Every time Kaede tried to disengage and push toward Quinlan, the assassin cut off the angle. When Kaede created a gap with a combination meant to force Black Fang into a defensive reset, the older woman flowed through it and returned the pressure from a new vector. The frustration building behind Kaede's cold expression was visible in the way her strikes grew heavier, channeling more of the blade's power into each swing, trying to simply overpower the obstacle between her and her real target.
Black Fang absorbed the escalation without changing her expression. She had no interest in letting Kaede Fujimori reach anyone.
Morgana watched the field for a long moment. Her lip curled as she spotted Black Fang carving into Kaede's guard with a sequence that forced the duchess onto her back foot.
The half-healed scar across her chest ached beneath her robes.
She remembered the campfire.
