Fantasy The Fated Ones [IC]

All Lucy wanted to do right now was rest her head, finish her drink and fall asleep in a nice warm bed. Talking to the man who damn near gave her what would most likely be the worst nose piercing ever was not one of those things. "Oh piss off you damn near took my nose off with that shot you wannabee hero." She raised her head slightly to take a long sip of her ale before she craned her neck to look at the hooded man directly. "if I wasn't in such a bad shape I'd crack you in the jaw and then beat your ass for everyone to see." She seemed to pause for a moment before sloppily throwing a right which missed her target entirely and caused her to fall right onto the floor with her bad shoulder.

"Agggh" She writhed on the floor for a few seconds before she flopped over on her back while holding her injured shoulder. "Just so you know I didn't miss, just maneuvering myself." She remained like that for a few seconds before she draped her arm over her seat and slowly used that to pull herself up. Getting back onto her seat she rested her head against the wood again before saying to the hooded man "If you fancy yourself a hero then why don't you get me back the coins that the thief stole? Make it up to me for almost killing me."

Raku

DergTheDergon

Asher smiled at the woman as she attempted to strike him. She clearly wasn't in fighting condition and she knew it as she tried to play it off. Asher has seen his fair share of bullshit in his days and what she just said was close to topping the list. Maneuvering yourself? Really? he thought as she pulled herself up onto her seat and lied her head down on the bar. "I was thinking about it, but by the time I could take action you two were halfway across town. I can move but to catch her before she disappeared I'd need to be way faster" he said. With a roll of his neck he took another sip of his mead. He was really planning on running after them earlier, but he knew he wouldn't catch up in time. "Honestly, I would try to put an end to some of the crimes in the town, but the guards have little need for vigilantes" he muttered as he adjusted his slipping bow.

Shotgunpenguin

"Aren't they pretty much the same exact thing though? Only difference I see is that one gets paid and the other one doesn't" To be honest Lucy could care less about what the man considered himself but their conversation distracted her from the dull throbbing pain in her shoulder. As she reached for her ale she found that it was taking more and more effort to move her body as instead of gripping her glass her hand weakly pushed against it as it slid towards the edge of the bar counter. "Dammit they always make it sound like people instantly recover whenever they get injured in books. Why couldn't that apply to real life?" Slowly getting up from her seat Lucy began to shuffle he way towards the stairs leading to the rooms. "I'm not leaving town until I get my pouch back so I'm going to be here for a while. Talk to me in the morning if you want to help me find that fucking thief." Lucy took each step slowly as she made her way to the room she had rented for the week, a fact that she was grateful for now. Opening the door to room 12 she didn't even bother getting undressed as she simply flopped down onto her bed and let the exhaustion do it's work as she slipped into a deep sleep.

Raku

Daron nodded back at Rena after hearing her response, grinning a bit. He knew she'd be interested. That would be his final chance to get her hooked, to cause her to resolve to see him again soon.

Her assertiveness regarding paying for her own food, and her cheeky grin, was surprising coming from Rena, who initially gave Daron an impression of someone very timid, and very afraid to speak out and say what they wish to say. Perhaps that wasn't truly the case? Regardless, this behavior only interested him in her further. He preferred his women to be at least a little demanding sometimes, as it were.

As he saw the young woman's face light up from the mere arrival of her food, Daron chuckled, casually sipping at his beer all the while. He found that he delighted in simply watching her eat, eventually really going at her food like an animal. There were many very endearing things about Rena in Daron's eyes, more than any other girl he'd taken an interest in before.

When she began to answer his questions, Daron listened attentively, nodding all the while. throughout the sad parts of her monolog, his neutral yet interested expression didn't change. It was as if such emotionally charged words did not phase him at all. He remained quiet and attentive for the girl's entire monolog, smiling at certain bits he found adorable but his expression unchanging for the most part.

Daron was more than prepared to listen to her ramble on all night, but she declared that she had said enough about herself before asking him the question he had feared most from her. Despite not wantin to answer, he simply smiled and nodded before beginning. "Truth be told, I've a rather storied past and have done many things I am not proud of. I was born rich in material things but poor in sense and was educated to the highest degree yet remained mentally blind to the ways of the world. A very dangerous combination, I assure you. Suffice to say, for most of my adolescence I snuck out nearly every night to run with a band of criminals. All that thrill-seeking eventually caught up with me and I landed myself in jail. I'd had quite a bit of fun and adventure in those years; lots of excitement, danger, wealth, debauchery, girls and even women throwing themselves into my bed... those were the years. However once I'd gone tot prison, everyone I knew disown me. I... don't have much of a life anymore..."

He chuckled self-derisively. "My entire life until now feels like one long joke with no punchline now... unless some demon from my past finds me and puts me out of my misery." Daron paused for a moment and knocked back the rest of his beer. "Don't worry though, I'm a changed man now... don't run with thugs anymore and have a much more respectful way of making gold. Life is decent, but boring... until you came along, I thought all the women in this town were just as dull. You're the most interesting person I've met in my life, no joke... not to mention your good looks." He winked at Rena suggestively, before leaning back in his chair.

"So, what brings a young librarian to this backwater town, hmm? Heard there was some famous author signing books in our own library today, perhaps that was it? I hear everything around here."

Once she'd answered his question, Daron glanced outside, not knowing that there was a commotion out there and that the metaphorical shit was about to hit the fan.

"I'd better let you get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow... and hopefuly in future as well/" He grinned at her, a sly grin that had the capacity to melt hearts. If it melted hers though, well that was Rena's decision, wasn't it?

VioletShadow .



"

Asher's head snapped to the door as he heard shrieks coming from outside. They were faint but still audible, and right now there were many people screaming. He knew that the night shift guards were not many or the most skilled. "What the hell?" he mumbled as he approached the door. They screams were getting louder as whatever was causing it closed in. He pushed open the door and took a step out. With his hand on the door he looked down the street. His jaw dropped as he saw what was occurring. It was a mass bandit raid as he could see a swarm of them running down the street. Asher knew how unskilled these thieves would be but in a swarm like this, shit was gonna get bloody. He turned his head back inside. "WE GOT A BANDIT ATTACK OUT HERE! I COULD USE SOME HELP!" he shouted loud enough that people on the third floor woke up. Asher swung his bow off his shoulder and quickly fired an arrow down the street, taking one of the thieves out.

VioletShadow DergTheDergon CrimsonEclipse Shotgunpenguin Ineptitude

Pandora is now sure of it, this day has officially been the worst day of her life. It was like fate itself wanted her day to suck, well fuck them. First she was chased by guards, then when se thought she escaped she was chased by a murderous axe-wielding thief who was (apparently) angry when she was on the receiving end of being robbed, and being, once again, chased by guards because of a certain asshole. After all that, when she managed to evade them, bandits just had to raid the city. And it wasn't just a few bandits. It was as if all bandits in the entire fucking country decided to hold the annual 'let's all raid one out-of-the-way village at the same time!' Event.

Oh man, there were a lot of them. They were a wave of angry, horny, and greedy people smashing into the, understandably, unprepared and very scared group of guards and a flimsy wall. They stood as much chance as a house made of grass in a storm. The bandits wasted no time killing, raping, pillaging, and, oh look, more killing. The strangest thing however was, how in the ever living fuck did no one notice them?! They were practically unnoticed until the were just at the gates! How did that happen?! Did all the guards chase her across the village that no one even bothered to watch the gates. Well, with how her day has been, that is not too far fetched.

Well, all of this were her thoughts after these events transpired, when she was far away, alive and somewhat safe. What had been going on in her mind when all of these happened was one thing. Oh fuck, oh fuck. They're going to rob me, then rape me, then kill me, then probably rape me again! All of these just went on in her head in an endless loop as she tried to look for a way out while trying to not get noticed by bandits. As secure as villages, towns, and even cities may seem, there's always a few ways in and out of it that the guards has no idea of. This place would be no different, probably, hopefully, maybe. She clutched the two purses she managed to snatch in one hand, not having the time to tie it to her belt beside her own.

As she ran, she came across a potentially disastrous scene. Three bandits managed to corner a buxom and relatively pretty young woman wearing a very improper dress that leaves little to the imagination. Probably one of the whores in the brothel. She thought as she prepared to run, but something stopped her. "Please! Spare my child!" The young woman was hugging a little girl in her arms, a girl too young to even understand that her mother was about to be raped and herself about to be killed. As absurd as it may sound, the scene struck a chord within her. Her own mother a being a whore, men had sent lecherous gazes Pandora's way, expecting her to be like her mother. A scene close to this has once transpired in own life, though they managed to get out of it safely. There's no guarantee for these two.

Instincts took over and before she could even try to run, she threw the purses in her hand towards te bandits. The string tying it came undone, showing the bandits with hard coins. "Hey fuckers, leave those two alone!" She shouted at them, her knees trembling and her voice breaking due to her. Why did I do that?! I'm going to die! She shouted in her mind, but what's done is done. The bandits, having been distracted, allowed the young woman to flee with her daughter. Of course I won't get even a thanks. Was the thought that ran in her mind when the bandits furiously glared at her. "You'll be paying for that bitch." The bandit on the middle growled as they closed in on her.

If she was observant enough, Rena would see Daron's eyes widen a little as she clasped his hand, the gesture unexpected and comforting. This was part of what caused him to shrug off the melancholy he had fallen into, in all fairness. As she released his hand however, he was internally a little disappointed but didn't let it show. He wondered if Rena caught on that her holding his hand correlated with his suave, nonchalant nature coming back.... not likely, he thought. "No, I'm just as flattering as you deserve," he replied sultrily. Yes, he had certainly overcome the relapse bringing up his past had caused him. It occurred to him that he really hadn't told anyone of it before, but for some reason ended up doing so with Rena without even thinking about it. There really was something special about her.

"Well," Daron began as she asked a surprisingly astute question about herself. "Your type might be normal to you, but do keep my past in mind. I am far more used to being around people far less kind than you, for one. I can't quite put my finger on all the reasons, but you are the most interesting young woman I've had the pleasure of meeting, I assure you. "Interesting" is a relative term anyway, it means different things to different people."

Daron found himself grinning as she confirmed that she had indeed been here to see Freya lizanthoth. He still hadn't lost his touch for reading others, it seemed. His smile then turned into a sympathetic look and he placed a hand her shoulder. It seemed like the two had something in common, as just as quickly as Daron had snapped out of his negativity about his past, Rena just now snapped out of her disappointment at missing Freya Lizantoth. He then found himself wondering for a moment whether or not his touch had helped her, just as her touch had helped him.

Despite himself, Daron felt his eyes light up as Rena said she visited this town often, feeling quite relieved, and grinning at her stuck-out tongue. So, even this shy, timid girl had a bit of a playful side it seemed. He'd have to see about bringing it out of her more and more as they got to know each other. Rena's blush only made him grin more widely, but this was seemingly too much for the girl as her confidence fro ma few seconds ago dissipated and she hastily said goodnight and began to leave. "See you tomorrow, Rena," he called out to her softly.

He had a thought as he watched her disappear upstairs. 'What if something happened to her overnight?' He thought. This wasn't the least crime-ridden inn in the city, that was for sure. Having the gold to spend and a little tired of spending hours and hours every day in his home, Daron did something rather uncharacteristic and bought a room himself. He grinned at the thought of coming downstairs to see Rena, a look of surprise on his face. He headed up to his room and laid down shortly after, quite fatigued from the events of the night.

A few hours later, on the edge of his sleepy haze, he heard a ruckus. His half-asleep mind registered it as part of a dream and he kept sleeping. Then, a booming shout from a familliar voice he knew he'd heard in the land of waking caused Daron's eyes to shoot wide open. He sat up, grabbed his daggers and began to realize that indeed, the telltale sounds of violence he heard outside were real. Without a second thought, he rushed out of his room. Thinking back to last night, he had a feeling something may have happpened to Rena in all of this. it was not uncommon for Daron's thoughts to tend towards a girl he was courting more often than not, being a man, but something about Rena made him deeply worried about her. He hadn't felt this worried about anyone in a long time, as all the people he'd cared for had died years ago. Like hell he was going to let that happen to Rena as well, barring that they only met yesterday.

"Rena! Rena, where are you?' He shouted. The moment he heard her voice he would rush to her side and try t coax her into hiding, then, he'd rush out and help the ranger type outside with the encroaching bandits. There really seemed to be a lot of them, though in all honesty, Daron wasn't all that surprised .If the guards in this town and the surrounding areas were very competant, he had to admit he'd likely been caught years befroe he had been.

Shaking these thoughts aside, he continued shouting for Rena, over and over again.

VioletShadow

Screaming. That was what Lucy woke up to as her eyes opened and she bolted up into a sitting position in her bed. She didn't question how she had made her way under the covers of her bed as she attempted to quickly get out of her bed. As soon as her left foot connected with the ground she stumbled a bit as she pushed her right hand against the wall to steady herself. "Damn still hurting." She cursed to herself as she started to limp her way out of her room. As she exited she looked over to a man who was screaming out for someone named Rena. Now that she looked more closely she recognized him as the guy he tried to rob this morning. "Don't worry if she's in here then she's safe. Focus on keeping them out!" She quickly stumbled her way down the stairs and out of the door where the hooded man who had almost killed her was firing arrows at the mass of bandits. "Shit where's the guards!" She asked as she took one of her axes in her right hand, her left arm still hanging limply as a reminder of her earlier chase.

Lucy knew that she needed to get out of the town. Usually bandit attacks were erratic and usually consisted of small groups. This however, this was planned for some time. They got into town without alerting anyone so far and the guards would probably be unprepared for an attack this late at night. Either the city would be overrun or the guards would beat off the bandits,and Lucy didn't want to be around to see which side won. Sprinting as fast as she could Lucy hooked her axe onto the edge of a small roof and climbed up on top of it. The bandits would have a harder time hitting her from the low ground and it also allowed her to get a better view of the town.

The sights were horrible as Lucy ran across the rooftops. These weren't people, they were less than beasts! They were violating a woman right on top of what Lucy assumed to be her husbands corpse as she tried to resist the urge to throw up. "I need to get out of here, I need to get out of here right fucking now!" There would be no mercy if she was caught by these savages. "If it comes down to it...." She trailed off as she looked at her reflection in the steel of her axe. Just then she heard someone shout for someone to leave someone else alone. "That sounded close...." Lucy was torn between getting out with her life, and maybe even more, intact or risking her neck to see who that person was yelling at. She paused for a moment before a male voice spoke. "Fuck!" Lucy's body moved on it's own as she moved to get a closer look at the source of the yelling.

The source of the disturbance was three of the bandits and "Wait a minute, it's that fucking thief from before!" Lucy watched as the three bandits approached the shaking thief. "RGHHHH HEY SHIT FACES HOW'D YOU LIKE TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE A WOMAN!" Lucy leaped from the rooftop and landed with a roll. Coming to a stop at the side of the thief from before she stood up and shouted "BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO CUT YOUR JUNK OFF AND RAM A STICK RIGHT UP THE HOLE!"

CrimsonEclipse DergTheDergon Raku

Pandora was going to die now, she was certain of it. She shakily held a knife in each hand, the knives barely remained still in her trembling hands. She is usually confident in her knife skills, but this situation is different. She's fighting against three men, an being the scums they are, they'll surely going to attack her at once. Then they'll surely going to unspeakable things to her, making her wish for death instead.

She was actually thinking of ending her life right to prevent such an outcome, when someone leapt from the roof. It was at this moment that Pandora dropped, her knees ko longer having the strength to keep her up. "Y-You?" She stuttered as she saw the axe girl from before. She actually thought that the girl was here for her, that she was going to die from te axe girl instead of the bandits. For a moment, she was actually relieved. At least she would just kill her. Pandora closed her eyes, tears flowing as she accepted her fate. However, the final blow never came.

She opened her eyes to see the bandits dead, the axe girl probably killing them. "I-I'm s-sorry f-f-for stealining from you earlier." She said, picking up te coins she threw at the bandits. She held them up in her hands, offering them to her. "H-Here it is, i-if there's any missing I'll just r-reimburse you. P-Please don't kill me." She said as tears flowed from her eyes. She was willing to throw her pride away to live.

Shotgunpenguin

DergTheDergon

Asher continued to fire arrows at the oncoming swarm. There were more of them than he had arrows for. 8, through one's throat. 7, pierced someone's chest. 6, headshot. 5, in the throat again. 4, shoulder blade. 3, chest. 2, stomach. 1, in the leg. All shots hit, most of them fatal. Now out of arrows, his prime game was done. He eyed a few guards the stood about 50 ft in front of him. Their swords were sheathed as they watched in fear. "Idiots" he mumbled as he ran up behind them.. He took one of their swords and charged towards the thieving swarm. At this point, he knew these guys wouldn't be difficult to fight. As a couple guards joined the fight, he had them to assist. His blade clashed with a bandit's. His strength was greater as the sword pushed on to the gouge the man's chest. Asher continued to preform an upswing to kill another gruesomely. Not only was the blade covered in the crimson hue of blood, but he was as well. When he killed the most recent one they splattered blood over his chest and lower facial region. "Great" he mumbled as he dropped the blade, too big. He pulled out his knives fight the hoard. Asher began to fight using agility more than strength. As he fought it would be a spectacle to those standing above as he seemed to be, in modern terms, straight out of Assassins Creed.

Shotgunpenguin CrimsonEclipse (if they feel like watching)

The three bandits didn't seem concerned by Lucy's presence, in fact they looked happy to see another woman appear. "Pieces of shit." She silently cursed as the bandits began to approach the two thieves. One of the bandits charged forward with a rather wicked looking knife as he lunged forward in at attempt to impale Lucy in the gut. She waited until the knife was only a few inches away from her before she moved her body to the side as the knife barely missed her. Bringing up her axe she brought it down onto the bandits neck, his momentum threatening to take Lucy with him as she yanked the axe free from the back of his neck. Crimson blood splattered against the ground as the now dead bandit crumpled into a heap as Lucy turned back to the other two bandits.

The bandits didn't seem troubled at the death of their friend as they both charged at Lucy with their knives. "Bitch!" one of them yelled as the bandit to her right attempted to slice her throat open with his knife. Tilting her body backwards she then pivoted on her right foot to avoid the knife of the second bandit as she hooked the inside of her axe against the neck of the bandit on her right. Straining herself she used her axe to throw him against a wall before delivering a devastating knee right into his groin. The bandit crumpled onto the ground as Lucy felt something bite into her left shoulder guard. Lashing out wildly she managed to catch the bandit who had stabbed her with the side of her axe dazing him as he stumbled to the side.

Charging into him with her left shoulder she pushed him back before crouching before him and rocketing her head into his lower jaw. The bandit stumbled back with a small bit of blood coming from his mouth as Lucy reared her axe back and planted it right into the top of the bandits head. She let the axe fall along with the body as her bloodied hand reached back and took out her skinning knife and approached the still prone bandit. "No, no please!" The bandit begged as Lucy felt rage build up inside of her. He dared ask for mercy? He would get none from her. Gripping his hair Lucy weakly held his head back with her left arm and plunged her knife into his unprotected throat, with bloodied gurgles and pleading eyes he stared back at her as the light finally left his eyes and Lucy let him fall to the floor.

Body feeling heavy Lucy turned to the thief that she had saved as she was holding up a handful of coins that were scattered on the ground. Lucy slowly walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulders "I'm not going to kill you, if I wanted to I'd let these bastards do it for me. Right now we need to find someplace to hide. Do you have any hideouts we can go to, hell even a covered hole would be better than staying out here."

CrimsonEclipse

Daron turned toward the woman who suddenly addressed him, a confused look on his face. It was the axe-thief from earlier. Her words calmed him a little, and he nodded. The Axe girl rushed off before he could respond with anything more than that, however. He still waved at her just before it seemed that she could no longer see him through his peripheral vision, subsequently retrieving his short sword from its earth and taking a deep breath, beginning to head towards the stairs.

Daron's resolve to go outside and help dissolved the moment he heard Rena's voice, however, and as he heard a door open to her side, seeing it do so through his peripheral vision as well, he realized that he had stopped right in front of her room as if on instinct. He smiled as he looked upon her, the look in his eyes relieved. he snapped out of it when she asked if he had anything she could throw. Seeing the open window and the state of her room, it looked like she'd been throwing her things at the bandits to help in her own way. He found himself smiling at that heartwarming thought, this girl was so selfless it broke his heart.

"well, unless you're bothered about really hurting these louts, and I wouldn't be, there's these." He rummaged about on his person and retrieved a leather case that had been stashed away in a hidden pocket. it looked like an oversized wallet. he unfolded it and revealed three sets of throwing knives, sharp, shiny, deadly-looking objects that were quite light. "There's a specific way you must throw them. Watch and learn." Daron stepped up to the window carefully, scanning the swarm outside the inn for easy targets, before letting loose a knife with the flick of his wrist, making sure no part of the motion and the way he held the knife was obscured from Rena's view. "I will entrust these to you, should you wish to lose them. Perhaps you can give me covering fire of a sort."

He grinned the sort of grin he always gave his fellow thieves when he was about to do something daring, and Deftly pulled himself up on the windowsill. he looked down below, and in addition to the bandits, the townsfolk fighting them, woman in the streets being violated, and the two thieves from earlier among the fray, he saw a way down. The women's cries for help especially caused him to be spurred into action, jumping down and landing upon the horizontal signpost below him on both feet, subsequently jumping down and roling to a stand. he looked back up at Rena. "I'll be fine, do what you can from there!" he called after her, before parrying a bandit's strike and getting stuck into the fray, fighting furiously.

VioletShadow

DergTheDergon Ineptitude

Pandora nodded at the woman, her face filled with gratefulness and relief. Well, she didn't accept her money, so Pandora put it in her purse. "I-I think I may have something better. Please followe me." Pandora said as she stood up, her legs still a bit shaky. She held the knives in her hands, not wanting to be caught off guard as she led the way.

Pandora went west, towards the city walls but nowhere near a gate. "Um, I think this may be a way out, but it's not gonna be pleasant." She said, filling the girl in. "W-We're going to have to go through the sewers, so it might not be to your liking. I-I'm Pandora the way." She blurted the last part out, a bit shy and her face blushing.

Ineptitude

"The sewers? Are you fucking kidding me?" Lucy was not too thrilled at the prospect of having to wade herself through all of the literal shit that awaited her. "And what do you mean, "may be a way out," this might not even lead outside of the damn city!" Lucy tried to keep her voice down as her and the girl named Pandora sneaked their way to the west wall.

The sights were just as gruesome by the walls as they were near the inn. Lucy cringed as she stepped on a severed arm that laid a good distance away from its body. "I'm Lucy, don't bother remembering it because I'm gonna be gone as soon as we get out of the city."

CrimsonEclipse

Pandora spread her arms when Lucy responded, as if the girl just spelled everything out for her. "Exactly, no one wants to go to a sewer, and neither would the bandits. And I know it's bad, it reeks and its really gross, but I'd choose that over being raped then dying then being raped again." She said as she turned a corner. "Also, the sewers always leads somewhere, believe me. They won't keep all that sewage lying around underneath the city. It probably leads to a river somewhere, maybe the ocean if it's nearby."

She stopped Lucy for a while, pulling her with her behind some cover. A few bandits crossed the street, thankfully none noticed her. "Besides, it might not be too bad. The village isn't that big yet, so there should be more water than shit. Believe me, the big cities are worse. Too many people and animals, they even guard sewers since people use it to enter from time to time." They crossed another intersection, careful to not attract attention. "I'm remembering your name by the way. I might need to throw guards off my scent, and your name might suit me." She said, feeling better enough to crack a joke.

Shotgunpenguin

"Throw my name to them and I throw you to the wolves. And beleive me they'll be more merciful than I would be." Lucy was not in a joking mood right now and even after Pandoras explanation of the sewer she still wasn't happy about it. "You sound used to this by the way, you've done shit like this before?" She asked as she grabbed Pandora by the shoulder and drug her into an alley. A lone bandit slowly walked down the street as Lucy raised her axe in preparation. As soon as the bandit came into view she threw it at his head. The sharpened back dug into his skull as he fell to the ground.

Quickly rushing out of the alley Lucy dragged the bandits body into the alley before retrieving her axe and wiping the blood off of it on the bandits clothes. She then searched him, letting out a pleased hum as she pocketed a small sack of coins. She cautiously walked out of the alley before motioning for Pandora to follow her. "How much further until we reach the entrance? It'll be light soon so sneaking around will get harder."

CrimsonEclipse

Daron ran straight into the thick of things, deftly dodging and parrying strikes from all sides, and delivering a few devastating blows to boot. From left to right he sidestepped stabs, parried slashes, and avoided low blows with fancy footwork while getting in shots of his own whenever there was an opening. Along with the guards and townsfolk helping, he seemed to be doing a decent job of keeping more from getting into the inn. He just hoped Rena could handle the ones inside. He half-felt like he should have stayed with her.

After a short while, a few of the bandits in Daron's general vicinity had been killed, and fewer yet still a substantial amount had backed away from him, choosing to fight guards instead.

As the adrenaline began to fade, Daron’s mind flashed back towards Rena. She didn’t seem to know much about fighting, and here she was in an inn full of bandits. Quite frankly, he was worried.

Daron found himself chuckling at this thought, shaking his head self-derisively. He was worrying. About someone he’d just met. He’d learned not to get attached to people a long time ago… but something about her brought old feelings he’d last felt in his early teens, before he began his life of crime. He was falling for that strange girl… and she was in danger.

His feet began carrying him towards the entrance without him even realizing it at first. Why had he even jumped out of the window in the first place? ‘To show off for her,’ his mental critic was quick to snap. ‘Now you have to go around the long way and fight your way through to protect the only girl you’ve had feelings this strong for. And something might’ve already happened!’

His feet carried him fast, stabbing one cutthroat here, kicking another in the shins there, even kneeing one even in the crotch as he tried to fight his way through just to see if Rena was alright. ‘What the hell has gotten into me?’ Daron thought. ‘I never risked my life for someone else like this before.’

The moment he had that thought, he felt a sharp pain in his side. He’d been stabbed. He cried out, a yell that Rena, if she was still alive, as well as anyone else still in the inn could hear. He fought off the louts as best as he could, but seeing him injured, they began to surround him, breaking off from whatever they were doing a moment ago. His heart pounded hard. There were simply too damn many here, he went too far into the fray in an enclosed space. A rookie mistake. ‘Is this…. Seriously where I die? He thought in horror, still managing, for now, to fight them off. But he was weakening.

VioletShadow