The trail ahead narrowed, and he noticed that the sky was clear, except for a few wispy clouds, and in particular, the serpent cloud.

How was it still in the same shape? Clouds changed form endlessly!

Up ahead, he knew the trail became a series of ledges before once more going upwards into the treeline. Keeping one hand on the wall of granite on his left, he walked on, until they reached the wider portion of the track, where two could walk side by side.

Hearing two heavy thuds behind them, Ricky spun on his heel.

Two huge men, taller even than his 190cm, had landed on the path behind them, completely filling the path back.

An identical set of thuds behind them once again signalled the arrival of the other two men.

Quickly looking between the two sets of pursuers, Ricky saw that they had an entire armory between them. Immediatly a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Leave boy,' one of them said, 'we want the girl"

The four men were nearly identical, blond hair, blue eyes, and thick as three bricks. Their forearms bulged and their necks were the size of one of ricky's legs. He was done for.

Glancing at the woman next to him, Ricky saw that she was carefully not looking in his direction, although her hand was lowered, to where he knew her knife sat.

Her face was set, fully concerned with the next few moments, however they may turn out.

Seeing the young man's hesiation, the same man spoke again.

"Do not interfere, and you will be left unharmed. This is your final chance."

"I dont' think four on one is even a little bit fair,' he retorted with false bravado, pround he had kept the tremor from his voice.

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"That thing is more powerful than you can imagine,' the brute replied with uncharacteristic venom.

"What a little thing like her? Shes even wearing a dress!" Ricky replied, feeling more confident as he did. "Scared of her, are you?"

He glanced at their quarry again, and saw a hint of a smile on her lips.

A look of fury passed across the leader's face as he drew a shortsword.

"You had your chance." he hissed, moving forwards.

"Two for you and two for me?" Ricky asked the woman casually.

Pursing her lips was her only reply.

He advanced along the path a mere step between him and the doom to his right.

The leader drew a wickedly curved blade, sneering at the smaller man in front of him.

"Once i'm done with you, I'll gut her slowly." he said menacingly.

Rather than reply, Ricky's world narrowed, and he focussed everything he had on the knife in the man's hand. He crouched lower, keeping his legs bent, to maintain a comfortable but steady stance. He had done mock fighting before, in town, but this was the real thing.

The man's knife was in a reverse grip, reducing his reach.

Ricky heard the sound of a battle cry behind him, as one of the men's pounding feet could be heard. Noticing his momentary distraction, the leader raised his knife, and picked up his pace.

As Ricky prepared to meet the knife with his own blade, a silent thunderclap impacted his body, passing through him violently and painfully.

Both Ricky and his assailant were thrown off by the event, allowing Ricky to gather himself once more. The pain in his hand flared unpleasantly in the aftermath.

The sound of metal in flesh came from behind him, and something fell heavily onto rock. The man in front was momentarily distracted, glancing towards the woman, allowing Ricky a moment to act. Switching the knife to his left hand, he grabbed his asailants right wrist and pulled, stabbing inwards with his knife as he did so.

The man was off balance and caught unawares, having dismissed his smaller opponent.

The look of shock on his face stayed in place as he struggled to regain his balance. Ricky continued to push, lifting with the knife embedded in the mans side and pushing with his other hand.

With one final effort, the larger mans foot slipped off the edge, and he fell, Ricky's knife being ripped out of his side as he went.

The second man advanced on Ricky, drawing a shortsword, and swinging it left to right.

Ricky jumped to his left, into the rock wall, and the man took advantage of his dodge, running past the stunned young man.

Before he could get very far, the last man on the woman's side crashed into the other man from the front, heedless of the weapon now embedded in his chest, and drove them both off the edge after their leader.