Slight Delay

Several newly bruised/broken ribs was just what Tarmen needed, especially after the hefty wall he had just ran into. His head pounded from the impact, not helping in any way and the rumbling only got worse for it. Having curled up to protect what he could, he only heard Silina cry out and knew it wasn’t good. No part of fighting an assassin clan ever was.
He knew the skill of his enemy, preferring distance, speed, and numbers to stay in power. One on one they are a deadly nuisance, but surrounded they truly live up to their nature as shadows.
He took a few more kicks before he made his move, grabbing a falling leg and rolling it under him. The assassin falling on him didn’t help his pain, but it left him dazed and forced his ally to move away. A small struggle ended in the man's own knife being dragged across his throat and left to bleed.
Back on his feet, he caught a glimpse of Silina going feral on one of the robes and inwardly approved. Then he unsheathed his machete and focused on the other assassin that had taken no time in rushing into combat.
Tarmen was far more defensive now, both weighed down by the arena fight and the gold that swung on his hip. Add in his headache and there he figured no one was going to be winning tonight.
For the man’s size he was damn fast, a whirlwind of knife strikes that left Tarmen open for an unarmed fist to make contact when the blade was deflected.
He made sure to give in kind, on several openings being able to make use of not feeling his hand.
At the height of their slap fest, Tarmen feigned an opening to prey on the robes instinct that paid off. When the fist shot out, he grabbed the arm and pulled the man close for a headbutt. A slice later and Tarmen was moving to help Silina.