The Worth of a Life

Halt gritted his teeth, ignoring the deafening roar of the cascading waters, the splatters of tears from heaven itself made watery trails down his cheeks. Halt glared at the man before him, if looks could kill, he had no doubt the man would've died a dozen times.

The man, a warlord by the title of Slasher, seemed unaffected by the dark looks the cloaked ranger was sending him. He grinned, but it was a grin of the reaper, without any trace of humor. He effortlessly spun his short sword in his hand, as if daring Halt to make a move. He was protected by light pieces of armor, and they glinted with a malicious sheen in the dim light.

The rain pounded down on the two relentlessly. Both men were completely drenched, and yet they still stared at each other. Every muscle in Halt's body was tight as a bow string, ready to defend himself in a fraction of a second. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his Saxe knife, his shattered longbow lay useless and out of reach.

"You should've stayed dead, old fool." Slasher's quiet voice, almost a whisper, cut through the constant background of the pouring rain.

Halt narrowed his eyes, but said nothing in reply.

Slasher smirked. Without warning, he lunged forward, his sharp blade arching through the damp air. But Halt had a lifetime of battles, and parried the slash. Slasher however, was an expert with the sword. He seemed unperturbed by his adversary's fast reactions. He slashed and slashed at the small hooded ranger, and slowly pushed him back.

Halt, without the element of surprise or his trusty longbow, alongside the large cut on the side of his calf from an ambush days earlier, was at a large disadvantage. His Saxe knife was a flicker of silver as he parried and blocked the lightning fast thrusts of his opponent. The sound of metal clashing upon metal echoed as the two blades entangled in their deadly dance.

Halt winced as the sword drew a long cut in his left shoulder, but suddenly his trained eyes saw a chance to turn the tables to his advantage. And he took it. He ducked under a blow aimed at his head and jabbed at his enemy's unprotected knee

Slasher, surprised by Halt's sudden change of pace, grunted with pain as he felt the sharp bite of Halt's Saxe knife. He broke away and staggered back, abandoning his mask of calmness and uncaring as he snared openly at Halt, sensing his skill.

Slasher cared nothing for honor, or a fair fight. He killed when it suited him, and he killed in any way he could, as long as it got the job done. A devious glint shone in his eyes and he stepped forward in a swift overhead strike. Halt easily blocked it, but was unprepared for the kick Slasher delivered to his leg, on the still healing wound. He gave a hiss of pain as the wound reopened, the precious blood oozing out, into the sodden soil and the cradle of the Earth.

Slasher didn't waste a moment, as his blade had already started on the path towards Halt's core, merciless.

Frustration made a haze in Halt's vision. For some reason, Halt could not bring himself to accept the prospect of death. He didn't want do die here, in the depth of unknown territory, where no one would ever find him. The throbbing pain in his leg gave a harsh reminder of the dirty trick that had brought him here, trapped under the blade of his executioner. That annoyed him, and that just fueled his frustration. It seemed to be such a trivial way to die. No. He would not die here. He had better things to do.

Halt's hand shot forward, slamming into the flat side of the sword, and sending it spinning from Slasher's grasp. Slasher's eyes widened, he opened he mouth. "What th-" No other words came out.

For Halt has already sent his throwing knife thudding into the other man's heart. Halt stood up coolly, and dusted himself off. Without so much as a glance towards the man lying in the dirt, he turned and limped away.

As soon as Halt threw that knife, he knew where it was going to land. He knew it would strike exactly where he intended it to. It always did. The shadows of the forest swallowed his retreating shape as the final rays of the sun faded below the horizon. All that was left was the showers of rain, sweeping along the life liquid of the man who had dared to bring harm to Halt's apprentice. The Earth embraced and welcomed him, making him one with the lands that once gave him his life.

The water swallowed all traces of what had occurred so suddenly under its eyes, and the first stars glittered, grinning down as if nothing has happened.

Halt never looked back.

Word count: 927

I've spent ages reading other people's stories on FanFiction, and I finally sat down and wrote my first one-shot ^_^

Please leave a review of what you thought. I know it was quite short, but it was really just a fight scene. If people like it, I try to make a multi-chapter story based on it. Critique is welcome!

As for what happened to Will... I'll leave that to your imagination.

~RangerKellyn