As I stood there looking down at the sight below, as I looked more and more I picked up more and more signs of inhabitation, a patch of missing trees in the distance, a wide field of wheat cut into the forest, as I stood there standing, the plume of smoke grew and grew, something was going on, the town or village was burning. From my position where I stood two miles up perched over a cliff almost forty miles away, there was nothing I could do. Sure, I had some skill in climbing, but scaling down a two-mile-high cliff with no equipment, no protection from the elements was pure suicide. Even If I could climb down I had nowhere to put the sword, no scabbard no bag of holding, I would have to wait until my mana returned. A few years ago, I might have tried to climb down, the sight of a village burning would have put me into a righteous fury desperate to save as many life’s as could. I had been youth then that opened eyed optimism, that one man could make a difference, that foolish belief of mine that good triumphed over evil, that a war could be won with clean hands. How foolish I was back then. As I stood there a cold blast of wind hit me chilling me to the bone, I couldn’t stand here all day exposed to the elements. I pulled on the door pulling it shutting it, blocking the view of the outside world. I sat down then leaning against the old stonework and closed my eyes, there was little I could do today, as I opened my mind to the mana surrounding me I began to pull it towards me, I felt the waves of mana rolling around me, I pulled on the mana falling into that meditative trace as my consciousness drifted off.

Alexis

I awoke to the smell of my ma’s cooking, as I stood up my back itched, I didn’t have to turn around to know I had been scratched by that old straw mattress. As I looked around our old hut, I winched the corner of my room was leaking again, I was going to have to fix it, if I couldn’t get the thatch soon, we won't get it until next spring and that meant a winter without a roof. As I pulled on my old tattered jerkin and pulled my old boots on I noticed a small hole in the foot of my boot, another old thing I had to repair, the boots had been passed down to me from my older brother when he was conscripted into the military, and I had them since I was fourteen, ten years of wearing wasn’t that bad, I could only hope that the caravan due next week had a cobbler or two in it or I was stuffed. As I walked out of my room into the kitchen, I saw my mother leaning over a pot,

“it just porridge today,” my mother’s voice echoed,

“Now don’t give me that look I know you don’t like it but it’s all we got if you want something better after you finish your chores grab your father's old bow and see if you can snag us a rabbit or two,” my mother said.

Our family was a poor one, we hadn’t always been, my father and brother were both skilled hunters, but after being conscripted ten years ago when I was fourteen, my mother and I fallen into hard times as there were no men to help us.

“Now Alexis my dear, you do know today's chores?” my mother asked

“Yes mother, buy some bread, see if I can talk to farmer Jacobs and get more thatch, go to work at the tavern and see if I can shoot a few rabbits on my way back” I responded.

I hated working at the tavern, but I was forced to work there, there weren’t many jobs for young women and with no father, I had no dowry to pay to find a husband, even if I was a good huntswoman the butcher refused to buy from me saying

“women shouldn’t hunt.”

As such I was forced to work in the tavern, dealing with the drunken lumberjacks constantly trying to grope me, to make it worst I was forced to pretend to enjoy it, the pay was crap so unless I made a few tips from flirting with the pigs, we would go hungry. Due to that I managed to gain myself a reputation, for being a flirt , making finding a man to marry was impossible, I was stuck here in this bloody village, mother was too old to travel and couldn’t earn a living, all the other village girls my age had married and had a kid or two by now, while I was stuck in this dead-end job trying to earn enough money to make it through the month, so me and my ma didn’t starve.

Finishing my breakfast, I stood up walking over to the door, lifting my father’s old short bow as I stepped outside, I had four hours until my shift started at the tavern. As I left our old wooden shack I looked towards the roof, it needed fixing it wasn’t going to last the winter. Our house was set away from the village a hundred meters from the rest, it was the perfect spot for a hunter directly connecting with the woods. The village was within a clearing, almost five hundred meters wide. Large pine trees dominated the area surrounding every area that was not managed. Trees grew unnaturally here if you planted a tree in the soil It would look like a fifty-year-old pine within a month. They said it was something to do with the mountain in the distance, Hells Gate they called it. According to the church, it was the site was the demon armies were buried after their defeat at the hands of the gods. No one was allowed near it for fear of the church. When I was younger, I watched Alex one of the young boys off the village receive forty whips by the local priest for sneaking off into that direction, he had never recovered and walked off into the forest never to be seen again a month after his wiping. As I walked up to the wooden palisades, I was greeted by the fat slob Vanart manning the gates

“Let me in Vanart, I’ve got to head to the mill” I called out,

I got no response, as bloody normal as I looked up to the watchtower, I spotted Vanart asleep in his chair. I knew from experience that no amount of shouting would wake him, the only way to arose the fat arse was with the smell of booze, moving around the wall towards the main gate I came across, my little climbing spot, putting one foot in the nock, I pushed myself up grabbing the top of the palisade and hauling myself over. As I dropped down onto the other side I was greeted by Margret’s little shop, the shop sold clothes and cloth and honestly, I had no idea how it was still in business in this town.

“Vanart asleep again?” the old voice of Margaret came out of the store.

“Yea, I have no idea why he means the gate, I know it’s the second gate and most people use the other one but why to have a gate manned by that fat slob is beyond me” I responded

As I stood up brushing the dirt from my trouser knees from my fall I started walking towards the mill, if there was any thatch left from the harvest it would be in the mill. As I walked up, I pass by the general store as I walked over, I walked towards Iver, drawing into my purse drawing a silver form it.

“The usual?” the gruff voice of Iver sounded out

“The usual” I responded

As I sat the Silver down on the counter Iver turned around lifting a small pouch wrapped in cloth and handing it to me.

“Thanks,” I said

“Just be sure to return the cloth” responded Iver

As I left the shop I moved toward the mill, as I walked towards the mill. I saw Farmer Orin standing in front of the door

“Have you got any thatch left?” I asked as I walked up to him.

“yeah I got a load left from the last round of harvests this summer” he responded.

“I’ve got twelve silver for a few bundles; the roof is falling in,” I said.

“You see Dorasion wants the lot for his cottage and is paying me forty for the lot,” said Farmer Orin

“Come on, he rethatched his roof only a year ago, the roof is collapsing, please I need this,” I pleaded

“Well, I suppose there are some ways you could sweeten the deal,” said Farmer Orin while staring directly at my chest.

Disgusted I turned away and walked off in the other direction.

“Dam it’s going to be a cold winter” I muttered to myself.

I walked around back to the main gate exiting out, I still had a few hours until my shift started, might as well try to bag some rabbits.

Three hours later I returned to our cabin having broken two arrows and lost a third, I wasn’t completely unsuccessful have bagged a single rabbit but it just hadn’t been my day, walking into the door I placed my father’s bow back into it slot placed the rabbit and the food package onto the table and walking into my room, my mother wasn’t there, she was still working she cleaned in the church the only work she could get at her age. Walking into my room I started stripping changing into my ‘uniform’. It wasn’t a uniform, it was the most scandalous clothing this town had seen in a hundred years when the first tavern owner made us where it had been the talk of the town for weeks. The shirt wasn’t even a shirt, I heard one of the merchants call it a corset, apparently, they were undergarments, but the tavern owner made us wear them and nothing else. All I could tell you was that they were tight and exposed a lot of skin and left me breathless. Then there were the skirts instead of respectable skirts or paint designed to hide a lady’s modest they stopped at the knees and were incredibly tight fitting. I hated the ensemble, they made it hard to walk and were highly revealing. As I pulled my outfit on, I exit our home heading towards the tavern ignoring the catcalls I received along the way. As I entered the Traven I looked around, it was just me and the fat oaf of an innkeeper,

“Where’s Mary I thought she was working tonight as well?” I asked.

“The sluts of sick, it seems you’re going to be serving the entire Traven today” responded the innkeeper.

FUCK, today was going to be a nightmare, it took around an hour for the Lumberjacks to start to stumble their way in. It got very busy fast and I was on my feet the entire time, severing drinks, dodging groping hands, around halfway through the evening I was fast enough to dodge a customer’s grasps he grabbed my hand pulling me in planting a forceful kiss while another customer grabbed at my breasts. A large cheer erupted in the room, as I pushed away from myself away spilling a drink.

“You will be paying for that” the innkeeper's voice shouted out.

I had hoped my wages weren’t getting docked again. As I stood up looking briefly outside, I saw it was still only around six o’clock I still had another five hours of this hell left. As I glanced outside, I noticed something off. A group of almost forty men was moving towards the tavern, from the look of them they seemed to be soldiers, they were wearing a mismatch of armour and arms some had chain mail, others leather, one or two even had a full suit of plate mail. As I scanned the gruff looking group I scanned for banners or symbols of their allegiance, seeing none I swore. They had let bloody bandits in again. In a village as remote as ours I wasn’t uncommon to see a bandit or two in the area, normally they came to sell the wares setting up camp outside the walls to sell their ill-gotten gains. Normal procedure was to keep them outside the gate and not let them into the village. This was put in place after a large fight broke out between a group of the bandits and the lumberjacks a few years before I was born and led to four houses being burnt to the ground. They must have bribed someone to let them in. As I stood there staring out the window, I didn’t notice the drunken lumberjack sneaking up behind me until he lurched forward grabbing at my behind. Stumbling forward I turn around and got back to serving drinks. A few minutes later the bandits entered, after a brief chat with the innkeeper a few benches were cleared for them moving some of the drunken lumberjacks to other benches. I walked up to a table of them.

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“May I have your order please?” I asked

“Just keep the ale coming my little pretty” responded one of the uglier looking bandits.

One of his eyes was missing a large scar covering over his eye. His nose looked like it had been broken at least four times. A small brand was burned into his forehead a large T marking him as all to see as a thief.

“I’m going to have to ask for money in advance sir” I responded

“Bloody, bint can’t give a man a bloody drink” responded the same bandit

I saw him reach into a pocket before withdrawing a small bag, he looked over to the innkeeper before tossing it his way, the innkeeper snapped it out the air. You never saw him moving fast unless money was involved. He looked into the bag before his face lit up in a giant smile, as I looked towards him. He merely looked towards me and nodded.

“Bring the man his drinks, keep bringing them for the rest of the evening,” the innkeeper said.

I spent the next twenty minutes serving drinks to both the bandits and the lumberjacks. As I walked up the bandit's table, with a tray of drink in my hands, I set the drinks down on the table. I didn’t even hear the man behind me, he moved with unnatural grace stepping behind me and grabbing my hands.

“you’ve been teasing us, laddie wearing that oh so revealing dress, I think it’s about time me and the boys found out what’s underneath,” a voice said.

As soon as he grasped me, I started to squirm desperately trying to escape his crutches, suddenly I froze, I felt a small chill and the blade was pushed against my back.

“Remain still laddie, I would have to tear that skin of yours,” the voice behind me said.

I barely moved a muscle as I felt the blade rise cutting thought the cording keeping my corset together. It had reached almost halfway up my back when I heard the rustling of feet.

THWACK

A large noise sounded and the pressure on my back lessened, as soon as the pressure dropped, I jumped back putting as much distance between me and the bandits as possible. Standing behind me was Dorasion, he was the closest the Lumberjacks had to a leader in his hands was two broken legs of a chair. Below him was one of the bandits I had previously been serving.

“You don’t touch our girls ya’ pigs” the rough voice of Dorasion echoed around the room.

“And you don’t hurt my men” a voice sounded out.

As I looked towards the voice, I saw the scarred man that had paid the innkeeper. The next thing I saw was a flash pass by me, slowly as I turned towards Dorasion, I watched as he toppled over a knife sticking out his eye. The entire Tavern froze just standing and sitting there staring at what had happened.

“Don’t just stand there, it’s time to get killing”, the voice of the scared man echoed outward.

Pandemonium broke out, the bandits reached for their blades, drawing them and rushing into the lumberjacks, the lumberjacks reached for whatever they had, some drew knives, others picked up axes, but the majority of lumberjacks were unarmed. As the commotion started, I rushed towards the door, running as fast as I could in this bloody outfit. I slammed into the door pushing it forward with my body, I was dazzled slightly from the transition for the dark room into the light of the early evening, I continued running towards the church hoping to find my mother still there. I could hear a shout from behind me as I ran towards the centre of town. As I rounded the corner looking into the town square what I saw shocked me, they hadn’t let just forty bandits into the town there was another group. Around the centre of town a large convoy of wagons was parked, almost ten of them, there were at least another sixty bandits in the square, it seemed that they had heard the fighting in the tavern and seen it as a sign, they had drawn weapons and attacked, I saw the bodies of the towns merchants and guards scattered about. It seemed that they were trying to trade with the bandits when the fight broke out, at least it was a quick death. I saw Vanart, Farmer Jacobs, Iver and Margaret to name a few lying there.

I looked across to the other side of the square towards the church. I saw it then, the fat old priest lying gutted on the churches step, but that want what drew my eye. Being dragged outside by their hair was my mother and nun Alice. Alice was young being only sixteen, she had arrived in a convoy last year apparently to train under the priest. My sprint peated to a stop as I stood there staring at what was going on. I watched as one of the bandits grabbing Alice, grabbed at here ceremonial robes pulling at them.

“Let go her you beast” I heard my mother voice cry out.

I stood there watching as she picked up a broom striking out at the man. She hit the man, but the blow barely stumbled him, as I watched time seemed to slow. I watched he lifted his blade and then I watched as the blade thrust forward. I watched as my mother crumpled collapsing bleeding profusely from the cut in her chest.

“NOOOOOOO” I screamed out, watching as the bandit thrust a second time, striking my mother in the throat.

“Alvar grab that one” a voice called out.

I glanced towards the sound of the voice and noticed not twenty meters away from a bandit standing there with sword drawn. As he began to advance towards me, I turned and ran. Behind me, I heard the noise of the footsteps chasing after me. I moved as fast as I could, but this bloody dress slowed me down, as I rounded the corner in front of me was another group of bandits heading my direction, I saw a small number of the lumberjacks running down a side street.

The street, however, was littered with bodies, lumberjacks and a number of other workers lied dead on the floor. A number of women were dead as well, but several of them were being dragged by bandits, clasping them and dragging them towards the tavern. I was closing with the bandits in front of me, who heard the noise of my pursuit and turned my way. I started to run right towards them, I saw several of them tense up expecting me to collide with them and to tackle me down. Just as I reached arm’s length I jumped, twisting my body in mid-air. As I came down two meters to the right of the bandits waiting for me, I pushed off running sideways toward a small alley, leaving the bewildered bandits behind. It did take them long though before they set off running after me. I had however gained several meters head start and had was maybe fifteen meters in front of them. As I ran forward down the alleyway, I looked ahead. In front of me was Margret’s store, and the palisade as I rushed off running towards the palisade, the bandits started to catch up to me, they were faster than me when wearing the bloody dress and I was losing breath due to the tightness of the corset. Hell, if the bandit hadn’t cut into my corset earlier loosening it, I would have been a heaving retch at this point desperately gasping for air. I pushed my self further running as fast as I could towards the palisade, behind me I heard the bandits slow slightly, believing to have me trapped between the palisade and themselves. As I sprinted forward coming within a meter of the barricade, I jumped, reaching up to grab the small rope I had tied around the top of the palisade, I had left it there for whenever I need to exit the down after dark which with my job was often. Pulling myself up I heaved myself over the palisade falling towards the ground on the other side.

Pushing my self to my feet I pushed off running towards my home, as I burst through the door, I reached towards my fathers bow lifting it from its mounting point quick ling stringing it I looked towards the quiver. Only eight arrows left. As I picked it up, I ran towards my room, quickly pulling at my clothes, the tore away with easy. Grasping towards my pants and shirt I began to pull them on, I stood there for a second grabbing a breath. pulling my boots off I reached towards my paints quickly pulling them on and fastening them tight with my belt, as I pulled my shirt on, I heard a noise the sound of running feet. Quickly I threw my self to the floor rolling under the bed grasping tight to my father's bow and the quiver.

I heard the door fly open with a loud crash. I heard a boot stomped through my home, I looked out from under the bed and saw two pairs of boots entered into the room.

“Look Scav we found the whore house” a voice echoed.

I saw as a hand reached down grabbing at my discarded corset, lifting it up.

“Look her boots are still here we must have only just missed her” a second voice responded.

“Don’t worry look she ain't got boots, and we got her clothes, we can just stick the dogs on her” the first voice said.

I saw as a hand reached down grabbing my boots and my discarded ‘dress’ I heard as the sound of boots leaving the room and moving off into the distance. I held my breath as long as could before lets out a breath of air. after no intermediate response, I pulled myself from out under the bed. As quietly as I could I stood up and poked my head around the door. There was no one there, scanning around I looked for my boots hoping the bandit had dropped them. No such luck, if they were going to set dogs after me, I had to start moving now, my pace would be much slower with no boots, I ran into the forest, running as fast as I could without boots, I felt pine needles and rocks cut into my feet.

“Come on Alexis you can do this” I muttered to myself an I ran through the pain.

It was dark now, the sun had set several hours ago I don’t know who long ago but still I ran, running towards the Hells Gate mountain range. My feet were a bleeding mess now, cuts and stabs from the rough terrain dug into my feet. Behind me I could hear the baulking, I could see the flashes of torches behind me as the dog handlers kept hold of the dogs, there were four dogs and I estimate around fifteen bandits although I was unsure of the true number. With my feet in this state, I hadn’t long left. In front of me was the cliff edge rising into the distance just a mile away, I shrugged pulling my fathers bow off my back, reaching for an arrow. I slowed running towards a small clearing, it was around forty meters wide and would be the best spot I had passed in miles to make my stand. I ran towards the clearing coming to a stop in the centre. I stood there drawing my bow and knocking my arrow, slowly catching my breath. if I was going to die I would be sure a hell take a few of them with me. As I pulled back of my bowstring tensing the bow, I saw a small flash of movement, releasing my arrow I let it fly state into the chest of a dog, I quickly drew another arrow, knocking it a pulling back on the bowstring, there another flash of movement, I let loose letting the arrow fly,

Thwonk,

I heard sharp squealing as another dog dropped. Quick reaching back and knocking another arrow I stood there, at the edge of the clearing I saw an explosion of movement, quickly aiming I let my arrow fly right into the chest of one of the dogs, the other dog besides it was charging aimed right at me undisputed by the death of its neighbour, quickly I drew another arrow, I had no time to aim, or knock the arrow as the beast quickly made up the distance, it leapt towards me fangs glaring, I thrust forward with the arrow in my hand.

I felt as the dog collided with me knocking me back sending me head over heels, and I tumbled over falling on my back I was stunned lying there for a moment. Looking up I saw the dog, an arrow embedded into its eye. At some point during the tumble, my father's bow had been knocked out my hands desperately scrambled to my feet reaching for it. Just as I grasp forward grabbing the bow in my hands a foot stamped down on it, stopping me from lifting it, as I looked up a saw a bandit, he was wearing light leathers and had a small dagger aimed at me, it was the bandit that had originally assaulted me starting the fight in the tavern

“You killed my dogs, you're going to pay for that, I was going to make it quick but now, now I’m going to enjoy it take my time,” he said.

As I looked at him, I felt defeat, my exhaustion caught up to me and I collapsed falling on my hands and knees. The cuts in my feet ached, my heart burnt my breath completely gone, I was defeated.

"F̵̡̧̝͈͕̲͈̹̼̠͔̺̻̒̋͆̇̌̌̄͆͋̚͠ư̷̧̨͇̖͍̹͍̥̱͐͛͐l̵̡̛̦͔̥͙̮̥̝̗̣̣̫͉͈̬͊̒̊̿̈̓͐̊͒̃͛͒͊͝͝͠m̸̛̗̭̰̺̲̱͓͒̈́̓̾̃̑̏͑͆e̸̖͍͎̯̭̼̹̦̙̻̠͆̔̇͐̅͘n̷̮̲͎̗̜̎̌̽͗̾̌̅̓ ̵̡̢̜̫͚̺̭̦͙͍̝̖̳͉̘̲̟̿̇̅̃̄̀̓͒̍̍̽̀̆͂́P̵̢̛̖̺̞̣̟̰͓͙̘̘̂́̀̃̐́̌̊̐͌̐̈́͠͠͝ͅȩ̴̢͕͙̗̥͕̠̱͖͍̣̩͗́̆͠ͅͅs̶̳̓̎̍̍͋̃͑̐̄͘͝͝s̸̱̯̺̜̥̰̝̹͇̤͓̱͕̺͌͐̾͜ͅų̴̧̧͎̼͕̤͙͈͔̅̈́͆̿̿̈́̔͊͑̀͘l̷̤͖̰̫̤̥̝͇̫̽͌͑̇̅̈́u̷̢̡̹̫̖͈̯͕̥̗̼͕̤̹̓́̍̓͋̑́̾̍̒͋̽͑̑͝m̶̧͎͕̹̣̳̰̙̅̔̀͋̇̔͌̉̾̔͌̕̕͝͝͝"

I heard the sound, it was a noise I had never heard before like the sound of a thousand screaming voices speaking in one disjointed choir, it was a language I had never heard before, and the very sound of It sent my ears ringing, as I looked up I saw a streak a streak of pure light coming right at me and then nothing.