The White Knight had stepped away; sure, the battle had left the fort in a minor disarray, but Wiegraf and his group, the Dead Men, have seen harder battles than this. They were peasants who took up arms and fought with great efficiency that made themselves well known in Ivalice's ranks. While they originated in Gallione, Wiegraf has been traveling for other warriors to aid in Ivalice's victory. His reputation was great, and it was enough that it brought Damen to him; though Wiegraf could see potential in Damen, he knew that the blond acolyte wasn't meant for the same lines that the knight stood on. At least, not yet; Wiegraf had met Alexander, the blond's father, and he knew that Damen would never come to understand his own talent, in contrast to what could've been learned within his family. The Cortrova line consisted of great Red Knights, a special combat fighter that enchants the weapons of their own or those held by their allies. Damen only began to understand this, but nonetheless, he had potential ahead of him.<br/><br/>As Wiegraf would track down and speak with Tobias Oaks, the mentor to Archie Maxwell about going to the swamps just east of their position, Damen found it to be dangerous for Molina to accompany them, so with that, he would ride on with Imos, as well as Lydalia and Piero behind him. He would take a turn to the side, opposite of Imos, in an effort to get ahead of the knight, unaware of the wildlife in the thick swamp was starting to stir. Imos probably wouldn't be prepared for it, though his chocobo mount would warn him ahead of time, they were stalked by a pair of red panthers in the nearby brush. A rare sight in the marshes, due to their inability to swim, but even then, hunger was something that any predator would press their boundaries a bit to fulfill their appetites. Damen would see this from his angle, leaving him with two choices; go for the knight himself and warn Imos of the creatures, or keep the panthers at bay to leave Imos with the knight... though, the watery pits always hid piscodaemons in their depts; humanoid creatures with squid-like features to them.<br/><br/>"Imos, you have a pair of panthers on the prowl nearby!" Damen called out, and his appearance startled the knight similarly, though Damen, on his mount, charged at the knight, drawing his sword. He chanted out a spell into the blade, infusing it with what appeared to be a corosive acid of some kind, but in truth, it was a venom, magicked into existent, not quite as potent as the foul things a Malboro can release, nor the venomous fangs of the red panthers, but still dangerous nonetheless. The knight would find himself drawing his blade and facing Damen; it was clear Damen made his choice, and he hoped that Imos, as well as his Chocobo mount will aid him accordingly. Of course, saying this, a group of four piscodaemons would rise from the waters, clearly Damen's voice had them stir from their resting places, and though they didn't move far too quickly, they were still effective adversaries that can take a beating, as they had no bones to worry about breaking. But, he was sure that Lydalia and Piero can handle them with their chocobo also.<br/><br/>Damen would stand on the saddle, holding onto the reigns as best he could with the one hand, his sword clasped in his right, he would leap off a little ways away from the knight, rolling on the ground forwards. In that momentum, Damen would run forward, meeting his steel with the Ordallian blade of the knight's. He had to drop the bag containing the moogle within, who was struggling to get free! Damen's chocobo would immediately run off to the side, out of the scene of battle; it was evident the one he rode was a coward and didn't particularly enjoy battling, But Damen was sure to keep his focus on the knight before him. Helfting his shield into his left arm, he would take a step back and tried a shield-bash tackle, though the knight would have his own shield at the ready to defend against the majority of the blow. Their blades would clash with the other's, and while Damen's blade was enchanted, it would only inflict its ability if he struck the knight... which was looking fairly difficult with their blades either striking metal of the other's sword or shield, granted Damen had less armor protecting him in contrast. As this went on, as he fought, he was hoping the others were holding their own, though he was also beginning to wonder if he jumped into this with overconfidence.