No matter how much the army of men wanted to circle around and watch the battle they could not, their commander screamed orders just as much as he swinged his axe, with both terrifying strenght and speed, Leif felt a little frustrated he couldn't make the man focus on the duel but he also felt like there weren't many that could, with each dodge and counter attack the boy felt as if his luck was slowly running out, even if he used ÌlHy he felt as if he couldn't pierce the mans deep enough and it didn't matter how deep the man brushed it off as it was a simple scratch.
Thoren: [Bahahahah! Come on little crow, put more strenght in those swings!]
The bear of a man roared while destroying their surroundings with his powerful smashes, Leif folded back to dodge a horizontal slash towards his face, quickly swinging his blade into the mans thigh, as the man swinged his sword upwards from bellow the boy, Leif jumped to the side, more sweat dripping down from his brow with each close call, he felt the breeze of the mans attacks and with each second they spent the boy growed more sure that Thoren knew how to use some kind magical enhancement, there no way a normal man could move like this, there had been many months since the boy had begun his training as a Warlock and he could rival most others on the battlefield, but this man, Leif felt as if he was being toyed with, as if Thoren could end the battle any time with a powerful chop that would break his head in half with ease.
Thoren: [BAHAHAHAH!! YOURE BEGENNING TO PICK UP LITTLE CROW!!]
Leif: [SHUT THE FUCK UP!]
They shouted at each other as Leif tried to catch his breath, huffing and wiping the sweat off his eyes, how much time did he spend fighting this man? minutes? hours? mere seconds? God damn it he wanted to jump off that wall right there and then, but if it was too soon they would lose, then he wouldn't be getting paid anything, he peeked over the wall once more, the gate now had a dent on it from the many rams it suffered, shields pointed up to protect them from any arrows and spears.
Thoren: [Cmon little crow, gettin tired?]
Lief: [I told you to shut the fuck up!]
Thoren: [So feisty! BAHAHAH!!]
Leif dashed forward, the man protected himself from the boys swings with the blade of his long axe, all while laughing, quickly holding close to the blade he pushed it towards the boy, who quickly ducked, the man let the wood hilt slide over his palm until it was almost on the tip, bringing it down towards the boy with tremendous power, Leif tought quickly, holding his sword above his head and closing his eyes.
Leif: [[Dhákh!]]
His sword emitted a faint but solid feeling for barely a second, but the mans tremendous chop kicked the blade back up, releasing sparks into the air, the boy quickly pushed himself up holding tightly to the axes hilt.
Leif: [[Shár!]]
As he spoke the rune he felt the hard wood between his fingers crumble and snap, with it he felt his heart clench aswell as his throat, a terrible pain he had only felt once before, speaking too much, he stepped back a little coughing and struggling to breath as if choking in his own spit, he felt tear swell on his eyes, Thoren stepped back aswell, his eyes wide and a grin on his face.
Thoren: [Heh... Warlock huh?]
Leif held his throat as he coughed, looking up at the man as he stepped back a little more.
Thoren: [Well I have a hell of a spell for ya!]
The giant man stepped forward, letting his right foot back and opening his arms, Leif knew immediately what was about to happen, pulling himself up he jumped, the mans leg swinged toward the boy as he jumped, his shin hitting the boy feet and sending him soaring through the air, Leif felt the wind hitting his entire body with force, the ground seemed to circle around his vision, slowly he stopped going up, feeling the force of the wind hit his back he knew he was falling, he tried to look down but he had no idea how to, or even where down was, he seemed to fall for an eternity, faling and faling, he felt his lungs fill up and his hear clench with his chest tightening, he could hear the screams of war, seeming louder and louder, all until he felt a powerful hit against back and everything went black.
He woke up to someone's voice and a smack on his face, he slowly opened his eyes, for a couple of seconds everything was blurry and dark, then he felt a terrible pain on his back.
Leif: [U-ugh..]
He looked up to the person above him, the same rugged faced and graying old man he's used to seeing.
Leif: [Brott.]
Brott: [Dont talk child, you're wounded.]
Leif: [Ugh... y-yeah...]
Brott watched the boy lay there for a couple minutes, grunting with pain every couple of seconds, he had landed on a small hut on the back do the fortress, close to the east wall, thankfully it was used to stack hay for the horses, he felt a terrible pression on his ribs and his beck was pounding with pain, after almost half an hour Leif felt enough courage to let Brott help him up, he carried him around and into a small hut, it was small, but it was empty, no one else, no soldiers or anything, Brott layed him into a mattress of hay, he felt the pressure against his back as it were sharp knives piercing his muscles.
Brott: [The commander allowed you to have this hut for yourself, for your actions today.]
Leif: [Our great commander...]
When Brott left the boy fell asleep again, everything went dark, later into the day he woke up, once more feeling his entire body painfully tensed, the pain on his ribs was still terrible but more endurable, when he looked to the side of his bed he saw the commander sitting on a chair cutting off the peel from a apple.
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Leif: [Co-commander...?]
Geralt: [So you're up... here boy eat...]
The man took small bits of the apple and fed to the boy, he couldnt even turn his neck without terrible pain coming down his back, chewing the apple and swallowing.
Leif: [Thanks...]
Geralt: [You're gonna stay on this bed for now, got yourself really hurt there...]
Leif: [That guy was... fucking terrifying...]
The commander fed the boy another bite of the apple.
Geralt: [Thoren Galdr, enemy commander.... hero of war, betrayed the Pallaccian Empire and joined the Cithroam rebellion...]
Leif: [Okayy....]
Geralt: [You should've ran away as soon as you saw him, I know you could feel how dangerous he was...]
Leif: [I... want... the money..]
Commander Geralt sighed.
Geralt: [You won't get the money if you die, boy...]
Lief didn't respond.
Geralt: [Why didn't you run? You're not the kind to put yourself in risk anyways...]
Leif: [If I did, you guys wouldn't have won...]
Geralt looked the boy in the eyes, sighed once more and reached inside the sack tied to the belt in his waist, taking out something and placing it on the boys palm, he got up from his chair and walked out of the hut, the boy stayed silent for a little, he reached his hand closer to his face, it was a metal he had never seen before, it looked like a iron piece, but the sigil was different, instead of a anvil there where two swords crossed, the piece was also shiny and clear, like new iron.
Leif: [What... what's this..]
But he was hurting too much to care, he slowly fell asleep again, after what semmed to be years in that bed he woke up, his body was terribly sore and his mouth dry, but the pain that prevented him from moving was gone, slowly and grunting he got up, it was dark out, but slowly he could see the sun rise, once he was up he saw a small mirror on the wall, he took a few steps forward he pulled his shirt up, turning around he could see it clearly despite it being dark in his hut, the pale skin of his back was now a mix of dark purples and yellows, his shoulders, his waist, bruises and scratches, he put his shirt back on.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, reflecting on the past few months to ease out the soreness, he was being paid atleast 15 copper pieces once every couple of weeks to help with the war, he still couldn't take that many baths but he enjoued the few he did get, he wished he could buy better clothes, atleast something made of leather, but he didnt have enough pieces, saving up for food didnt let him, after clutching for his sword and feeling the empty sheath he panicked a little, he got up once more, looking around in he finally saw the sword behind the open door, quickly taking it and sheathing it, he walked out of the hut, outside was calm surprisingly, not much noise but the eventual talking here and there.
The sun rised over the fortresses east wall, he walked on the dirty trails between the huts and tents, walking up the walkway to the north wall, he sat on the floor and pushed his back against the wall, feeling the soft brush agaisnt his dirty face and tangled hair, the soreness on his back slowly went away as he sat there, the morning sun on his face was nice.
Hilt: [Lief.]
He was a little surprised, opening his eyes he saw the tall blonde boy, walking up the stairs.
Hilt: [I thought you where suppose to stay on the bed for atleast a few days...]
Leif: [As if.]
The boy chuckled as he stood by the Leif.
Hilt: [The commander wants to keep you safe you know...]
Leif: [I dont do everything the old man says you know?]
Hilt: [Yet you ended up fighting some real dangerous guy...]
Leif: [Oh.. yeah... what happened to him?]
Hilt: [He ended up surrendering.. They got him chained up against a tree.]
Leif: [Hilt, do you know what this is?]
He reached up and showed the different piece of metal, Hilt looked down and his green eyes went wide.
Hilt: [W-where.. where did you get that...?]
Leif: [The commander gave me.]
Hilt: [He did... well, im jealous... thats a silver piece.]
Leif: [Is it worth more then a iron piece?]
Hilt: [Well if a iron piece is worth 100 coppers, a silver is worth about 50 irons...]
Leifs eyes went wide.
Leif: [W-what... 50?]
The blonde laughed a bit.
Hilt: [I guess this really was worth it huh?]
After they talked for a few minutes Leif left, after a few minutes of walking he finally found him, the huge man was chained into the trunk of a tree, three chains bound his wrists together, one around his neck, another one around his chest and another on his shoulders.
Leif: [Bear man.]
He looked up with his dark green eyes through his bushy golden eyebrows, letting out a deep chuckle.
Thoren: [Little crow...]
Leif sat before the man.
Leif: [Why... did you let me go..?]
Thoren: [Let you go? Hahaha... I didnt let you go little crow, did you forget that i kicked you?]
Leif: [Dont fuck with me, im weaker then you but im not stupid, if you wanted to actuslly kick me i wouldn't be alive now.]
Thoren chuckled once more.
Thoren: [Youre smart, little crow, smart and strong, but youre young, how young are you?]
Lief: [Im supposed to turn 13 soon.]
Thoren: [Heheh.... 13 huh? That just makes me less excited to kill you.]
Leif: [Because you dont like killing kids, youve said that.]
Thoren: [That and you, little crow, are not ready yet... youre a unripe fruit...]