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Ruka raised an eyebrow at Whri’s back as she passed him. Some people were not as they seemed, but that was to be expected, he thought to himself. He decided to let someone else go before him to face the swords so that he could study what, if any, pattern there was to their attack.
At first it seemed as though there really was, but whatever was animating those weapons also seemed to have some room for reacting to what tactics were used against them. Ruka would have to be prepared for a distinct disadvantage. He was used to duelling one-on-one, not to mention thing that had weaknesses. The only weakness these things had was that they were not alive.
It was his turn.
The slightly fencer stepped in, not noticing whether the person in front of him had done well or not. He was focused on his own progress here, but not overmuch. This was not going to be an excellent performance, especially in light of some of the other students who were more used to fighting in close quarters.
At least the weapon was familiar, but what could a fencing foil do against heavier set swords? He would see…and so would Sizer.
He stood in the middle of the circle, knowing all too well that his back would be terribly vulnerable at all points during this trial. The only warning before the onslaught began was a slight glimmer of silver barely visible on the edge of Ruka’s vision. However, he had been anticipating something of that sort and quickly intercepted the sword. He was only just fast enough to dodge the other swords that came his way and it seemed for a while as though he was faring quite well indeed. As he had noticed earlier though, things were not always as they seemed. Just as had happened at the beginning of the battle, he caught something out of the corner of his eye and moved to intercept it. Perhaps the pattern was holding still? It proved to be a distraction and he had to drop to the ground to avoid being hit from behind as he turned to intercept another sword. He could feel the blade of his foil beginning to lose its integrity and he was not sure how much longer it would last. These metal opponents would keep coming if he did not do something to even the odds quickly.
Catching the hilt of one sword upon his he threw it forcefully towards a wall, causing its blade to sing as it stuck. It would take a few moments for it to work itself free. He sliced at another sword, running his foil at an angle and unbalancing the sword, sending it skittering to the ground at his feet. Changing his footing to stand on it he disabled another sword. He hit another with the hilt of his foil as the blade of his weapon broke. There was enough of it left to continue the fight, but it was impossible for him to win now. He had only to wait…soon enough this would no longer be a challenge. This battle might not be his, but those in future would not present so much of a problem if his plans were realised... |