KillerMongoose
Sergeant Knight
Chapter One: This is Calradia
Rowan resisted the urge to shift his position, though it was uncomfortable, he knew that silence and stillness were crucial. The rain was pouring in an unusually strong torrent.
"Our bows will be useless." Rowan whispered to Murdoc. The scar-faced Vaegir turned to him with his sly grin.
"So will theirs." He replied, thumbing the shaft of his axe, a simple, long-hafted affair. Their quarry was now coming around the bend, unaware that almost a dozen pairs of eyes were upon them. The caravan master was a seasoned trader but he had never attempted to take his goods through this region of Swadia which swarms with bandits, all happy to slit a throat if it meant coin. Rowan knew the string of his bow was far too wet to be of much use, regardless, he drew an arrow and leveled the weapon with his target. As smoothly as he drew the arrow he released it, sending it flying through the air like a graceful bird of prey. The razor-sharp point tore through the air and buried itself in the caravan master's neck, sending him sliding out of the saddle and crashing into the muddy ground.
"Useless you say?" Murdoc whispered sharply, his smile plastered his face as he sprung from his hiding place and released an arrow of his own, followed by the arrows of the rest of Rowan's band. Each of the bandits' arrows found its home in either the breast or the throat of one of the caravan guards. The guards, surprised and with their horses hooves covered in mud, were too slow to react and with only two volleys, the bandits had shot them down. The small band of infantry and skirmisher that had trailed behind them took cover in a shallow ditch on the opposite side of the road. The crossbowmen engaged the bandits in an intense skirmish but soon found themselves outmatched as one by one the black-shafted bandit arrows found their mark. One of the crossbowmen, crouched low in the ditch, took aim at Rowan - who struggled to maintain a grip on the slippery, rain-covered shaft of an arrow. Seeing Rowan's peril, one of the bandits, Gillan, stood from his hiding place to release an arrow that shattered the crossbowman's right cheekbone. Almost immediately a second crossbowman stood up and sent a bolt that caught Gillan and forced him to the ground.
"No!" Rowan shouted, and without hesitation he let his wrath fly upon his arrow as it plunged into the eye with which the crossbowman had aimed at Gillan. Upon seeing another of their crossbowman drop so quickly, the infantry had made up their mind to raise their shields and advance out from the ditch. As they did so, the bandits readied their weapons and poured from the hill, tearing through the infantrymen. Rowan parried the thrust of a sword and before his opponent could dash him with his large shield, he kicked hard with his foot and sent the infantryman sprawling in the mud. He plunged his spear into the sprawled enemy's breast pivoted to check the advance of another infantryman with a wild slash that almost caught the man's nose. Rowan thrust his spear at the man's gut but just before it met his shield, he spun it around, switching his grip, and swung in a wide arc with the bladed head of his boar spear. One blow was all it took to part both helmet and skull in a lethal blow.
As the infantryman fell face-first into the muddy road, Rowan could see that the fight was over. His men were going about looting the purses and ransacking the caravan wagons. He could also see two of his men helping Gillan to his feet, the bolt had apparently only caught him in the shoulder and knocked the wind out of him. Rowan smiled at Murdoc who returned with his scar-faced grin as he tossed him a fat coin purse.
"Your share." The Vaegir said. Suddenly the rain stopped and the sun shone through the trees with brilliant radiance and it warmed the skin. The birds sang to each other in the symphonic orchestra of nature. Suddenly the bird songs were joined by a less melodic member of the orchestra. The sound of throats being slit as the bandits finished off the wounded. Murdoc and Rowan both looked at each other and couldn't help but chuckle at the macabre mixture of bird songs and throat slittings.
"This is Calradia eh my friend?" Rowan laughed. Murdoc chuckled as he nodded in agreement and then replied.
"This is Calradia."
