The Ambush

The next morning the trio continued their journey north trying to cover as much ground as possible during the day before the sunset.

The journey was as uneventful as the others before it, well that was until Aden heard a faint rustling in the bushes.

Sensing something he stopped them and quickly dismounted from his black steed and raised his sheathed claymore.

*SWISH*

*CLANG*

Swinging the oversized blade across his chest, Aden deflected a crude bolt that came whizzing out of the yellowing shrubs from his left towards him.

"Oi, he's a good one boss." Seeing the first strike failing to hit its mark, a hoarse voice said from amongst the bushes.

A scrawny looking man dressed in aged tunics and weathered armour walked out. Sporting a roguish smile that showed his yellowish dentition he walked towards the group with an obviously predatory stride.

"Hmm, look at his lovely armour and the huge sword, I bet it's worth a small fortune." Said another one who just appeared. Flanking the group from the right, the newcomer was also dressed in rags though possessing a more rat-like face.

"Ehm all seem to be made of steel! Expensive, definitely worth a fortune." A third rotund one said from behind staring at Aden's Claymore and armour with greedy eyes.

"And look at those lovely beauties he's hoarding for himself, tsk-tsk so greedy." A fourth one who appeared to be the leader said clicking his tongue. Tall and well-built, he stood a bit further away ogling the queen and princess with a scrutinising gaze.

"Boss I want the little one." The shorty amongst the five said eyeing Iris's flat bosom with a perverted gaze.

"Shut up imp! Block their left flank." The leader ordered drawing his blade threateningly at Aden.

The duke looked around calculating the distance between themselves and their assailants.

'We can't break free.' He muttered to himself sizing up the leader who was circling them looking for a gap in his defence.

Looking at the bandits positioning it was clear that this was a well thought out trap. There was no fleeing from this despite the trio being on horseback.

'To protect them these men all have to die, and quickly.'

Aware of this a devious glint formed in Aden's eyes as he assumed a battle stance.

Slowly drew his greatsword from his scabbard, the blade made a hissing whisper as it slid out it sheathe.

*THUD*

*BOOM*

The dull sound of Aden's scabbard hitting the floor seemingly signalled the start of their fight.

Simultaneously both the leader and the duke exploded from a standstill.

Swinging his blade in a wide arc Aden rapidly approached the former.

*CLANG*

The resonant thunder of steel on iron rang out through the forest.

The leader blocked, his feet sinking a few inches into the soft soil as slid backwards from the momentum. His lighter blade forced back by Aden's five pounds of damnation.

Using the momentum from his strike, the Duke jumped back dodging a sneaky uppercut from rat face.

Letting his body fall forward in mid-flight, another slash from behind swung by a few inches from his head.

Stabilising his footing he raised his heavy blade blocking another strike.

Staggering a few steps backwards, Aden watched the remaining two dash into the fight.

The men leapt.

Swinging down their blades simultaneously at the middle-aged duke, time apparently seemed to slow down.

Watching the blades curve through the air towards him, Aden's eyes shrunk to a needlepoint.

In that split second, he lunged forward slipping through the intersect of their trajectories.

Dodging the attack, Aden dashed forward pulling his heavy claymore a few inches above the forest litter.

With a swing Aden aimed at the leader's right leg.

Leaping backwards the leader lunged at Aden's exposed back.

Expecting the strike Aden turned a quarter circle mid-lunge, letting the blade graze past his chest.

Turning another half circle he pressed on at his target, aiming to cripple the bandit leader.

Understanding Aden's intentions, the leader pulled back his blade to guard his legs.

But.

Defying logic the duke pulled his five-pound claymore in a violent arc upwards shifting his centre of gravity and attention from the leaders legs to his upper torso.

"FUCK!" The leader immediately knew he messed up. The first attack was a feint.

Watching the blade arc upwards towards him with unmatched ferocity, he tried to raise his blade to block.

With the dried up autumn leaves still hanging mid-air, a devious smirk appeared on Aden's middle-aged face.

*SLASH*

*THUD*

A splatter of crimson, a raising blade, the bandit's head flew drawing a bloody arc through the air.

"BOSS!!!"

Leaping back a few meters, the remaining four watched in horror as the headless body of their leader fell to the ground.

Shocked they watched a pool of blood form underneath the corpse.

Everything happened just to fast. One moment ago they were still ganging up on this lone knight and the next their leader had died.

With a hint of fear in their eyes, they turned to look at Aden who froze, crouched in mid-swing, blood still dripping down his greatsword.

Breathing heavily he straightened his posture, turning to look at the remaining bandits stiffened in fear.

"You guys aren't planning on running away, are you? I know you lowlives can be cowardly at times, but come on you still outnumber me one to four." Aden asked mockingly.

Outraged by his words, the bandits rushed him.

"Arggh!"

"Kill him!"

"Let me at him!"

"Bloody bastard!"

Watching the men approach the glint in his eyes deepened.

Shrugging his shoulders, he smirked seemingly goading them.

Gradually he brought one foot behind his back.

Suddenly Aden rushed at scrawny. He dipped and weaved right as he was about to reach him, slashing downwards with the sword. The bandit parried with his sword and the blades clashed with a shriek that sent sparks flying into the air.

Letting go of his claymore, Aden fell forward, falling into the open arms of the bandit as a third blade lunged from behind grazing the duke by his shoulder a sinking into scrawny's chest.

"That was a close one," Aden muttered

Rolling away the knight looked at ratface who stared into scrawny's eyes. With a heartbroken expression, Ratface held the grip of a short sword sunk up to the hilt in his partner's chest.

"Brother..." He said with tears tumbling down his face.

Unconcerned with the emotional turmoil going on in his opponent's mind, Aden pulled out a dagger from his left boot, rushing up to ratface and stabbing the dagger in his side.

Rolling away he dodged a high sweep aimed at his head, creating distance between himself and his remaining assailant.

The fatty and shorty watched in increasing horror as Aden rolled away from them.

They looked around, realising that in a span of no more than a dozen seconds from the death of their leader, two more of their comrades lay dying in their own pools of blood.

Watching the knight stand upright, despite being armed with only a dagger, Aden seemed more like a demon, one of Puhbeer's légionnaires, a harbinger of death than a human knight in their eyes.

The fear of death overtook their reasoning. They turned to run, but like a haunting curse, Aden followed behind.

*SWISH*

Aden's dagger flew from his hand lodging itself at the base of fatty's neck.

Crouching mid-run to pick his greatsword, Aden pursed after the Shorty.

Being chased by the silent knight, shorty's mind was overrun with terror.

He tripped over a low hanging branch.

Falling face-first into the forest litter he tried to stand up but slipped immediately after.

The sound of incoming footsteps from behind caused him to freeze.

A shadow loomed above him.

A putrid smell soon filled the air.

Slowly turning back to face the stonefaced Aden, he muttered a plea.

"Please... spare, me."

*SLASH*

*THUD*

Expressionlessly, with a brutal glint in his eyes, Aden swung.

A short fountain of crimson stank-smelling liquid spewed out from what was left of the dwarf's body.

"Are you guys OK?" Aden's monotonous voice called out.

"Hmm..." Frozen in terror both ladies nodded.

Suppressing nausea building up in their chests, they walked up to Aden who was ransacking the leader's body.

"Here, I know his majesty personally taught you sword fighting," Aden said turning to pass the leader's iron sword to Iris.

"You might need it."

"Thanks." She said tucking in the blade in its scabbard before wrapping it around her waist.

Aden cleared the bodies of anything useful before mounting his horse again and leading the duo away.