Rising to Fall

Chapter 3-2

The last squid falls to a Benja blade and General Mitchell finally lets go of a breath. It is always a risk to jump into a battle - even with such large numbers - without proper scouting, but this risk proved to be worth it. Three men had fallen in the battle with another two badly wounded. The rest only sport thin scratches.

While the dead were put onto the backs of their horses, Lachlan cast a look around for Adam. As he can't see him, he asks Mitch "Hey, do you know where Adam is?"

"He ran off," Mitch says, "following a Squid warrior who got away."

"Why?"

Mitch can only shrug. There hadn't been anything of interest about that warrior, although he had only gotten a brief glance before he had been blocked from view. "They'll be long gone by now, and we need to get the injured back to Nad'ij."

Lachlan gives a sigh and runs a hand through his hair. "I don't get it," he admits. "The entire Sky Army seems so dispirited and lost, but then Adam goes on a wild goose chase after a single Squid. It doesn't make sense."

"We'll see if we can get Adam to explain when he gets back," Mitch says. "For now, we'd better get a move on. I want to be back at Nad'ij an hour or two after daybreak tomorrow if I can help it."

While the company of 97 men begin the trek home, Adam is bearing down on the single Squid warrior charging away on his horse. The Squid glances back over his shoulder as the sound of hooves gets closer, his eyes wide with fear. He had instantly recognised the Sky Army General when he first saw him, both by the sword in his hand and the determined expression on his face. The Squid urges his horse faster, attempting to put some space between him and the General, but Adam is on an Arabian horse which has more endurance than the tired Thoroughbred.

The two get closer and closer. Finally, the Squid sees that it is pointless to keep trying to outrun the Arabian. He pulls on the reins of his horse, spinning it around 180 degrees to come charging directly at Adam, drawing his sword as he does so. Adam grins and nudges his horse to the left slightly so that the Squid is on his right. The two thunder towards each other, both swords swinging as they pass, clashing on each other for mere seconds before they canter past the other.

Adam turns his horse around in a large circle, turning slightly in his saddle to watch as the Squid warrior also brings his horse around, his hard gaze fixed on the General. The two thunder together again and pass, their swords clashing, but this time Adam instantly rears his horse up and around, charging at the Squid straight away. The other hears the sudden stop and starting of hooves and hurriedly brings his horse around to meet Adam's charge. But it is not fast enough.

The Squid is off-balance and his mount is unsteady as their swords clash together again. Adam's swing is large and carries a lot of weight behind it that throws the Squid warrior out of his saddle and he falls to the grass below, his horse whinnying and trotting a little way off, steaming. Adam dismounts from his horse, his gaze hard and steady as he watches the warrior scramble up, his sword still held in his right hand.

The two stand there for a moment, watching the other. The Squid's eyes flick between Adam and the forest just visible in the distance to their right that marks the border of the Benja's territory, wondering if he can make it over the river before Adam gets to him. Adam grins, much like a wolf grinning when it spots a young rabbit.

"You know that you're never going to get away from me," he says, his voice low and steady.

The Squid warrior snarls at him. "And you think that you can get it from me when you're 12 years out of practice?"

"If you thought that I couldn't win against you, then you would have already attacked."

The warrior's snarl drops momentarily and then returns as he runs towards Adam, his sword coming up to attack.

Over the years that he spent as Andy, Adam didn't have much time or opportunity to practise his swordsmanship. Although his muscles have remained strong (one of the only perks of working as a lumberman) his technique had become rather pathetic. However, the past week of training under the Benjas has fixed that problem and fear never enters Adam's mind as the Squid runs towards him.

He parries the Squid's first three strokes and then his own blade bits back, being parried in turn. The sound of metal rasping on metal resounds in the ears of the two men as they duel on the grass. Adam is stronger than the Squid warrior, but the other has been actively fighting for the past several years and his technique is quick to turn the battle against the Sky Army General. Adam blocks the blade as best as he can, knowing that a duel like this only lasts for minutes and that a mistake on the part of either one of them would spell the end.

It is the Squid who made that mistake, a single, slight step back. In that instant, Adam locks their swords, shoves the Squid warrior backwards and off balance for a split second before plunging his blade deep into his chest. The Squid stands up for a moment and then slumps, his body falling off the yellow blade which is now stained red.

Adam sighs in relief, the adrenaline still coursing through his system. Parts of his body start to sting as small cuts make themselves known; a small one on his cheek and a few shallow ones on his arms. He cleans the blood from his sword on the grass before sheathing it. His horse trots over to him, nuzzling him expectantly as if asking for food. Adam rubs its long, soft face before kneeling next to the Squid's body. A grin spreads itself on his face as he takes something from the body, feeling the weight in his hand.

Finally.

I was going to say something funny, but then I forgot it.

So bananas.

(Don't forget to vote and comment on how rude it is that Adam is just going to leave the Squid body out in the open instead of burying it)