Tom and Juan skidded to a halt at the brink of a deep pit in the ground, a dozen or so feet to the dirt floor, and with walls appearing most unstable. A peculiar scene unfolded below, and the two knights paused a moment to observe. 

Sure enough, Peter Raska stood below, his curve-bladed sword all but caressing the neck of a certain Innutukian military officer Tom recognized all too well. Captain Krotegenhag was the most notorious Innutukian commanding officer then alive, having participated in nearly every major battle of the day and responsible for the nation's almost universally successful campaign in recent years. Tom had heard rumors that he was only weeks, if not days, from being promoted to Horde-Master, the highest rank in the entire Innutukian army. 

A quartet of Monteraynian soldiers holding crossbows stood in a line behind Raska, pointing the weapons at a matching number of Innutukians bearing the same arms. And opposite the Monteraynian knight stood a figure that sent chills up and down Tom's spine at the very sight of him—the unmarked swordsman. 

"You'd best believe me when I say I'll kill this man for your refusal to comply!" Peter Raska spat, bringing his blade even closer to Captain Krotegenhag's throat. "Take off that damned mask and show the world who you truly are, you monster!" 

The hooded figure with the charcoal mask folded its arms and gave no reply, not verbally, and not in physical gesture either. A cold stare was all Peter received for his passionate plea. 

"Please!" the Innutukian captain cried in an anguished tone atypical of him, "I have a wife and children at home! Would you really—" 

"Let your family be damned." Peter snapped, "They're no concern of mine." 

Tom exchanged a glance with Juan, silently questioning their next course of action. Juan dismounted his horse, and the younger knight followed suit. Then they quietly skirted the rim of the pit to a spot where a rope draped down and allowed a safe descent. All the while, they kept their ears trained on the proceedings below. 

"I won't ask again, you bastard!" Peter shouted at the cloaked figure, "You show forth your cowardice by your refusal, and with it, your disregard for the success of your own war effort." 

Again, the unmarked swordsman remained silent. 

Peter glared. "Your loss, not mine." 

With that, he slit the Innutukian captain's throat open, blade only stopping when it hit bone. Blood poured onto the ground and created crimson mud. Peter Raska tossed the corpse aside carelessly and leered at the hooded figure, who still stood in silence, not having moved in the slightest. 

"Well, look now! You very well may have just lost all chance of winning this war, and for what? A selfish desire to hide some ratty secret?" 

The unmarked swordsman gave no answer, but one of his underlings did. "Our gods will make sure we win no matter what!" 

"Oh, is that so? That belief will give you cause to mourn your inevitable defeat all the more." 

The Innutukian soldier growled. "So you think." 

Peter drew in a sharp, angry breath and took a threatening step toward the cloaked swordsman, who even still spared him not even a flinch. "I won't hesitate to remove your head so I may remove its wrappings and find out the bastard who has stolen my techniques and used them against my countrymen. As you can see, I am a man of my word!" 

Even at this, the robed figure only gave a barely perceptible nod. 

While Peter railed against the unmarked swordsman, Tom and Juan touched down behind the Innutukian soldiers. The Monteraynian men had spotted them, but after Juan had put a finger to his lips, they obliged and returned their eyes to the scene before them, as if they had seen nothing. 

Tom stabbed his blade right through the nearest Innutukian's back until the tip emerged from his belly. With a weak grunt, he slid off the sword and left a trail of blood behind. The nearest of his comrades turned to Tom with a snarl and aimed his crossbow. 

Tom prepared to deflect the shot. When it lurched forward, however, he found himself immediately grateful the man had missed. The crossbow bolt flew far too fast for him to have made any move to deter it. The knight rushed forward and removed his head. 

He glanced back and saw Juan had dispatched the other two already. And with that, he realized he, Juan, and Peter all formed a triangle around the unmarked swordsman, who now kept a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. 

"Alden mentioned nothing of sending backup." Peter remarked as he locked eyes with Juan. 

"You mentioned nothing of insubordination, either, so I'd say we're even." Juan retorted. 

Peter glared. "You self-righteous—" 

"Let's not even begin there." Tom snapped, "You're the one who just slew a defenseless man only to intimidate another to compliance." 

"Is that so terrible after all the things—" 

"Murder is murder, Sir Raska! It matters not who performs it!" 

"Oh, please." Peter scoffed, "Holy Writ says 'he who sheds a man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed'. Contend with that, if you must have your contention." 

"I fear you take far too much liberty in that." 

Juan cleared his throat. "I fear that's the only verse he's ever read." 

After shooting a murderous frown each at Juan, the unmarked swordsman, and Tom, Peter crossed his arms. "What have you come for, anyway?" 

"Grandfather sent us to retrieve you." Tom eyed the hooded figure in their midst thoughtfully. "But now that we're all here, perhaps there will be two retrievals this day." 

In an instant, the unmarked swordsman's saber was in his hand and touching Tom's throat. He widened his eye and stared at the gleaming metal. He gulped. 

Peter wasted no time in rushing into Tom's defense, swinging his saber into the middle of the figure's torso. Forced to defend himself, the cloaked fighter spun away from Tom and executed both a block and a counterattack. The two curved blades clanged together repeatedly as the swordsmen wielding them each sought the other's destruction. 

Tom and Juan unsheathed their swords and stood at the ready, prepared to leap into the fray whenever opening and necessity converged. Peter and the unmarked swordsman continued fighting, blades blurring as their attacks intensified. Then suddenly, with a backflip, the cloaked figure disengaged, landing gracefully nearer Tom. 

Tom gritted his teeth and lunged forward, swinging a pair of fast and heavy blows down with his longsword. Two fluid movements of his opponent's saber diffused any advantage he may have gained. Then Tom found himself forced into a defensive position when the curved blade hailed attacks at him. He grimaced at the sharp ringing that accompanied each fresh impact. 

Peter rushed in to strike the unmarked swordsman while his back was turned. But with a kick as powerful as it was fast, the fighter sent Tom flying into the nearby dirt wall while twirling to defend himself. Dropping to his hindquarters with a grunt, Tom watched their dizzying duel resume. 

Peter only saved himself from losing an ear with an abrupt jerk of his neck, and even still, the blade almost connected. In retaliation, he swung at his opponent's head. A swift crouch saved the anonymous figure just in time. He bashed his head into Peter's gut, and while the knight stumbled back gasping, the figure straightened his posture. Saber raised, he stepped closer. 

Tom leapt to his feet with a growl, and simultaneously, Juan jumped to action. Juan reached the unmarked swordsman quicker, and with the same unhurried air as always, he engaged. No matter how frantically his opponent attacked, he remained calm, one hand folded behind his back, and the other busied in deft defensive maneuvers. 

Tom rushed in to take advantage of an opening. His weapon moved in a diagonal path to the masked figure's neck. But at the last second before impact, the cloaked man raised his wrist, and Tom's blade stopped with a jarring abruptness. The sword rang against metal. 

Ah, so he's got vambraces under those sleeves. Good to know. 

Tom didn't give up, but rather grew more vigorous. He and Juan teamed up on the hooded figure and bossed him around the circular pit however they saw fit. With a sword to defend one side and an armored wrist to block attacks on the other, the fighter performed admirably. Throwing acrobatic twirls and flips into the duel to shift the power balance and increase unpredictability, the unmarked swordsman appeared in his element. 

With a raging roar, Peter reentered the fight, and suddenly the hooded figure found himself contending with three opponents. A subtle shift in strategy ensued. He kept himself continually in motion, for one thing, forcing the three knights to constantly follow him around the pit. His sporadic acrobatics only exacerbated matters. When he did slow down, he kept his saber constantly in motion, fluid movements knocking aside anything the Monteraynians threw at him. 

Juan nearly got a blow in on his opponent's face, but with a criss-cross of vambrace and saber blade, the figure caught the incoming weapon and twisted it from its owner's hand. In the meantime, he also kicked Peter Raska back. 

Tom hurried in to defend Juan while he scrambled to retrieve his fallen weapon. He used the heft of his own blade to shove his opponent backward. The cloaked figure's back hit the dirt wall. With a grunt, Tom endured an elbow to the chest. 

He continued assaulting the fighter with heavy blows, preventing him from moving elsewhere as he did so. Tom bared his teeth and batted the saber blade aside, giving him an opening to do whatever he wanted. He opted for a stab to the chest. 

But before the sword's tip could penetrate, the unmarked swordsman leapt sideways. The gleaming metal weapon pierced a few inches into the dirt wall, dust floating down upon impact. After flipping off the wall and using the greater altitude to kick Tom in the head, the masked figure dashed at an approaching Peter Raska. 

Their engagement was brisk. Metal clanged repeatedly. Peter grunted while his foe continued steeping himself in the same chilling silence. 

Then the unmarked swordsman swung at Peter's forearm. A scream escaped his lips as he dropped to his knees, sword clattering from his hand and blood spilling to the ground. 

Juan raced over just in time to fend off a return blow that would have removed Peter's head. Tom tugged his own longsword from the pit's wall and hurried over to rejoin the fight. He and Juan battered the mysterious figure with blows. 

With a spinning kick, the cloaked fighter knocked both Tom and Juan aside, giving himself time to scale the pit's wall and disappear over the brink. Tom glared at the fleeing figure and almost leapt up to pursue him, but Juan held him back and silently pointed at Peter. With a sigh and a grimace, he moved over to assist in tending to the deep wound.

**** 

A/N: One nail-biting chapter after another, eh? If you enjoyed this one, please remember to vote and comment. 😁 

Now, any thoughts on this unmarked swordsman? And any hunches on who his trainer is? 

I hate to make this note short too, but now I've got a third to write up, though this one's for the Iron Pillars update. But I hope you've enjoyed this pair of chapters, and I also hope you have a great week ahead. See you on next Friday's update!