Status: on the fence
Fable
Savior
I hid in the bushes, waiting for the moment the bandits would pass by me. I wasn’t afraid of the four thugs, but a fight avoided was a fight won, according to Maze. I had my hand on my blade, in case I should need it.
The bandits loped by unawares, talking some nonsense about their last “business venture”. I peered at them as they passed, noting the blood stains on their clothing. Had they just come from mugging a traveling merchant?
I tightened my grip on the handle of my weapon, debating on whether I should take them out or not. Surely they would only kill more people if I suffered them to live. But who was I to judge man?
The decision was made for me when two traders turned the bend in the path and the bandits drew their weapons, chuckling menacingly. The two traders turned to flee, but the lead bandit, a wiry, small fellow grabbed them by their packs and tugged them to the ground.
I leaped out of my cover and struck the nearest bandit with lightning from my sword’s pommel. He arched as energy crackled up and down his body, and the next bandit went down under one mighty swipe of my blade, clutching his side. The other two bandits whirled about, reacting to the blast of the lightning bolt.
The wiry one was impossible quick, drawing twin scimitars and leaping at me. I parried one blade, but the other came in hard, nicking my arm through my chainmail and the amethyst’s protection. I grunted and swept my blade sideways in an attempt to disarm him.
However, his unnatural speed proved more than a match for my quick thinking, and he had retracted the stabbing scimitar before my blade had begun to move. Now he drove both curved blades forward, and I was forced to leap backwards and tuck myself into a tight roll.
The third bandit rushed forward as I rolled, his war hammer raised high. I leaped to my feet, and attempted to block the hammerhead with my sword. Hard as my sword was, I simply could not weather the brute’s powerful blow. As the weapon crashed into my blade, my arms went numb and the force threw me to the ground.
I lay on my back, thinking rapidly of my options in this battle. I pointed my blade at the little bandit, as he was rushing behind the brute, and called upon the forces of my opal. But no lightning came out.
White energy crackled along my blade, but it sizzled out and I was left there, defenseless. I stared and awaited the blow, hoping it wouldn’t kill me, but ready to fight through whatever pain.
But the blow never landed. The large bandit stood stock still, hammer raised. I scanned his body quickly and discovered a knife buried to the hilt in his chest. The thin handle still quivered slightly, as if the blade had been thrown. The smaller bandit stared in shock at his comrade, trying to grasp the idea of a thrown blade, when a black figure passed over my vision, blade flashing and ending my opponent’s life.
I lay there for a long moment. I wondered if this were a rival bandit claiming the loot for himself. I wondered if I had time to retaliate.
“Sparrow,” the figure tsk tsked and reached a hand own toward me.
I grasped the hand, figuring if they knew me personally, they probably didn’t want to kill me.
After all, I’m such a nice guy…
I gasped when I saw my savior’s face.
“Whisper?!”
The bandits loped by unawares, talking some nonsense about their last “business venture”. I peered at them as they passed, noting the blood stains on their clothing. Had they just come from mugging a traveling merchant?
I tightened my grip on the handle of my weapon, debating on whether I should take them out or not. Surely they would only kill more people if I suffered them to live. But who was I to judge man?
The decision was made for me when two traders turned the bend in the path and the bandits drew their weapons, chuckling menacingly. The two traders turned to flee, but the lead bandit, a wiry, small fellow grabbed them by their packs and tugged them to the ground.
I leaped out of my cover and struck the nearest bandit with lightning from my sword’s pommel. He arched as energy crackled up and down his body, and the next bandit went down under one mighty swipe of my blade, clutching his side. The other two bandits whirled about, reacting to the blast of the lightning bolt.
The wiry one was impossible quick, drawing twin scimitars and leaping at me. I parried one blade, but the other came in hard, nicking my arm through my chainmail and the amethyst’s protection. I grunted and swept my blade sideways in an attempt to disarm him.
However, his unnatural speed proved more than a match for my quick thinking, and he had retracted the stabbing scimitar before my blade had begun to move. Now he drove both curved blades forward, and I was forced to leap backwards and tuck myself into a tight roll.
The third bandit rushed forward as I rolled, his war hammer raised high. I leaped to my feet, and attempted to block the hammerhead with my sword. Hard as my sword was, I simply could not weather the brute’s powerful blow. As the weapon crashed into my blade, my arms went numb and the force threw me to the ground.
I lay on my back, thinking rapidly of my options in this battle. I pointed my blade at the little bandit, as he was rushing behind the brute, and called upon the forces of my opal. But no lightning came out.
White energy crackled along my blade, but it sizzled out and I was left there, defenseless. I stared and awaited the blow, hoping it wouldn’t kill me, but ready to fight through whatever pain.
But the blow never landed. The large bandit stood stock still, hammer raised. I scanned his body quickly and discovered a knife buried to the hilt in his chest. The thin handle still quivered slightly, as if the blade had been thrown. The smaller bandit stared in shock at his comrade, trying to grasp the idea of a thrown blade, when a black figure passed over my vision, blade flashing and ending my opponent’s life.
I lay there for a long moment. I wondered if this were a rival bandit claiming the loot for himself. I wondered if I had time to retaliate.
“Sparrow,” the figure tsk tsked and reached a hand own toward me.
I grasped the hand, figuring if they knew me personally, they probably didn’t want to kill me.
After all, I’m such a nice guy…
I gasped when I saw my savior’s face.
“Whisper?!”