Outmatched

"Look at his arm!" hissed Fred, in their hiding spot across the street. Astra looked at the dodgy looking man leaned up against the wall by the door, and noticed his black armband.

"What about it?"

"Look closer! There is an eye!" And then Astra did see it, vaguely.

"They must work for Reaibn," she said matter-of-factly, and Fred nodded. "How are we going to..." but Fred had already gone.

Truth be told, Lord Fred had a bone to pick with Reaibn and anyone associated with him. He was fed up with the sores, and was not going to put up with anything from some drunk. "I can smell the whiskey on you, you wretch!" roared Lord Fred, hefting his carving knife.

"Sod the booze, I didn't sign up for this!" said Ol Roy, and took off as fast as he could, leaving his armband discarded in the dirt. As Lord Fred walked up, it dissolved into mist. Fred then opened the door cautiously as Astra came up behind him.

The urchins that Reaibn had recruited were hard. They were thieves and some of them were worse. When Fred opened the door, he got a knife slash right to the cheek. With a yell, Fred opened the door and prepared to confront what he then saw were six young children, all with cutting implements. This posed the knight a strong dilemma.

Lord Fred did not have time to think of this, however, as the child who had slashed him before came at him again. He blocked the blow with his cleaver, feeling the warmth of blood sliding down his cheek from his previous injury. Astra joined him in the doorway, and together they took up a defensive position.

"See here," said Astra, blocking a fierce jab at her midsection from a gap- toothed girl wearing filthy rags and covered in soot, "we don't want to hurt you."

"Come off it!" yelled the one in front, once again slashing at Lord Fred's face. He barely dodged the blow, that boy was fast. "Get out of here, you tossers!"

"Ylae epilsilon haerandra!" came eldritch words, from an old man standing in a doorway behind the children. At these words, all of the children fell down, unconscious. The old man stumbled, but caught himself on a counter. Lord Fred and Astra ran over to him, guiding him to a chair.

"What was that?" asked Lord Fred, "are you a wizard?"

"He is retired," came the voice of Bartholomew, emerging from the same doorway. "He is from Vjorica, the divided city. He had taken a vow of non magic, only using it passively to enhance his healing abilities. He broke that vow, just now, to save you from having to slay those children."

"It was worth it," spoke Walter. "Reaibn would never have sent those children and that drunk to keep us here if he had known. He must be ignorant of Vjorica and thus our magic."

1. "Now, let's see to those sores," said Walter.
2. Walter fell unconscious. "There are penalties for vow breaking, unfortunately," said Bartholomew, with a sad face.
3. Before doing anything else, the children were moved to a safe place.
4. Meanwhile, Ol Roy and Reaibn had a "chat"
5. "Why didn't you just do that when they first accosted you?" demanded Astra. "I will explain," said Walter, and he did so.
6. Meanwhile, in Vjorica

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree