Kasrjin found himself having to constantly shift his weight as Karadwyr's full gallop sent them north. A quick glance behind him found that the second wyvern had broken off, leaving him with only one pursuer. His left hand held the great sword over his shoulder, ready to make a wide swing should the wyvern attempt to swoop close to the ground at him. They barrelled towards the canopy of trees to the north to limit the wyvern's aerial mobility.
But the beast wasn't breathing its fire. It was odd. One would think that the wyvern would attempt to scorch its target before the canopies would force it to fly low and with reduced speed. The wyvern, while still snarling and roaring, simply paced behind Kasrjin and his chocobo until they hit the treeline. From then, Kasrjin could hear its wings beating from above the canopy, but otherwise could not see it.
Karadwyr continued to gallop right off the trail, leading to considerably rougher terrain that forced the Au Ra to harness his blade and keep both hands on the reins. Why would the wyvern cease its pursuit? The trees limited it, true, but there was still enough room to manoeuvre and fly should it require it. Kasrjin himself was only a single individual and lacked the bows, nets, and lances of Ishgardians. If anything, the wyvern should be overconfident. It should have attacked by now.
So why didn't it? He tugged on Karadwyr's reins, slowing the bird to a halt. He could still hear the wyvern prowling above in the sky, but it was holding. Did it mean to drive him here into the forest? Was it herding him into a more favourable location?
"Let's find some cover," he rumbled to his bird, rubbing the chocobo's neck and snapping the reins again. Only the most rebellious shafts of sunlight managed to pierce the leafy veil, and every passing second added to the Au Ra's tension. He was not dealing with just an angry beast or a hungry animal. The wyvern was an intelligent hunter. It was waiting for something, but what?
They continued onward at a slow pace, Kasrjin keeping his eyes upward to listen for the wyvern. Karadwyr stopped and warbled in fear. A split second afterward, Kasrjin heard what his bird had detected. Something was in the undergrowth. In the trees, as well. They were being stalked by something other than the wyvern.
There was a low rumble, like a growl, and the Xaela only barely managed to snap his head towards the growl's source before a mass of orange fur, teeth, and claws had Karadwyr screeching and Kasrjin tumbling off his mount. The bandersnatch roared again, opening its massive maw to reveal several rows of jagged teeth, threatening to tear out his throat in a split second as one of its massive paws pinned itself against his chest. One arm felt struggled to hold the beast's gaping maw, the teeth digging into the metal plates of his gauntlets, while the other reached into his belt and jammed the handle of his dagger into the beast's throat, letting loose a spray of crimson fluid. Kasrjin had aimed the knife upward to stab through the bandersnatch's head through the roof of its mouth, and the feline quickly collapsed.
The Au Ra struggled to regain his footing and draw his sword, but he felt the wyvern before he saw it. The Dravanian had spent its time in the air eyeing the canopy for the perfect opening, and was rewarded for its efforts with a fearsome divebomb. The gout of flame came first, scorching the ground that Kasrjin had just barely managed to roll away from. He quickly recovered, drawing the sword from its harness in one smooth motion. The wyvern did not pause in its attack; it landed immediately, snapping its maw at him, its long neck shooting towards the Au Ra like a whip. He only barely managed to catch the beast's teeth with the flat of his blade, but one of the talons on the wyvern's wing made a lunge for him, a blow that was only barely deflected by Kasrjin skillfully re-positioning the handle of his sword above his head.
Almost immediately, the wyvern's other wing lashed forward and caught his armour by its shoulder plate. Its maw released his sword as the wing threw the Au Ra some distance with a violent swing. Kasrjin struggled to recover in mid-air, but the heavy armour left him tumbling along the ground and only barely did he manage to land on his knees with one hand holding his body up from the ground.
The wyvern's talon had punched a clean dent into the underside of the spaulder, and rather than ascend and wait for another opportunity to strike, the wyvern had lunged forward, hoping to finish what the bandersnatch started before the Au Ra could recover.
It snapped with its teeth. It made wide slashes with the talons on its wings. Another well-timed roll sent Kasrjin out of the way of its flames. It's using its attacks to keep me at range. Sharp, emerald eyes quickly examined the flexible wings and long neck. So long as Kasrjin was kept on the back foot, he was at the disadvantage; his sword could not reach the vital areas of the wyvern's body and was too unwieldy to match the speed with which the wyvern manoeuvred its head.
Kasrjin found himself running out of room; his back was to a river, and he would not be able to cross it without exposing himself to the wyvern. With one hand, he threw the knife in his belt, and with one foot he handily kicked a rock. Both were easily deflected by a wide slap of the wyvern's wings, but though the opening was less than a second, it was all he needed. A swift, straight thrust aimed straight at the wyvern's eye came screaming forward, the metal whistling in the air.
Unfortunately, the wyvern managed to manoeuvre its head such that only one of the webbed, ear-like appendages was severed. It roared in pain and fury and let loose another long torrent of flame, forcing Kasrjin to tumble into the river bank for cover.
From above, the Dravanian breathed more fire, keeping its head pulled back towards its body as it made jabs and slashes at him with its claws and talons. Kasrjin swiftly ran to the opposite bank, his arm straining with effort as he pulled himself up as fast as possible before another blazing torrent scorched the rocks where he had just been.
He had to get in closer. His lungs burned, his muscles were tense. The wyvern glared at him, eager to finish this quickly. In some ways, Kasrjin was lucky; if it was merely an animal, it would retreat and wait. But this was an intelligent being, with pride and anger. Too much pride and anger to simply fly away. It offered him the advantage.
Both the Xaela and the Wyvern stared at each other, the river between them. The wyvern was standing atop the higher of the two banks. Whoever attempted to cross the threshold first--fire notwithstanding--would lose.
Such that it was that Kasrjin took one step back before powerful legs launched him forward into a sprint, his sword held in both hands parallel with his body, the point forward. Another burst of fire came streaming forth, forcing him to make a diagonal leap forward to sidestep it.
One of his sabatons rested upon a rock marking the river bank. A launch forward, and Kasrjin leapt into the air. Not nearly as impressive or majestic as the jump of a dragoon--it was a few fulms high at most--but it would be enough. The point of his sword was aimed right at the wyvern's chest, and the momentum of his jump would be enough to guide the sword's thrust such that the blow would be mortal, even with his opponent's height advantage.
The wyvern had to make a snap judgment. Rather than press its offensive, it instinctively tried to step back, closing its wings together to protect its torso.
The blued steel of the greatsword easily pierced even the thick webbing of the wyvern's wings. A roar. Kasrjin grunted as he forced his weight on the pommel of the blade, driving it inward to the wyvern's ribs. The claws upon its feet slashed at him, trying to reach his innards and scraping against his waistguard, but the creature's own wings stood in the way of its assault. The Au Ra managed to land on the opposite river bank with just barely enough footing for another follow up.
With another effort-filled grunt, he pulled the blade across the wing, causing a spout of blood to burst from its wing.
Two smooth motions. One to withdraw the sword. One to duck beneath the talon of the wing aiming at his head. Another to thrust forward again.
This time, Kasrjin could see his blade bury itself deep in his opponent's chest. The wyvern's maw filled itself with fire but did not expel the gout of flame that should have come. He withdrew the sword again, and with a shout and a mighty swing, the blade soared upward to cleanly sever the creature's neck.
The head dropped onto the grass with a thunk as the creature's body collapsed.
Kasrjin was breathing hard. Every part of him was sore. His armour jingled as he collapsed to one knee, the sword falling to the ground. A decapitation was sufficient such that he didn't need to make sure it was dead. The Au Ra patted himself to check for wounds. Besides cuts and bruises and damage to his armour, he was mostly unharmed.
He breathed deep, catching his breath. The adrenaline continued to pump through him and his own heartbeat was pounding in his mind.
He did not envy the Ishgardians one bit in that moment.
But the beast wasn't breathing its fire. It was odd. One would think that the wyvern would attempt to scorch its target before the canopies would force it to fly low and with reduced speed. The wyvern, while still snarling and roaring, simply paced behind Kasrjin and his chocobo until they hit the treeline. From then, Kasrjin could hear its wings beating from above the canopy, but otherwise could not see it.
Karadwyr continued to gallop right off the trail, leading to considerably rougher terrain that forced the Au Ra to harness his blade and keep both hands on the reins. Why would the wyvern cease its pursuit? The trees limited it, true, but there was still enough room to manoeuvre and fly should it require it. Kasrjin himself was only a single individual and lacked the bows, nets, and lances of Ishgardians. If anything, the wyvern should be overconfident. It should have attacked by now.
So why didn't it? He tugged on Karadwyr's reins, slowing the bird to a halt. He could still hear the wyvern prowling above in the sky, but it was holding. Did it mean to drive him here into the forest? Was it herding him into a more favourable location?
"Let's find some cover," he rumbled to his bird, rubbing the chocobo's neck and snapping the reins again. Only the most rebellious shafts of sunlight managed to pierce the leafy veil, and every passing second added to the Au Ra's tension. He was not dealing with just an angry beast or a hungry animal. The wyvern was an intelligent hunter. It was waiting for something, but what?
They continued onward at a slow pace, Kasrjin keeping his eyes upward to listen for the wyvern. Karadwyr stopped and warbled in fear. A split second afterward, Kasrjin heard what his bird had detected. Something was in the undergrowth. In the trees, as well. They were being stalked by something other than the wyvern.
There was a low rumble, like a growl, and the Xaela only barely managed to snap his head towards the growl's source before a mass of orange fur, teeth, and claws had Karadwyr screeching and Kasrjin tumbling off his mount. The bandersnatch roared again, opening its massive maw to reveal several rows of jagged teeth, threatening to tear out his throat in a split second as one of its massive paws pinned itself against his chest. One arm felt struggled to hold the beast's gaping maw, the teeth digging into the metal plates of his gauntlets, while the other reached into his belt and jammed the handle of his dagger into the beast's throat, letting loose a spray of crimson fluid. Kasrjin had aimed the knife upward to stab through the bandersnatch's head through the roof of its mouth, and the feline quickly collapsed.
The Au Ra struggled to regain his footing and draw his sword, but he felt the wyvern before he saw it. The Dravanian had spent its time in the air eyeing the canopy for the perfect opening, and was rewarded for its efforts with a fearsome divebomb. The gout of flame came first, scorching the ground that Kasrjin had just barely managed to roll away from. He quickly recovered, drawing the sword from its harness in one smooth motion. The wyvern did not pause in its attack; it landed immediately, snapping its maw at him, its long neck shooting towards the Au Ra like a whip. He only barely managed to catch the beast's teeth with the flat of his blade, but one of the talons on the wyvern's wing made a lunge for him, a blow that was only barely deflected by Kasrjin skillfully re-positioning the handle of his sword above his head.
Almost immediately, the wyvern's other wing lashed forward and caught his armour by its shoulder plate. Its maw released his sword as the wing threw the Au Ra some distance with a violent swing. Kasrjin struggled to recover in mid-air, but the heavy armour left him tumbling along the ground and only barely did he manage to land on his knees with one hand holding his body up from the ground.
The wyvern's talon had punched a clean dent into the underside of the spaulder, and rather than ascend and wait for another opportunity to strike, the wyvern had lunged forward, hoping to finish what the bandersnatch started before the Au Ra could recover.
It snapped with its teeth. It made wide slashes with the talons on its wings. Another well-timed roll sent Kasrjin out of the way of its flames. It's using its attacks to keep me at range. Sharp, emerald eyes quickly examined the flexible wings and long neck. So long as Kasrjin was kept on the back foot, he was at the disadvantage; his sword could not reach the vital areas of the wyvern's body and was too unwieldy to match the speed with which the wyvern manoeuvred its head.
Kasrjin found himself running out of room; his back was to a river, and he would not be able to cross it without exposing himself to the wyvern. With one hand, he threw the knife in his belt, and with one foot he handily kicked a rock. Both were easily deflected by a wide slap of the wyvern's wings, but though the opening was less than a second, it was all he needed. A swift, straight thrust aimed straight at the wyvern's eye came screaming forward, the metal whistling in the air.
Unfortunately, the wyvern managed to manoeuvre its head such that only one of the webbed, ear-like appendages was severed. It roared in pain and fury and let loose another long torrent of flame, forcing Kasrjin to tumble into the river bank for cover.
From above, the Dravanian breathed more fire, keeping its head pulled back towards its body as it made jabs and slashes at him with its claws and talons. Kasrjin swiftly ran to the opposite bank, his arm straining with effort as he pulled himself up as fast as possible before another blazing torrent scorched the rocks where he had just been.
He had to get in closer. His lungs burned, his muscles were tense. The wyvern glared at him, eager to finish this quickly. In some ways, Kasrjin was lucky; if it was merely an animal, it would retreat and wait. But this was an intelligent being, with pride and anger. Too much pride and anger to simply fly away. It offered him the advantage.
Both the Xaela and the Wyvern stared at each other, the river between them. The wyvern was standing atop the higher of the two banks. Whoever attempted to cross the threshold first--fire notwithstanding--would lose.
Such that it was that Kasrjin took one step back before powerful legs launched him forward into a sprint, his sword held in both hands parallel with his body, the point forward. Another burst of fire came streaming forth, forcing him to make a diagonal leap forward to sidestep it.
One of his sabatons rested upon a rock marking the river bank. A launch forward, and Kasrjin leapt into the air. Not nearly as impressive or majestic as the jump of a dragoon--it was a few fulms high at most--but it would be enough. The point of his sword was aimed right at the wyvern's chest, and the momentum of his jump would be enough to guide the sword's thrust such that the blow would be mortal, even with his opponent's height advantage.
The wyvern had to make a snap judgment. Rather than press its offensive, it instinctively tried to step back, closing its wings together to protect its torso.
The blued steel of the greatsword easily pierced even the thick webbing of the wyvern's wings. A roar. Kasrjin grunted as he forced his weight on the pommel of the blade, driving it inward to the wyvern's ribs. The claws upon its feet slashed at him, trying to reach his innards and scraping against his waistguard, but the creature's own wings stood in the way of its assault. The Au Ra managed to land on the opposite river bank with just barely enough footing for another follow up.
With another effort-filled grunt, he pulled the blade across the wing, causing a spout of blood to burst from its wing.
Two smooth motions. One to withdraw the sword. One to duck beneath the talon of the wing aiming at his head. Another to thrust forward again.
This time, Kasrjin could see his blade bury itself deep in his opponent's chest. The wyvern's maw filled itself with fire but did not expel the gout of flame that should have come. He withdrew the sword again, and with a shout and a mighty swing, the blade soared upward to cleanly sever the creature's neck.
The head dropped onto the grass with a thunk as the creature's body collapsed.
Kasrjin was breathing hard. Every part of him was sore. His armour jingled as he collapsed to one knee, the sword falling to the ground. A decapitation was sufficient such that he didn't need to make sure it was dead. The Au Ra patted himself to check for wounds. Besides cuts and bruises and damage to his armour, he was mostly unharmed.
He breathed deep, catching his breath. The adrenaline continued to pump through him and his own heartbeat was pounding in his mind.
He did not envy the Ishgardians one bit in that moment.
