I spent a moment to watch Renn and Nann usher the group of descendants to the main house.

They had hurried to do as I had ordered… But they had also made sure to bang on the door of every families house here in the courtyard before doing so.

I kept my eyes on them as they ushered their fellows into the main house. I noted that Nann and Renn were the last to enter, shutting the doors behind them.

Sighing, I glanced around. There were a few other houses, beyond this little courtyard of homes, but they were a distance away. Some had lit up windows, others didn’t. I didn’t know which were occupied and which weren’t. Nor could I really tell which were even houses, and which were storage barns or workshops. Most of the buildings had been built for multi-purpose so they all looked the same…

Nann hadn’t gone out for them though. She had only directed Renn to get those they could here. But I wasn’t too shocked over such structured reasoning.

Unlike Renn, Nann and Nasba had lived long enough and endured enough heartache to have grown the necessary calluses needed to keep themselves alive.

Plus… they knew I was here, I guess…

Turning, I started walking towards the section of hill that I had heard the group coming from. I had seen a few peek over the hill, watching us, but none had shown themselves intentionally yet.

I wasn’t sure why they had not rushed over the hill, to attack, but it was likely because they had been shocked by the numbers of the Weaver’s family. I wasn’t sure how many people were beyond the hill, but I doubted it was enough to not double-think attacking an outnumbering force.

In this darkness, if they were all humans as I suspected, they hadn’t been able to tell that most of those who had ran with Renn and Nann to the main house had been mostly older. There had only been a few children amongst them. The older folks had been gathered. The younger children had already been in the main house, listening to Nasba’s lecture…

That was a good start at least.

Walking slowly, I glanced around the courtyard to make sure no one else was around. Neither invader, nor local. Though there was a small stuffed animal on the side of the path nearby, which had been dropped by one of the children as they had been pulled along by their parent.

I didn’t see, or sense anyone else… but I wasn’t foolish enough to think that these supposed invaders had all approached in the same group from the same direction.

Pillagers usually attacked from two or three angles. If they had the proper numbers.

As I began to climb the hill, I hesitated a moment.

“It can’t be…” I whispered as something obvious clicked in my head.

“Shit!” one of the men behind the hill heard me, and I flinched and stepped forward.

Picking up the pace, I reached the top of the hill and stared down the other side… at the small group of humans.

I quickly counted nine men. Three horses.

None had any traits of the bird’s family bloodline, and every one of them had a weapon. Most had spears, a few had swords.

Scanning their faces, I felt immense relief at the lack of those siblings.

Renn’s friends weren’t here.

“Who the hell…?” one of the men shifted and pointed a spear at me.

“Usually I’d ask what you want… or why you’re doing this… But!” I stepped forward. “Unluckily for you, I’m tired. Which means I can’t take any chances, less I make a mistake,” I apologized to the humans I was about to massacre.

“Get ready!” one of the men took charge. He stepped forward, hefting his spear at an angle. The kind that told me he was seasoned. He knew how to face an enemy while on the low ground. He knew how to become deadly.

And he wasn’t the only one. Several of the other men immediately went into motion, forming a line. A line of spears formed before me as I descended the hill.

I recognized the way they stood next to each other. It was a style of the northern armies. One that didn’t use shields, but also usually had another row of spears behind them in support.

They didn’t have the numbers for that extra line, but it didn’t make their tactical formation any less dangerous.

Yet I didn’t hesitate as I bent a little, and then jumped.

One of the horses startled at my leap. I had jumped a little too hard. I leapt over the row of spears, and landed several dozen feet behind the men. Near the other horse, that hadn’t startled on my jump but instead startled at my landing.

While the horse kicked, and jumped away from me in shock, I rushed over to the only man who hadn’t taken position into the line of spears.

He didn’t have a spear, which is likely why he hadn’t, but it had resulted in him being the first to die.

Hitting the man over the head, I grabbed his buckling body by his thick leather shirt and hefted him. Lifting him up, I spun just enough to give my throw some momentum and torque.

Tossing his body at the men still in a row, I watched as they all startled. Some lifted their spears, either in shock or in hopes of not spearing their friend, while others held firm. The man’s lifeless body crashed into the spears and men, scattering some and sending others to the ground.

Without wasting a moment I rushed forward. I grabbed one of the closest spears by the shaft, and holding onto it firmly I pushed it forward as I approached. The man holding it didn’t have the grip strength to stop me from pushing it out of his hands, but he had clung onto it long enough to break fingers. He screamed in shock as his hands crunched and snapped from the spear’s brisk and sudden movement.

Approaching the man with broken hands, I stepped to the right at the last moment. The man next to him was still on his knees, trying to get back up. He had collapsed when hit by the other man’s body I had thrown. I stepped up onto one of his knees and thighs, and applied weight.

His whole leg collapsed under my own foot, crunching and separating. He let loose a blood curdling scream of pain and terror, and I backhanded another man across the face. One who had stepped forward to attack.

“By the Gods!” one of the spear wielders was already separating. Backpedaling as he watched the carnage. I noticed him drop his spear and turn, as to run.

I ignored him for a tiny moment as I spun the spear I still held. Swinging it around, I smacked the end of the spear’s shaft into another man’s spear. It collided, snapped in half, and then the spear I held continued until it hit another man’s head.

The man’s head cracked as loudly as his spear had, and I felt the butt end of the spear’s shaft snap because of it.

I spun the spear once more, stepping away from the man who was still screaming about his broken hands. The man whose leg I had crushed had passed out, falling to the ground. I turned a bit, to find the man who had ran off. He was half way up the next hill already, doing his best to escape.

Readying the broken spear, I hefted it for just a moment. Then in the next, I threw it.

It whisked through the air with a strange sound, likely thanks to its broken shaft, and hit the man square in the back. Even from the distance I heard it thunk into him, and then he into the ground. It impaled him there in the hill.

A sharp point stabbed me in the side, but I ignored it as I swiped my hand down. Snapping the spear that had stabbed me, I stepped towards the man who went completely still. He held onto his now broken spear, even as I crushed his throat.

Pulling the broken tip of the spear out of my side, I turned to face the only two men still standing.

One had a spear. The other a large broadsword. Both of them were standing shoulder to shoulder, shaking and stunned.

Neither looked actually willing to engage me in any kind of combat… but they were also not running away.

“Wait…!” one shouted, but I ignored him as I stepped towards them.

As I drew closer, one of the horses neighed and approached. It stomped its hooves at me, and I realized one of the men were likely its owner. I ignored the horse, and its sad attempt of keeping me away from its master, and stepped right up to the two men.

The man with the spear tried to push me aside, by pushing out with the spear. It was a feeble attempt. I killed him, and then used his spear to kill the man with the sword.

Once the last man fell, I bent down to pick up the sword he had dropped. Hefting the large chunk of chipped iron, I sighed as I walked back over to the small cluster of bodies. A few were still moving.

“Gods… Gods…” one of the men was on his knees. Clutching broken and mangled hands to his stomach, and heaved over. He didn’t even notice me as I brought the sword down on his neck.

The next man, who was still moving, was the one with the crushed leg. He was going in and out of consciousness, and didn’t notice when I stabbed the sword into his throat.

I quickly checked the rest of the bodies, making sure they were all dead. The two horses had run off to a distance, to the top of the nearby hill. They stared at me, huffing and neighing as I made sure their owners were all dead.

Once I finished checking all of the men, including the one I had speared from a distance, I walked back to the top of the hill. To overlook the Weaver’s Hut village.

Scanning the area, I was pleased to see the courtyard all looked fine. None of the main houses or buildings looked bothered… I didn’t see any other pillagers or invaders or…

A familiar sound whizzed past my face, and I frowned as I turned to my right.

Approaching quickly, were three horses. Each with a man upon them. One notched another arrow, he guided the horse to turn to the right and then slowed… then he released the arrow.

Spinning the sword up, I swiped the arrow out of the air. Although I had done so successfully, a broken piece of the arrow still stabbed me in the face, right under my eye.

“Really?” I complained as I flinched, and felt the sharp metal dig even deeper into my cheek. Damn... that had been the arrowhead itself. That'll be a pain to dig out later, since it'll heal over and get stuck inside me.

“They’re all dead!” one of the men shouted as he and his horse drew closer, to see the carnage I had wrought.

Without waiting, I stepped forward and then flung the sword at him. It flew out at him quickly, spinning wildly.

He barely noticed in time, and tugged on his horse’s reins to dodge it. But all he’d accomplished is keep himself alive a moment longer. Instead of stabbing him straight through the shoulder, the blade dug deep into his thigh. Piercing not just his leg, but the horse he sat upon.

The horse let out a final neigh, leapt wildly, and then promptly fell over into the grass.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Run!” one of the other men shouted, pulling around his horse.

The one with the bow notched another arrow, and I ignored him as I hurried back down the hill. Not towards the fallen horse, but instead towards the spears.

Bending down to pick up a spear, an arrow slammed into my shoulder. I paid it no heed as I stood back up, hefted the spear and threw it.

Before that spear hit the man who was fleeing, hitting him square center and even knocking him off his horse, I picked up another spear.

I threw it right as the man let loose another arrow. My spear hit him, but his arrow didn’t hit me.

“What the hell are you…!” the man who I had thrown the sword into shouted at me. He was lying on the ground next to the horse, his leg propped up over and on top of it. It was sticking out into the air oddly, thanks to the sword pierced through it.

Stepping over to him, I pulled out the arrow that had lodged itself into my shoulder and smiled a little at the man who was foaming at the mouth. He was furious.

He was trying to tug his leg from the sword. It made nasty sounds as he pulled on it, cutting more and more flesh. Yet he didn’t have the strength to completely separate it. Most didn’t have it in them to pull a whole limb apart… yet he definitely was trying.

This man was likely a tough son of a bitch. Under normal conditions, if I had been a human, he might have been someone to be feared.

“What are you?” he asked through clenched teeth as he noticed me standing next to him.

“Your end,” I said to him, and stepped on his head.

Once he was dead, I glanced around for any other attackers. There were none… it was just me and the horses now.

The horses that still lived all made noises around me. Some stomping their feet in frustration, others neighing in strain. I ignored them all as I picked up one last spear and headed back to the top of the hill.

Once back at the top of the hill, I scanned the horizons. Now that there was definitely more groups…

There. I found the silhouette of a dark horse. In the distance, near the main building. I couldn’t tell how many others were there with it, but it was undoubtedly one of these invaders. All of the Weaver’s horses were in their barn, a distance away.

I debated for a moment to toss the spear. To kill the horse at least… but instead chose to hurry there instead. Chances are they didn’t know I had just killed so many of their fellows. Humans were oddly unperceptive during battle. If I attacked from this distance it might spook them, but might also make them desperate.

Hurrying along the hill, I picked up the pace as I ran past one of the horses. One of them was nuzzling at the man who had fallen off it. The one with the bow.

Quickly descending the hill as I rounded the main building, I realized that there were no men. There were only two horses here… and their riders weren’t anywhere to be found.

It wasn’t hard to find out where they had gone. One of the windows of the main building had been broken completely. The room was half-lit, and there were people inside it… but I didn’t hear shouts or screams from inside it or the rest of the building.

Wasting no time, I rushed forward. Abandoning the spear, since it was too long to use comfortably in a house, I jumped into the building and through the window.

Before even landing, I was stabbed.

My hand shot out, to grab my attacker… but luckily I stopped myself when I noticed the sharp blue eyes.

“Vim…!” Nann shouted in relief at the sight of me, and I too breathed a sigh of relief as well… as she quickly went to pulling out the sword she had just stabbed me through with.

As her blade slid out of my stomach, I glanced around the room and found the humans who belonged to the two horses outside.

There were two men. Both on the ground. One had a cleaved open head; the other was lying motionless in a pool of blood. Right next to the lifted platform that Nasba and the rest used to give speeches.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked Nann, as I noticed Renn and Nasba near the door of the room.

Nann nodded as she stepped back and away from me, moving her large sword out of the way as if suddenly ashamed it had my blood upon it.

“Only these two men entered. I have the family underneath, in the tunnels,” Nann said.

I nodded, glad to hear it. “I’ve killed twelve so far. There might be more,” I said.

“Please go check the outskirts, Vim. We didn’t gather everyone. One of Nasba’s sons is checking on them through the tunnels, but that takes time,” Nann said.

Right. Right…

I was about to turn, to climb back out of the window and head outside… but I noticed something odd.

“Renn?” I asked for her attention. She had a weird look on her face and…

She was looking down. She looked stiff. As if hurt or shocked. Her ears were pointed oddly askew, as if trying to listen to two conversations at once. I had already sized her up upon realizing it was her. She hadn’t looked hurt… And…

“Vim…” Nasba said my name gently, and I glanced at the duck. Nasba gestured with a chin, to one of the bodies, and I noted the look on her face.

Stepping over to the body, I kicked it over.

And realized what was wrong.

Although covered in blood, I recognized him immediately.

The mercenary. The one whose sister Renn had befriended.

Sighing, I glanced up at Renn… who was now looking at me. With haunted eyes. “Vim…” she said.

“I’m sorry Vim. I didn’t know he was a friend…” Nann apologized softly.

Shaking my head I waved her worry down with a tiny gesture. “You’re okay Nann. You did nothing wrong,” I said.

I heard Renn bite back a word, and I returned my focus on her. She went still, her watery eyes holding my own.

“I do hope you had not hesitated, Renn,” I said to her.

“Vim… Not now,” Nasba said, stepping forward.

Right. I nodded, and turned away. “Keep guard. I’ll check the perimeter,” I said as I left the room via the way I had entered. Glass crunched under my feet as I jumped out into the world, and glanced around.

The same horses were nearby. Unbothered. One was even grazing.

Hurrying around the house, I ignored the sight of Renn’s watery eyes lingering in my thoughts. I couldn’t afford to let her distract me.

“Deal with it later,” I said.

“Deal with what later?” Renn asked.

Frowning, I wondered how the hell her mental image had just spoken to me so clearly and… then I turned, and glared at the woman following after me.

I slowed a bit, and sighed at her. “Renn…”

“What…? I know. I’m screwing up. Let me fix it,” she said quickly, with tears in her eyes.

I shook my head at her, but didn’t argue. Now wasn’t the time.

“We’ll circle this way. If you see any humans or horses let me know. Don’t attack them though, from now on we’ll need to make sure those we meet are actually enemies or not. Remember many of their children are humans here,” I told her as I pointed in the direction we were heading.

“Right,” Renn answered quickly, and I noted the stiffness in her voice.

She was upset. I understood it, but something told me it wasn’t just because her friend was now dead.

She was angry. At herself.

Not a good thing to be during moments like this. Such self-depreciating anger made one sloppy.

I knew that well.

“Stay close Renn,” I told her as we neared the first building.

“Mhm,” she answered me with a tiny noise, and I felt myself grow a little tense as I neared the building’s door.

More on guard than usual, I banged on the door. “Anyone in there? It’s Vim!” I shouted.

For a tiny moment I heard nothing… then I heard someone shout back from within. “Vim! We’re heading into the tunnels!” a distant, muffled voice, shouted back.

“Okay!” I shouted and turned away, to head to the next house.

As we went from one house to another, I paid keen attention to all of the fields and hills around us. I didn’t see any more horses or people, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Last thing I needed was for Renn to catch a stray arrow.

Banging on another door, I didn’t need to wait long until it opened. A young man, with large tail feathers, quickly looked around as he stepped back. “Vim?” he asked.

“Go into the tunnels, go to the main section. There are attackers,” I told him.

“So that’s what we heard… okay!” he didn’t even wait, nor close the door behind him. He ran into the building, shouting for his family.

I sighed at him and closed the door for him, and gestured for Renn to follow me to the next.

It didn’t take as long as it felt to check on each building. But I grew more anxious as we rounded back to the main courtyard, to where it all began.

Slowing a little, I scanned the area… and noticed Nasba staring at us from the porch of the main building. She was standing at the door with her arms crossed.

If she was standing there like that I likely didn’t need to worry over having missed anyone, or the family beneath in the tunnels being in danger. She would have called for me otherwise… so…

Slowing my pace as I realized it was likely over; I glanced behind me to Renn. She was only a few steps behind me, keeping pace, and at least didn’t seem to be crying anymore.

“You okay Renn?” I asked her.

“No. Not really,” she answered.

“Hurt?” I asked, worried.

She blinked and shook her head. “No Vim. I’m okay. I meant my heart,” she said.

I nodded, I had figured… but hopefully from now on she’d make sure to clarify. Just in case.

“How about you Vim? Nann stabbed you,” Renn asked.

She had. The wound had closed already, but my shirt and pants felt weird now thanks to all the blood that had seeped from it before the bleeding had stopped.

“I’m fine. Come on, I want to check something,” I said as I hurried between two buildings, and headed for the hill behind them. The same hill I had just slain a dozen men behind.

Reaching the top of the hill, I glanced around and was glad to not only see all of the bodies still where I had left them… but all the horses still here too. They had grouped together, over near the horse that had not abandoned its rider. It was now on the ground, sitting on its knees next to his body. The rest of the horses had gathered around it, forming a small herd-like circle.

“Vim… is um…” Renn’s tiny voice broke my attention as I glanced at her. She was next to me, and fidgeting as she looked all around. At all the carnage.

“I haven’t seen her Renn,” I answered her.

She flinched, but nodded.

Yet she was right.

If that man was here, his sister should be too…

Had I killed her without realizing? Surely not. Most of those I had killed had been men, if not all of them, right…?

Glancing around, I tried to see any people in the distance. Either near or in the nearby farm fields, or past the huge plains of grass. There were trees scattered around the area, which all ended up becoming more common as a forest formed in the distance… but I didn’t see any signs of other people. I saw no glimmers from metal. I saw no movement. The only horses I heard were the ones nearby, unsettled but fine.

Fourteen people. Not as many as I’d have expected, but it was a believable number for a pillaging attempt. Especially on a homesteaded this size. Even more so when you took into account they had so many horses and weapons.

“This way,” I gestured for Renn to follow me as I went to walking along the hill. Heading back towards the main building. I scanned the dead, the horses, the buildings… I made sure Nasba was still standing on the porch of the main building. I made sure to check the fields between the buildings in the distance. Where Renn and I had just ran through.

A supposed mercenary band pillaging a random village wasn’t unheard of. It happened. Especially so during moments of chaos such as the world was currently experiencing… but…

Why here and not the village? It wasn’t like the village had that many more people there. Plus most of those in the village had been old, young, or infirm. It was likely the village had just as few able bodied people, men, as this place did. It would have been an easier target, all things considered.

Maybe they had thought fewer people were here than there was.

As I scanned the area, waiting for my next victim, I did my best to ignore the way Renn was fidgeting. Her tail kept twitching wildly, moving back and forth with little bursts of motion, not too unlike a whip would.

Another creature drew my attention away from Renn. Turning, I paused as I watched one of the horses. It was trotting away, heading northward. Towards a batch of trees.

Watching it, I studied the tree-line… and although didn’t see anyone there, knew better than to think the horse was just running away.

It was running too slowly. In too straight a line. Through thicker grass, the kind that horses usually avoided if possible.

“Vim…” Renn said softly.

I nodded. “It’s either going to someone, or going where it thinks someone might be,” I said. It might just be where the attackers had gathered and formulated their plan, or waited for the night. But it was now my next destination.

“Mhm…” Renn agreed, though she didn’t sound too happy about it.

I sighed and pointed at the house. “Go to the house Renn. Make sure they’re all okay, and have them check on the tunnels. Shout for me if you need me,” I said.

“But Vim…!” Renn stepped forward, to argue.

Shaking my head at her I ignored her eyes. I kept my own attention on the horse, and its destination. Waiting to see a shadow move. “Go, Renn. I’m going to follow the horse. That means I’ll not be right here. Go protect them until I can get back,” I told her.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her shift, and her face contort into annoyance… but she sighed and nodded anyway.

“Okay,” she said dejectedly, and then hurried off. She ran down the hill, at a strong pace, and hurried for the main house.

I watched her for a moment, and waited until she reached the porch and started talking to Nasba.

From this distance I couldn’t really make out what they were saying… but I could see Renn’s tail and ears. They were fidgeting something fierce as she spoke.

She was upset. At me. The world. Herself.

Looking away from her, I stepped forward myself. To run after the horse. It was near the section of trees it was heading to. And it had picked up its pace… which meant it had likely seen or smelled someone familiar.

Picking up my pace, I ran through the tall grass field. To make sure to find, and end, those who not only threatened those I protected…

But also those that had hurt the heart of the woman I loved.