"Why isn't he dodging?" Daniel asked, clearly confused as he watched Cassian absorb each of the boar's attacks with his sword. Cassian blocked and deflected where he could, but parrying was tough, and he barely made any effort to counterattack.
"I don't know," Dallas replied, just as puzzled. She had seen Cassian spar plenty of times, and dodging was usually one of his strengths. Her voice grew sharper as she called out, "Cassian! Why aren't you dodging? Move and counter!"
But Cassian didn't seem to hear her. The boar charged again, lowering its head and coming at him in a straight line, making it an easy attack to sidestep. All he needed was a slight shift to avoid it completely. Instead, he held his ground, using the broad side of his sword to deflect the boar's attack to the side. Though he did it perfectly, his face tightened in pain—it wasn't easy to redirect such a powerful strike.
