As three Soldiers appeared in front to block his path through the forest, Lucas darted to his left through a tough tangle of bramble and nettle. 'This way!' He called to his partner behind him. His woollen robes caught a sharp branch and tore as he sped on by. Broadway followed him close. Her leather and steel armour proved less of a burden when moving through the brush. Behind them were the shouts of angry pursuers.
When he left the undergrowth, Lucas stumbled into a clearing in the forest. Green moss covered bumpy ground, tall trees grew up in a large circle around him. The canopy merged together above with only a small gap. A single beam of light shone through. Broadway made to exit the bushes, but a bramble caught her foot and toppled her. She fell hard against the ground, scrambled quick to her feet and drew a longsword from her hip. She turned around to defend against anyone who may have caught up to her and tripped her. There was no one, only shouts coming from a distance.
'We can't run forever, it's been days...' Lucas was worn. His skin dashed with red scratches from the recent path through vine and thorn.
'We can't hold against that many, Lucas. Just keep running!' Broadway grabbed her partner's shoulder and pulled him through the clearing. When they passed beneath the pillar of light she found the man unmovable.
'No. They're going to catch us sooner or later.' He was stone. 'I won't have enough energy to go on if we keep running.' He shook her off.
'Lucas...'
'Listen to me.' He turned away from her, toward the direction of the shouts,. 'There's enough room for the Avatar here, I can block their path but you have to keep running.'
'Without you?' She shouted. 'I'm not going to leave you!'
'Stop it!' He snapped, looking her in the eyes. 'I have room here to take care of them alone, if you stay you'll be in the way. The Avatar could hurt you.' Broadway tried to touch his arm again, but he pulled away. 'I'll come back to you alive. Don't worry, just get out of here!'
The woman nodded, fear in her eyes. She began to run, Lucas' voice calling behind her. 'Stay safe and don't stop running, I'll catch up to you.'
She swallowed hard as she fled the clearing, through the trees and beyond. Behind her were more shouts and a familiar cry. Loud and echoing. The ground shuddered as she ran, making her stumble. Lightning cracked above her. Crows cried and flew from the trees, overtaking Broadway, lifting past the canopy and into the sky.
She crossed small streams and uneven terrain with high jumps and quick footwork. The air sang past her ears as she sprinted. Her sword blade reflected the colour of the world around her. So fast she went that she lost all sound of what was happening behind, and came too quick on the change in terrain to realise the misfortune ahead.
The forest ended and grassland began. Awaiting her was a Swordsman wearing a steel breastplate with black leather armour everywhere else. With him was a retinue of chain-mailed soldiers, baring swords and spears and bows.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Broadway did as Lucas had told her, strive for safety. She leapt high into the air and over the foe, rather than engage them. Swords and spears reached to catch her, but it was an arrow that took her and brought her down. She landed on the other side of them, dropping heavy to her knees, a quiver in her shoulder.
The enemy soldiers charged with their blades leading, but Broadway rolled away and turned with a slash of her sword. It caught the shaft of a spear and knocked it aside. The point of her blade found its way to the spear user's belly, then the thigh of another. The men came for her, but she answered their advances with bloody murder. She screamed with each thrust and cut. She grunted when someone's boot took her in the back, but returned the gesture from the air. Jumping and kicking back into an unprotected face.
She was fast, skilled. Men fell about her, but so did arrows. Soldiers with crossbows were aiming to take her, but she had their number. She jumped over two others and headed for the crossbowmen, tossing her sword at one of them as she did. The sword spun through the air and took a man in the chest as he reloaded. Broadway drew a dagger from her belt and started for another target. Her short blade was thrust out at the enemy Soldier's throat, just as he managed to reload his crossbow. The man panicked and fell back to the ground, evading the deadly move. His crossbow loosed and the bolt punched through the light steel armour over Broadway's chest. She cried, but fell on the man with angry fast stabs all the same.
Her vision filled with weeping red as she punched hole after hole into her foe, then a flash of white came. She found herself looking up at a white cloudy sky, a boot mark on her face. Then she was looking up at the Swordsman, the edge of his great sword whistling towards her. She rolled and kicked out, evading the heavy blade and knocking the Swordsman back.
The man advanced on Broadway, swinging at her neck. She ducked under the attack, then jumped over the second swing into a roll across the green grass. The enemy followed while she sprinted through the dead, looking for a weapon.
A short sword was clutched in a fallen Soldier's hand, but the hand was not attached to its limb. She did not recall having done that... Still, she scooped up the weapon, minus the mailed hand, and swung it behind her as the enemy gained. Some backed off, others increased their speed and tried to run her off her feet.
Broadway turned on them and slashed, but this new sword was shorter and lighter than she was used to. She was out of range. The Swordsman was not. His great sword reached her sword arm and dashed the shorter weapon to the ground. A combination of slashes ensued and Broadway did all she could to stay alive. She crouched under one attack, her braided brown hair trailing and halving as the great sword sliced through it. She rolled to the side, out the way of a downward slash, but it caught her foot. Broadway cried out as she stumbled to her knee. She scrambled away before the sword could take her in the back of the neck.
The world was a haze and she was losing her senses with the loss of her health. She could not win. Her life was draining away with each heavy swing of the sword.
When some sense finally did return, she found herself with her back to a tree. Meanwhile the Swordsman and his remaining men gathered to surround her. Her breathing was heavy and her armour red with blood. An arrow was sticking from her shoulder, her sword hand was made useless with wounds, and her feet and legs where cut and battered.
She knew it was the end, her stamina was spent, her life was low. She wanted to live. The game appeared to want her to die. 'Don't-' She tried to plead, as the great sword pierced her through her chest.
Her head hung to one side in defeat, just in time to see Lucas exit the tree line. He looked her way, stopped in his tracks and then screamed out in terror and anger and anguish. She lifted her hand to reach for him, but like with that bloody short sword, she was out of reach. Too far out of reach.
Lucas ran for her as the great sword was pulled free of flesh, steel and wood. Broadway fell to the ground.
The bodies of the slain began to disintegrate to white glitter, but Broadway's broken form was taken instead with pink light and energy. She vanished from the world, leaving Lucas running into the midst of the enemy.