Despite not having a weapon, Caspian didn't back down. As the magically mechanized creations charged him and Elincia, he moved to intercept.

"Ele! Duck!"

A lance was thrust at him. Caspian sidestepped, grabbed the lance, and spun on the balls of his feet. Elincia had done as he'd asked and was crouched down. The lance passed over her head.

Using the machine's forward momentum against it, Caspian jabbed the spear into the cobblestone street. As rock shards exploded from the ground and Elincia screamed, metal squealed as the automaton crashed into its own naginata.

Gritting his teeth, Caspian ignored the way his kneecap jolted with pain as he kicked the machine in the shoulder, sending it spinning into one of its counterparts. A domino effect took place as one machine crashed into another, and then another, sending four other automatons to the ground.

Caspian picked up the nearest weapon—a sword that had come from one of the machines. It felt unfamiliar in his hands, awkward, but he didn't have any choice other than to use it. Spreading his feet until they were shoulder length apart, he gripped the weapon in both hands until his knuckles turned white.

"Ele! Can you summon some help?"

"W-what?" Elincia looked startled. One of the machines lunged at her. She shrieked in surprise and stumbled backwards.

Caspian sprint in front of Elincia, swinging the sword diagonally from his left hip. His arms were nearly ripped from their sockets when he knocked his sword against the naginata. How much power did these things have?

He bit back a yelp and redirected the spear over his head, away from Elincia. Then he slammed his sword on top of the spear, forcing it into the ground before following through with a powerful slash at Elincia's attacker.

Metal squealed and sparks flew. His weapon glanced off of the metal chestplate, and Caspian jumped back. The machine slashed at him with its naginata. He could feel it tearing into his clothing, feel the wind being push against him.

If that had hit me, I'd have been done for!

"Ele! You need to summon help!"

Another figure stalked up behind Elincia. Caspian snarled and threw his sword at the automaton. It glanced off the machine's metal, but the action distracted it long enough for him to snatch his weapon out of the air and land a flying kick to its head. His foot felt like it broke against the metal helm, but at least it sent the metallic monstrosity stumbling back.

"Baldur! Please help us!"

Light appeared around Elincia, protecting her from harm. A sword glanced off of the light, which seemed to have the sturdiness of a shield. From within the light, a hand emerged, wreathed in a gauntlet made of iron. An arm, muscular and strong, followed the hand, and then a second arm emerged. Inch by inch, a figure appeared from within the light. Wreathed in steel, he emerged. Baldur. The spirit of bravery. Lord of Warriors.

Light coalesced around his hands, transforming into two weapons—swords, one of which he tossed to Caspian. While Caspian was surprised, he quickly dismissed his shock, catching the blade and standing beside the spirit that Elincia had summoned.

This weapon...

Caspian swung his new sword around, creating blurred lines of light. His enemy, an automaton wielding a poleaxe, fell apart as he cleaved through it like a blade slicing through water.

His ears twitched as he sensed movement to his left. He spun around, bringing up his sword and slicing off a mechanical hand, along with the cutting the spear that it was gripping in half. As the hand clattered uselessly to the ground, Caspian prepared to finish it off—when a scream pierced the air.

He didn't hesitate. Spinning around, he launched himself into a sprint. A machine stood over Elincia again. It was set to pierce her through the chest. Caspian wouldn't let it. Pushing Elincia out of the way, he twisted his body, hissing as the weapon bit into his skin and drew a line of blood. He didn't let the pain stop him. Swinging his sword up, he cut the arm off, then took a single step forward and bisected the automaton from left shoulder to right hip. The machine's upper half slid from its lower half, both halves clattering to the floor.

More movement came from his left. It was another machine coming at them. Without thinking, Caspian threw his sword at the machine like a spear. It pierced the automaton's chest. The light in its eyes dimmed seconds before its body crumpled to the ground. Caspian darted forward, pulled his sword from the body, and then leapt back to protect Elincia.

Baldur was like a whirlwind. He'd already conjured another blade and was slicing through two armored foes at once. His arms were like blurs of burning light. Metal limbs flew through the air as machine's were torn to pieces by the powerful spirit.

Caspian frowned. Determined not to lose, he stepped in front of another enemy and, spinning around, cut straight through its torso. As the machine's legs clattered to the ground, he kicked its large chest, launching the metal torso at another machine and causing it to stumble.

His breathing had grown ragged by this point. Each breath taken was a rasp. Each inhale caused sharp pain to spike through his chest like it was being pierced with a dagger. But he refused to quit.

Using the now destroyed torso as a springboard, Caspian leapt into the air and brought his blade down on a stumbling automaton, cleaving it in half. Grinning, he looked up to see how Baldur was doing—only to gasp in shock when he saw the spirit disperse into light particles and Elincia to collapse.

"ELE!"

Seven of the ten machines had been destroyed, but that still left three more machines. All of them crowded around Elincia, prepared to run her through. Caspian didn't know what to do. His sword was gone, having dispersed with Baldur, so he had no weapon capable of damaging these things. He could've used magic, but he only had one spell, and it wasn't going to be of any use against so many opponents.

Picking up the only thing he could find—an arm—Caspian threw it at the first machine. It turned and swatted the arm out of the way, and he used that second's distraction to slide tackle it. Fiery hot needles shot through his foot as his toes broke against the metal leg. The machine still fell, though, and Caspian shunted the pain aside and leapt to his feet. He then whirled around and grabbed the spear that had been set to stab his friend, twisting it until it struck the ground instead of Elincia. As his mechanic opponent pulled the spear from the ground, Caspian shoulder rammed it hard enough to make it fall backwards.

Sweat clung to his skin as he breathed raggedly through his mouth. His shoulder ached from his reckless attack. Lances of pain jolted him like Thor's lightning. Yet he dared not stop. He pushed his body to its limit, forcing himself to move faster, to strike harder, to ignore the pain that was accumulating as he damaged himself trying to destroy his enemies.

Caspian stumbled when something pierce the back of his thigh like it was made of butter. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt. Not at first. It wasn't until the object was yanked out of his flesh that he felt the deep burning fire in his leg. He crumpled to a knee and tried to turn around. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the spear that had stabbed him. It glistened red in the moonlit night.

That same spear was raised and set to pierce Elincia through the chest!

Roaring, Caspian surged to his feet—only to stumble when something struck him in the back. He blinked once, his mind too shocked to register the pain. He blinked again and realized with a start that he was lying face down next to an unconscious Elincia. Her face was right next to his. They were so close that if Caspian had the strength to, he could have moved his head and kissed her.

I need to get up...

Caspian knew that he needed to move. If he did nothing, then Elincia's life would be forfeit. He had to get up and keeping fighting.

I need... I have to get up!

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the machine's raise its sword. He struggled vainly to stand up, to get back up so he could fight. Yet no matter how hard he struggled, his body refused to listen, like it had been disconnected from his mind.

Come on, damn it! Move! MOVE!

The sword came down—

"I call upon Thor, strike thine enemy with the force of thunder!"

—and then lightning, bright and crackling with power, slammed into the machine, blowing it apart and raining shrapnel on him and Elincia. The sword, fortunately, impaled the ground several feet away.

"Ifrit, come to me and slay thine enemies with your unholy blaze!"

Another automaton suddenly exploded in a brilliant blaze of blackish red fire. Caspian put every fiber of his being into moving, and he was somehow able to throw himself on top of Elincia, protecting her from more shrapnel at the cost of several burning pieces of steel piercing his back.

"Shiva, freeze these fools in place with your icy sleet!"

The world around him turned cold. Caspian shivered but didn't move from his spot as ice spread across the ground faster than he could blink. The last machine frozen in less than a second, and then it shattered when someone tore them apart with hands covered in bronze clawed gloves.

A shadow fell over him. Caspian looked up to see a familiar amethyst eye surrounded by curly raven hair and ruby lips curving delicately in amusement.

"Erica..."

"I call upon thee, Fujin, to heal thine comrade in his time of need. Grant unto me your blessings."

Erica knelt down and Caspian felt a short but intense burst of pain in his back, like molten lava being dripped onto his shoulder blades. The pain left quickly, and in its place, a soothing warmth infused his body.

This must be how she healed me before, he realized.

"How are you feeling?" Erica asked.

"A little better."

"Can you stand?"

"M-maybe..." Caspian grunted and his muscles trembled as he pushed himself off Elincia. He tried to stand up, but he couldn't even rise to his feet, much less stand on his own.

"It seems you have exhausted yourself, Caspian," another voice said.

Footsteps echoed across the now nearly silent courtyard, measured, calm, precise. Caspian turned to find a person whose beauty could have given Erica a run for her money, had this woman's face not looked as if it had been chiseled from ice.

"Sylvia..."

"You did well in protecting Elincia long enough for us to reach you," Sylvia complimented. Caspian didn't feel particularly thrilled, though. Elincia had almost died.

It's because I'm still too weak.

Two more people appeared behind Sylvia. All of them were women—sorceresses. Caspian recognized Aakarshaka and Aakarshana Nueva. Their dark skin, lithe bodies, and exotic outfits gave them away.

"Hey, Sylvia, isn't this the brat that you allowed to enter the academy?"

"It is. I hope there's no problem with that."

Caspian didn't know which one, as they looked identical, but one of the Nueva twins crouched in front of him. There was a smile plastered on her face. It was filled with a mixture of derision, fascination, and something that he couldn't place. Either way, her expression made the hairs on his neck prickle. He'd seen that look before. On Erica.

Do all sorceresses give potential Knights this look?

"Oh, no. There's no problem. It's just that you never let us see what he looked like. If I had realized that this Caspian del Sol you kept talking about was so cute, I would have allowed him into my academy."

Caspian was too tired to blush at her comment.

"There would have been no need for that," Sylvia said. "I had already decided his placement."

The Nueva twin before him stood up and placed her hands behind her head. "Whatev. Spoilsport."

"Be at peace, sister," her twin said, placing a hand the sister's shoulder. "We already have our knights. It wouldn't have mattered if he'd come to our academy either way."

"Ha... I guess."

"Derek, be a dear and give Caspian a hand," Erica said.

"Yes, My Lady!"

Metal boots clanged against cobblestone as Derek, presumably, walked up to him. Caspian felt a hand wrap around his arm. Then he was hauled to his feet, and his arm was slung across someone else's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the familiar red armor and slightly gaunt face of Derek.

"You look like you've seen better days, Caspian."

"What a coincidence. I feel like I've seen better days."

Derek grinned. "At least your sense of humor is intact."

"Yay me."

"D'artagnon," Sylvia called for her Knight. "Please take Elincia to her room."

"At once, Lady Sylvia."

D'artagnan walked over to Elincia and picked her up. Caspian scowled as his friend dangled limply in the man's grasp, her head loling to the side and her arms jerking with his motions.

Be more gentle! he wanted to scream. Were his vocal chords working properly, were he not so exhausted, he would've done just that. As it was, all he could do was grit his teeth as Elincia was carried off.

"Derek," he muttered.

"Hm?"

"Follow them, please."

Derek looked startled. "I think... aren't we supposed to take you back to the academy?"

"Follow them, please," Caspian repeated.

Derek looked at Erica, who in turn stared at Caspian. He met her gaze head on, lifting his head to stare at her, despite how tired he was. Derek wouldn't do anything unless Erica allowed it, so he needed her to know how serious he was about this. He needed to express how important this was to him.

Caspian didn't know what Erica saw in his gaze. Yet the pained looked she gave him, the way her face twisted into a grimace, made him wonder what it was that she saw when she gazed at him.

"Follow them," Erica ordered.

"Yes, My Lady Erica."

Caspian felt pathetic as Derek half-carried up along the street. His legs were like jam and refused to work. He could barely lift them, let alone walk. He'd been beaten, thoroughly. It made him feel weak.

"Sorry for making you do this," Caspian said.

"It's all right," Derek grunted under his weight.

No, it wasn't all right. There was nothing all right about this. Caspian thought he'd grown up, that he'd become stronger. This battle had shown him that he was still weak. He couldn't protect Elincia like this.

I'm so pathetic, he thought as Derek followed the procession of sorceresses.