The Call to Arms - Part 2

Carmela moved in, her eyes narrowed.

Conrad was incredibly conflicted. On one hand, this was Carmela. She was worth two of him. No, likely more, once experience and skill were fully factored in. Even back when she was a young woman in her early twenties, working the farm, she had been a paragon of sheer physicality and gifted genetics. Conrad knew that there was nobody he would rather have on his side in a situation like this.

But on the other hand, a four-to-one advantage is NOT a negligible factor. Conrad's eyes darted around. His own personal sword, crafted by Brutus, was now lying in the hands of the brigand leader. The only way for him to be able to jump in and contribute to Carmela's effort was by subtly arming himself.

Fortunately, Carmela was about to provide a heck of a distraction.

Grinning, she charged the man closest to her, colliding into him with her shield and sending him flying back. The remaining three made their way around the man's sprawled out form, looking to pile on and exhaust Carmela quickly. Carmela immediately started to back up, moving her in the direction of the narrow stairway behind them. Carmela's decade of combat experience was showing. By bringing the fight to the narrow flight of stairs in this den, she could limit the number of assailants that could approach her at once. The setting they were fighting in lent itself to intelligent fighting ability very well, which Carmela had in spades.

Carmela continued to walk back up the steps, slowly moving the fight closer to the exit of the lair. On one hand, this provided an opportunity for Conrad. With the others being drawn out of the room, he was able to start moving slowly, glancing around for a means through which to defend himself. On the other hand, the closer the men pushed Carmela to the top of the stairs, the less time she had before the three had space to surround her. Glancing around frantically, Conrad searched for a weapon, any weapon, anything left after the bandits pillaged their fill. They had not made this easy for him, naturally, and it was about to get worse.

A noise caught Conrad's attention. The bandit that Carmela had knocked over stood up, somewhat stunned, but clearly not out of commission. Conrad knew he had only seconds before the man glanced around the room and noticed him. So he seized his chance. Conrad moved in behind the man as softly as he could, and then, he struck. He wrapped one arm around the man's neck in a rear naked choke, and used his other arm to hold the man's weapon arm in place, preventing a stab in response.

The man thrashed around, trying to call out to his peers to have one of them return and assist him. Conrad forced himself to tighten his grip further, his bicep wrapped around the man's windpipe. He brought the man to the ground, listening as he slowly forced the life out of the man's body. Conrad screwed his eyes shut, wishing he was in any other position right now as he forced himself to complete this task. Conrad Walters would either take a human life, right now, or the man would break out and kill Conrad in response. This was the reality of the situation, and he would need to deal with the consequences of any and all actions he took.

Conrad's mind flashed to Jeremiah's mother, and all the other peace-loving citizens of the kingdom. These men were prepared to kill good people like them in order to get back at the world. They had proved it through their murders today, and if presented with further opportunities, they would take those opportunities too. Regretting tremendously the fact that he and Carmela weren't in a position to simply arrest these men, he finished the job. Conrad listened as the last sharp gasps escaped the man's throat. He twitched a few more times, then completely settled down.

Conrad sat up, staring down at the man. The man he had killed.

Conrad's vision swam. All of the lives he had taken up to this point had been beast or monster. Conrad attempted to steady himself, to settle his breathing, to move and assist his dear friend Carmela. He looked up...and there she was again.

Of course. She had told him that she wanted to witness the struggles of man up close.

"Nana...I don't mind have time for a chat..."

She simply watched him for a moment. Nodding, seemingly satisfied, she jerked her head towards the stairs.

"Go help her. Stop dwelling on things you couldn't control. Breath. You can deal with this later."

Conrad nodded, resolute. He grabbed the dead bandit's sword, along with a bow and quiver from the lookout that Carmela had killed and thrown down the steps, and headed up the stairs. Nana watched him leave, pondering quietly.

At the top of the stairs, Conrad exited the den, stepping out into the daylight. Two of the brigands were lying dead on the ground, victims of Carmela's martial prowess. But the kills had not been free. Carmela was showing exhaustion at this point. The bandit leader, largest and strongest of his team, was clashing with her. Conrad rushes forward, fetching the bow from around his shoulders, even as the bandit succeeded in knocking Carmela to the ground.

Conrad's eyes widened. As he saw the brigand standing over Carmela, blade in hand and ready to finish the job, his mind was filled with flashbacks to the goblin standing over her ten years ago. A cursed night. An awful affair where Carmela's beloved mother had breathed her last. But Carmela had survived then, and Conrad would do anything to ensure she survived now too.

Before he even had time to process the information, an arrow was in Conrad's hand, and he was nocking it to the string. Holding his breath, he made his move. All of the discipline, all of the willingness to act, all of the preparation that Conrad Walters had poured into both his previous body and this one, bore fruit. Stopping just long enough to line up his shot, he let his arrow fly.

And this time, he did not miss.

The arrow fly directly into the back of the head of the bandit. Immediately, the man went still, keeling over and lying there motionless. It was done.

Conrad approached his friend, feeling like the strongest man in the world in this moment, and held out his hand.

"Let's go, Carmela. We need to head back to the capital."

"Agreed. Thank you so much, Jeremiah. I'm in your debt as of now."

Smiling, grateful, and extraordinarily proud, Carmela took Conrad's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. But as they were about to head out, a tiny little detail stood out in Carmela's mind. Frowning slightly, he turned to Conrad and spoke.

"...Everyone refers to me as Captain Ingram. Even the other captains in the royal guard. How do you know my first name?"