso clean in half, if he were fighting for his life. And since preparing for that scenario is the whole point, Ronan defends like his life depends on it, even as he's shaking and slipping further and further back.