Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

Raiding a Train Isn't for Amateurs

Meanwhile, the other one had already closed the distance between them and attacked with a series of quick slashing motions using only their left hand... which just so happened to have a clawed gauntlet attached to it.

How did I miss that?

Caspian was so shocked that he almost tripped over his own two feet. Only his innate sense of timing, reflexes and countless sparring sessions allowed him to raise his sword and deflect the swift series of attacks that followed.

Backpedaling, because he had no intention of letting himself get sliced apart like grated cheese, Caspian avoided the claw swipe. At the same time as he put some distance between himself and the claw wielder, he brought his sword up to block the weapon aimed at piercing his throat, as the one running along the ceiling launched themselves from above, descending upon him with the fury of a fallen spirit.

As sparks flew and the clang of metal against metal resounded throughout the train car, he got a good look at the other weapon being used to attack him. The dagger being used was rusty and old, worn and jagged, its blade more akin to a double-edged hacksaw than a knife. It certainly didn't look like something he'd want to be stabbed with.

It looked like these were just ordinary bandits, then, as no true warrior fought a battle with rusty weapons. Even if one of them did move about like a monkey and the other had a giant claw attached to their left hand.

"Woah!"

Caspian ducked to avoid having his eyeballs impaled by a large claw. The swift movement was quickly followed by a downward swipe from that same clawed hand, which he was forced to avoid by rolling backwards along the ground. As he came up onto his feet, the dagger wielder was immediately in front of him and attacking with violent thrusts and swipes.

Bringing his sword up, Caspian twisted his blade in a clockwise motion, deflecting the dagger that came close to impaling his left eye. He lashed out with a low kick, hoping to sweep his opponent off their feet, but the wily individual leapt backwards.

Okay. So maybe they aren't complete amateurs.

Gritting his teeth, Caspian moved back yet again, as the one with the clawed gauntlet appeared before him seemingly out of thin air and tried slashing him to ribbons. He quickly realized that they had used the other attacker's cloak for cover, sneaking up on him from below while he was preoccupied with the dagger wielder.

Twisting his body kept Caspian from having his stomach sliced open and his organs spilling to the carpet, but it was a near thing, and the dagger tore apart the front of his shirt, ripping through it like Davidé Gorossolaine ripped gas. He forced them both to back off by recklessly swinging his sword in a spin maneuver, but he knew it wouldn't keep them back for more than a second or two.

Caspian breathed heavily as he warily eyed his opponents. Sweat dripped down his bangs and stung his eyes, but he refused to wipe it away. These two worked very well together, like a well-oiled machine, and if he wanted to have any hope of surviving, he couldn't afford to take his eyes of them for even a second.

With narrowed eyes, Caspian decided to weather their initial onslaught and hope for the best. If he could just keep his cool and find a weakness in their movements, then he could strike at them when they least expected it. That was the plan anyway.

It was just unfortunate that these two didn't seem to have any openings he could exploit. Or rather, they did, but he couldn't exploit them because they covered each other weaknesses so well. Whenever one attacked, the other was there to defend and visa versa. Making matters worse was the fact that he was being pushed back. In a matter of moments, he would be pinned against the door leading to the next train... car...