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[indent]Steady breaths, though shallow and hard-fought, flowed from Nove as he raised his blade against a duo of steel-clad rats; backed up by a squad of Skaven warriors.  The two Skaven in front chatted in squeaks, their gnarly teeth barely moving as they fidgeted and stepped forward without hesitance. 

[i]Not today.[/i] A voice, gentle but strong mumbled in his head. It was tender, womanly, and held a dash of no-nonsense. 

[i]Yea, not today,[/i] he agreed. 

Novella felt warm liquid trickle down the side of his face in waves from the last assault he had survived. Three Skaven warriors had leapt forth, of course he had slayed them with ease but that left him open for the darting sting of the commanders that had come from beneath them. Now he had a deep cut down his right torso. 

[b]“Brinnnng ittt!”[/b] he yelled. 

And they did. The first Skaven scuttled forth, jabbing his spear three times. Nove forced his body to move, springing forth beyond the taunt rubbery feeling in his legs. He twisted himself around the first jab, predicted the second and blocked with his buckler, then completed his rotation with a mighty swing of his longsword. A crunch of bone and the wet thump of a Skaven skull were the next few sounds.   

He growled in the primal way that only a human could, creating a horrid sound filled with emotion, determination.  Off of instinct alone, he rolled forward, slashed down two more Skaven warriors and just narrowly dodged the piercing stab of the halberd-wielder. It chattered loudly before crawling on all fours towards him.  

Nove fell into the throes of combat and begun to remember the fundamentals of his swordmanship. In battle, it all came down to sequence and adaptability.  The Skaven began to twirl high-above, stepping towards him as he did. Nove kept low, keeping out of the monster’s insane reach. It's comrades were either too dumb or trusting to do the same. They lost their heads and suffered wounds to the chest. 

Nove saw it, a chink in the Skaven’s technique. There was a opening when the weapon twirled behind him and were oncoming to the front. He just had to time his attack perfectly. If he didn’t his head would roll just as easily as theirs. So he kept out of range and when he finally felt it so, he leapt back, dug heels into the unyielding stone, and rocketed off with all he had. His skin pulled at his face but his actions were decided. His longsword slipped into the Skaven’s protruding nose before banging against the inside of its steel helm. Its squeaking turned into a gurgle before it fell backwards. Nove fell with it, taking in its stench. 

He exhaled deeply before catching ear of the King Dwarf’s warcry. He sighed, feeling separated from his friends and allies, from the victory of battle. Then he felt it, the pinch of a Skaven warrior latching onto his leg. 

He screamed. [b]“Arrghh!” [/b] 

It bought him the attention of four more steel-clad Skaven. As he notice armor flashing his way, Nove couldn't help but laugh.  [b]“Fine,”[/b] he growled. [b]“But you’re coming to your deaths.”[/b][hr][/indent]