Alzon� shoulder-rolled through the hit and came up in time to parry a swing from Tsenario�s armorsword, leapt over his tail as he swung it again, and ducked under the second blade as he brought it around to complete the arch. Natalee swung her long-blade like a club against the side of Tsenario�s body armor, but only succeeded in creating a loud clang and sparks as the blade glanced off.
Tsenario thrust his armorsword at Natalee�s chest, which she spun away from, and using the momentum from the spin brought her blade around in a high cut towards his neck. The alien ducked and side kicked her in the stomach, knocking the breath from her lungs and sending her to the ground, skidding to a stop against a wall.
Gritting her teeth, Alzon� brought her now very heavy long-blade up to a weak defensive position as Tsenario stood over her, armorsword poised for the kill. �Pathetic human,� he growled.
Natalee met his yellow, reptilian eyes, felt the pang of failure, and closed her eyes against the feeling. When she had expected to feel the armorsword penetrate her chest, she opened her eyes again in time to see a human figure rush Tsenario and wrestle him to the ground.
�Tokyn?� Natalee breathed quietly, and pulled herself painfully to her feet, coughing. She steadied herself against the disoriented sensation with a hand against the wall, catching her breath and staring in awe at Tokyn�the young man who had been orphaned and had raised himself on the streets of Moscow�battling Tsenario.
After a clang from his blade against Tsenario�s armor-plated tail, Tokyn shouted, �Natalee, get the general and go!�
As if suddenly awakened, Natalee remembered Cantil hanging in his contorted position from the ceiling, and ran to his side. �General, can you hear me?� She wiped away a drop of blood that threatened to fall into his eye.
Cantil flinched slightly but made no other indication he was aware of her.
Stepping to the ropes that held his ankles, she examined the damage. The ropes had cut through his jumpsuit and had begun making their way through his flesh, but besides that, his legs were fine. He�d be able to move, not run, but move.
Supporting both legs with her right arm, Natalee sliced through the ropes with her long-blade in her left hand, and lowered his feet gently to the ground. She quickly broke the ropes around his wrists and helped him stand upright so she could slip the ropes off of his arms.
General Cantil leaned heavily on Natalee, who led him to sit with his back against the wall farthest from the duel. Alzon� tore a portion of her sleeve and pressed it to the bleeding wound near the general�s temple.
A pained cry from Tokyn brought Natalee�s attention back to the battle behind her. She turned her head in time to see him take a glancing thrust to his arm and stagger backwards. Replacing the general�s hand for her own to hold the cloth in place, Alzon� took up her long-blade and hurried to Tokyn�s aid.
Alzon� hit the wood flooring hard on her shoulder and winced in pain. Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth, stood, and raised her long-blade once again, but didn�t dart back into the fray.
She could tell Tokyn was tiring. One hand was covering the wound on his arm, blood trickling between his fingers to drip on the floor. He blocked Tsenario�s few, mocking blows weakly.
�Natalee, get the general out of here!� His voice was breaking with fatigue and pain.
But she wouldn�t leave him, couldn�t leave him.
Suddenly, he was on the floor, and Tsenario was standing over him, speaking to him in growls inaudible to Natalee, and poised for the kill. Forgetting Cantil, she attacked the alien full force.
Alzon� feinted a cut at Tsenario�s legs, which he moved to deflect. In the last instant, she kicked the warrior�s armorsword from his hand and across the room with a clonk.
Tsenario loosed a roar that was part surprise, part rage, and swung his tail at her. Natalee sprung over it and ducked another strike from his clawed hand. When he whirled back around, Alzon� caught his throat with her long-blade, and at last the warrior fell.
Natalee sheathed her weapon and ran to Tokyn, and slid to the floor next to him. Seeing the blood pour from his arm, she gasped and ripped the other sleeve off her green jumpsuit. "Here," she said, "hold this on there." She pressed her own hand firmly over his to emphasize her point.