Colonel Ngube was not an especially skilled swordsman, but he was strong, and the pain and blood loss from my wound meant that it took all of my energy to parry his savage blows. Fortunately, Swiftrunner's appearance unnerved him, and while his bulk was enough to keep the werewolf at bay, the attacks and grabs tired him as well.He began to sweat, and his attacks became more frenzied and erratic. He pressed the atack, one eye always on Swiftrunner, and he didn't seem to pay attention to what I was doing, just kept hammering away. I swayed my blade up and down, and he lunged, assuming that I was going to block prematurely. Instead, I sidestepped the attack and brought the kukri down in broad overhead swipe, cutting through the flesh, sinew and bone of his wrist. I followed up with a shoulder ram, more of a heavy stumble than an actual charge, but it did the job, and Ngube staggered away, howling and clutching the stump of his wrist. I sagged to one knee and tore the suffocating gas mask from my face. Too drained to even make a quip about taking his hand, I made a vague gesture for Swiftrunner to finish him.
