Raptor and Rapture Ch. 03: Sabre Ballet

Tarquin nodded as he stood across from her, "Sounds good." He extended his arm towards her before folding his elbow upwards and raising the blade, then he fell into a stance.

Ashey smiled slowly, "Are you saluting me?"

"Yes, that's normal protocol...right?" He blinked.

"Yes, it is... I'm impressed you knew that," she continued to smile as she saluted him in turn.

"I've seen a few bouts, that's all," he steadied himself as he relaxed and bent this knees. Already he could see that his opponent was much more lithe than he was, and he was going to need all the speed he could get.

"Since there's no one to supervise our fight, I brought this coin with me," Ashey said as she produced it with her left hand. "I'm going to toss it up and when it hits the ground we start."

Tarquin nodded once before he heard the small sound of her fingernail scrape the bottom of the coin. He saw it flash in the corner of his vision, and a moment later, he heard the coin hit the ground, then his body was already moving before he knew what he was doing.

Ashey stepped close immediately and executed a series of blindingly fast strikes. Tarquin blocked each of them with a twist of his wrist, before he tried for a counter attack.

Ashey saw his counter from a thousand miles away and deflected it easily before she parried and went for his shoulder. Tarquin smacked her blade away forcefully and made a similar move, but she had already stepped back.

"I'm impressed," she said flatly as she drew forward once more and tried for a flurry.

Tarquin was no fencer, but he knew that a flurry was more flash than substance, and he broke into it with a twist of his blade, "Your speed is terrifying," he smiled as he made a horizontal slash towards her left arm.

She span out of the way and leapt forward before falling into a crouch and trying for his stomach.

Tarquin sucked in his gut and leaned back, "Whoa," he caught his balance as he swept his blade towards her, "Quite majestic."

Ashey sprang out of range and grinned, "Those kinds if moves aren't allowed in traditional fencing."

"I'd wager not," he replied as he lashed out at her. he tried for a feint, from left to right, but Ashey saw it easily and attempted to reverse it on him. Her control and precision were extraordinary, and Tarquin was barely able to step aside in time as her blade brushed dangerously close to his shoulder.

"You move fairly well for being so heavy," she said as she moved in for another attack.

Tarquin deflected her blows easily enough, but there was no way that he would be able to counter attack effectively while he was putting so much effort into defense, "Are you calling me fat?" He chuckled as he pushed her blade aside with his own and swiped at her chest.

She flicked the attack away expertly as she took two steps back, "Hardly, though, If we were thrusting, you'd be dead already," she replied as she began to circle around him.

"Tarquin smiled widely as he fell into the circle with her, "That's funny coming from someone who accused me of not being able to understand the finer aspects of the sport. If I was was trying to kill you, I wouldn't be using this, anyhow."

She raised her sword and swatted the tip of his blade as she tried to create an opening, "We don't get to talk during matches either...this is fun."

Tarquin chuckled as he stood his ground, "I'm glad that you're so entertained. Are you done toying with me?"

Ashey laughed, "I suppose I am!"

Tarquin bent his knees a bit more as she rushed him with another series of attacks. Her blade was a complete blur as she sliced towards him mercilessly, and Tarquin was forced to go completely on the defensive. Still, even while he moved from side to side and tried to keep his ground, he admired her movements and the sheer concentration of her musculature. It was obvious that she had spent many, many years of her life developing her skill and technique, and there wasn't a single doubt in his mind that if they were playing by actual fencing rules, then she would have already beaten him a hundred times over. Her footwork was immaculate and light, and every time she moved it was as if she were dancing. Tarquin's footwork was shoddy, and his feet were too far apart, and he wondered briefly how many fencing instructors he would upset if they saw how he was carrying himself.

The mercenary, however, did have one thing that his opponent lacked completely: experience. Sport fighting and actual combat were indeed two different arenas, and Tarquin's muscle memory and battle instinct were superb. He couldn't see her blade as she effortlessly threatened to cut him open, but he didn't need to. He could see her shoulders and wrists, and he could read the next move she was going to make even before she herself knew she was going to make it. As good as she was, she was only accustomed to scoring points, wherein as Tarquin's only point was to kill his opponent at any cost.

"You're not holding back on me, are you?" Ashey said as she continued to press towards him.

"No... I was just thinking," Tarquin smiled lightly as he continued to stave her assault. Her blows, while fast and accurate, were not forceful enough to throw off his balance.

"About?" She asked as she stepped back and span at him suddenly.

It was a beautiful, perfect spin, and Tarquin watched her body move with appreciation as he blocked her most forceful blow yet, "We're at a stalemate."

"Oh?" Ashey laughed once more as she grinned and took a step back, "How so, mercenary?"

"You're attacks are so swift, and your guard is almost flawless. On the other hand, I weigh so much more than you that it will be very difficult for you to throw me off balance, but I can't attack quickly enough to land a hit on you. I have more..." he paused as she drew forward suddenly and attacked him. He twisted his blade around hers twice before throwing it away from him, but she stepped back before he could attack her, further proving his point, "I have more stamina than you're giving me credit for, as well, which means that this fight could potentially go on for a very long time."

"Keen observations, all of them," Ashey nodded as she began to circle around him once more. "You're not suggesting a draw, I hope?"

"I would never," Tarquin laughed. "I am suggesting a slight change on my part, however."

He held the sword more closely to his body as he raised it diagonally across his chest, then he slashed widely towards her.

Ashey saw the slow move coming, and she stepped back just enough to avoid the blow. She wasn't expecting Tarquin to lean forward, however, and she brought up her sword to block a quick backswing.

The mercenary saw by her expression that he'd rattled her, but he had no intention of letting up. He drew the blade back and struck quickly, forcing her to either give ground or block the hit directly. She had just finished blocking the last, and she was still recovering from the force of it, so either way, he would gain some sort of ground.

She blocked the swing and grunted as she lost a bit of her footing. She tried to recover, but her opponent crashed down onto her again with another outrageously hard strike. This time, she was forced to spin aside, and she grit her teeth as lowered her body a bit more.

Tarquin's eyes sparkled as he smiled widely, "You are amazing," he said as he leapt forward and struck at her once more.

Ashey bent her knees and braced the back of her sword against her free hand as she shook her head, "The weapon is only so heavy..." she said as she attempted a counterattack at his midsection. "It's not a club!"

Tarquin blocked the strike directly and shoved her blade aside with the same movement as he lashed out at her once more, "Adaptation is the only thing I've got going for me..." he drew closely to her as she raised her blade and for a moment their faces were almost touching, "What do you got?"

The young woman grunted and span backwards, knowing that she wouldn't be able to win a pushing match against him, "Have! What do you have! That's the proper way to say it!" She dove to his right side and tumbled upon the floor before springing upright and taking a few steps back.

Tarquin had already turned towards her, and he nodded with satisfaction, "I'm not the most educated fellow, so please forgive my linguistic slip ups."

Ashey glared at him for a moment before her face broke out into a slow smile, "I'm sorry for that. We all have a few psychological scars, even lessons in how to speak properly can haunt a person. In any case, it was a mistake for me to underestimate your speed and power... you have my respect, and I'll take you seriously as an opponent."

"You're gonna have to," Tarquin smiled wryly as he closed the gap between them. He knew what he needed to do, and as usual, it came down to trying a risky move.

He leapt at her before falling into a crouch, just as she had done before. Instead of swinging at her, however, he kept his hands close together and waited a fraction of a second longer than what was comfortable for the situation. As any sensible person would have done, Ashey made a move for his arm, and that was when he passed the handle of his sabre from his right hand to his left. He pitched his entire body to the right and felt the blade of her sword bounce at a slight angle off the shoulder of his tunic. As he felt it, he slashed towards her midsection, but she leaned forward quickly and tried to twist away from the blow. The tip of his sword bit into the front of her vest as she twisted away, but he had no idea if he'd broken her skin as he fell against his shoulder and rolled aside.

The champion fencer wheeled back and looked down in shock at her midsection. A bit of the vest's laces had been cut into, and a small flap of the white material was hanging down. She looked up at him wide eyed and held up her hand before she began to unlace the vest.

Tarquin watched as she shrugged out of the tight fitting vest and let it fall off of her shoulders. Beneath it, she wore a plain white shirt, and the mercenary could see the faint outline of her curves through the thin material.

"No blood," she said quietly as she pressed her hand against the small cut in her shirt. She looked up at him once more as she raised her sword, "You fight like an animal... I've never seen anyone make a move like that. I could have cut your throat by mistake. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that you're one of the most skilled people I've ever matched up against, and that I'm gonna have to start taking some risks if I want to beat you," Tarquin replied evenly.

Ashey gave him a blank look as she began to tremble slightly, "I'm not going to let that happen."

Tarquin nodded once. Something about Ashey had changed, and he had a pretty good idea of what. Before he could consider it any further, however, she rushed towards with her blade held high.

Shit! Tarquin thought as he readied his sword. He knew what sort of move she was going to make, but he wasn't sure he was going to be able to defend against it. He tilted the side of his blade upwards as Ashey flung herself forward and struck it, and he stepped to the side as she followed through with a slicing lunge.

The edge of her blade ran down the side of his as Tarquin flicked his wrist upwards in a hard deflection. She was trying to cut his fingers, and she had gotten very close, but Tarquin had seen and performed such moves in the past enough times to know how to avoid it.

She allowed herself to be deflected, but stepped into it before trying for his shoulder as he faced her once more. Tarquin blocked and made a counter, which caused her to block in turn, which led to a an incomprehensible exchange of attacks and counter attacks.

Tarquin let his instincts take over as he smiled widely. It had been a long time since he'd felt the euphoria of combat rush over him, and it only happened when he faced off against particularly skilled opponents. Ashey was monstrously skilled, and in that moment he felt like he had met someone who was at least his equal, if not greater, when it came to pure stamina and willpower.

As their blades clashed repeatedly, both of them began to breath harder, and Tarquin could see that Ashey was falling into the same sort of euphoria that he was feeling. Sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead, and she was grinning widely. Her azure eyes were crazy and bright, and through the thin shirt she wore he could see that her nipples were hard. She was having the time of her life, and he was more than happy to accommodate her. For just a moment, he nearly forgot why he was fighting her in the first place, and the two exchanged techniques in turn, seeing if the other was able to handle them.

Both of their chests were heaving within moments, and the mercenary knew he would have to end it. He was bound to lose his stamina before she did, and so he threw all caution to the wind and bet everything on one final move.

He lifted his right arm to make a downward swing at her left shoulder, but he left himself intentionally open for just a bit longer than he should have. Ashey saw the opening and went for it, flicking her wrist and forearm with precision towards Tarquin's exposed arm.

The mercenary relied on pure instinct as he saw the movement of her arm, and instead of blocking or stepping back, he stepped forward and raised his left hand. He struck the flat of the blade with the back of his hand, slowing it slightly and causing it to change direction. In the same movement, he wrapped his thumb and three of his fingers around the back of the sword's blade and gripped it as tightly as he could.

"What?!" Ashey gasped as she felt the sword stiffen in her hand, but before she could even comprehend what had happened, she felt a sharp pain in her arm.

Tarquin cut his opponent as cleanly as he was able to before he leapt backwards and released her blade.

Ashey lowered her sword and shook her head slowly as she looked down at her arm. A bright spot of blood was beginning to bloom through her shirt, and she sighed heavily as she realized that she'd lost, "That move..." she faced him and looked at him squarely, "That was dirty."

"Dirty and dangerous as hell," Tarquin caught his breath as he lowered his own sword. "I couldn't have..."

Before he could finish, the door to the armory burst open and the two fighters snapped their heads over to it.

Two men wearing plain clothes entered, both of them wielding long halberds. A man wearing more formal clothing stepped between them and crossed his arms as he looked at both Tarquin and Ashey. He had a full head of greying hair and a meticulously kept mustache. He was somewhat short in stature, but he held himself with confidence, and Tarquin realized that he'd seen the man before.

Shit, Tarquin thought as he steadied his breathing. The man was Havro Neilson.

"F,father!" Ashey blinked in surprise as she glanced at Tarquin, "This... this isn't what it looks..."

"Silence," Her father spoke bitingly without so much as looking at her. "I don't know what's happening here, but I have a pretty good idea," he finally looked at Ashey and his brow furrowed, "You're hurt... did this man..."

"Yes," Tarquin interjected quickly as he took a step forward. The two men wielding halberds raised their weapons in warning, and Tarquin dropped the sabre on the ground as Havro faced him, "We were having a duel; I goaded your daughter into facing off against me."

Havro stepped up to Tarquin and looked him over slowly before narrowing his eyes, "Why?"

"To win a bet," Tarquin answered easily. The lie was half true in some ways, so he had no trouble being convincing about it.

"You're defending her awfully quickly for someone who's simply trying to win a bet," Havro commented.

Tarquin was about to reply when Ashey cut in, "Father, this man is telling the truth: we were having a bout, nothing more. I got sloppy, and..."

"And you think it's appropriate for a woman such as yourself to engage in such an activity in secret at a late hour?" Havro Stepped toward his daughter and looked at her with disgust, "I expected better of you. I don't care what your reasons are, young lady, and I don't want to hear one more word from you! You're going to go with Amon and get patched up, and we'll talk about this later."

Ashey gripped her sword angrily as she walked past her father. She walked towards the man on the right and shoved past him, and the man turned to follow her.

"Amon," Havro called him back and the man turned, "See to it that she doesn't leave the tower for the foreseeable future."

Amon nodded and followed Ashey out the door as Havro faced Tarquin, "You listen to me, mercenary, for I'm assuming that's what you are," Havro lowered his voice as he stepped up to Tarquin, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but if you think you can come into my city and do what you want with my daughters then I must tell you that you are sorely mistaken. I heard about your little display at the mattatti course, and I know you've met with Vana... you will tell me what the hell you wanted with my daughter or I swear I'll have you run through right this moment."

Tarquin met the overprotective father's eyes with his own and replied evenly, "I told you: I came here to fight her. Your daughter is one the greatest fencers in the country, and I wanted to see if I could meet blades with her. I didn't make her do anything against her will and I promise you that my intentions with her here went no further."

Havro stared into Tarquin's eyes for a long moment before he looked away, "Get out of my city," he almost growled. "I want you gone by tomorrow. Our city is one of industry, trade, and hard work: we don't need killers like you among us." He turned back to Tarquin quickly and raised a finger, "If you so much as breathe the same air as any one of my daughters I will have you imprisoned for the rest of your life... do you understand, mercenary?"

"I understand," Tarquin replied seriously, trying to act more somber than he really felt.

"Damien, see that this man makes it back to his place of lodging," Havro turned and walked away from the mercenary.

The second halberd wielding man glanced over Tarquin with an almost comical look of platitude and Tarquin smiled, "I won't make any trouble for you."

It was three in the morning when Tarquin made his move. After he'd made it back to the Inn, he bathed and changed into clean clothes, then he ate a small meal and tended to Axis. He was almost certain that the entrance to the Inn was being watched, and so he gathered all of belongings and climbed out the window of his room. His room was on an upper level, but thankfully, thee building had a roof that was made up of several tiers, and Tarquin was able to make it to the ground easily enough before he made his way to the stables.

He unhitched Axis and readied him quietly before he made his way out into the darkness. At such an early (or late) hour, there was almost no one around, but eventually Tarquin saw a drunk wandering down the gaslit cobblestone street and he slowed to speak with him.

"Good morning sir," Tarquin hailed the man with a smile as he held a coin out, "I don't suppose I could convince you to tell me where the Neilson estate is located?"

The drunk, a middle aged, red faced man, went from very confused to very entertained as he took the coin, "Mister, you can't mist it. It's at the toppa the hill, down thisupaway I came," the man chuckled, "There's evena sign that says Neilson on it," he laughed again."

"Thanks friend. Enjoy the brisk morning," Tarquin replied as he rode off with haphazard directions that he hoped were accurate enough to get him where he needed to go.

Tarquin couldn't believe how large the Neilson estate was. Hundreds of acres wide and long, it was almost an entire town in of itself with walls that were built to keep nosy people out.