Darc was not having a good day. They had followed what they tentatively called a road until they found themselves at the eastern edge of the forest. To their right ran the same river which ran at a languid pace after the short waterfall they passed by. Before them, however stood a long wooden log, its trunk had obviously been drug across so that the path was blocked and he had caught the telltale signs of movement in the brush over to the left.
We were probably spotted a long while back. Weren’t really trying to hide considering Brad’s condition. Darc looked over his shoulder at the old man that had stopped to rest against a rock and stated, “You should hang back here, I’ll scout out ahead.”
Bradford gritted his teeth at that but said nothing.
Darc proceeded to move forward cautiously, zipping from tree to tree in order to at least offer him some cover as he approached. When he got within 50 feet of the roadblock his attention shifted, narrowing down on 12 figures that had emerged from the underbrush. They were looking right at his tree, smiles displayed across their faces, their teeth sharp and dangerous. One yawned with a bored expression and Darc could see multiple rows of teeth hidden within its mouth. Worryingly it had stretched it’s mouth open to almost a full 120 degrees. They looked like wolves but there was a sense of intelligence hidden in their eyes. Those eyes that looked hungry for meat. His meat. And maybe Bradford’s too.
Darc climbed the tree as fast as he could, not stopping until he reached a branch 15 feet high. They had quickly surrounded his tree, fanning out from 25 feet into a semi-circle now. Most of them looked bored, though two of them were still grinning at their prey. A few of them seemed more frustrated, however, as they glanced back towards where he had left Bradford. He drew his pistol, taking aim and letting loose at the 3 that had looked away. As the first shot rang out 4 of the wolves immediately turned tail and fled, two of them heading in Bradford’s general direction yet not directly towards him. The remaining 7 looked stunned, eyes widened in shock. The second shot rang out and Darc heard the wolf it hit squeeze out a sharpened yelp as it fell. Not letting the opportunity pass him by, he let loose again on another of the wolves, its brains splattering around it. At this point the 5 that were still there widened their mouths, a panicked expression painted on their features and 5 fist sized bolts of lightning shot from their maws unerringly towards he and his branch. 3 of the bolts shattered into his branch, splintering it apart as the other 2 bolts slammed into him. Darc let out a small cry as his body shook uncontrollably, the pistol no longer in his grip. Then he fell as the branch beneath him gave way. He landed painfully on his side, thankfully not as injured as he’d feared. The wolves were eyeing him wearily yet hungrily as he instinctively whipped his boot dagger into his right hand. As he stood in a crouched position one of the wolves, 18 feet to his right, leaned down and picked up his pistol in his mouth, casually throwing it off further away out of reach. Darc raised his eyebrow at that.
The other wolves were already opening their maws as Darc sprinted towards the one that had just tossed his pistol. At that moment a shot rang out in the distance. Bradford? But that was way too close- he slammed into the wolf with his dagger, however it had partially dodged out of the way, leaving it with a long lacerating gash on its side, blood pouring out in spurts. He was no longer in the open as he used its body to his advantage to block the incoming bolts sparkling towards him. Ducking just in time, 3 of the balls of electricity zoomed past his head, giving off a faint smell of ozone in the air. The last bolt had landed on the wolf, catching it by surprise, stunning it. Another shot of pistol fire rang out, closer than before, yet Darc had no time to check although he caught the sound of a curse ringing out far in the distance. He spun around, sinking his dagger through the wolf’s eye as he glanced at the other wolves that had started sprinting towards him. The closest one was nearly upon him, yet they were still spread out from their earlier encirclement. If he was fast and deadly enough, he might be able to take them one at a time- He slammed his foot down into the ground behind him, leaping at the wolf that had also leapt towards him. As he twisted in the air he called upon his mana, forcing it into his hand and through his dagger as he tore through its throat. The force of the blow had been so strong that its head barely stayed connected to its body that had just now flopped ungraciously onto the grass behind him. Another shot pronounced itself behind him, though this time its position hadn’t changed.
The other wolves eyed him wearily once again, spending a few seconds to group up, preparing to strike him together as a group. Shit… Darc took that moment to glance around, looking for where his pistol had landed. He couldn’t see it through the tall grass. As he turned his gaze back however, the rest of the wolves seemed to have frozen in place. Panic was etched into their features and they quickly turned tail and ran. Darc could have probably chased them down since they didn’t seem that fast, however he wasn’t in the best condition and he still had Brad to look after. Turning around, Darc saw Bradford cresting the slope not too far away, perhaps 100 feet, shaking his pistol in a threatening manner towards the retreating wolves. The old man had a wide smile plastered on his face and his clothes were spotted with blood, yet none of it seemed to be his own. Darc gave the man a wave as he went over to search for his pistol. A few minutes later he had it slotted back into its holster at his side.
“We should keep moving, dangerous to stick to one place, specially after all the noise we made.” Darc commented, an itch of worry flashing across him.
Bradford looked him over, noticing the black burnt out spots on the other’s shirt, burn marks etching the flesh underneath. Bradford nodded for him to lead the way as they both plodded back towards the dirt road.
“Those… wolves I guess? … I can’t say I like the look of them.” Darc mentioned as he detailed his findings to the old man. “The squirrel from earlier, too. Should take a better look at it later, it's got teeth like a carnivore.”
Bradford followed along in silence for a few moments before responding, “So... the wildlife here is vicious and intelligent. Some of them can cast rudimentary spells as well." He was running a hand through his wispy grey hair as he finished his verdict, "We’ll have to stick close from here on out. I won't have anymore of this 'protect the leader' syndrome from you.”
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Darc nodded in response, unsure about the implications. Bradford was still in bad shape. Real bad shape. The old man kept having to steady himself at increasing intervals as they went. I’m not sure he’d survive getting hit by even one of those lightning blasts from earlier. However, there wasn’t much of anything they could do. Their best chance of reaching the safety they needed to rest and heal was to find civilization and the road they were following was their only hope of doing so.
As they crested the next hill nearly half an hour later Darc could hardly believe it. His heart pumped jubilantly with a hint of anticipation within his chest as he looked over at their salvation. Maybe an hour’s distance from them he saw a small town nestled next to the river off in the distance. The buildings lay in a variety of stone and brick structures, their roofs encasing them with wooden shingles. It looked like the rich probably lived near the center of town, Darc noted, since most of the brick buildings were concentrated there, outperforming their stone neighbors in both size and grandeur. Outlining the town was a wooden palisade and a small dock jutted out around 30 feet into the river. On the other side of the town ran a field of silvery something and next to it sprung an orchard of trees, tiny splashes of purple poking out through their leaves.
They sat down to rest at the top of the hill, its height offering a good view and vantage point against any potential enemies. As Darc cooked the now skinned and gutted squirrel on the fire Bradford had conjured, the old man broke the silence, his expression serious now. “There are a few things you should keep in mind before we get there. First off, spoken language will not be an issue. Andrew confirmed that for us in his report. I’m assuming this has something to do with the nanites again. Second, our goals in this town are threefold:” he held up a finger, “We need currency.” He held up the next, “We need a place to rest.” His third finger lifted to join the others, “And most importantly, we need information. Anything and everything we can gather about this town, this country and the world in general. However, we need to be discreet. Without knowing their culture and customs, revealing ourselves as foreigners could lead to any number of unforeseen consequences, many of which would not bode for us. Judging from the medieval cultures back on Earth, others may try to control and use us for our knowledge, basically enslaving us. Others would be fearful and simply attempt to execute, murder or assassinate us. While it is possible they have some semblance of a code of chivalry or noblesse oblige, we are currently in the dark. So, from here on out, just follow my lead.”
Darc grunted in confirmation. While he was a little annoyed at being told the obvious, he couldn’t hold it against the old man considering the state he was in. He watched Bradford steady himself against a tree. It looked like he was deciding whether or not he should throw up. Turning his attention back to his squirrel, he sliced off chunks of meat, placing them onto a plastic bag next to some rations then sat down to eat, Bradford joining him a moment later. As he sat there eating, his eyes wandered the surroundings, taking it in. Forest to our west, goes on for miles. Beyond that a mountain range, probably tall as the Rockies. Continuing on towards the north, he sunk into thought again as a he chewed, Another forest up there, smaller, more dense. Can’t make out what’s beyond it. He swung his gaze back towards the South, Marshes, dotted with small huts far off in the distance. Nothing much but grassy plains with more trees between that and the river. He shoved in the last of his food as he finally looked towards their destination, Medieval looking town, probably around 2000 people living there. Gotta play this cool- His gaze focused in alarm at a figure that had been walking down the road towards them, around a 15 minute walk away.
The humanoid was cloaked in a dirt brown cloak, blending in with the road it travelled. Its gait was steady, seemingly not in a rush, yet strong, eating up the dirt in long strides. Halfway between a powerwalk and normal walking, Darc mused. He motioned towards Bradford to catch his attention and pointed towards the approaching figure.
Bradford grunted then moved to devour what was left of his dinner. He stood up and looked a little sick again yet he held it in as Darc moved to steady him by the shoulder. The old man spoke up, brow furrowed, “Seems odd, right? A lone traveler in a world such as this?" He spent a moment squinting towards the person. "We should stay out of his way. Let’s clean up and get going.”
By the time they finished cleaning up camp, the figure was already upon them, apparently having jogged the last 5 minutes. A hand shot out from under the cloak before removing its hood revealing a woman with stern features. Her dirty blond hair was tied back behind her in a ponytail and her pale blue eyes seemed frosty as they settled their gaze upon them. Holding out the same hand before her as she stopped 20 feet from them she spoke loudly in a clear, strong voice, “Hail travelers. If I may have but a moment of your time.”
Darc and Bradford nodded in affirmation as she approached, stopping within 5 feet of them. She stood slightly shorter than Darc, perhaps around 5 foot 6 and looked to be well armed. He could see the telltale glint of metal underneath her cloak. The cloak protruded off to her left side, probably armed with a sword Darc affirmed mentally. She wore brown leather boots which encased her legs up to right below the knee, the only other visible adornments she displayed being a bracelet hugging her right hand wrist. Darc’s eyes narrowed, is it glowing? Bradford had been looking at her face, searching for something. It seemed like he found it as he stepped forward and proclaimed, “Well met. If I may be so bold as to ask, why are you here? If I am not mistaken, you seem to have come here for a reason.”
She focused her gaze on him, her lips curled into a wry smile, “Indeed, you are quite astute. Do you perhaps go by the name of Bradford Cooper?”
Darc stepped forward, a frown on his face, "What do you want with him?"
She didn't acknowledge him, waiting for the other man's answer. As she stood there tapping lightly upon her shoulder, Bradford nodded in assent, "Yes, that would be me. May I ask to whom I owe the pleasure?"
A moment passed before she responded, "You may. I am Lady Minoa, paladin of the Order of her goddess Estra. You will come with me."
Darc shouldered past Bradford, stepping in front of him, his dagger was already drawn, yet he stood in an unaggressive stance, still unsure what to make of the situation as he asked, "Look, I'm not sure what's going on here, but we're a team. Where are we going and why?"
The instant his dagger had come out her eyes had narrowed. They now settled upon him. Another moment etched past until she merely scoffed. Her hands moved in a blur, striking him twice in the throat and once right between his eyes. His vision blinked and he found himself lying on the ground, coughing uncontrollably, as he vaguely perceived the deafening sound of a pistol sounding off, a brief flash of light and then nothing.