When the plan goes awry

Something woke Alex up. It was still dark, only the faint glimmer of the campfire was still glowing. Alex had a strange feeling. Something was off. He looked around and saw that Violet had woken up too. She looked at him. Worried.

“They are surrounding us…”, she whispered.

“Monster?”, asked Alex trying to be quiet.

“Humans…”

“How many?”

“Many…”

Alex perched himself up a little to have a better look at their surroundings. He saw shadowy figures walking from tree to tree. Coming closer and closer.

“mh… wha-“, mumbled Elyra, who woke up because she slid a bit from his chest.

“Sssh… listen carefully… crawl over to Caleb, wake him and whatever happens, stay back.”, said Alex.

Elyra’s eyes grew wide, but she did as he ordered. Alex grabbed his axe and stood up. A moment later a big burly man in ragged leather armor stepped out from behind a tree. He had a big two-handed sword flung around his shoulder. To his left and right other men, one after another, emerged from the shadows. All in ragged leather armor, with weapons in hand and vicious look on in their eyes. Fifteen in total, and Alex was sure that there were more still hiding in the shadows.

“These woods are now property of the Gauner Gang, and as a result everything in it too!”, said the big burly man with the two-handed sword.

Suddenly his eyes began to shine brightly.

“Magic eyes…probably some sort of night vision. There must be a mage hiding somewhere… or he is one, but he doesn’t look like it…”, whispered Violet behind Alex.

“Oh, look here! What a lucky find! Our old Endeavor found a tragic and abrupt end. We now desperately need some new… merchandise… and here you are… two lovely women… and we didn’t even have to search for them! They just came to us. Uh… and the fellow in the back with the immaculate face… I bet it will be easy to find an old noble woman with too much money, to keep you as a pet. And the last one…”, the burly man went on.

Alex felt his gaze upon him.

“Hey, you with the axe… I’ll make you a deal… just walk away and pretend nothing happened.”, the man offered.

Alex smirked.

“What? Am I not handsome enough to be your merchandise?”, he answered.

“Well, the world does not bless everyone with an equal face… but because of your ugly mug, you get to keep it and walk freely. So, luck in misfortune, huh? So, what’s it gonna be?”

Alex turned his head around. Violet stood right behind him, her Staff hidden from sight behind his back. Caleb and Elyra cowered a few meters behind between the cart and the rock wall. Rudy seemed still asleep. Alex faced back towards the burly man with the two-handed sword. He gripped his axe with both arms and grinned.

“If you want them… you’ll have to go through me first.”, said Alex.

“Don’t be stupid! I have way more men than you can see here, still hidden… armed to the teeth! You are just one dude with an axe!”, said the burly man.

“I’ll deal with the magic user…”, whispered Violet behind Alex’s back.

Alex felt warmth behind his back. He gripped his axe tighter.

“You’re wrong… I have more than just an axe.”, said Alex calmly.

“Oh, and what do you have?”, asked the burly man.

“I have Rudy and…”

“A fireball to your fucking face, you soon to be smoldering pile of shit!”, shouted Violet.

A fireball shot by Alex head and hit the burly man right in the face. He screamed and vanished in a burst of flames, which illuminated the surroundings. It seemed like behind every tree stood a figure. Some of them readied a bow and one of them had a staff.

“Rudy, get ‘em!”, shouted Violet.

Rudy squeaked, jumped on his feet, and vanished between the trees. Soon after, the first scream was heard.

Violet blocking arrows flying towards them with a magic barrier. It was a real sloppy and rushed one, that would get her in trouble with Grandpa Yaeon, she thought, but it did it’s job. The arrows stopped mid air and fell harmlessly to the ground. Violet quickly waved her staff around and the campfire was ablaze again, illuminating the scene now fully.

The first of the bandits came now rushing towards Alex. He stepped a few paces forward and swung his axe in wide arches, making it difficult for any of them to approach. Luckly for him, most of the bandits were equipped with short swords and small hatchets.

Green missiles shot out of the darkness towards Alex from the side and collided with a shimmering see through wall in the air. In the next moment a Fireball detonated right at the place where the enemy magic came from. One burning man tumbled out from behind a tree, but it was not the enemy mage. Three bolts of energy shot through the flames. This time at Violet, who blocked it again. A back and forth of magic bolts of fire and energy followed.

Alex still swung his axe tirelessly and tried to hold the bandits back. One of them jump towards him after one of his swings, trying to hack at him with a hatchet. Alex blocked the weapon with the shaft of his axe and kicked the men hard in the stomach. Then he jumped back and quickly swung overhead, hitting him right in the collarbone, shattering it and cutting deep. Three others used the Moment while no axe was swinging wildly and rushed by him, trying to get to Elyra and Caleb. Alex tried to follow, but another man swung his sword at him and he barely parried.

The first of the bandits got to Caleb and Elyra, who still cowered behind the cart. The men reached out to grab the women and was surprised by the quickly rising Caleb and the blade he had hidden from view.

“Don’t just assume because of my looks… Beautiful flowers sometimes have thorns.”, he whispered the man in the ear while pulling out his short sword from his chest. The bloodstain on his clothes grew larger by the second, right over the place where his heart is. The bandit fell over still with an surprised look on his face. The two others behind him readied their weapons and attacked. Caleb dodged one blade and shoved the first guy into the second one, misplacing his swing. Caleb then managed to dodge and parry the oncoming onslaught of attack, but he got pushed back.

“A little help here!”, he shouted.

Alex saw the two bandits pressing Caleb back. He then quickly made two wide swings pushing the next wave of bandits back and hitting one in the leg as a bonus. After that Alex quickly turned and dashed to Caleb. He took aim with his axe, and swung before the two bandits even realized. Right at their neck, out of the movement with his full body. Alex didn’t even really feel the first one, the second one gave a bit more resistance, but his axe went through both. The decapitated bodies fell to the side and the heads landed with a thud. Right next to Elyra. Her eyes grew wide in panic and fear. She screamed and then bolted.

“Wait! Where… fuck!”, shouted Alex trying to grab her, but he failed.

The air crackled as a green bolt of energy collided with an invisible force and dissipated. Violet shot a fire bolt back but couldn’t seem to hit. The spells of the enemy mage had not that much power behind them, but he was good at hiding himself behind trees, which made it difficult to target him. Violet heard Alex shouting and she looked over. Elyra was running out from the cart, with Alex and Caleb behind her. A Bandit reached out and tried to grab the woman. Violet quickly turned her Staff and shot a compressed wave of air hitting and flinging the man back. A bolt of green energy shot and graced her shoulder. She felt it burn and exhaled sharply. Violet turned her attention back to the enemy mage.

Alex saw the bandit get flung through the air in front of Elyra, but the women didn’t stop, she darted for the trees. Two bandits jumped out of the shadow before she could reach them and grabbed her. Elyra screamed. Another Bandit jumped in front of Alex, swinging his sword. He parried it and trapped the blade in his axe head. Caleb rushed by him and drove his sword deep into the man’s chest. Alex dashed to the two bandits struggling to grab hold onto the wailing Elyra. He smashed his axe deep into the collarbone of one of them. Blood spilled and Elyra screamed again. Alex smashed the stub of his hilt against the head of the other Bandit, which made him stumble back a few steps. Caleb tackled him to the ground. Elyra tried to run again, but Alex grabbed her. He could see an Archer leaning out from behind a tree and aiming for them. Alex quickly and strongly pulled Elyra back and shoved her under the cart.

“Hide under there and don’t come out!”, he ordered harsh.

Alex felt a sharp pain in the back of his left shoulder. He turned around only to see a two-handed sword aiming for him. The burly man appeared seemingly out of nowhere. His face was half burned off, and he was laughing maniacally. Alex’s defense was too late. The blade found its target and cut deep into his right shoulder. Alex screamed.

Violet saw what happened out of the corner of her eyes.

“RUDY!”, she screamed.

The dire boar broke out of the trees. His fur was covered in blood, and he had a few scratches. The animal dashed forward and rammed the burly man with the half-burned face. Another green bolt grazed Violet side, burning her again.

“Fuck… I’ve had enough!”, she mumbled.

Violet dropped her concentration on the barriers and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Etsrebrez!”, she whispered and opened her eyes again

She fixed her gaze and her staff on the tree where the green bolt had come from. The air began to vibrate around her. Violet eyes began to shine and then the gems on her staff. All of them. A thick purple lightning shot out of the staff and hit the tree. One moment later there was no tree anymore. Wooden and fleshy bits soared through the air. Violet watched satisfied as a staff with a hand still clutching onto it fell to the ground. She then quickly rushed over to Alex. He was bleeding heavily out of his shoulder and from his back, but he was still on his feet. Barely. Rudy shielded them from further attacks.

“Can you fix him up quickly?”, Caleb asked appearing on their side.

“I think…”, said Violet

She then looked deep at Alex. Her eyes were still ablaze like two malachites in the sun.

“Do you trust me?”, Violet asked.

“Huh? Now?”, answered Alex surprised.

“Do you trust me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Do… you… trust… me?”

“Yes!”

Violet began chanting a spell. The gems on her staff gleamed brightly. She lay her hand on his chest. Alex felt warmth rushing into him. The pain subsided. He felt great. Euphoric even. He could move his shoulder again.

“I don’t have much in me anymore… the rest is up to you…”, said Violet weakly and lean herself against the cart.

Invigorated Alex grabbed his axe tight again and swung it around. It felt way lighter than before. His movements were faster than before. He grinned and dashed into two oncoming enemies. Two swings later one had his arm cut off the other the leg. Alex could feel an impact on his back, but there was no pain. He laughed and then paused, surprised by himself. Alex saw the world in a slightly reddish hue. All the pain was gone and his fear for life too. Alex was enjoying himself. He had fun and laughed as he cut down the next bandit. Then the big burly man with the half burned off face appeared before him.

Rudy ran around Violet and tried to hold any attackers back.

“There is no end to them… We’re never gonna kill them all…”, said Caleb to her side.

“Got any ideas?”, snapped Violet back.

“Nope…”

“Then zip it!”

Violet shot a firebolt into the face of a bandit and he fell to the ground screaming. She then watched Alex cutting down three bandits with a few swings of his axe and getting shot by an arrow. He just laughed and rushed to the next enemy. Violet looked worried at him. Alex began circling the big burly man with the half-burned face. The sound of a bugle suddenly echoed through the woods.

“Oh… maybe we do get out of here alive.”, said Caleb joyfully.

Alex heard the sound of the bugle, but he didn’t care. The only thing that was on his mind was the enemy in front of him. He dodged the first swing of the two-handed sword and parried the second. Alex turned to the side and trapped his opponent’s weapon. He let go with his right hand and smash the backside of it into the not burned half of the face in front of him. The big man stumbled back. Another bandit tried to help and jumped between them. Alex grunted annoyed, swung his axe up and cut his belly and chest open. Blood and intestines rained down on him, but he didn’t care. Alex rushed forward and now began his attacks on the big burly man. The first swings he managed to parry then he began to get sloppier. The wounds of the burly man with the half-burned face seemed to finally slow him down. Alex didn’t slow down. The next brutal side swing broke the guard. The axe found his way to flesh and the big burly man fell to the ground. Alex looked for his next target. He was surprised to find a row of knights on horseback in front of him. He held up his axe. They pointed their lances at him.

Violet watched as knights on horseback broke out of the forest driving some of the bandits before them.

“Who are they?”, she asked confused.

“Troops of Leiwand… look at the colors.”, said Caleb.

He was right. The shields and cloaks of the knights bore the blue and gold of the Leiwand Kingdome. The knights made quick work of the scattered bandits and soon the last one fell. Only Alex was standing there, between the corpses and covered in blood. The knights formed a row in front of him and pointed their lances at him.

“Wait! No! He is not one of them!”, shouted Caleb and ran to the knights waving his arms.

“Alex! Come here!”, shouted Violet.

Alex came to her. She looked at him and saw the glowing in his eyes.

“You okay?”, he asked immediately.

“Yeah… and you... how do you feel?”, she answered.

“I feel fantastic!”

“Really? You got two arrows sticking out of your back, dude…”

“What!?”

Alex tried turning around to see. Violet still had a worried look on her face as she watched him.

“You’re right…”, he said surprised.

Violet touched him on the chest.

“You did great…”, she whispered.

Alex suddenly felt really sleepy, and he closed his eyes.