With Sigurd exactly where his pugilist approach needed him to be, it seemed like the best opportunity yet for Gigue to go ham on his opponent and start crushing bones, stamping jagged shards into flesh with his brazen fist – however, the circumstances under which he had got the pin were far from ideal. Body battered, left arm hanging limp and a sword stuck in his leg, it would be nigh impossible to keep the fight under his control, Sigurd needing just the smallest amount of effort to unbalance Gigue and bring the advantage back on his side. If the brawler were going to win this tug of war, it would be not through monstrous strength, but through his sharp cunning.

Knowing this, Gigue held back and kept a clear head, retaining acute situational awareness; and when he landed right on top of his opponent’s arm, it did not escape his attention, as it may have in an adrenalin fueled rage. Bad news, as it was now in a position where he couldn’t lock it down, leaving it as a loose factor that crippled his chances of success in a grapple. However, Sigurd’s options would be limited, and with a bit of endorsement, Gigue intended to puppeteer him: as he moved in for an attack, the brawler intentionally took a position which was easy to unbalance, making a push or shove an evident and easy escape; no doubt, Sigurd would take the bait, hurrying to get out of the pin and failing to realize the significance of one crucial detail: a foot, placed square on top of his shoulder.

The ploy worked indeed, and within a second, it was already carried to completion. The foot rammed down on the stone encased shoulder, metals heel biting into marble, leg heaved his torso upwards and hips spun it around in a counter-clockwise motion. Rather than falling onto his side, Gigue would roll onto his left knee, thigh brought off the ground, and then set down his right foot next to it, amplifying the push Sigurd gave him to assume an upright position, left side turned to his adversary. A tricky move to pull off if not for his strength, which allowed him to alter his momentum in such a manner with the subtlest of moves.

Why would he pick this over an immediate assault while he still had the warrior mounted? Perhaps it was him being overcautious, but with the body crippled, Gigue but more trust in a knife to finish his opponent than his fists, so he chose to setup a perfect situation for just that. All Sigurd would be able to see now was his back, anything he held in his hands hidden from view; and the sword, still stuck, but hanging loose in the wound. The man was left unarmed, and getting back his weapon would be tempting - little would he know that it would be certain death: hand held close to his chest, Gigue had a blade of his own at ready.