It wasn’t a sudden clash of weapons. No, Gilda knew Marco fought smarter than that. He closed in the Talon’s range, shifted his body slowly, and baited the Talon to strike. She did. The blade came in fast, downward strike that would have connected to Marco’s shoulder, except he moved just a step away, perfectly dodging the strike, then he took two quick steps forward, and extended his right leg to kick at the Talon. It was a solid strike to the flank, strong enough to force her away a few paces. 