Rylen stopped mid stride and leaned his back against a tree, quieting himself and drawing his blade as silently as he could. The lightest of sounds escaped his scabbard, and unfortunately it must have been heard. An eastern barbarian leaped out of the bushes and loosed another arrow. Rylen reacted in instinct, ducking to the side. The arrow embedded into the bark just above his head. He charged forward, hefting his sword in a ready position, point towards his foe at a 45 degree angle. 

The foreigner whipped out his own curved blade, and the swords met in sparks for a few tense seconds as they traded blows. His opponent kicked him in the shin, distracting him. Rylen punched forward with a free hand. It hit his foe on the shoulder and sent him staggering lightly to the side. Rylen ducked the inevitable counterswipe, the foreigner's sword biting into a tree. The crusader didn't have room to finish him in a quick stab, so he smacked his blade one handed against the already stuck katana, driving it in deeper and making his opponent back away. 

With a quick, unexpected movement, he reached behind his back to his smaller, hidden mace and swiped it across his enemy's face. He felt the crunch as the wooden implement covered in iron hit home, and with a bloodied head, his foe fell. 
[hr]
"This is a mistake" Mikasa uttered. Within the darkness to the right, she heard a reply. "It was. Though one you might live from if you cooperate." The message was spoken in her language, and a red armored Ronin all but materialized beside her, blade up. His eyes were fierce yet his demeanor calm. On closer inspection, Mikasa would be able to see a bit of difference between him and her people however. A western feel in the face and bulk of him. 

A crusader strode out of the woods, a bloodied mace in one hand and a clean sword in the other. He looked relieved when he saw the red armored one. "Mel, by God." he said, then looked to Mikasa. "Is the other one dead?" Mel asked. "I don't know. But if he's not, he's not going anywhere for a long while." The Ronin nodded. "We've no use for prisoners, at least ones we're to take back to the fort. But if this Shieldmaiden answers our questions for a bit, maybe we'll let her walk away." 
"I'm fine with that." Rylen said, sheathing his sword and cleaning his mace with a cloth. 
[@SlashInfinite]