The two guardsmen were the ones who made the first move; years of guardsmen training had taught them that most situations needed defense, but facing a superior opponent already meant most of it wasn't helpful. Theben had prepared them to form ranks against bandit rabble, not to face down an imperial swordsman.

The lack of an arm meant that Vandyke wasn't capable of facing foes efficiently. Theokritos and Diaras had enough years of training and information to gauge their opponent and weigh caution against necessity. The pair of young fathers took a final breath and felt the tension shift before Diaras stepped forward and anchored his rear foot.

The Death Raven lunges. Diaras grited his teeth and thrust his shield forward, crashing against the blade mid-swing and halting most of its momentum. Vandyke merely lets his arm get deflected and sidesteps, twirling around the barrier and trying to put Diaras between himself and Theokritos. Rolling with the shield's impact negates most of Diaras' might whilst conserving stamina, much like curling up before an impact can help your body adjust and minimize damage, but it was merely readjusting so that he could better face the pair in a one-on-one.

Theokritos didn't waiver; he shoulder-checked his partner, throwing Diaras into Vandyke and forcing both off-foot. Balance meant that Vandyke could recover, whilst Theo immediately grabbed his partner and pulled him back upright so he can parry the incoming counter-swing with his own sword.

"Fuck," Diaras grunted, shutting his wounded eye as the metallic blades smash together in an exchange of sparks from the sheer force.

The murderous escapee merely shifted his weight and threw another swing, hardly phased by the display of might. His sword cracked off Theo's buckler just inches from hitting Diaras' shoulder.

Yet rather than get a chance to retreat, he felt his blade catch. The dark-haired man glanced at the end of his blade, mere seconds before Theokritos hammer-fisted his hilt onto the end of the sword, bending the blade almost an inch with his well-aimed strike. Vandyke snarled and withdrew the blade when the guardsman prepared a second attack

Euria hadn't merely taught him to fight with the longer swords of an adventurer or professional soldier; she taught him, specifically, how to face them. Most swords could still cut and hack when damaged but a longer blade's ability to stab or cut relied on the end of the weapon being maintained more than the blade at its base. A swordmaster like Vandyke could adjust to a damaged blade within reason, yet no one could make an unaligned edge cut or deal significant damage without applying a lot more force.

"We just need to hold out." Theokritos cursed. He glanced out the corner of his eyes as the remainder of the squad that hadn't gone to retrieve Theben dragged the wounded away.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time!"

Diaras raised his shield as Vandyke swung, only to feel a much stronger impact as the man shifted from swinging his blade to kicking outward. He stumbled back but Theo's position let him catch and steady his friend, turning and swapping position just as they had been trained to do. In a two-on-one fight, the advantage they had was the ability to swap out to conserve stamina; a fine sense of balance didn't mean that Vandyke instantly won if they could change roles. But even that quick swap didn't leave Diaras unscathed; the force sent him toppling back and his shield arm sagged most likely from either a break or sprain.

The outlaw's sword arced in from the side as he stepped in. Theo parried the sword cleaner than Diaras had, still feeling the weight shaving off with Vandyke's cut mauling his lesser sword. It stopped a quarter of an inch into the metal and damaged the sword, but the fact it held out meant that Vandyke's weapon was caught. Theokritos pulled the hilt with a jerk strong enough to snap the sword from Vandyke's grip but the act disarmed him at the same time.

That window gave the Death Raven an opening that the guardsmen hadn't anticipated; Vandyke lunged forward and grabbed the dagger from Theo's hip, drawing it back faster than the Martell could reach for it. Vandyke brought the weapon upward to try and jam it into Theo's chin.

I can't die. Euria, Blasius... our future child... they all need me.

Theo moved his hand between the dagger and his head, pushing down and spearing himself through the palm all so he could immediately halt the strike. Pain and light exploded in his eyes but that just meant he hadn't died. Theokritos felt and heard his voice boom out stronger than either.

"DAMN YOU!"

Their mute enemy opens his mouth to shout back; whether or not he was yelling in frustration or hope that Theokritos would die, the one-armed murderer tried to let go only for the buckler-bound hand to grab his wrist. With all his might, Theo squeezed and yelled back at the man, surging forward and tackling him. Combat Arts could do a lot, but Balance wasn't intended to right two people; both the killer and the guard toppled to the ground, smashing into the road with enough force to kick dirt and dust up from between the loose stones.

Skewered or not, Theo wasn't that strong; all the adrenaline pumping in his veins had him fighting tough but the real threat of being slain made Vandyke struggle more intensely. The knife shifted back and forth in the struggle, cutting and stabbing against Theokritos' armor and shoulder. Metal-on-metal and the tearing of his tunic merely foreshadowed cuts that ripped into his flesh. Nothing was deep but that was how most knife fights were; smaller cuts with only a handful of meaningful strikes. Each one sapped more of his strength and netted Vandyke better momentum, eventually rolling the guard off him and shifting up onto his waist.

The dagger slipped out of his hand with a sick snap of flesh and Theo's heart beat hard enough to nearly knock him out. Vandyke raised the weapon with a sinister grin, completely unaware of Diaras finally catching his breath in the background. The dagger hadn't even fallen an inch before his partner swung his sword down into the criminal's shoulder.

Meaty cuts like this weren't something that Theokritos had ever experienced but the weight behind Diaras' sword drive a few inches into flesh and probably through bone. The dagger-wielding hand went limp and dropped the weapon mere seconds before Diaras pulled his sword loose, spinning Vandyke around and spitting his blood out over all three of them. Cutting an artery had put Vandyke in a stupor just as much as it had doomed him to die; no healer in Burolo could save him with their skill level. Diaras swings a second time and cuts most of the way into the man's neck, toppling his body and sending him crumpling to the ground.

They hadn't needed Theben or Euria or anyone else. If Vandyke had remained calm, maybe that may have been the case. In his rush to kill Theo for daring to fight back, however, he had made himself open. All the gods had been watching over the exchange on that day. Whether or not Theokritos knew or worshipped them, it had used up much of his luck in their eyes to surpass a man like this.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"Theo?"

Diaras' voice called but Theokritos didn't reply. He clung to his right hand's wrist with his left arm, breathing raggedly and shaking from shock.

All the gods had bore witness... and now they would give him an even bigger challenge to surpass.

----------------------------------------

Theokritos of Burolo spent months healing from his battle with Vandyke. Even under the healer's direct supervision, there had been dozens of moments where they thought he might lose his hand. He was bedridden and unable to be there for Euria when she needed him. Diaras helped run the farm and his wife saw to it that Euria was healthy through her pregnancy. His wife and child visited him often despite their situations and yet no one knew whether or not life would go back to normal.

Euria went into labor whilst he was forced to rest, driving him to prayer for a source of meaning; all of the Empire's gods had to have spared him on that day against Vandyke, yet none of them had once received his prayers.

Theokritos was heard by Merius, the God of Family and Patience. At the knuckle of his right pointer finger, blue light danced across his skin and etched a rune of the god into his body. From this rune, his body felt compelled to rise; his wounds held together and his muscles defied all the bedrest, willing him forward step-by-step. All the attendants tried to stop him yet none held him back until he reached his wife's bedside and saw the birth of his second child. The rune faded but left behind a tattoo only achievable in complexity through religious pacts... but no one, not even Theo, remembered nor knew what he made as his deal.

Evandra was born healthier and without nearly the amount of struggle that Blasius brought. Euria recovered sooner and had already brought their daughter home to raise whilst he finished healing. Although Merius made a deal with him that most are concerned with, the god had in turn blessed his family's fortune. Theo didn't lose his hand, Blasius showed talent in geomancy, and their field turned a better crop return. All his years of struggling to help the town rebuild and mend his wife's homestead seemed to all finally work out for the better.

----------------------------------------

"There you are!"

Theo's eyes opened, turning his head to look at a very grumpy Euria. Her years as a mother had crafted her proportions nicely; her chest had remained a bit larger after Evandra and she'd shook her baby weight in time to actually put on muscle. The few who survived the raid so long ago had started to suggest she looked like an adventurer again, despite her best efforts to insist she was retired.

"Here I am."

"You're sitting here on your day off just so you can nap with your daughter?"

Evandra was cuddled up against his chest, her short mane of blonde hair already impressive for her age. The toddler was the spitting image of her mother's features but only time would tell just what she'd end up inheriting. Blasius had thankfully turned out a lot like him, which meant that even if he became a geomancer that he wouldn't get called a girl for it.

"Of course," Theokritos whispered. He brushed his hand through Evandra's hair and rubbed her back, letting the hammock sway to calm the child's mumblings and stirring. "I need to make the most of my time with them, don't I?"

Vandyke's encounter hadn't netted him a promotion; despite his part in things, it was Diaras whom earned the glory for the kill. Within town, everyone knew it had been both men fighting side-by-side... yet abroad, the legend had already made the Artiosi family's wealth grow. Although their father hadn't any ability, this all but ensured that Diaras' sons would end up being recruited first if Burolo ever grew large enough to field knights. Even if that didn't happen in their life, it was probably both would end up imperial squires if they enlisted. All that fortune had made Diaras busy.

So busy, in fact, that he had been promoted to Vice-Captain.

That promotion had emptied his old spot... and for a valorous soldier who had been missed by the rumor, Theokritos was allowed to become the Sergeant. Neither of the two men patrolled together these days, but both were responsible for defending the town. Diaras oversaw promotion drills for those seeking to become Guardsmen but largely was responsible for checking-in and managing the group. After years of trying to shirk on his destiny to be a merchant, he had ultimately ended up doing the same sort of paperwork he didn't want to do.

As for Theokritos, he merely organized the patrols and had to walk the town to check up with the route's elders to ensure that everyone was doing their part. Palux was the oldest among his squad and in the last two years he had already become capable enough to get the other guardsmen in line with or without Theo there.

"Trusting Palux to handle everything is a bit risky, don't you think?" She crossed her arms.

As tough as his wife looked, Theo had seen enough to know that she was all talk right now; if anything, she was merely jealous of the pair since she would have preferred to be the one holding and napping with their daughter.

"Palux will end up promoted soon and he'll likely be my second anyway. Diaras and I spar every week to keep ourselves sharp... and at the last check-in, I was able to score fourth amongst the guard. Only old man Theben, Diaras, and that one recruit who has an eighth of orc blood in him were able to beat me."

"Hmph. You should have been at least third with all the training I've been giving you."

"Papa!"

Blasius' loud call did the trick; Evandra's eyes opened and the small girl immediately sniffled and squeezed at Theo's tunic. Merius may have blessed him but nothing would stop a young girl from reacting poorly to loud noises. Evandra clutched herself tightly against him, crying and cuddling at the same time whilst Theokritos sat upright to comfortingly bounce her in his hold.

"Blasius, you should be more mindful of your sister; what's so important that you're rushing over here shouting like that?"

The boy frowns but a reassuring hand from his mother makes him smile again; Blasius wore a faded yellow tunic, yet always wore a belt that carried the bell he got so long ago.

"The man who's visiting said that my geomancy talent is enough to apply for a teacher!"

Neither Euria nor Theokritos were surprised; receiving a bell whilst so young meant he was able to practice swinging the bell even before he truly understood it. Few boys his age could say the word geomancy but all their attempts to train the boy had been fruitful enough that Euria drilled a lot of words into him. Blasius had a prospective future that neither of them had... but it would all depend on his work ethic. Affording an imperial magister to induct him into proper geomancy education was something they could do, but if that happened then they certainly couldn't take on having another child. Evandra would still need a future, after all.

For now, Theokritos smiled and did the one thing every child's father would do. He carefully held Evandra to his chest and reached out, ruffling his son's hair.

"Do you want to be a geomancer, Blasius? I want you to think hard about it. Once you go down that road, there will be a lot of work for you."

Euria slipped up behind him, gently grabbing their son's shoulders and squatting down to smile at him. "Of course, you'll need to be strong, too. But you already know that, geomancer or not!"

"Yes Mama!" The boy grinned, looking between her and Theokritos. "And I'll think on it, Papa!"

Blasius walked closer, reaching up to gently rub his sister's back. "Sorry for waking you up, Evvy!"

Evandra may have been too young to know what was being said but neither of his parents missed it. Theokritos would be almost thirty soon... and as far as he could see it, life was going well for his family. This year, he figured he'd work hard on trying to get the expansions to the house started so that his kids could have rooms.

The only question on his mind was how he'd keep raising them so that when he was truly starting to get older, his children would be amply prepared for whatever life they chose. Surviving Vandyke gave him faith and he prayed to Merius every night, yet even the gods had their limits. Theokritos had to make sure that his kids had everything and choose: a life of challenges to keep pushing them, something relaxed so his children could have what neither he nor Euria had with their parents, or something in-between that tried to give them a sense of duty without losing the fun of life.

"For now, let's all head inside... shall we?"