Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

Timely Rescue

Having leapt from the window, Caspian rushed to the front of the train. He didn't know what was going on, but he suspected that the culprit in charge of the people he'd fought would be found there.

When he finally arrived at his destination, he needed to blink several times just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

A young woman was being forced to evade a constant barrage of physical attacks from two cloaked individuals, while a third one waited in the wings. Fire would occasionally shoot up from the ground like magma from a volcano, forcing the woman to dodge, which often led to her nearly being stabbed by one of her two opponents.

When he realized that, yes, this really was happening and that, no, he wasn't trapped within some kind of hallucination, Caspian didn't hesitate to take action. He didn't know why this woman was there, or why those three were attacking her so zealously, but he planned on finding out.

After he beat up those three cloaked figures harassing the young lady, of course.

Bull-rushing the first person in his sights, Caspian appeared right in front of the fallen Erica just as she was about to be impaled through the chest with a dagger. His foe had no time to stop their attack and he used that to his advantage. Knocking their blade aside with a quick parry of his sword, he forced the dagger out of position, and then used his free hand to sock the cloaked individual in the face.

Caspian had never been the kind of person who derived pleasure from physically accosting others. To him, taking pleasure from the act of hitting another was a graceless and barbaric thing, something an inbred fool like Julius would do. However, in that moment, even he would not deny that feeling this person's nose crack under his fist was a very satisfying experience.

He must have been more irritated by this situation than he thought.

The figure, man or woman, he didn't know, stumbled backwards. Caspian swung his sword, but found it being blocked by the other person who'd been fighting up close with Erica. Steel grated against steel and sparks flew as Caspian's sword ground against the vambrace covering his adversaries forearm. After several seconds of the two trying to overpower the other, they leapt back; Caspian jumping directly in front of Erica. The one wearing the vambrace, who he noticed was also wielding a whip, leapt several meters away from them.

"I don't know who you are, but you have my thanks," the gorgeous femme said, getting to her feet and trying to dust herself off. Her nose was bleeding, but it didn't look too bad. "These buffoons have been giving me a good deal of trouble."

"Thank me after we take care of these three," Caspian shot back, all the while keeping an eye on the two cloaked figures in front of them. They weren't attacking anymore, just standing there, which meant they were likely trying to concoct a plan to deal with them both. "I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but I do understand that these people are the ones responsible for the train stopping. Since it looks like you're trying to defeat them, you can count on me for assistance."

"In that case, can I ask you to keep them off my back? I need time to prepare an appropriate attack, which I can't do if they're constantly harassing me."

"Alright. I'll keep them from getting too close to you."

"I appreciate it."

With their course of action set, Caspian charged headfirst towards the two cloaked figures. In return, they seemed to realize that, at the moment, he was the larger threat and charged him as well. They were probably hoping to take him out quickly and then deal with the woman.

Caspian nearly sneered at the thought. As if he would be such an easy mark. He might be tired—and cranky—but he wasn't about to let himself be defeated by a couple of... whatever these people were. Not now, not ever.