Unusual Knight, Unusual Bandits

The air is rapidly displaced around my body, ringing in my ears along with the impact of boots on tile. From this height, the activities of pedestrian traffic below fail to disturb the peaceful breeze and warmth. The bandits scale this tranquil world with ease, either leaping between buildings or using sturdy wooden planks as bridges. This view was one designed for birds, so it's a shame that it must be covered in human blood.

"Twenty metres…"

The tall and slender man quickly catches on to my presence and the speed at which their lead is closing.

"Giso! Engel! We have one on our tail!"

"What's the plan, Notger?"

I can just about make out their panicked words as I fly across the rooftops. Much like them, I leap across the gaps in the buildings without losing my speed. These guys are fast, so much so that a normal knight in metal armour would never be able to catch up. However, I'm no knight. I've leaped across gaps more than double the length of these.

"Engel, tear down the next bridge! Giso, slow him down as much as possible!"

The man named Notger pulls to the front of their charge while providing concise orders. Even in this situation, their commander seems capable of making calm and collected decisions.

"I must not underestimate them…"

I open my right hand and a flash of red turns into a revolver. The gap in its crimson cylinder whistles as I run, reminding me of its limitations and the five decisions I must make. There should be no need to expend a single bullet, but one can never take too many precautions.

Ahead, the bandits begin making their move. Three instances of creaking wood are followed by the burly man brandishing a long sledgehammer. A heavy swing smashes the makeshift wooden bridge and sends the splintered pieces falling into the wide pit below. This brief pause in their escape would normally be more than enough for me to sink a blade into the burly man. However, his comrade attempts to disrupt me in the same way he did on the streets below. The short man launches a small blade barely visible if not for its silver sheen.

"An inconvenience at best."

The flying dagger does force my pursuit to slow, but only enough to position my neck away from the threat. With my life secured, I focus on the exact position of this flying object.

"Your attack is slow."

I reach my free hand forward and catch the blade between my index and middle finger. Neither blood nor sweat was wasted in turning their defence into another option for my offense. All that remains is to make up for lost seconds during that exchange.

The spacing of my strides takes me perfectly to the end of the road where a bridge once stood. A powerful kick off the ground sends me into the air above what is usually possible for a human being. I experience a brief moment of falling before planting my feet onto the tiles of the next building. A neat roll brings me back into a position where the gap between us closes.

"Target within range."

With backs turned by their sprint, I launch the throwing dagger at the running form of the short man.

"GAHHH!"

The silver edge lodges into his raised ankle and sends him crashing down with his next step. Notger slows to a stop and rushes back to his friend's side.

"I guess we have no choice! Engel!"

The burly man brings himself directly between the short man and their approaching enemy. He raises his hammer for a swing just in time for my arrival.

"DIE!"

His intimidation falls short, as does his heavy blow. A weapon like this is far too telegraphed and simple to avoid for anyone with the agility to react. I take one step to the left and allow the chunk of metal to tear into the roof below.

"AHHH!"

Before he can wind up another swing, I slam the barrel of my gun into his right eye. His body doesn't even have time to recoil backwards before I brandish a dagger and aim it for his neck.

"Not so fast!"

My attempted lethal blow is deflected by a pointed shortsword. Notger appears just around the large body with his blade barely brushing past the shoulder of his ally. I'm forced into a quick retreat as the burly man then takes a blind swing across his body. Once I come to a stop several metres away, the three bandits group up and prepare for battle.

"Careful guys! This isn't your usual knight!"

"Who is this guy!? I've never seen him among the patrols!"

The short man stares at me with horror, like a beast from a fairy tale where all who witness it are murdered. Fear lingers against the blue sky above, but the commander does not back away.

"Identify yourself, Knight! You must be one of the King's generals, so why concern yourself with us beggars?"

Notger points his sword directly at me from his position beside the now one-eyed man. Those brown eyes are certainly directed towards me, but they seem to be scanning the area instead.

"You are mistaken."

I allow the bandit to stall for time. There is nowhere left for him and two wounded allies to escape to, so his actions are futile. Should he understand his fate, we will be thrown into a dangerous fight with our lives at stake. The mission was to retrieve the bandits dead or alive. A peaceful arrest would be the most optimal to reduce injury.

"I'm simply an average soldier brought in from the South. My job is to arrest those who break this nation's laws. If you believe yourselves to be innocent, then surrender and let your actions speak for you."

"Innocent?"

The bandit spits those words before his blade as his face twists in anger.

"It's your laws that are criminal!"

My body flinches with the expectation of an enraged charge. However, it appears that his will to live curbs his rage enough to keep him in place.

"You rich nobles think you can just enjoy life in fancy castles while the rest of us have to scrounge the streets to survive!"

"'The rest', you say?"

I passed through several streets before reaching this point, taking note to observe every last home and alley within view. Hundreds of faces walked past, but there was no sign of this supposed suffering amongst the masses. Their lives may not have been that of absolute luxury, but that is always limited to a select few. There is nothing wrong with an average living.

My brief mumble did not reach him as his face maintains a deep red colour.

"We steal from you rich pigs and give it out to the people who need it more! Some of them wouldn't survive if not for our work!"

Growing tired of his rambling, I take a step forward. My foot causes only a small shake of the wood and stone structure. For the bloodied bandits, that minor rumble felt like an earthquake aimed directly below them.

"Leave them alone!"

I am unable to take another step before a small rock flies across my face. Thanks to the high pitched shout, I was aware of both the trajectory and the origin. The bandits notice as well and turn to the street below.

"Kids!? What are you guys doing here!?"

This building sits low enough to see the band of a dozen children crowded together. Between the torn rags covering their bodies and the dirt caked into their skin and hair, their current place of residence is obvious. In front of the pack is a boy no older than ten years old holding a slingshot.

"We came to save you!"

"Idiots! Get as far away as possible! This guy is bad news!"

Notger tries to keep his eyes on my movements while yelling down into the shadows. My indifference must be showing on my face as he begins grinding his crooked yellow teeth.

"We're going to be using this money to protect these kids! Don't even think about getting in our way!"

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that."

Silence descended upon the rooftops at my immediate declaration. The sinking hearts in front of me are audible among the calm and pleasant breeze.