ACTION ROUND

Cattle Rustlers

Human

Rustler

Action Stats

EXP Level

2

Action Points

4

Hit Points

18

Fortunately, The Baron was quicker to react, stabbing at the rustler. Three times, in quick succession, he found his target, causing a total of thirteen damage.

The rustler staggered away from the assault, then wielded his cudgel. At Wade. Wade had time to think, Why me, damn it?, before he was struck across the chest.

The two points of damage were nothing to the subsequent crushing blow on his left thigh, costing him a further six hit points. The pain caused him to cry out. He wanted to lie down, but he couldn’t move his left leg.

He was relieved to see Mags slash at the rustler. One of his strikes failed, but the other two punctured flesh. The rustler collapsed to the ground, dead.

Wade looked around, but no other assailants appeared.

It was only now that it dawned on him what had happened.

‘That damned beast kicked me,’ he said, directing his ire at one of the cows they had leashed. ‘I think it’s broken my thigh bone.’

‘It won’t have,’ Mags reassured. ‘You can’t break your femur.’

Wade wasn’t in the mood to be reassured. ‘You can’t break your femur? At all? Not an ogre wielding an axe? Or a fall from a tower?’

Mags shook his head. ‘It’s impossible. I’ve never heard of it.’

‘You’re an eejit.’

The Baron hushed them. ‘Try walking on it, Wade.’

Wade found he could limp along a little. Perhaps it wasn’t broken, but he wasn’t about to admit that. Nonetheless, The Baron looked relieved. They didn’t need a hobbled merc to transport as well as a herd of cattle.

‘I think you should go see the nurse.’

‘Nurse?’

‘Femke. The medic. She’ll be able to give you something for it. One of us has to go over and tell them we’re on the move. It might as well be you, since you’ll be of little help now.’

The thought of wandering across the farm on his own with a badly injured leg didn’t appeal. Not one bit. But then herding cattle for miles was probably worse.

‘Damn it. Why’s it always me?’ Wade acquiesced to the situation. ‘Alright. I’ll go.’

***

At last, The Bowman had fired the roof of the building. Wilson could hear the alarmed shouts of those inside. They came out to investigate. Some began work on putting it out. Others searched for the culprit.

As he crouched on the opposite side of the barn to the fired farmhouse, he heard some of the rustlers heading in his direction. Perhaps they’d seen the fire. Christoph was still firing his arrows. This was all part of the plan. Drawing them in this direction allowed the three thieves to depart with the cattle unmolested.

The gnome wasn’t the only one lurking in the shadows. Stricken had pulled himself onto the roof of the barn, waiting for the enemy to arrive from a position of height. The Hargon’s presence should have reassured Wilson, but it didn’t. He had the feeling Stricken was as likely to jump him as a rustler.

He heard low murmurs of conversation. The squelch of booted feet in mud. They were coming. He crept to the corner of the barn, flat against the wooden planks. He drew his axes, waiting for them to come to him.

ACTION ROUND

The footsteps got closer, coming down the short side of the barn. Only a few feet away, and closing. They didn’t know he was waiting.

Wilson breathed, trying not to tense. Then a figure emerged next to him. The gnome took a sliver of time to check it was a rustler, then launched his attack.

He got the drop on his opponent. Both axes sank home, taking sixteen points of damage.

The rustler collapsed to the ground, barely alive.

The battle rage was on him. With three action points remaining, Wilson decided to leave the dying man where he was, and rush around the corner of the barn. He was rewarded, with only one other rustler following the first. The man’s eyes widened at the sight of the dual-wielding gnome coming for him.

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It took a second action point for Wilson to reach his next opponent, but that still left him with two.

Again, both axe strikes penetrated the rustler’s defences. The first took him in the chest, the power of the strike pinning the man against the wall of the barn. Wilson launched himself into the air and the second took him in the neck, decapitating him with one blow.

Exultation filled him. ‘Don’t test Wilson Turk!’ he crowed into the night.

Wilson listened for the sound of more enemies. There was a thud, followed by a gasp, back in the direction he had come from. He retraced his steps around the corner of the barn. He ignored his first victim, still bleeding out. Ahead of him, Stricken had jumped a rustler. They wrestled on the ground. Stricken pulled a hand free and slashed with his cleaver.

Behind them, a second rustler approached along the long side of the barn. It was lucky for Stricken that Wilson had come to help, because the man would likely have got in a free strike as Stricken scuffled with his current opponent.

The gnome ran for the second rustler, using his speed to rush his enemy. But the rustler saw him coming, and as they met the human was quick enough to get in the first strikes.

The cudgel wasn’t much of a weapon, and Wilson’s breastplate protected him from all but one of the man’s strikes. The strike that got through, however, landed square on the gnome’s crown, giving him a headache and four points of damage. Wilson’s action points dropped to three. But at least it was his turn to attack now.

Except the first two axe strikes both missed. It seemed Wilson’s vision had been affected by the blow to his head. Another strike missed, but at least his fourth finally struck, taking the rustler in the hip, and taking eight hit points to boot.

Steadying himself, Wilson landed his two final blows. Vicious chops into his enemy’s legs sent him to his maker, blood spurting from the ruptured arteries.

He turned to see Stricken finishing off his victim. Slowly, the bastard got to his feet. With a grin, he set off in the opposite direction.

‘Where d’ya think you’re going?’ Wilson demanded. Stiff had told him to keep an eye on the snake, and he meant to.

‘The house.’

‘No you’re not. We have no business there. We’re just buying time while the others take sixty-two head of cattle. That’s our mission.’

‘You gonna stop me, little man?’ Stricken asked, running a finger down the length of his cleaver’s blade.

That thing wasn’t a proper weapon. Wilson’s two axes were more than a match. He smiled. ‘Please. Take me on. I’ll enjoy chopping you down to size.’

Stricken shrugged. ‘Maybe another time.’ He gestured back towards the fire. ‘Lead on. Gnome.’

‘Aye. Any time you like,’ Wilson muttered. He made sure to keep the son of a bitch in sight.

***

Femke heard a shout from the barn. It sounded like the gnome, but she couldn’t make out what he said. Did he need help?

She exchanged glances with Christoph. They’d been told to wait until he returned. But what if he didn’t return? So new to this, she felt unsure about making a decision that might be costly. Her nephew and the big man with them were certainly no more seasoned.

A grunt to the left made her whip around in surprise. She was relieved to see it was only the thief, Wade. On closer inspection, he was hobbling, and he grimaced in pain.

‘Has something gone wrong?’ she asked him.

‘Not really.’ He joined them by the fire, clearly uncomfortable. ‘The other two are leading the herd away. I got a kick from one of the stupid beasts for my troubles though.’

‘Ah. That can certainly be painful. Whereabouts?’

‘Thigh.’

‘Let me take a look.’ Femke knelt on the ground and opened her kit.

‘I can’t bend the leg at all.’

‘Christoph, Murder. Be useful and help the man get down.’

They got Wade on the ground and Femke wasted no time in pulling down his hose and locating the injury. There was a red mark where the hoof had struck him and significant tissue damage, but nothing too serious. Also, the way the thief was eyeing her up as she looked at him suggested he was perfectly fine. She smiled to herself. Men were the same the world over.

She reached into her kit. ‘Drink this for the pain,’ she said, handing over a potion. ‘I’m going to put a poultice on it to help with the swelling.’

‘Will it be alright?’

‘It’s fine. You can walk on it.’ She eyed Murder. ‘Maybe when we leave, Murder will lend you his stick so you can keep the weight off it.’

‘Mada.’

‘Auntie!’

From the direction of the farm, a rustler was heading for them, cudgel in hand. Femke had a bad feeling that meant something had gone wrong.

Christoph released an arrow that twanged into the air. It flew up and over the approaching enemy.

Femke had no weapons of her own and realised that was less than ideal. All Christoph had was that useless bow. Murder had a stick. The big man positioned himself between them and the approaching rustler. But Femke wasn’t confident that he’d be able to see the man off.

‘Get me up!’ Wade demanded.

Femke grabbed him under the arms and somehow lifted the thief back to his feet. In that time, the rustler was on them.

Murder blocked the first strike with his forearm. But the rustler landed three blows on the big man, causing five points of damage.

Slow to react, Murder swung his stick but the rustler easily avoided the strike.

Christoph joined the fray. He used his bow as a staff, lashing at the rustler and inflicting a hit point.

Wade hobbled over towards the fight.

Moving much faster than the thief, Femke used two action points to reach the rustler. A jab with her left, followed by a right hook that landed with a satisfying crunch, gave the man something else to think about, not to mention the loss of three hit points.

With a roar, the rustler swung his cudgel. Femke nearly shimmied out of the way, but the tip of the weapon cracked her on the elbow, costing three hit points. She did avoid the second swing, lurching to one side. But this meant she was slower to regain her balance and the cudgel cracked down on her shoulder, taking her down to fourteen hit points in total.

The rustler had done his worst, but now it was their turn.

Murder struck him this time, and Christoph landed two blows, taking his hit points down to ten.

Femke was down to three action points, but two of her punches landed.

The rustler had taken plenty of hits but he still had seven hit points. He knew he was beaten, though. He held up one hand and backed away.

Murder whacked him with his stick, and the man staggered backwards.

Wade finally hobbled onto the scene, dagger in hand.

‘Murder! Stop!’ Femke said. ‘We didn’t come here to kill. Just to take back what was stolen.’ She eyed the rustler. ‘I suggest you leave, before I change my mind. And leave your club.’

The others let him go. Not long after the rustler sloped away, Wilson and Stricken appeared. Their weapons were slick with blood, and each had a face like thunder. But neither seemed badly injured.

‘Well?’ the gnome asked.

‘The Baron and Mags will have the herd well on its way by now,’ Wade said.

‘Good. Let’s get out of here.’

MISSION COMPLETE

SUCCESS: The livestock were rescued

Some of your mercs improved their stats:

The Baron:

Might +1

Hit Points +1

Wilson Turk:

Grit +1

Hit Points +1

The Bowman:

Might +1

Hit Points +2

Action Points +1

Femke Gerd:

Might +1

Hit Points +1

Some mercs levelled up:

The Bowman is now Level 2