He only nodded in acknowledgement at the sound of the man’s voice; the stranger’s shouts reaching him with ease, as his legs pressed slightly into Suntaria to urge her away from the other to avoid the chance of possibly slipping into his way in the narrow path. Fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade, as he wound the beast’s reins tightly around his hand. The thick odor of blood, and and iron mixing together in the horse’s nostrils. The limited space provided to her making her rock slightly beneath her master; ears swirling forward in an attempt to take in everything around her. Though the situation would have been stressful on an untrained mount, and would have easily dismayed others, she took her master’s movements as reassurance. Lowering her gold-plated head, as his hand pressed into her neck, with a steadiness that would have put a normal animal in her position to shame.
The increasing slamming of heavy armor against the ground gave away the approach of the remaining soldiers that were still doggedly pursuing the cornered man despite Ira’s intervention, as did the sudden change lurch of the wind, forcing him to pull back in order to hear the small, thin metal of shuriken bounce off of the thick armor adorning Suntaria’s head. Her muscles tensing, as one of the remaining samurai attempted to use the moment to strike. Yet, the pressure from Ira’s legs forced her to rear, and with all of the weight that was concentrated in the front half of the horse’s body, her front hooves fell upon the soldier’s legs. Crushing his bones with a series of sickening snaps that were muted only by the man’s own scream.
Ira’s own blade was plunged into the man’s lungs only a moment after, ending his life as the sword was pulled from his flesh without hesitation, or remorse. The continued sound of metal slamming against the armor upon the horse rang in his ears, and although its constant clattering made it all the more difficult for Ira to pick out the subtle changes in voices, as they moved about, Suntaria’s heavily decorated body had made it so piercing either one of them with such a ranged weapon would have been a difficult feat to accomplish, though it was past experience with long-ranged weapons he could credit for his ability to better tolerate them now. His inability to see their attacks had once proven a terribly difficult hurdle to overcome.
“I will take care of the ranged soldier.” It was the only indication he gave, though he had once lead countless soldiers, he was a man now far more used to fighting alone. “You may go.” The command was aimed at Suntaria, as he loosened his hold slightly on her reins, urging her past the remaining soldier still hounding the stranger in order to push her in the direction of the ninja. Their location easy for him to determine, if only based on the sheer number of dents they had places in the horse’s armor, and the direction from which the noises of their clash against it had originated from.
Allowing the horse to guide him towards the stray soldier, his sword nicked the man’s back, as he moved to retreat. A blade managing to slice, ever so slightly through Ira’s sleeve, and piercing the skin beneath. Though, it wasn’t deep, though he could feel the mild sensation of a warm liquid threading down his arm. But Suntaria blocked the man’s path before his attack could allow his escape, giving her master the chance to thrust his blade through the man’s throat.
Returning the weapon to its sheath, as he twisted the horse back towards the stranger, allowing Suntaria to guide their back through the uneven terrain that, on his own, would have proven difficult for her master. The sound of battle had faded into only the light clicking of the horse’s hooves against the ground, and remained only in the heavy stench that clung to the earth, as he returned to the stranger’s side. “Are you safe, or have you been wounded?”
