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[h3]Sir Sawyer Hayworth[/h3]
At sea on the Battle-Blood Minstrel, during the Athius voyage
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[center][b]XII: A Warrior's Elegy[/b][/center]
[center][@Estylwen] [@Click This] [@The Otter][/center]
[justify]Sir Hayworth reeled at the sheer size of the tentacle now seeking to flatten him to paste. Still, tremble as his hands did, his countenance was unflappable. Having to navigate in water slowed Sir Hayworth down, making the prospect of avoiding an attack much less likely. Compounding that were the effects of aging, which flowed through his veins like slow-acting venom. The battle-hardened knight was not getting any younger. 

But Sir Hayworth was not one to take an attack lying down. He readied his sword, preparing a swing with as much mana as he could muster. Fortunately, one of the Queen's anglerfish had thrown the tentacle off course. Sir Hayworth had safely escaped its clutches. 

At this moment, Sir Hayworth was not yet aware of the Swiftsure's arrival, and by extension, Duchess Agustria's arrival. However, as spells clashed above him, imprinting the ocean with prismatic hues, he spied another battle raging. The black-haired maiden was unmistakably Duchess Agustria, accompanied by her lady-in-waiting, Countess Minuette. Sir Hayworth squinted his eyes. He also recognized the armor that that one Ravenfell woman wore, Valor. [i]My men must have failed in stopping her[/i], he thought matter-of-factly. He understood well what her appearance here implied.

A split-second decision would be made. 

He swam closer to the Ravenfell woman, and with his sword already primed with magic, he intended to unleash another Bladestorm. 

"This should be close enough," he whispered to himself, stopping in his tracks. 

Time began to pause around him. 

Then, an unrelenting wave of mana left his sword, leaping out from the blade like a lion to its prey. Following it were six more blasts, all in quick succession. It was a carefully-constructed attack which left no room for collateral, though it was not as fast as his first burst against the leviathan. Countess Minuette, after all, currently engaged the Ravenfell woman. Sir Hayworth needed to hold back, and give the countess time to react, in the dire case she would be caught in the cross-fire. 
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